Organic Aphid Control
Aphids are out in force in my garden right now. I’ve spotted a few on my peas and eggplants, but they are all over Jon’s hops. Aphids feed by sticking their mouthpart into leaves and sucking out plant sap. They are often green, but can also be black, peach, and grey-ish in color. They like to hangout on the underside of leaves. Some have wings, some don’t. Telltale signs that you have an aphid problem include plants with puckered leaves (this is especially noticeable on peas and favas) and the presence of honeydew, a clear, sticky substance that the aphids exude.
These little pests are easy to deal with organically. The first—and often best—option is to just leave them alone. Birds love aphids, I’ve seen sparrows and chickadees swooping in and out of the hops all week snacking on the insect buffet. Aphids also lure in ladybugs, who along with their larvae, can eat several hundred each day.
Option B is to spray aphids with a strong stream of water. The insects have such soft bodies that a blast from the hose kills them. This method works best on sturdy plants (like hops), but can bruise tender plants (like peas) and knock the petals off flowers (like roses).
Option C is to spray them with an insecticidal soap, such as Safer Soap. These soaps coat the insects and effectively smother them. In order for a soap spray to work, it must come into contact with the aphids. So it is very important to spray the entire affected plant, including the tops and bottoms of its leaves. Thoroughly inspect the plant after a couple of days and use the soap spray again if necessary. I’m usually all for for DIY solutions, but in the case of soap sprays I think it is best to buy one that is formulated for use on plants. Fragrances, dyes, and other ingredients in household soaps can be phytotoxic (i.e. kill plants), so I play it safe and use a commercial insecticidal soap.
Plants that often have issues with aphids include roses, hops, peppers, eggplants, peas, favas, honeysuckle, and nasturtiums.
This is great to know. Aphids got my peppers last year, and I think I made it a lot worse by spraying them with a soap solution I made. It was a biodegradable, natural soap, but the peppers withered shortly thereafter. Won’t do that again!
June 2nd, 2010 at 6:05 am.-= Beth – total mom haircut´s last blog ..Rocket, Tee-Pee, Call It What You Will =-.
You can also just rub the leaves where the aphids are to crush them. Once you get over the ew factor, this is an effective way to get them off of more delicate plants.
June 2nd, 2010 at 7:40 amOy, aphids. We have a problem with thatching ants on our property, and not only do the little buggers bite, but they started farming aphids on the hops growing at our front entry. Nothing could stop them OR the aphids. Needless to say, the hops died an early death…thank heavens they come back from the roots. This year, if they farm on the hops again (which they may not as they’ve moved further south on our property), I’ll start the Safer Soap treatment early.
June 3rd, 2010 at 8:06 amGreat advice as usual, Willi. I used to go after aphids full force (ie. insecticidal soap) but in the last couple years have just left them. I find that natural forces (ladybugs, birds) often do the job better (and with a lot less effort on my part). And as an added bonus, you’re attracting wildlife to your garden!
June 3rd, 2010 at 9:50 am.-= Andrea at Heavy Petal´s last blog ..Coveted: Shiraleah biodegradeable servewear =-.
Ick, aphids. They are ALL OVER my strawberry plants right now. Mostly I’m just leaving them alone, waiting to see if they’ll disappear when we get the hotter weather and the strawberries stop producing. I’m keeping an eye on the rest of my gardens, though, because I don’t want to get into an all-out infestation.
Last year I had good luck with placing foil, shiny-side up, under plants. Apparently the ensuing “sunlight from below and above” confuses the flying aphids (the ones that are first to arrive before they start having non-flying babies) and they don’t hang around–I did this after noticing a few flying aphids on my potatoes last year and within a day or so, no more aphids!
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:15 amFYI–Ever since I started spraying compost tea every two weeks, I no longer have aphid problems on anything in my yard/garden. I use the Simpli-tea brewer and their tea bags and brew the tea overnight. It also prevents blight and other fungal diseases on my tomatoes.
June 3rd, 2010 at 10:13 pm.-= Robin´s last blog ..tomato plants =-.
I’ve got them on my zucchini plants in the garden. I just heard the foil idea today from the farmers I work with, and would like to find a spray here in Tokyo. I’ve done some squishing, but it’s a bit of a problem. Word here has it that they also carry a virus. Anyone else ever here of that? I’d not heard of that in the States, which probably means I just didn’t know about it.
June 8th, 2010 at 5:36 am.-= Joan Lambert Bailey´s last blog ..Satoimo in a Cup or The Tambo Gets a New Friend =-.
Joan–Aphids can be vectors for viruses, which makes them doubly awful. There has definitely been some research that using foil “mulch” confuses insects.
June 9th, 2010 at 9:13 amAphids went after my giant irises this spring. They only managed to hamper a few beautiful blossoms. I brought in the Ladybug Brigade with some success!
July 1st, 2010 at 9:34 pmNessa–I’m glad that your irises weren’t destroyed! They are one of my favorite flowers!
July 2nd, 2010 at 7:25 amI live in the Pacific NW, and aphids have been very abundant in my numerous huge ornamental hop plants..the only bad thing about sprays for aphid (or any other insect) is that if you don’t get the under side of all the leaves, the pests still do alot of damage as they multiply very quickly. I went to my local garden supplier and bought about 500-1,000+ ladybugs for a mere $10..not only is it organic, but it’s fun to see mother nature at her best.. show your kids and grandkids! Make sure to get info on how to properly introduce the ladybugs. Release them at the bottom of the plant stalk, during a semi to warm dry late shaded afternoon,.. and two helpful things I was told..make sure to wet down the plants good before releasing them, as they will be very thirsty upon their release,.. and a light mixture of soda pop and water at 50% each misted lightly on them in a paper bag will keep them from flying away for about a week..it coats the wings like a varnish, keeping them in your garden turf, and will eventually dissapate and not harm the ‘lil helpers! Best to you all!
August 3rd, 2011 at 2:30 am