These tiny and repulsive parasites, usually black in color, flock to and feed on the sap
As winter comes to an end, the plants in gardens and balconies begin to bloom. However, your delight may turn to horror as you examine these first hints of color more closely. And it is that, the sap secreted by plants with rising temperatures is also a magnet for pests, which come like flies to honey. Of all of them, aphids are especially dangerous, not because they are the most harmful, but because they are one of the most common and difficult to stop definitively.
These tiny and repulsive insects, usually black, but there are also green, yellow, white and red, come in legion and can make plants sick if we don’t get rid of them quickly. A complicated task, since they reproduce very quickly. There are many specialized products on the market to kill aphids, however their chemical components can be dangerous for the plant if they are abused. As an alternative, there are also a number of natural ingredients that can help you get rid of these unwanted guests.
Below we explain what are the most effective home remedies against the different types of aphids. All of them are easily accessible and you should apply them for no more than five days, at dawn or dusk, to avoid the most intense hours of sun, as they could burn the leaves of the plants.
1. Soap
One of the simplest remedies against aphid infestations is to mix about 30 grams of natural potassium soap with a liter of water. We introduce the mixture in a sprayer, shake it to make bubbles and shoot generously on the plant, especially in the areas most affected by the plague, although not exclusively.
2. Vinegar
Vinegar is useful for dressing delicious salads, cleaning embedded dirt in the bathroom and even restoring shine to hair. Why wouldn’t it help us to get rid of the plant aphid? As in the previous point, we add 100 ml of vinegar for each liter of water and spray the plants with a sprayer. Keep in mind that vinegar is not an insecticide but a repellent, so keep in mind that if there is a healthy plant nearby, aphids could move to it.
3. Garlic
Aphids attach themselves to our plants and feed on their sap, that is, their blood. Could we consider them vampires? Well, let’s use Dr. Van Helsing’s remedies to combat them. In this case, we chop four or five cloves of garlic for every liter of water, let it rest for 24 hours and boil for 20 minutes. Next, as in the previous steps, we use a sprayer to apply the solution on the affected plant.
4. Nettles
The stinging properties of nettles (green or white, it doesn’t matter) can help us get rid of annoying aphids. We put a handful of leaves in water in a pot, cover it and let it rest for a day. Then we filter the liquid using a strainer and spray! Of course, remember to wear gloves throughout the process to avoid skin irritation.
5. Repellent plants
In line with the previous point, if you have detected that any of your plants is especially prone to aphid infestation, you should consider installing other repellent species around it to provide natural protection. Nettle is one of them, but also honeysuckle, foxglove and lupine.
6. Tobacco
Nicotine and other toxic substances present in tobacco leaves are not only harmful to our lungs, they are also a hand in hand to kill aphids. Extract the content of 8 cigarettes or use an equivalent amount of rolling tobacco for each liter of water, let the mixture rest for a couple of days and filter the resulting liquid with a strainer. Load a sprayer with the solution and shoot!
7. Ladybugs
If you really hate aphids and exterminating or expelling them from your garden is not enough, you can give them their own medicine and unleash on them a natural predator that will feast at their expense. In garden stores or even online you can buy ladybug larvae, each of which can devour more than a hundred aphids a day. Throw a few on the affected plant and let nature take its course. The advantage of this remedy is that it will not damage the leaves and, once turned into adorable spotted beetles, the ladybugs will fan out any aphids that dare to approach.