Uh oh! I've got aphids! [/caption] Aphids feed on most fruit and vegetable plants, they reproduce like there's no tomorrow. Both adults and nymphs suck plant sap, which usually causes distorted leaves, buds, branch tips, and flowers. Severely infested leaves and flowers may drop. As they feed, aphids excrete a sweet, sticky honeydew onto the leaves below. Also, some aphids spread viruses as they feed. Aphids are bad news, and if you find just one in your garden, you should act right away. Look under the leaves to find them.
Im using organic insecticidal soap (orange bottle). I have the blue bottle incase of extreme infestations that can lead me to pull out the plants like I did with my zucchinis. Organic damage control
- Drench plants with strong sprays of water from a garden hose to kill aphids. (A hard rainstorm will have the same effect.)
- Keep your plants as healthy as possible.
- Control ants that guard aphid colonies.
- Spray aphids with insecticidal soap.Both bottles can be found in True Value
21 comments
I wish! They don’t sell ladybugs around here, and I’m not sure how to attract existing ones.. I’m growing cilantro which I think helps, and I don’t want to grow dill. What else helps?