Get Rid of Aphids Permanently: Save Your Precious Vegetables and Flowers with Homemade Remedies!
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Aphids, these tiny creatures, feed on the vegetables’ or flowers’ sap, causing their leaves to curl and flowers to wither. Should you apply chemical pesticides to fight them? You can, considering the unfavorable consequences for your health. Are there alternatives? Let’s pay attention to the homemade remedies to get rid of aphids permanently, and keep them at bay in a not harmful way.
What Gets Rid of Aphids Naturally?
How can we create an inhospitable environment for aphids, without making harm to the environment? There are a number of homemade remedies that are not always able to get rid of aphids till the end of the season, but do it for at least a long period:
- Strong water jet: This is a time-consuming and eco-friendly method, which is particularly useful, when you have to cope with the problem fast. You should simply use the power of a strong water jet for a few minutes. Take your garden hose and direct a high stream of water onto the plants’ parts with aphids. The pressure will throw them down from the leaves, significantly reducing their numbers. If you use this way of coping with the problem, its regular applying is a must. The only possible drawback is in case you have plants, which are weak or too little, and the water jet may destroy them.
- Mild soap with water: This can be an efficient solution against aphids. Dissolve a tablespoon of mild dish soap with a quart of water (946 ml) and pour the liquid in a spray bottle. Shake the mixture and mist with it directly on the infested plants’ parts. The soap destroys the wax content of aphids’ protective coating, causing them to dehydrate and perish.
- Neem tree seeds oil: This excellent remedy for multiple purposes, is also a natural insecticide. The repellent substance derived from the seeds of the neem tree upsets the life cycle of aphids, and they stop to feed and lay eggs. You should dilute the oil with water according to the instructions, and spray it on the infested plants. It’s best to do this after sun-set to avoid harming pollinating insects like bees, which are not active when it becomes getting dark.
- Other insecticide essential oils: There are other essential oils, which posses strong deterring effect that successfully combat aphids. These are peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary oils, and all of them have their advantages. Dilute a few drops of one of them with water and spray it on the plants. The intense fragrance is not liked by aphids, and will keep them at bay.
- Onion and garlic blend: These two hot plants are another strong natural insecticide against aphids. To prepare your spray, blend 4-5 garlic cloves and a small onion with a little amount of water, then strain the mixture and pour it into a spray bottle. Mist with this solution on the affected plants to repel aphids, preventing them from coming back.
Get Rid of Aphids Permanently from Vegetables
Let’s learn how to protect your valuable vegetables from aphids for reaching a bountiful harvest. There are few ways to tackle with them:
- Plant nectar-rich flowers: Encourage the presence of beneficial ladybugs and lacewings to come into your garden and feed on your problematic insects by planting pollen and nectar-rich flowers, which these natural predators will appreciate.
- Insecticidal soap: Apply a specific insecticidal soap, which is safe for vegetables. Read and follow the manufacture’s instructions carefully. Then spray the solution directly on the plants’ parts where aphids are, and the undersides of the leaves. When collecting your vegetables, rinse them thoroughly with water to remove the insecticidal soap residue.
- Companion repelling plant: Consider growing plants, which role is to act as natural repellents against the annoying little invaders we are talking about. Planting basil, mint, chives or garlic and onion between the vegetables makes a protective barrier against the infesting insect.
Read also: How to Get Rid of Aphids on Tomatoes: These Home Remedies Are the Fastest Help Against the Pests!
What Do Aphids Hate the Most from Natural Remedies?
When we are considering how to get rid of aphids permanently with a homemade remedy, you should judge what they can’t stand the most:
- Aphid eating predators: The little creatures, which are under our consideration, probably most dislike the presence of ladybugs, lacewings, and other predatory insects that feed on them. The approaches for inviting and pushing the populations of these beneficial insects in your garden for a natural defense are well known. It’s also possible to purchase them.
- Strong fragrances: The infesting insects are highly susceptible to intense scents, because they destroy their feeding and mating cycle. These kinds of smells are released by plants like garlic, onions, chives, and aromatic herbs, and they strongly repel the unwanted for your garden creatures.