Aphids on indoor plants: fight them naturally

No owner of indoor plants likes to see the little white lice. We reveal what causes lice on houseplants and how you can fight the aphids naturally.

Aphids are not only uninvited guests in the garden, but also in living rooms or in the conservatory. Aphids are not very choosy when it comes to their choice of host plant, which is why exotic houseplants can also be attacked by aphids. We will show you how to recognize and naturally combat aphid infestation on indoor plants.

How to recognize aphids on indoor plants

Especially in the apartment, lice are an unpleasant idea. But how do you recognize aphids on indoor plants? Aphids can be seen with the naked eye if you look closely. They are 1 to 6 mm large insects that can be yellowish, reddish, white-grey, black or green, depending on the species. Since they prefer to stay at the tips of shoots and flower buds, we recommend taking a quick look at these areas regularly. Their sucking activity on the phloem of the plant often results in deformed leaves and reduced shoot growth. In the case of a severe infestation, the tips of the shoots even hang downwards, since the aphids draw a lot of water locally. When sucking the plant sap, aphids take in more sugar than they need. They excrete the remaining sugar as so-called honeydew. This honeydew forms a glossy and sticky coating on leaves or your windowsill. A stronger infestation can also lead to yellowing of the leaves.

How can you spot aphids on houseplants?

• Aphids on indoor plants are usually visible to the naked eye on the tips of the shoots
• Insects 1 – 6 mm in size, yellowish, reddish, white-grey, black or green in colour
• Deformed leaves and limp shoots
• Reduced growth when heavily infested
• Glossy, sticky honeydew on and under the plant

tip: Aphids not only damage your plant by sucking out sugary plant sap, they can also infect plant viruses transmitted, which then cause additional damage to your plant and which only fight each other preventively or by destroying the plant permit.

What lice are there on indoor plants?

Black, green or red aphids on indoor plants

For example, black lice on indoor plants can be the black bean aphid (Aphis fabae) Act. It is one of the most common aphid species outdoors, but it also finds its way into the living room again and again. But there are many other black lice, for example the black cherry lice (Mycus prunavium).

White lice on indoor plants

Are you wondering what those little white and woolly dots are on the tip of your plant or stem? These are not aphids, but mealybugs (Pseudococcidae). Although they are very small at around three millimeters in size, they are easily visible due to their light colour. The most common representatives are the citrus mealybug (Planococcus citri) and the long-tailed mealybug (Pseudococcus longispinus). The lice get their white appearance from layers of wax on their bodies. Some of these small wax leaves fall off the animals and indicate a mealybug infestation. Mealybugs also produce honeydew. In addition to citrus plants, mealybugs attack many different indoor plants, such as rubber trees (Ficus elastica), elephant foot (Beaucarnea recurvata), or orchids (Orchidaceae). Even cacti (Cactaceae) are not safe from mealybugs. But with the right tricks, you can Reliably identify and combat mealybugs.

What are the typical symptoms of mealybug infestation?

• White insects a few millimeters in size
• White powder on leaves or soil
• honeydew
• Reduced growth when heavily infested

The cause of aphids on indoor plants

Aphids, as flying insects, can easily enter the house through an open door and reproduce en masse on a suitable plant by virginity. Or they are brought into the home by plants, either by buying new plants or through indoor plants that were left outside in summer and brought back into the apartment in autumn will. Before a plant comes into your home, you should inspect it for aphids and treat them outside if infested. Also in the first two weeks after the newly arrived plant is in your four walls, you should pay close attention to a possible aphid infestation. Incidentally, aphids feel extremely comfortable in our dwellings and therefore spread quickly. Because aphids prefer dry and warm air, which is what prevails in apartments, especially in winter. In addition, weakened plants, perhaps suffering from nutrient deficiencies or the wrong location, are more likely to be affected.

What are the causes of aphids on indoor plants?

• Access as winged insects or via new houseplants
• Dry air
• Weakened plants due to incorrect location or care

Combat aphids on houseplants naturally

What to do if you discover an aphid infestation on your indoor plants? We recommend that you refrain from using synthetic pesticides and prefer natural measures, especially indoors, where you have a lot of contact with the plants. If you discover an infested plant, you should first isolate the infested plant to prevent the lice from spreading to houseplants. Then there are a number of measures available to you:

Wash off aphids

Aphids do not like moisture and cannot hold onto your host plant well, so they can be washed off. For small houseplants, immersing the entire plant in water is a good choice. The pot can be wrapped tightly with a cloth to prevent soil from being washed out. The plant should be kept underwater for two hours to detach the aphids from the plant. This measure is not suitable for cacti, as they do not tolerate water-saturated soil well. For larger plants, you can put them in the shower and spray them off with a jet of water. You should also protect the pot to prevent the soil from being washed out. The strength of the water jet should be chosen so that the plant is not damaged. This procedure should be repeated once a week. In addition, we recommend spraying the plant with water every day to create a wetter microclimate.

Neem Products

A particularly effective way to combat aphids on indoor plants are neem-based products. These are obtained from the seeds of the neem tree. These seeds contain an oil that is excellent for controlling aphids on houseplants. The natural active ingredient azadirachtin from the neem oil is ingested by the lice when sucking. The aphids stop sucking after just a few hours. In addition, the active ingredient disrupts the development of lice, causing all generations on the plant to die. Ours too Plantura Organic Pest Free Neem based on neem oil and allows you to biologically control aphids on indoor plants.
Plantura Organic Pest Free Neem is simply mixed with water to form a suspension and sprayed onto the affected plant with a spray bottle. Correct use of any crop protection product is very important. You will find precise information and instructions for use on the product packaging; you can study the safety data sheet in the shop in advance.

Soft soap or nettle decoction against aphids

A soft soap solution consisting of 0.2 liters of soft soap and one liter of water can be sprayed onto the infested plant with a spray bottle. The best way to do this is to place the plant in the shower or bath. It is best to repeat this in the morning and evening for several days until you see no more aphids.

How to use soapy water against aphids:

• Soapy water from 200 milliliters of soft soap to one liter of water
• Spray twice a day on the affected plant

Nettles are also unpleasant for aphids. For a stinging nettle decoction, put 500 grams of fresh nettle and 5 liters of boiling water in a saucepan and leave for 24 hours. After you have strained the brew through a sieve, you can apply the cold brew to the affected plant with a spray bottle. You can repeat this in the morning and in the evening for several days until you can no longer see any infestation.

How to use nettle decoction against aphids:

• Nettle decoction made from 500 grams of fresh nettle and five liters of boiling water
• Spray on the affected plant twice a day.

You can find out more practical home remedies for aphids in your garden or apartment in our article 10 home remedies for aphids.

Prevent aphids on houseplants

A good prevention is the best possible care of your houseplants: if they are healthy, stand by If they are in the right location and if they are sufficiently supplied with water and nutrients, they are fewer susceptible. With an optimal supply of potassium, the plant cells become more stable and are better armed against the aphids. An optimal supply of your indoor plants offers our Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer.

Optimal nutrient supply and care is a challenge, especially for orchids. Therefore, orchids are often attacked by mealybugs. One of our special treats common mistakes in orchid care and shows you some tricks on how to proceed correctly.