Table of contents
- soap solution
- milk water
- baking powder
- Soap nut mix
- wood ash
- Coffee
- nettle broth
- Fern tea
- Conclusion
Just in time for the beginning of the beautiful season, a horde of uninvited extra guests colonized the plants in the garden and sucked the juice from the young life. It is no coincidence that aphids are at the top of the list of the most hated garden pests. Since the use of chemical-based insecticides is frowned upon in the private green realm, gardeners arm themselves against the plague with natural means. We looked around at experienced experts and put together 8 effective home remedies for you.
soap solution
The combination of soap and water has emerged as a premium home remedy. The success is essentially based on not using just any soap from the supermarket. Only pure curd soap or organic soft soap can be used to combat aphids effectively. Other products contain additional ingredients that adversely affect their effectiveness. How to do it right:
- Dissolve 50 grams of grated curd soap or soft soap in 1 liter of hot water
- Optimize on robust plants with 2 teaspoons of spirit or high-proof alcohol
After the mixture has cooled, spray undiluted onto the infected plants. Depending on the infestation pressure, repeated application at intervals of 2-3 days may be necessary.
Tip:
Avoid adding alcohol to the soap solution to get rid of aphids on roses or orchids. The leaves of these noble plants are covered with a waxy protective layer that is affected by alcohol.
milk water
In the ecologically managed garden, the gardener always keeps fresh milk in stock. Milk not only quenches thirst, but is also extremely relevant in the natural control of pests on ornamental and crop plants. The home remedy is absolutely deadly on aphids. How to do it:
- Mix 100 ml fresh milk (no UHT milk) and 200 ml water
- Pour into a spray bottle and use repeatedly
With all liquid preparations, it is important to note that the upper and lower sides of the foliage are always treated. In the early stages of infestation, the pests prefer to colonize hidden regions of a plant, so that they only become clearly visible as the disease progresses.
baking powder
If you are confronted with a particularly stubborn aphid colony in the garden, the bigger guns from the household remedies division will be brought out. The focus here is on baking soda, which not only provides valuable services in the kitchen, but also gets rid of lice. This recipe is proven:
- Stir 1 heaped tablespoon of baking powder into 1 liter of water
- Add 1 dash of dishwashing liquid as an emulsifier
- Optionally increase the effect with 1 teaspoon of spirit
This mixture scores with a double effect. The aphids and the ants associated with them are destroyed. Almost every lice plague is accompanied by a mass occurrence of ants, since these insects use the excreted honeydew as a nutritional supplement for themselves and their brood. Since baking soda changes the pH in the body of both types of pests, they fall victim to this home remedy.
Tip:
Sprinkle the ants' paths with a mix of baking powder and powdered sugar, and the workers carry the granules into the nest to feed the brood and queen.
Soap nut mix
The following natural aphid remedy goes in a similar direction to the soapy solution. The shell of soap nuts (Sapindus mukorossi) contains saponins. It is a soap-like substance that has been used for cleaning and personal hygiene in Asia for centuries. The following decoction has a toxic effect on lice of all kinds:
- Get 10 soap nuts from the drugstore and crush them
- Dissolve in 1 liter of boiling water
- Stir constantly so nothing boils over
After the liquid has cooled, strain it to fill a spray bottle. Experience has shown that a single treatment does not end the plague. However, those who persistently spray the infested plants every 2-3 days will ultimately bring the parasites to their knees.
wood ash
The use of liquid home remedies on sensitive plants is questionable. If a fungal infection such as powdery mildew or brown rot is rampant in the garden, too much moisture proves counterproductive. For this reason, you do not have to admit defeat to aphids, because the following home remedies act on a dry basis.
- Plants infested with lice sprinkle with pure wood ash
- Alternatively, powder the leaves with algae lime or rock flour
Ideally apply the preparation early in the morning when the leaves are covered with dew. It is important to note that wood ash is the residue of materials without chemical additives. Lacquered pieces of furniture or the paper of glossy brochures are still contaminated with chemicals even as ash. Pollination is easy to do by hand using a powder syringe.
Tip:
Prudent hobby gardeners are now refraining from using tobacco ash as a means of combating aphids. Although nicotine has a lethal effect on the pests, it is also a poison that poses a health risk to humans. In addition, the ash could be infected with the tobacco mosaic virus, so in this case the devil is cast out with Beelzebub.
Coffee
Caffeine is attested to be highly effective against aphids. As a coffee drinker, you hold the basic ingredient for the household remedy in your hands after each preparation. How to prepare the remedy and use it correctly:
- Boil 4 tablespoons of dried coffee grounds in 1 liter of water again
- After cooling, pour through a fine sieve
- Add 15 ml of soft soap and a dash of spirit
Filled into a hand sprayer and applied every 3-4 days, the aphid plague is quickly history. Since coffee grounds have a high nitrogen content, the root ball should be covered to prevent over-fertilization.
Tip:
Tea drinkers simply replace the coffee grounds in the above recipe with the residue from black tea and achieve just as lasting success against lice using the same recipe.
nettle broth
For plants in the open air, nettle manure has proven to be a powerful remedy against aphids. The natural product, which is omnipresent in the ecological home garden, is usually available throughout the season as a biological fertilizer and also as a home remedy against pests. Prepare the brew according to the following instructions:
- Chop 200 g of fresh, non-flowering nettles
- Alternatively, use 20 g dried leaves
- Top up with 1 liter of collected rainwater
First let the mixture steep for a few hours. Then boil the broth and let the liquid simmer on a low flame for 20 minutes. Sprayed on the infected plants, the home remedy curbs the expansion of lice. An undiluted concentration is used on hardy plants. If the plants are delicate and sensitive, the broth should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5.
Fern tea
Thanks to bracken, a herb against aphids has grown that will get rid of the pests in no time at all. The herbaceous plant with the bipinnate, slightly curved leaves can be found everywhere in the wild. Look out for young leaves along forest edges and in clearings, as they contain the highest levels of saponins and glycosides. This is how the fern turns into an anti-lice remedy:
- Chop 100 g of fern leaves
- Pour 500 ml of water over an old saucepan and leave to stand for 24 hours
- Cook for 30 minutes the next day
Diluted with another 500 ml of water spray the aphid colonies repeatedly at an interval of 2 days. Please note that ferns are poisonous to pets, rodents and grazing livestock. Therefore, do not let dogs and cats nibble on them or use the leftovers as food for rabbits or guinea pigs.
Tip:
Adding a few drops of oil improves the adhesion of liquid home remedies to plant parts. Essential cinnamon oil increases the effectiveness at the same time. Avoid using canola oil as it also has a harmful effect on beneficial organisms.
Conclusion
If aphids appear in droves in spring and summer, this shortcoming does not have to affect the joy of hobby gardening. A whole arsenal of natural remedies is available to put an end to the pests. Environmentally conscious gardeners are thus easily able to balance ecology and aesthetics. The 8 effective home remedies presented here protect both the environment and your wallet, fight aphids and keep out beneficial insects.
garden editorial I write about everything that interests me in my garden.
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