Plant Pest Aphid Control – 5 Tips to get rid of Aphids
Getting rid of Aphids
So I’ve started this hub for all those gardeners out there who are sick of getting there plants drained of all life before you get to harvest the fruit you work so hard for. I tried quite a few different things to get rid of aphids and I’ll go through what worked best for me.
Aphids are tiny usually greenish or black colored beetle looking things also referred to as plant lice and when they multiple they can do horrendous amount of damage to your plants in a short time. Aphids also bring with them bacteria, virus’s and fungi so its best to kill the aphids as quick as possible.
Tip #1 The most popular and most natural aphid control method of course is to invite all the lady bugs possible over to your plants to eat those annoying aphids. Sometimes no matter what you do the lady bugs don’t come and your only choice is to buy some live lady bugs which can you can buy from your local nursery. Try the next tip
Tip # 2 Another popular aphid control method is to make the plants less appealing and basically taste horrible. Or at least put them off breeding with each other and this is done by using an Aphid Spray.
The most use aphid spray is one made of garlic mixed with some water , just mash up the garlic into a paste with water and apply to your plant leaves or put into a spray bottle. Add some chili for some extra kick to help repel those aphids.
People have also had a lot of success simply spraying there plants with an organic kelp fertilizer , its great for the plants and when it comes in contact with aphids they dry and up and die. Remember to dilute the kelp formula, follow instructions to prevent hurting your plants from using too much concentrated kelp.
Tip #3 Aphids are attracted to plants that look weak, that may be lacking some minerals it really invites them in to destroy them. So its always important to make sure your plants are healthy give them enough Iron and Potassium. You may notice a difference when giving your plants more nutrients I did.
Tip 4# The way aphids are built the best way to control aphids is to spray them with something, anything really. They have soft bodies and whenever they are sprayed or hit by anything so a sprinkler system or daily spray can help to keep them away.
Tip #5 another method used to get rid of Aphids is to use small aphid bait stands or traps. Usually they involve a small stand with something sweet to attract them and something they will stick to.
That’s it for the tips otherwise the cranky gardener method of going around and squishing them between your fingers works great. Good Luck and Happy Harvests