Natural Ways to Kill off Aphids Instantly
Although aphids are small, they might cause enormous damage. They attack potted plants, fruit trees and garden flowers. How to fight them? Why don’t you try a very effective way to exterminate the insects!
How do aphids destroy plants?
This tiny pests feast on plants. They suck out enormous amounts of plant juice which makes the plants die. Aphids might appear on garden flowers, potted plants, vegetables and fruit trees. They are tiny (2 – 5 mm) but they breed and invade at appalling speed. They choose groups of plants so that once they do away with one plant, they immediately move to the one right next to it. Fortunately, there are natural ways to stop them!
Natural methods to kill off aphids
Before you choose any of the methods presented below, make sure you collect all the aphids. Do it in gloves. You can also use a stream of running water to wash them off the plants. If you know a way to attract ladybugs, do it. They love eating aphids. The best way to invite them is cutting down on chemicals and switching to natural fertilisers. Ladybugs will feel invited.
Milk – mix milk with water in equal proportion. Ideally, use fresh unprocessed milk, ‘straight from the cow’. This is going to work for sure. Pasteurised milk sold in cartons is not that effective.
Soda – a solution of soda is an effective way to get rid of aphids and other pests, including spider mites. To prepare the solution, take 2 litres of warm water, add a teaspoonful of baking soda and mix it. Add a few drops of washing-up liquid and a bit of soft soap. Mix it shaking well. Pour it into a spray bottle and apply onto a plant infested by the pests.
Water and vinegar – Vinegar is an effective agent in the struggle against fruit flies (and a cleaning agent, too). It turns out that it also works if used against aphids. Mix vinegar with water in the ratio 1:10. Remember to pour water first and then add vinegar. Just like in case of the solution of baking soda, you can add a few drops of washing-up liquid.
Getting rid of aphids from the fruit trees – it takes a lot of time and effort to exterminate aphids infesting your fruit trees. It is worth growing some peppermint, garlic or lemon near the trees. Their smell repels the insects. Don’t forget the ladybugs.
Soft soap. Take a bar of soap of 100 grams and solve it in a litre of lukewarm water. Then pour it into a spray bottle and spray plants attacked by the insect.
Onion stew and garlic extract
These two are also effective in the war Man vs Aphids. How to prepare them?
Onion stew – dice 2 onions. Then drop it in 10 litres of water. Simmer for half an hour. Then cool it and pour into a spray bottle. Do it every two or every three days until you see the number of insects shrink.
Garlic extract – crush 200 grams of garlic and put it in 10 litres of water. Let it sit for 24 hours and then pour in into a spray bottle. Again, just like the onion stew, apply every two-three days until you see the aphids begin to disappear.
