'Stop using Neem' to control Aphids. The aphid is a messenger!

In this video, Patti is demonstrating and talks about aphids in an organic regenerative greenhouse. How to deal with the aphids without using Neem Oil or other organic products. The aphids and whiteflies are just messengers that the plant is not healthy enough. Watch to learn more about managing plants to grow nutrient-dense food. Using regenerative and organic practices in a greenhouse to improve the plant's abilities to do photosynthesis so the plant does not attract pests such as aphids and whiteflies.

I do not endorse products but this is what I have been using.

Improve plant health- Advancing Eco Agriculture Products
Biocoat Gold- biologic seed treatment
Planters Solution (about the same product as the liquid feed from the Bionutrient Food Association)

Garden Kit

Advancing Eco Ag Products

A great video series to learn about the pest-plant relationship is from Living Web Farm.
Here is a link to their Farmscaping Videos.

[bigoljoe]

Most folks aphid infestation issues can be boiled down to one issue. Exclusion/extermination of predators. I stopped having aphid issues in my garden when I stopped spraying wasp nests around my home. I still knock them off my actual house, im not insane, but I make areas around the property where they are more liable to nest safely and happily. My kids know to leave their area alone, and the wasps are perfectly polite neighbors in the garden. They've never stung me or either of my boys despite landing on us and having a ride around the patch now and again. We dont have to stop moving or be overly precious around them. They fully know and trust us just like a beekeeper and their bees. So long as we aren't messing with their nest they're perfectly happy to share the space.

[PeggyLeeSebeni]

Thanks Patti for the repetition and reminders. I finally got it. I specifically enjoyed the "teaching kids" comment. I'm in my 70th year of gardening and haven't been called a kid in many decades. I remember pulling weeds and, a couple wings off of a lacewing, at my grandpa's feet in the garden. I remember him explain how beneficial lacewings are for the plants. "If ever I let my plants get weak, " he'd say, "the lacewings and lady bugs are the plants defenders from the aphid army. Leave the dandelions alone, the bees and lacewings love them, and so do I in my tea." I sure do miss that old fella. He sure taught me a lot. More than I can remember these days.

[Ash-mjyz]

Hey there, I'm a researcher and farmer from India. I usually here these kinds of conversations. Aphids are heavy reproducers, so just relying on lace wings or lady beatles is over optimistic as they are easily outnumbered. I suggest some proactive approach to this, although it's nothing new but still makes sense. First understand at what temperature they thrive, it's 20-30 degrees or mostly when it's cloudy. So keep look on weather forecasts and be proactive if you see prolonged weather patterns conducive to aphids. Next take preventive measures. Here choose what suits you. I prefer nutrition management. Just pouring everything in soil is not the way. Insects suck the parts which are fresh and easy to chew. So idea is to bar excess nitrogen or smoothness in leaves by increasing K and P. I also give zinc and silicon to aid it and make cell wall strong. Sprays are good if done proactively, otherwise you can't keep up with their growth rate. OK, all the best. Happy farming! Understand science and use it to your advantage, don't shy away from using right thing at right time.

[ketansahasrabudhe]

Your observation might be correct but my observation is that ants actually establish aphid colonies on seemingly healthy plants. The ants are interested in the sweet, sticky excreta from the aphids. So another way of controlling aphids is to eliminate the ants. You could check for the presence of ants on the plants where aphids are present.

[micchin]

I finally found the channel that i can resonate with! I totally agree with you. Last year, after i tried spraying multiple times for weeks, my bell pepper plants were still heavily infested by aphids. Neem oil, soapy water, aphid spray, all did not help to improve the situation. I gave up and concluded with the theory that if the plant is healthy, it will survive pest attack/ attract lesser pests. I just prune it and let it grow. Unfortunately they could not produce new branch and finally died. I accepted the fact and just replan from seeds. No problem. I no longer get too upset with sick plants. If they can survive, they will. If not, I'll let it fight against the sickness. You are right, think and spend more energy on improving the health of the plants rather than killing the signals. Thank you so much. 🎉

[Peaceful-resistance]

Crab & Lobster shell and a balanced soil mix cured my aphid problems. Didn't see one all season after being infested the year before!

[johnjude]

I've never had an aphid problem until tomatoes near the end of our early season drought, and then excess rains the next 4 weeks, killing my tomatoes in my main garden. Honestly, I thought it was showing I have a drainage problem and in an area further from my water system where it was tomatoes following sunflowers that did great until frost.
I've improved the drainage for the main tomato patch and hopefully have a great gardening experience this coming year.
I'm organic and tried no tilt that seem good for the first 2 season and believe my clay base soil doesn't need no tilt but still limited turning over the soil.
100 percent agreement 🤝 with this message of this great video
Thanks Lady Gardener

[davidabberton]

Patti thank you from Dooralong, about 1.5 hours drive north west of Sydney Australia. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. We have such a ‘kill pests’ society, but if we slow down and observe better and appreciate nature we can see that our role is to encourage desired growth. Aphids almost killed one of my lemon trees last year, and sprays didn’t seem to work. Now I’m managing the tree and its environment better there are no aphids and good growth… lesson learned !

[annchong]

I had a lot of aphids in my garden last year & I noticed that they all stayed on my milkweeds & they didn’t attack any of my peppers. So this year I just left some milkweeds growing & noticed no aphids on my petunias or pepper plants!

Nice video!

[PisceanKiwi]

Love your message! Mother Nature is always communicating :) What a lovely, vibrant soul! I just ran out and spent an hour giving all my gardens a seaweed tonic ☮

[Richard-ugel]

Just leaving a comment to say thanks.
I've been tearing my hair out fighting aphids off my kales. They just seem to be randomly infested, and like most people I run for the neem oil.
This has given me a while new perspective.
So thanks.

[robinalexander]

I live in a caravan Park, so I grow in pots. I don't like chemical products to kill pests, trying to be organic as much as I can. I do use copper sulphate and Seasol as required. As a gardener I look at all my plants daily and if acids come I go leaf by leaf and using my fingers kill them. Two to three weeks of this problem goes away and plant gets better. I think this lady has some good thoughts and next year and ones after will look and try stuff. Cheers from Tasmania

[Chickmamapalletfarm]

I love this advice! I grow in the open and in greenhouses. I love the results of minor nutrients! I didn’t know the science behind the aphid thing, but instinctively knew that when they show up the plant needed a boost. When I see aphids I also just note that I will be welcoming in some helpful predatory bug soon. Usually about 4-7 days later I start seeing lots of wasps, lady bugs, ants, whitefly’s and more. I love them all. That all have their place, and I am so pleased to support any part of the ecosystem. ❤️❤️❤️

[rochrich]

Flowering can be one of those stressors Patti was talking about. Goldenrod is known for getting a particular maroon colored aphid on it when it flowers. The plant trying to put as much energy and minerals into the seeds can throw off its own mineral balance.

[sarahstraw]

From Albany NY, I love your videos. I’m a want - to - be urban lettuce grower on a very small scale. Your videos support my goal of producing the most nutritious greens I can while using climate friendly practices. I used low tunnels to over winter crops for the first time this year. Unfortunately due to the crazy mild winter ( climate change ) I harvested greens twice this January. Plants have actually grown even in the dark time of winter. They have grown very slowly but they did grow. Keep up your great work. Your explanation are so common sense.

[ninac-pdsb]

17 year old trying to learn regenerative farming, just subscribed😅

[tomfromoz]

You just earned a new subscriber! I have been saying the *same* things about plants since the '70's and you are the first person that has actually taught me something new. The tiny flowers! Thank you beautiful lady.
_Tom's wife Pam_

[thailandfruitmonster]

Now apply the same to human health! Great video.

[MsPeacelove]

I had plenty of aphids last summer in the first year of my new organic garden. So I planted carrots, celery, parsnip, parsley and this spring they all flowered. I now have an abundance of lady bugs and zero aphids.

[timturk]

"Healthy plants can't get infested with any insects", I had learned, not too long ago.
This was a video on Brix in the plant, using equipment that checks the Brix number. Any plant at "12", or higher, means it's healthy, and higher Brix bring higher prices, especially popular with great Chefs.
Apparently, when a plant isn't fully healthy, it puts out Pheromones that attract insects, and the insects send out Pheromones that there's a plant "dying", and needs to be eaten.
Very interesting research they've been coming up with! Thanks for explaining these basics in a very simple way!👍💯🙏✌️