No More Aphids With NO Pesticides!

Aphids used to be a big problem in my garden until I stopped fertilizing so heavily. Now I find that I usually only get aphids in the summer time when I can't keep up with irrigation leading to stressed overheated plants that are screaming for aphids to come attack them. Now for the first time I have the reverse problem, way too much water from all the rain we have been getting! This has stressed out my kale plants which are tucked into a pocket of my garden that barely gets any direct sun near the soil level leading to soggy soil. Historically I have battled with the aphids through using organic pesticides but I quickly found that it was just a game of cat and mouse leading to lots of pesticides use that could harm other insects. Instead I have switched to fully using water to blast away aphids and stunt their populations. This has the added benefit of allowing beneficial insects to step in at some point as well since we aren't using any pesticides!

[tbirds]

Also setting up birdhouses nearby helps. Songbirds LOVE aphids.

[michaelclair]

The Mall of America just released 100, 000 ladybugs in their indoor park for insect control. Mainly aphids.

[Bananjen]

TIL that aphids reproduce asexually... Those things really are annoying lol

[BluetheRaccoon]

Last year I tried to grow a garden in my apartment patio, and the amount of shade/short window of sunlight combined with my apartment's automatic waterer means the area stays moist. Despite neem oil spray and careful pruning, powdery mildew weakened the plants until aphids took hold. The plants took longer to grow already. It was tough, but we did grow some kale, spinach, tomatoes and chia greens.

[kspot]

I’ve had a lot of success putting a single tiny spider onto the plant. They feast and take care of it in a day or two

[tylervue]

Kale: “Don’t be afraid. They can smell your fear.”

[marygilmore]

I feed birds. Had aphids on me roses. One day my rose bush was covered with sparrows eating aphids!! Problem solved!!🎉

[blankblank]

People like this guy kept humanity alive for hundreds of thousands of years.

[ryhu]

Ladybugs are also great, you can often pick them up at a hardware store. They will stick around until all of the aphids are gone, they really go to work!

[GardeningwithDave]

I took your advice on resetting a few plants this year and it worked out.

Try spraying the aphids with your garden hose on the fan setting (2-3 per week).

Great video brother!

[Neenerella]

1. A lot of people say to spray them off every few days, but Jacques is right. Gotta do it every day. 2. Deterring ants is also a huge part of the solution too. I have watched ants move aphids around in my garden, like herding little cows. The little farmers also plant prostrate spurge, which they harvest seeds from in the Fall. So I have to remove the spurge, spray off the aphids and encourage my ladybugs.

[MO-npdo]

Finches love em. Ladybugs love em. If all else fails go with a (if I remember correctly) 50/50 mix of vinegar and warm water.

[gaijininja]

A couple of years ago, I had two Blue Moon roses growing just far enough apart that when they went bushy, they would just touch before pruning time. I left them a bit long, their branches intermingled, and then I noticed one had aphids everywhere. Weird thing was, the other bush, even where touching the first, had no aphids. I was about to grab the toxic chemicals to deal with them, and then noticed a few ladybugs. I decided not to spray, as lady bugs seem to be getting rarer and rarer. Three days later, a hundred or so lady bugs on the rose, finishing off the last few aphids. Amazing when nature shows us how to do it right.

[drunkengibberish]

Spiders, if you find one in your house (that isn’t extraordinarily dangerous depending on your environment) you can usually simply move them out to your garden and let them go to town.

[matthewkeogh]

The aphids senced weakness in me, I am now one with the aphids.

[albeon_draken]

My mother had issues with aphids in her garden. They seemed to really like her squash and cucumbers. Left all the solanaceae plants alone for the most part. We just bought some ladybug larvae and released them around the afflicted plants. Completely cleared up the problem within a week or two. Ladybugs and their larvae are voracious.

[bridady]

I never have problems with aphids but my garden is covered in Arizona Mantis so that's probably what's doing the work.

[jwrightgardening]

I have this problem with my kale EVERY SINGLE YEAR. I will definitely give it a try.

[jeanwonnacott]

I live in a manufactured home park. We are on top of eachother. I got a dog, but I have to watch her, and make sure she doesn't eat grass here. Everyone sprays for every little ant. I dug up some dirt to show my friend why she shouldn't spray. Millions of ants, you will never spray enough. But all the other neighbors spray. I know that Round up is all around me. If I ever grow veggies, must be raised bed. Thanks for the info on aphids!!! You get a sub!!! ❤❤❤ Jeannie

[sarahholly]

Yeah that makes sense your plants are being stressed out due to too much rain so you bless them with even more water Good job! 👍