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Natural Ways to Control Aphids: Tips for Gardeners
16.11.2024 06:20
There are various natural remedies against aphids. The goal: to scare them away without using chemicals. Otherwise, they can quickly become aggressive and cause great damage to your plants.
Yellowed leaves, deformation, growth disturbances... These are all alarming symptoms.
Fruit or flowering trees lose all the sap sucked by aphids and produce neither flowers nor fruits. Without sap, the plant will surely die.
To keep your garden pets and respect the environment, opting for natural solutions is definitely the best strategy.
Introduce natural predators
One of the most effective ways to control aphids is to introduce or encourage the presence of their natural predators into your garden.
In this capacity, ladybugs are voracious aphid eaters! You can attract them naturally by planting flowers such as yarrow or dill.
Syrphs, small wasp-like flies, are also valuable allies. Their larvae actually feed on aphids in abundance.
Additionally, planting carrots, fennel or cilantro will help attract these beneficial insects.
Think about black soap
Black soap is a well-known natural remedy for aphids. Here it works by suppressing the insects with its sticky texture.
To use it, mix 5 tablespoons of liquid black soap with 1 liter of warm water.
Spray this solution directly onto the infested plants, insisting on the underside of the leaves, i.e. where the aphids like to hide. Repeat the operation every 3-5 days until they disappear.
Crop rotation and plant diversity for aphid control
Preventing aphids is just as important as eliminating them, so crop rotation can disrupt their life cycle and reduce their numbers.
To do this, rotate the types of plants in your garden each year to prevent aphids from becoming established for long periods of time. Plant diversity is also an effective preventative strategy.
By mixing different types of plants, you will reduce the likelihood of aphids spreading quickly.
