How to Get Rid of Aphids

Aphids are common pests that attack the houseplants, fruit bearing trees and vegetable garden quite often in spring. They can be identified with their tiny, pear-shaped body whose size is not more than one-eighth inch. They feed themselves by sucking up sap from the plants. This can cause severe damage to the plants. If they attack the new shoots of the plants, then it can badly affect the growth of the plant.

Getting Rid of Aphids on Houseplants

When aphids attack a plant, you can find their colonies in various parts of the plant. You can see the cluster of sap sucking pests on the flower buds, bottom of the leaves and even the roots that lie underground. The moment you discover an aphid infestation in the plant during a routine inspection of the plants, you should take one or more of the following steps.

Clip the Infested Part of the Plant
You will find aphids in groups in various parts of the plant. You can manually remove those parts with the help of a pair of pruning shears and dispose off. This will help a lot in controlling the growth of the insects. Do not forget to protect your hands with gloves.

Wash the Plant Thoroughly
When you have aphids on a houseplant, carry it to an outdoor area and place it under a sharp jet of water. The force of water will dislodge the tiny little insects from their position and they will be washed off with the flow of water. You have to wash the plant daily like this in order to eradicate the aphids completely.

Introduce Predatory Mites
This is one of the most safe and simple methods of getting rid of aphids. Ladybugs and green lacewings are a few such predatory insects that feed on aphids. Therefore, when you release these mites on the infested plant, they destroy the colony of the aphids. These predatory mites can be purchased from garden centers. While buying lace wigs, you must not buy the larvae forms as it will take a lot of time to grow up. By that time, the aphids will already cause severe damage to the plants.

Use Homemade Insecticide
The main ingredients of this insecticide are a few hot peppers and garlic cloves and a quart of water. Put these ingredients in a blender and prepare a smooth paste. Take the mixture in a spray bottle and sprinkle it generously on each and every infested part of the plant. This will check growth of aphids on plants really well.

Apply Insecticidal Soap
Prepare a soapy solution using one teaspoon of insecticidal soap, half teaspoon of horticulture oil and a quart of water. Spray this mixture all over the plant for instant aphid control. For removing aphids from the roots, take the plant out of the soil and put it into the soap mixture for a few minutes and place it back into the soil. After this treatment, do not water the plant for the next one week.

Most people are interested to know how to get rid of aphids on plants naturally as the chemicals present in pesticides are not good for the humans and pets living in the house. The techniques given in this article can be used for both indoor as well as outdoor plants. Once you have gotten rid of the pests, you must keep the plant healthy so that it can defend itself from pest attack. A nutrient rich soil, adequate amount of light exposure and regular watering is essential for maintaining good health of the plant. Avoid use of excessive fertilizer as it promotes growth of many new shoots which may attract lots of unwanted aphids.