5 Natural Ways to Keep Aphids out of Your Garden

It is important to protect your plants from aphids for a variety of reasons. Given half a chance, these pesky insects will suck the juice from your plants, causing your plants to become unhealthy and mottled. If left unchecked, aphids will continue to feed on your plants until they die.

Unfortunately, aphids typically come in colonies, so it is important to prevent a colony from invading your garden. If you notice any signs of an aphid Infestation, it’s important to take action quickly before your plants are destroyed! Fortunately, there are some organic, all-natural ways to prevent aphids without harming you or your garden. Here are 5 tips to get your aphid problem under control.

Cover Plants that are Prone to Disease

One reason why it is so important to deter aphids from invading your garden is that winged aphids spread plant diseases. You can protect your crops by making sure your most vulnerable plants are covered, especially during the hottest months of summer when the risk of plant disease is the highest. Be proactive and keep your most vulnerable plants covered to keep them safe from aphid-borne diseases.

Attract Aphids’ Predators to Your Garden

There are many predators that will feed on aphids if you can get them to take up residence in your garden. If you plant calendula, parsley, mint, or marigolds, you can attract ladybugs, hoverfly larvae, and lacewings, which love eating aphids! These helpful predators will also be attracted to thyme and alyssum. Choosing these plants can help reduce your aphid problem naturally.

Wash Aphids Away

Blasting away small infestations of aphids with water from your garden hose is a quick and easy way to stop an aphid infestation in its tracks and keep your garden pest-free. A special nozzle will allow you to use high pressure water from your hose to knock them off your plants without harming your garden.

Use Dish Soap

To keep aphids at bay, you can also use a solution of dish soap or detergent and water. Simply fill up a spray bottle with water and add a few drops of liquid detergent. Shake the container to mix up the soap and water, and spray the solution liberally on your plants. Take some time to give each plant a chance to soak in the soapy water and try rubbing the bottom of each leaf with soapy water. Aphids will be sure to avoid your garden if you use this technique.

Inspect Your Garden Regularly

It’s important to be vigilant about inspecting your plants for any signs of aphids. As soon as you see aphids, you can put on some gloves and squash them between your gloves. The best way to do this is by pinching out the tips of the plants where they first appear. Regular spot checks will deter these pesky creatures from setting up colonies or causing an outbreak, and by keeping a close watch on your garden, you can prevent an infestation before it occurs.

Finally, if you have already tried these five organic tips to keep aphids out of your yard but are still dealing with an outbreak, you may need professional help from a qualified pest control professional before your infestation gets any worse!

Check out this article for some additional ideas!

Organic Aphid Control: 9 Ways to Get Rid of Aphids

Inspect Your Plants Regularly

Become a pest detective! One of the best ways to organically control aphids is to catch them early on. Then, every other method we’ll discuss today is exponentially easier and more effective. Your plants will also be more likely to rebound with little-to-no ill effects thereafter. Make it part of your garden routine to regularly inspect your plants (e.g. weekly), which is something I suggest to manage all sorts of garden pests – not just aphids! Be sure to check the underside of leaves, and also in the centermost tender parts where new growth is. For example, I most often find aphids in the very middle of a kale plant, in a just-budding broccoli head, or other tight and protected places. Also train your eye to recognize signs of aphid damage, before you even see the aphids themselves. Check out the photo below; I spotted the unusually crumpled section of that broccoli leaf from 10 feet away! Low and behold, aphids were clustered and feeding on the under there, out of plain sight. I smashed them right away.

Here https://homesteadandchill.com/organic-aphid-control/