How to get rid of aphids — organically

It seemed a natural choice really, to get rid of these horrors of the garden without saturating my edible garden with chemicals. It didn’t take long to rediscover home-made concoctions to send white fly and aphids packing.

This organic, natural approach to aphid eradication is brilliant!  Not a new thing, this good old gardener’s trick has been passed down through generations. It’s easy, cheap and good for the garden.

If you discover you have aphids in your garden, best you show them who’s boss and kick them out.  They are often found on the stem, under the leaves or nibbling on sweet new shoots.

For generations, aphids have been conquered with a number of organic, home-made remedies.

Firstly, what do aphids look like?

The are little bugs that feed off plant leaves and stems, sucking sap from plants aka plant lice.  They can also come in the form of a small blackfly, greenfly or whitefly.  The aphids that I have encountered have been white/cream/green coloured little bugs with distinctive little legs.

When aphids attack…

Aphids are known to attack a huge range of plants, but you’ll commonly see them on roses, broad beans and brussel sprouts, particularly around the tips of the stem or young leaves.

If the white fly hovering around don’t give you clues to look, check for leaves that have dried and curled (literally the aphids sucked the life out of them), or under the leaves themselves.  Finding them on mass is rather gross, but the plant can revive – don’t despair!

What’s the recipe to get rid of them?

There are several. I found some easy-to-make, low-cost anti-aphid recipes.

Garlic Tea:  Cut up 3 x large cloves of garlic and soak them in 3 cups of water in an air-tight container overnight.  It’s really strong so be sure to use an old container as it will reek for weeks.

The special ingredient here is the sulphur that is released by the garlic oil.

Strain the tea through a sieve so just the tainted water remains and mix in a teaspoon of dish washing liquid. Put it in a spray bottle and you are sorted.

Please note: this pesticide will deter any bug (the good ones too like the ladybug, just be aware of that).  If in doubt, spray a leaf and leave a few days. If there are no side effects (ie: leaf damage, burnt foliage) carry on, or dilute further with water.

Tomato Leaf Tea: 2 x cups of tomato leaves (which when cut-up release toxic alkaloids) and soak in 2 cups of water.  As above, leave to steep at room temperature overnight, then sieve.

The liquid is toxic to aphids (actually belonging to the nightshade family of plants) but is harmless to humans and plants.

How do you apply the solution?

On a fine day, spray the underside of the leaves and stem in small squirts. Rub the leaf gently with your fingers and the aphids will slide off easily.  Yes, this is really effective!  It’s good not to spray in the harsh sunlight as it could burn the foliage under the full force of the sun’s rays.

Destroy the aphids. Rediscover organic garden remedies used for generations.

Get growing!