How do I control aphids?
How do I combat aphids?
Many indoor plants at home, who wouldn’t want that? While green indoor plants add a tropical touch to your interior and have a positive effect on our well-being, there are also some risks to consider when bringing an indoor plant into your home. You may be faced with an infestation or a plant disease. This can cause your indoor plant trouble and make it difficult for it to survive. By being aware of all plant diseases and infestations, you can act quickly when something like this occurs.
Anyone who has large indoor plants at home has undoubtedly heard of aphids and the risks that these little creatures bring. Unlike spider mites, aphids are easy to spot with the naked eye. This allows you to intervene quickly when you spot aphids.
What exactly are aphids?
Aphids are insects that feed on the cells of an indoor plant. The aphid is usually green, but there are also species that are white, black, yellow, red, or purple. Aphids are a common disease in indoor plants. Fortunately, they are relatively easy to combat. Aphids are visible to the naked eye, so you can quickly identify the problem. There’s no need to panic when you discover aphids. The chances are very high that you can easily fix this issue and that your indoor plant can live for many more years.
Can you prevent aphids?
Prevention is always better than cure, but how do you prevent an aphid infestation? There are several ways to reduce the risk of aphids.
Cold water
Rinse your indoor plant with cold water. This doesn’t harm your indoor plant, but it does wash away the aphids. You can do this outside with a watering can, but also under the shower.
Spray bottle
There are various remedies that you can use to combat aphids with a spray bottle.
- Water with dish soap.
- Water with alcohol and green soap.
- Boil a pot of onions and garlic and let it sit for a day. Strain the water and pour it into a spray bottle to spray on the indoor plant infested with aphids.
Garlic
Yet another handy way to prevent aphids is by placing garlic cloves in the soil. It may sound strange, but this tip prevents aphids from targeting your indoor plant. This method is particularly suitable for indoor plants.
Matches
Insert matches with the heads down into the soil. In a small pot, one match is enough, but in larger pots, you can place one match every 10-15 cm into the soil. Replace this every 1-2 months because the sulfur from the matches dissolves in the water.
What is the cause of aphids?
Aphids are attracted to almost all indoor plants. It’s very important to know that weaker indoor plants are more vulnerable than healthy ones. So, make sure to properly care for your indoor plants and provide them with enough water and nutrients.
Damage to your indoor plant.
Aphids may seem harmless, but they can cause a lot of damage if left unchecked. Aphids chew their way to the veins of an indoor plant. These veins contain nutrients. If the veins of your "green friend" are exposed, the risk of viral infection is much higher. Aphids introduce their saliva into the cell of the indoor plant. When the indoor plant is infected with a virus, it becomes very weak.
The honeydew secretion of aphids
This liquid is similar to nectar and serves as food for other insects. Just for this reason, it’s important to prevent it. Aphids leave honeydew on the leaves of your indoor plant. Mold can grow here. In general, aphids are not something to worry about directly, but if you do nothing, your indoor plant will die due to a nutrient deficiency.
How to treat aphids?
When you discover aphids on your indoor plant, you obviously want to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Aphids can bring many risks and cause your indoor plant to be infected with a virus. Prevention is always better than cure, but if it’s already too late, there are several things you can do to get rid of aphids.
You can choose to start using chemical treatments immediately. Of course, it’s your choice, but there are also natural methods to combat aphids. Aphids hate the cold. At a low temperature, the aphid eggs cannot hatch!
You can easily rinse aphids away with cold water. Place them under the shower or take your indoor plants outside where you can spray them with the hose. Aim well at the leaves, as aphids often hide here. Also, make sure that the aphids do not jump to another indoor plant, so always ensure there are no other indoor plants nearby when you do this.
A mixture of water and alcohol also works wonders. Spray the indoor plants infested with aphids with a mixture of half water and half alcohol. The aphids will quickly disappear.
The most commonly used and obvious method for combating aphids is to use a spray bottle filled with water and dish soap. Be careful about which dish soap you use. If you use a non-biodegradable detergent, it may harm your indoor plant. To avoid damaging your indoor plant, it’s important to choose a biodegradable dish soap for this method. It’s necessary to repeat this method several times before you see results.
If the above tips don’t work and there’s no effective way to get rid of aphids, there are also several products you can buy to help combat aphids.