Every gardener unknowingly has products in his cupboards allowing him to concoct an effective natural anti-aphid, which will not harm plants or pets and of course will not represent any danger for humans. Here are easy-to-make anti-aphid recipes, and a few words all the same on the ladybug, this great ally of the gardener who deserves her letters of nobility as she can lead a relentless fight against aphids.
Labeled black soap
It has been used for a long time in the garden, by spraying, against aphids, spider mites, mealybugs and even thrips. Here are the two possible recipes:
- Dilute 3 tablespoons of soft black soap (or paste) in 2 liters of hot water,
- Dilute 6 tablespoons of liquid black soap in 2 liters of lukewarm water.
The mixture obtained, once well cooled, is to be sprayed on plants sensitive to aphids and other undesirable parasites (vegetables, outdoor plants, shrubs, indoor plants, etc.). All aerial parts must be treated including the axils and the underside of the leaves. After a first spray, you can treat again within 48 hours, then 7 days later. But usually it only takes one to two days for the aphids to be out of harm’s way. We advise to rinse the plants with clear water 24 hours after a black soap spray.
Black soap respects all plants. It is therefore used on vegetables, fruits, aromatic herbs… You just have to rinse the crops well before consuming them, which is recommended anyway, even if no treatment is applied, however natural it may be. . But note nonetheless that black soap is not toxic. However, you should always check that you are buying black soap made using the traditional method, which does not contain any additives and is suitable for use in the vegetable garden.
Nettle manure
Here is another radical solution to eliminate aphids. A relentless natural insecticide, nettle manure is prepared as follows:
- Place 200 g of freshly picked nettles (wearing gloves of course) in 2 liters of water then keep boiling.
- Then let the mixture macerate, which must absolutely fermenter for at least 6 days.
- Stir regularly every day with a wooden spoon.
- The homemade nettle manure is ready when no more bubbles form. Depending on the ambient temperature, the procedure can take more than a week.
- Filter.
- Store in an airtight container reserved for this purpose. Note that it does not smell good at all! You might as well keep it in a place other than the house.
It is used after being diluted at the rate of one volume of nettle manure for 10 volumes of water. In addition to acting naturally against aphids and other parasites, nettle manure is also a excellent fertilizer for plants. Be careful, however, not to abuse it on flowering plants because it is very rich in nitrogen. Rather, it promotes foliage growth.
You can also use nettle manure pur (i.e. undiluted) because it then represents:
- An unstoppable solution against cryptogamic diseases,
- An excellent compost activator.
He really has everything good, but be careful of do not use it pure on plants because it would risk burning their leaves.
Garlic cloves
For generations, gardeners have protected their roses against the onslaught of aphids simply by using fresh garlic. It’s a great solution, very economic (especially if you grow garlic in the garden) and 100% natural. Icing on the cake, in addition to having a power insecticidegarlic also acts as a antifungal.
The recipe for this natural garlic anti-aphid is simple to make since all you need to do is:
- To throw 10 cloves of garlic with their peel in 2 liters of water then to bring the liquid to a boil,
- Then reduce the mixture by about 30% over low heat,
- To filter the potion obtained in order to pour it into a sprayer after cooling.
All that remains is to spray the plants colonized by aphids, which will disappear in a few hours.
Attract Ladybugs
We know it well, the ladybug is the friend of gardeners. To fight aphids naturally and effectively, all you need to do isbuy ladybug larvae at a garden center and place them on plants that attract aphids. Their introduction should be, if possible, carried out as soon as possible, as soon as only a few aphids are seen.
Ladybug larvae feed on these pests and they are damn voracious. A single larva devours each day up to 250 aphids ! When they become adults, ladybugs still eat a lot of them, even if they are less greedy than in the larval state. These beetles therefore make it possible to carry out a biological control without thanks. The icing on the cake, we get the same result on the scale insects so difficult to eradicate by other means.
When buying ladybug larvae, you need to choose aphidophagous species, that is to say, which feed on aphids. Among the 6,000 species of ladybugs identified, only three are recognized as very effective auxiliaries against the following parasites:
- Against aphids: C. Hippodamia undecimnotataa migrating ladybug, and C. Adalia bipunctataa two-spotted ladybug that is very common in our latitudes.
- Against mealybugs and secondarily aphids: C. Cryptolaemus montzouzieria species of ladybug native to Australia.
In addition to buying its larvae in a specialized store, do not hesitate to install an insect hotel in the garden where these beetles can take shelter.
coffee grounds
You can spread the coffee grounds at the foot of the plants that you have collected in the filter of the coffee maker and that you have taken care to dry beforehand. He represents a fairly effective repellent against aphids and at the same time prevents slugs from nibbling on the tender leaves of many plants. However, coffee grounds are mainly used to treat small surfaces, especially since they must be renewed as soon as they have been wet.
Aphid repellent plants
Do not hesitate to grow certain plants as a preventive measure since they repel aphids. In this large family, we find:
All these species are to be cultivated in the vegetable garden and in the pleasure garden without any moderation.
Finally, you have to think about also get rid of ants because some species raise myrmecophilous aphids which produce a honeydew on which the ants feed. Honeydew is none other than the liquid and sugary droppings of certain varieties of aphids which consume the sugar-rich sap of many plants. But these ants can also devour the aphids they have protected. While coffee grounds work well against ants, they are not enough to treat an entire garden. It is therefore necessary to avoid allowing aphids to settle in order not to have too many ants… Elementary, no?