Hi, Does anyone know how to get rid of aphids on hibiscus plants grown indoors? I have four of these that are continually infested. Whenever there is a new bud forming, the aphids appear. I have washed them off with a strong spray of water, and/or with safer's soap, monthly for about a year, whenever I see the aphids on them, to no avail. The plants still bloom, but I imagine they would bloom more often if the aphids weren't sucking the life out of them.
When I used to work in a greenhouse it seemed like the most susceptible plant for aphid infestation were the Hibiscus. There were so many aphids on those that it was impossible to control by means of spraying. Just touching the plant it would rain aphids. They always kept coming back and were especially concentrated on new apical meristems. The flowers are so nice on the Hibiscus that it would be a crime to throw the plants out. The only thing I could suggest is to keep the population of aphids in check by means of scheduled spraying of insecticidal soap or use of neem oil. In the greenhouse we also used natural predators but it would be impractical for use inside the house. Other options would be to spray the infested areas with a strong jet of water which would physically remove them with minimal harm to the plant. Spray them with a strong jet from top to bottom and repeat every so often as necessary. Hopes this helps
