I'm on the 4th floor and have several petunias. They have aphids. What is the best way to get rid of them please? Is there any such thing as aphid free plants? I wish,. I detest these little buggers.
Hi Lily, Aphids and many other pests tend to be attracted to stressed plants and plants that have lush juicy growth. Synthetic fertilizers feed the plants and not the soil and it's like sterioids for your plants. Most potting soils come with synthetic fertilizer already in them these days so it's almost unavoidable that you will have synthetic fertilizers in your potted plants. You shouldn't fertilize potted plants for the first two months after you pot them up so the synthetic fertilizer will dissipate. There are organic potting soils and organic fertilizers that feed the soil that feed the plants. Insecticidal soap will help get rid of your aphids. You can even make your own, just don't use detergent as that can damage your plants. Spray every 5 to 7 days until they are gone. Here's how to make your own. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/homemade-insecticidal-soap.html Newt
If you can find a source for them, then get ladybug larvae. These little guys are pretty much Spartans. I've seen a few totally destroy an infection of massive proportions on my mother's wild roses. We planted a wild rose on the side of our home 2 years ago, this year it took off. Like Newt said, the aphids are attracted to lush growth, and the branches were THICK with aphids, I mean totally covered. I don't really like the roses so I didn't do anything about it. A week later I noticed it was crawling with larvae, and I couldn't find any aphids... Not a single one.
Newt, thanks soooo much for your reply. I'm learning alot here. Great, I haven't fertilized my new plants yet. Simply because I wasn't sure when to do it and what I should fertilize them with. I made my own concoction from the link you gave me. It was pretty easy to do. I'll spray them once a week. Thanks very much for helping me. Keep your fingers crossed. LOL ~ ohhhhh aphids make me itch. Seamus ~ I've heard about the lady bugs. I thought they might just fly away. I guess they stay on the plant until the aphids are gone? I appreciate both of you for helping me. I will let you know how this works for me.
Lily, you are so very welcome! I'm so glad that info was helpful and informative. Seamus has a great idea with the ladybug larvae, but you generally purchase the adults and they do fly away if there isn't enought to eat. The larvae are interesting as they look like prehistoric allegators. They are the black and orange critters in the upper left picture here. There are also other beneficial insects too. http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/johnson/hort/Butterfly/BMPredators.htm Newt
I've been told that a sharp blast of water will knock aphids to the ground and they don't get back onto the plant. If that is possible on your balcony, why not try it? No cost, nothing to lose!
Hi Allison, I remember giving my plants a light blast of water with the hose when I had a lawn garden, (which I really miss) Now that I'm on a 4th floor balcony I can't spray water as it would end up on the neighbours balcony below. About all I can do is some light misting. ~ Thankyou allison. Happy Gardening! Lily
I am having the same problem and I can't stop scratching. People here were very helpful. Could you please let us know how it went? I have sprayed my rosebush with dish soap. I don’t know if it will work. So I’d like to know how it went for you.
