Three Quick Natural Insect Control Systems
Now, you tell me you have aphids (little green plant lice) on the roses and other flower buds. Get out the hose.
Water
It really is as simple as knocking these pests off the plants with a strong jet of water. Knock them to the ground and a wide range of beetles and other predators will feast on them instead of them feasting on your plants.
Why spend the money on sprays that continue to disappoint and get ever more environmentally damaging when a jet of water will take care of the problem? Seems too simple doesn't it? As in most things, the most elegant solution is often the simplest.
Some of my indoor plants had spider mites this spring and the solution to them is the same thing. They went outside and now receive regular sprayings of water, particularly on the underside of the leaves where the pests like to hang out. The plants are looking quite good now and if I keep this up, the problem will disappear and the plants will be welcome into the house in the fall again.
Soap
If you really feel like you have to use something to control these pests, let me suggest insecticidal soap. The soap spray will clean off the protective coating from the insect resulting in a quick death. Do be careful which plants you spray with soap and if you can keep it off the blossoms, this is a good idea. Sometimes soap can change blossom colours dramatically and not always for the better. I used soap sprays on the office-bound houseplants to control the spider mite populations before they went outside for the summer.
Can you use household detergents on this instead of insecticidal soap. My experiments with this say yes but (and it's a big but) you'll have more plant and flower "burning" and discoloration with the detergent than with the soap. And you still don't want to use it on plants like blue spruce.
A 40 parts of water to 1 part of soap is the recommended rate for mixing.
If you want the real thing - rather than using household detergents, you can get quick natural insect control using the soap of your choice here
The Really Easy One
And finally, the best solution to most pests is the hand of the gardener. A rubber-gloved hand can pick pests (squashing them if you're brave or dropping them into a detergent water-filled container if you're a bit squeamish) and eliminate them in the easiest and shortest time.
No messy sprays or noxious chemicals.
comments powered by Disqus
