The cheeky, uninvited pests are back! Green, white or even black aphids appear out of nowhere around this time every year and infest our flowers and vegetables. They breed fairly quickly, forming their colonies within days and weeks. Aphids are not called that for nothing, because they love the juicy, green parts of the plants and eat them up. The result is not only unsightly, but can also be fatal for the beautiful plants. What to do? There are of course plenty of chemical insecticides in specialist shops that help against this. But if you prefer not to use a chemical club, then you should try proven home remedies. In addition to neem oil and coffee grounds, garlic brew, for example, can successfully help against aphids.
It is better to fight aphids with natural means
Why don’t aphids like garlic?
Garlic is naturally high in sulphur, which is toxic to a number of leaf-sucking and chewing pests such as aphids, whitefly and claw caterpillars. It is not for nothing that it has always been considered an effective repellent against a number of pests.
You can use garlic in a spray that you can spray on plants or in the soil. Garlic can also be used as a soil treatment in the form of garlic water.
Small bulb with a big effect
Luckily, garlic has other uses besides being a pesticide. The well-known leek plant is also a natural antifungal. You can also use garlic to get rid of mold and fungus that are common in gardens. Garlic even helps scare away other garden pests like cats and rabbits.
Prepare garlic broth against aphids
In this recipe for a garlic decoction against aphids, we use soap or washing-up liquid. And that’s not accidental. This element complements the insecticidal effect of garlic by destroying the protective layer of aphids. This in turn leads to dehydration and the extinction of the insects.
In a spray bottle, the garlic broth is super easy to spray
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves of garlic
- boiling water to cover
- 2 tablespoons liquid soap or dish soap
- 1 liter of water
- spray bottle
The hotter the garlic cloves, the better
You can grind these up in a mortar
How to do it:
- Mash or chop the garlic cloves.
- Place these in a mason jar or heatproof container.
- Pour over as much boiling water as needed to get them completely covered.
- Put the lid on and leave overnight.
- Strain the infusion through a kitchen sieve or an old tea towel the next day.
- Add liquid to 1 liter of water and 2 tablespoons of liquid soap and mix together.
- Fill spray bottle. Ready to use!
With such a natural insecticide you can safely spray not only your roses or other ornamental plants, but also all your vegetables. In a few days, the uninvited guests are simply gone.
How to use garlic decoction against aphids?
Spray insects on your plants as soon as they appear to keep their numbers down. Pay special attention to the stems and the underside of the leaves. Use only when pests are visible and reapply after rain. Try to be selective and give any plants infested with sucking or chewing insects a liquid fertilizer to boost them.
Danger!
- Label and date the solution.
- Keep the solution out of the reach of children and pets.
- Wash all treated products before consumption.
- Test solution on one or two plants prior to widespread use.
- Wear suitable protective clothing during use.
- Wash your hands after use.
Trust the powerful forces of natural insecticides!
A bonus recipe for DIY garlic fungicide
Several scientific studies also suggest that garlic has been shown to be successful in fighting nasty fungal diseases. A report from 2008 in European Journal of Plant Pathology found garlic to be effective against tomato leaf blight and blight.
You can do the following:
Crush 4 bulbs of garlic and cook with 1/2 cup of baking soda in 4 liters of water. Allow to cool to room temperature, strain into a watering can and slowly soak the soil around the infected plants to get the water really deep. Then dump out the crushed garlic and slowly work it into the soil.
Some hobby gardeners also use pure garlic essential oil. You can also use commercial garlic-based fungicides depending on your needs and budget. Of course, garlic is not the panacea for all mushrooms. For example, garlic rust and other fungal diseases are a major nuisance to garlic growers.
Do some research and research for even more effective natural insecticide and fungicide recipes. In this way you not only protect nature, but also do not endanger your health.
Even the queen of flowers is not spared from the cheeky pests
Aphids reproduce extremely quickly
They are usually found under large leaves or on the stems of plants
Ladybugs are among the greatest natural enemies of aphids