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If aphids (Aphidoidea) suddenly multiply on the plants in the garden or in the house, this is annoying, but no reason to despair. Because there is a good home remedy that you can quickly make yourself. This is soapy water, which helps optimally against aphids.
In a nutshell
- Aphids mostly on leaves in spring
- suddenly appear out of nowhere
- Use potash or soft soap to make the lye
- do not contain any colourants, fragrances, thickeners or excess fat
- other soaps harm the environment and the treated plants with ingredients
Ingredients needed
For the soapy water that can be used to combat aphids, no "normal" soaps should be used, such as those found in shower gel, shampoo or other personal care products. In order not to further damage the affected plants, it makes sense to use soft soap or potash soap:
- Main ingredient in most shaving soap products
- have no excess fat
- also no thickeners
- are made without dyes and fragrances
- other products have additives
- such as microplastics
- harmful to environment
- are not suitable for aphid control
Notice: You can get the soft soap or potash soap you need in any well-stocked drugstore, often in liquid form.
manufacturing
Soapy water for aphid control is very effective and very easy to make:
- 50 grams of soft or potash soap
- a liter of warm water
- Add soap and let dissolve
- let cool down
- stir or shake
- in suitable for the crop
Tip: If you have purchased the potash soap in one piece, it is a good idea to break it up with a grater beforehand so that it dissolves better in the water.
application
Once the soapy water has been prepared, the affected plants are sprayed with this:
- use a pressure sprayer for trees
- fill in twice or three times the amount of soapy water
- for small plants a simple spray bottle is sufficient
- spray daily at first
- until there is no more infestation to be seen
- shower plants before first use
- Trees and shrubs with a garden hose
- smaller plants several times with a watering can
- Alternatively use a garden hose here
- wash away the first aphids in advance
Notice: If the infestation is particularly large, you can also prolong the household remedy with spirit or alcohol and thus increase the effect even more. Simply add two teaspoons of the chosen substance to the soapy water.
frequently asked Questions
How do I recognize the pests?You can very quickly recognize a pest infestation by aphids from the insects themselves. Because they are on the young shoots, buds and young leaves. There are different types of aphids, which can be either black or green, but yellow and reddish. In such a case, you should spray the colonies directly and in a targeted manner before you also treat the entire plant.
How long do I have to use the soapy water?As a rule, the aphids disappear after the first spraying. If it is a large colony, it can be sprayed several times over several days. Then observe the affected plants for several weeks, because it is possible that after one or two weeks the pests will show up again and another spraying will be necessary.
How often can I use the soapy water without damaging the plants?If you work with soft soap, you can use the solution with soapy water until the aphids have completely disappeared. The plants are not damaged by these multiple applications. In the case of indoor plants or very dry weather without rain, including garden plants, you can briefly shower them with water after successful application.
Why can the aphids transmit viruses to the infested plants?The pests feed on the sap of the plants. To get at them, they pierce the leaves and shoots with their sharp mouthparts. The subsequent sucking via the mouth not only removes the plant sap, but often leads to the transmission of pathogens that the aphids carry and thus pass on to the infested plant.