How to kill aphids naturally using homemade sprays

Aphids appear suddenly. And in overwhelming numbers. You wouldn't have noticed them before, when they were still few. The rate at which aphids multiply is truly amazing, as is their strategy for reproduction and survival. It is only in the autumn that the first generation of males hatches, otherwise only the females are born until then, and they continue to multiply geometrically. 

Dealing with aphids is not at all easy, some species are truly resistant and spraying hardly works on them. 

But we can still try, even without commercially available insecticides. Make your own natural remedies and try to fight aphids with them. These home-made natural sprays are environmentally friendly.

This organic spray is one of the most expensive of the solutions offered due to the price of milk, but it can be tried anyway. Mix ordinary semi-skimmed milk with water in a 1:1 ratio and try spraying the plants. Check the result of your experiment the next day (you should do this with other sprays, too). 

It's also a good idea to rinse the plants with clean water the next day after using a particular spray; you can see for yourself whether this is necessary or not by the condition of the plants after a particular spray and their appearance.
 

It is said that aphids don’t like the smell of garlic. Why not try it out? Just mash a few cloves of garlic in a glass of water, stir thoroughly and test. 

If it works, you can make a larger quantity of the product.

Such practice applies to all the tricks mentioned in this article: It really doesn't make sense to make a solution from a kilo of garlic, twenty litres of milk and so on without trying it. If garlic water works, you'll be looking for where they have the cheapest garlic.
 

Stinging nettle is an old classic, plus it is an excellent fertilizer. However, many other herbs can be added to the process. But what is the difference between mixture and decoction? Plant mixtures consist of plant parts submerged in water,  aged for at least 3 to 5 weeks, while a decoction is made by pouring hot or cold water over the freshly picked herbs, letting them infuse for a few hours and then letting them cool down. Hot water would not really help the plants. Other herbs can be added to the nettles, for example wormwood. This is said to work on aphids as well.

Yes, another plant that might work on aphids is tobacco. Pour boiling water over a small amount of tobacco and let it cool. Then apply the mixture with a strained sprayer to aphid-infested plants.

Another effective plant could be tomatoes, i.e. their leaves containing alkaloids that effectively kill insects. Finely chop the tomato leaves and leave them soaked in cold water overnight; hot water would damage the alkaloids in the leaves. 

Strain the next morning or afternoon, or you can add a few flakes of grated soap. Stir this thoroughly and apply the spray. The amount of chopped leaves is proportional to the amount of water, just test the concentration of the solution. 

Boil the rhubarb and let the decoction cool. Then strain it and pour it into a sprayer without any dilution. Then aim well.

The coffee plant (is the last representative of the plant kingdom we present. You just need to add used coffee grounds to the plant in the pot or bed. Will it work? In any case, coffee grounds can be added to compost, it is an organic material and will not harm the soil.

Some gardeners advise using vegetable oil mixed with water in a 1:10 ratio. Apply with a sprayer, but shake well first so that the two ingredients mix well.

But let's go back to the use of soap. It is recommended to grate about 200 g of potassium soap into a litre of warm water, stir and leave to cool. Spray only the affected areas with soapy water and do so very carefully. Do not overwater the plants. Wash the plants with clean water the next day.

A dishwashing detergent s similar in its effect to soap in bathrooms and kitchens. Add 2 teaspoons of dishwashing liquid to a litre of water. This mixture is then used to shower the aphids with a spray bottle. The next day we recommend showering the plants with clean water.

Vinegar water can be prepared simply by adding a little vinegar to clean water. Again, apply in the same way as soapy water. The next day we recommend showering the plants with clean water. As far as soap, vinegar and spring water are concerned, the products can be combined with each other, but just be careful with the concentration so that we do not create an effective natural herbicide. Also watch out for soil contamination.

We don't want to advertise this product, but it is said that the drink works on aphids, too. After all, its acidity is at the same level as vinegar! 

Simply mix it with water in a 1:1 ratio (it is questionable whether cola would be more effective without dilution) and apply to plants. It is known that Coca-Cola can remove rust from coins, for example, and that it works for many for stomach problems. Can it give aphids indigestion?

 

The above recipes may or may not work. The key to success is to declare war on aphids early, before they become overpopulated. In addition, it is important to know that there are over 800 known aphid species in Central Europe alone, so your spray may not work on your species…