Starting a home plant microworld, we first of all care about the beauty and he alth of our green pets. Both can be harmed by parasitic animals. They not only spoil the appearance of the flower, but also cause its illness and even death. A striking example is aphids on houseplants. Let's get to know the enemy by sight, and also get acquainted with the most effective means of dealing with him.
Who is this?
Aphid is a small insect with an oblong body with a widening pointed abdomen. Moves on long legs. Most often, you can find white aphids on houseplants. But she is not the only one - there are winged and wingless individuals, black, yellowish, green and pink. Despite such a variety, all aphids bring the same harm to the plant - they make a puncture in the stem or leaf, through which they suck out the juices that feed the flower.
What is alarming, the insect perfectly adapts to any conditions, multiplies rapidly, forming entire colonies of its own kind. Just think, at one time the female is able to lay up to 100 larvae! And after twoweeks they grow into adults.
Domestic aphids on indoor plants have different functions depending on the type of individual. Winged representatives are called upon to seize new possessions, and wingless ones - to reproduce offspring. Their favorite places are the lower parts of the leaves, young shoots and buds.
Where does the insect come from at home?
Where do aphids come from on houseplants? There are several answers to this question:
- The larvae may be in the land intended for transplantation.
- The winged representative flies in through an open window or balcony from the street.
- You, your family members, pets can bring a larva or an adult on themselves.
- Purchased flower, the soil in its pot may be infected with the parasite.
- If you put indoor plants on the balcony or outside in the summer, then the aphids really get to them during the "walk".
- Pests may well be transferred to flowers by ants, for which these insects are "cash cows".
How to prevent the appearance?
To keep your pets safe from pests, remember to do the following:
- When you buy a new plant, be sure to keep it in "quarantine" for some time - away from others. Not bad, bringing it into the house, rinse the leaves with warm running water. If during the observation period the flower did not show signs of damage, then the beginner can be includedinto the overall composition.
- The soil for transplanting needs to be kept in the freezer for some time - this threatens to kill many eggs and larvae of parasites.
How to detect a pest?
In order to prevent the formation of giant insect colonies on flowers, it is enough to periodically carefully examine the latter. We presented a photo of aphids on indoor plants - you can recognize the pest from them. Sometimes it is enough to destroy the female and the eggs laid by her to stop the whole sad process. For prevention, insect-damaged leaves and stems can be removed.
Here are warning signs of aphids on houseplants:
- The flower wilts, loses its visual appeal.
- Small punctures appear on stems and leaves.
- Buds become smaller, deformed, quickly wither and fall off.
- Leaves and shoots look sticky, turn black, curl or dry out.
- Ants often appear attracted by aphids.
If you find sick flowers, then first isolate them from others, and only then proceed to fight aphids on houseplants. In addition to the fact that the parasite itself deprives them of their vitality, it is a carrier of viral and fungal diseases.
Risk factors
Some plants are more susceptible to aphids than others. Great danger of parasite infection awaits:
- Roses.
- Different types of palmate.
- Orchids.
- Fuchsia.
- Chrysanthemums.
- Hibiscus.
- Hyacinths.
- Cyclamens.
- Spathiphyllums.
How to deal with aphids on indoor plants?
Found a parasite? It's going to be a time consuming but not difficult fight. Its methods can be divided into the following groups:
- Mechanical.
- Folk.
- Chemical.
- Radical - the destruction of a plant that can no longer be saved.
Start, as a rule, with a mechanical method. Next, try folk methods. If everything is useless, then it makes sense to turn to "chemistry" - spraying with special means that can destroy the pest at any stage of development.
And now let's analyze each method of struggle thoroughly.
Mechanical method
It is effective only at the beginning - when you have just discovered the pest. How to deal with aphids on indoor plants in this way? It is enough to remove the damaged shoots and periodically wash the flower with soapy water, which the parasite does not like very much.
Here's how it's done:
- Dilute the shavings of household soap in water, keeping the ratio 1:6.
- Put on protective gloves.
- With a soft cloth, periodically moistened with a solution, carefully wipe the entire plant - stems, leaves, and buds. Try to avoid getting soapy water into the soil.
- Cut off damaged areas during the procedure. Washing must be carried out carefully - aphids like to lay eggs in hard-to-reachlocations.
- At the end of the action, be sure to rinse the flower with clean water.
This procedure can be replaced by wiping with alcohol. Since it evaporates almost instantly, the substance will not have time to leave a burn on the leaves.
Folk ways
These methods are not 100% efficient. But at the initial stages of infection by the parasite, they are enough to completely destroy the pest. It should be noted that such drugs are environmentally friendly. How to get rid of aphids on indoor plants in these ways, the table will tell you.
| Tobacco |
One part of the substance - two parts of water. The resulting composition must be infused for 2 days. Then strain the infusion. It should be diluted 1:2 with water, and then spray the affected plants with a tobacco solution from a spray bottle. An important point - the infusion should not fall on the soil. Therefore, it is better to cover the substrate with a film during processing. |
| Garlic |
Crush in a meat grinder or blender 30 g of garlic along with the husk. Pour the mass with 1 liter of water, leave to infuse for a day. Thoroughly mix a little soap shavings in this composition. Process 2-3 times, spacing 5 days between sprays. |
| Citrus peels | An orange or lemon peel is best. Pour 100 g of crusts with water, then leave to infuse in a warm place for 3 days. The resulting solution is quite simplespray plants with a spray bottle. |
| Red hot pepper |
Crush about 50 g of the pods, pour half a glass of water. After that, the mixture must be boiled for an hour on low heat. Then let it brew for a day. The next step is filtering the solution. Use it economically - only 10g per 1 bucket of water. |
| Wood ash and laundry soap | For 10 liters of water, you will need 50 g of household soap shavings and 0.5 liters of ash. Mix the solution thoroughly, then strain it. The mixture is used to treat damaged plants. |
| White mustard | Dilute 10 g of powder in 1 liter of water. Mix well, then leave to infuse for 2 days. Don't forget to strain before processing. If the condition of the plant is satisfactory, then the mustard solution is diluted in water. If the case is running, a concentrated infusion is used. |
| Needles |
You will need 400-500 g of pine or spruce needles. The needles are soaked in 2 liters of water, after which it is infused for about a week. After the expiration of the period, the solution is filtered and diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 7 (needles-water). Processing is needed reusable; repeat it every 3-4 days until the complete disappearance of insects. |
| Celandine | It will take 350 g of fresh or 150 g of dry grass. Grind it and fill it with 1 liter of water. Insist for a day, always in a dark place. Infusion is best used for several treatments - 2-3. |
| Tomato tops | 500 g of tops should be finely chopped, then pour 1 liter of water. Then the solution is boiled for half an hour. Cools down in a dark place. Before processing, you can additionally add a teaspoon of liquid soap to it. |
How to deal with aphids on indoor plants (the photo will guide you by the appearance of the pest)? The smell of marigolds and geraniums strongly repels her. To enhance the effect, you can put these flowers next to a diseased plant. Of the garden inhabitants, aphids do not tolerate mint, dill and parsley.
Chemical Methods
How to remove aphids from indoor plants, if folk methods had no effect? There is only one way out - to turn to chemicals. At first, you should still use gentle means that are harmless to plants. A good example would be "Preparation 30+" mineral oil.
If the degree of damage is high, and the aphid colony is growing right before our eyes, then we will use already potent names. These are the following drugs:
- "Actellik".
- "Fitoferm".
- "Decis".
- "Confidor".
- "Neoron".
- "Spark".
- "Akarin".
- "Karate"
- "Intavir".
How to apply "chemistry"?
Many of these products have an unpleasant smell, so work only in a well-ventilated area. It is necessary to use drugs at the current temperature inroom 21-25 °C. If the room is colder, the effectiveness of the chemicals will decrease.
How to deal with white aphids on indoor plants? To enhance the effect of drugs, it is advisable to wash the stems and leaves of the affected flower with soapy water before processing. Remember that you are applying insecticides! Therefore, ensure the safety - yours and loved ones:
- Pets and small children must be kept out of the treatment area.
- Take care of the availability of personal protective equipment - thick rubber gloves, closed clothing, respirator, goggles, apron.
- Strictly follow the instructions that come with the drug.
- For the purpose of prevention, it is necessary to treat not only diseased plants, but also he althy plants.
Be prepared for the fact that one treatment may not be enough. After all, the effect of chemicals is mainly directed at adults. But the eggs, larvae may well survive. On average, 2-3 chemical treatments are needed at weekly intervals.
If such a course did not lead to a satisfactory result, then it is necessary to change the drug. Aphids have an amazing ability to develop immunity to insecticide - so strong that the drug does not affect the insect in the following treatments.
Problem Prevention
As with everything else, it is easier to prevent the appearance of domestic aphids than to fight the pest. Preventive measures are shown as follows:
- Regular inspectionyour home garden for signs of aphids.
- Compliance with the correct temperature regime - aphids breed faster in a stuffy room.
- Regular washing and spraying plants with clean water.
- Putting new flowers in "quarantine".
- Extermination in the house of ants - carriers and lovers of aphid milk.
- Periodic application of the above methods in order to prevent the invasion of parasites.
Indoor aphid can easily settle in your home garden, causing great damage to plants. Today, there are many means of dealing with it - we have considered the most effective. However, it is more important to prevent the invasion of pests.
