aaaaaah! Aphids!!!!

[Heddi]

Hello!

Last year we had a horrid problem with aphids on the sunflowers, but they (aphids) didn't appear until relatively late in the season.

Well, my darling little sunflowers are just barely a few inches tall (still much more growing until their max height of 6+feet) and my gosh! THey're COVERED in aphids. Some of them have no leaves left even.

What can I do? Whenever I see the occasional ladybug, I set her on the plants...and she flies away...what an ingrate :)

We try to keep our garden as organic as possible and so far have only used miracle grow and steer manure...but I love the privacy that the great big sunflowers afford (and my yard birdies love the seeds in the autumn)---anything I can do to keep these aphids at bay? I've looked online via google search but only come across commercial applications. I'm not opposed to commercial but would prefer the least environmentally damaging and least expensive as possible. Any home remedies anyone can suggest?

Please. My sunflower faces and I need your help!

thx

heddi

[babylonsister]

1. Have you tried Diatomaceous Earth, or DE pwdr?

Plants: For control of aphids, whitefly, beetles, loppers, mites, leaf hoppers, and others! Use Diatomaceous Earth inside your home, greenhouse or outdoors on fruits, vegetables, flowers, grains and grass, up to and including the day of harvest. For dry application of Diatomaceous Earth use a duster and cover the entire plant, apply to both top and bottom of leaf. For young plants, as little as two pounds per acre may be adequate. For larger plants, five lb per acre is probably sufficient. Diatomaceous Earth will need reapplied after a rain. Applies best when there is dew or after a light rain. It is a long lasting, effective powder the insects can not build up resistance.

http://gardenharvestsupply.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=11&idproduct=39#details

If I have a pest problem, I'll first fill a spray bottle full of warm water and kitchen liquid soap, and spray the heck out of what's ailing. I figure it couldn't hurt, and does combat the critters.

Good luck!

[feminazi]

2. I had a plant with aphids.

My sister washed them off with the garden hose (a thorough spraying, I might add). So far, they haven't come back. It's worth a try.

[politicat]

3. Miracle Grow seems to attract them, IME.

Something about the nitrogen levels, I think. Anyway, I spray everything down with soapy water as my first strike, which usually works. A little dish soap in a miracle grow type sprayer (some good things come from it!) usually kills 'em. If they're hardy little buggers, (pun intended) then I dust plants with a mix of diotomaceous earth and wheat flour. The DE cuts up the bug's digestive system, and the flour swells and explodes 'em.

Soapy water will keep bugs off, in my experience.

[OnionPatch]

4. There's some stuff called Safer's Insecticidal Soap

that works great on aphids and it's organic. You can usually find it at nurseries. I use it all the time for aphids. A good squirt of water is usually enough but if the problem is bad, Safer's works.

I don't know where you are, but when we moved to California, we discovered these ants that actually farm aphids on your plants. If you remove the aphids, they will put them right back and also guard them from other bugs! They ruined my sunflowers a few years ago, even with repeated applications of Safer's. The only way to control that problem is bait for ants.

Oh, by the way, Miracle Grow isn't organic. You'd be better off just sticking with the steer manure, IMO. It's a great fertilizer all by itself.

[Imalittleteapot]

5. Ladybugs!

You can get them online if you can't get them locally.

At dusk, spray water on the leaves. The water attracts lady bugs - they need a drink too - and they will be more apt to hang around. Then release the lady bugs. They will mate and their larvae will feast on the aphids.

OR just spray the aphids with water from a hose with a high powered nozzle. The blast will knock the bugs off off the plant.

[bearfan454]

8. Lady bugs do work great.

They sell them in a nursery nearby.

[GardeningGal]

6. I make my own insecticidal soap

I take a regular spray bottle and add a couple of drops of dish soap and a couple of drops of vegetable oil and fill the bottle with water. I just spray the aphids (under the leaves too) and it seems to kill them right away.

[LiberalEsto]

7. Canola oil works the best

It's really bad for the poor little buggies.