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Aphids everywhere!

ManderMander Posts: 349
in Problem solving
I've just been doing some long overdue work in the front garden and I've discovered that half the plants are covered in green aphids. There's a dog rose, valerian, and parts of a flowering quince that are the worst affected. It seems like too much to spray all the plants -- what can I do to control them? I've never had them to this level before!

Posts

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    edited May 2022
    leave them for blue tits, ladybirds and all sorts of other gardening friends to sort out
    Devon.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I've left mine to the birds. I really didn't believe it would work but it has! Bird feeder essential I'd say.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ManderMander Posts: 349
    Oh I didn't realize they would eat them! I can certainly put a bird feeder here somewhere in the jungle. 
  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,960
    I have four bird feeders but aphids are teeming over everything (wipe them off and they come back the next day). It's disheartening.
  • ManderMander Posts: 349
    I just hope they don't stop the roses blooming. So far the valerian seems to be getting ready to flower no problem. But it might also scupper my plans to grow runner beans in that spot again.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I have a new rose all the new growth was covered. I was able to brush them off. There are less of them but I think ladybirds have all so helped as today it is mostly white shells.  
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • debs64debs64 Posts: 5,184
    I put up a feeder in the front garden last week and already there are birds clearing the aphids, plus a couple of naughty blackbirds digging in my pots for worms 🪱 
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Mander  I've never known them to affect runner beans but, as a general solution, once rhubarb is in season, I boil some of the leaves, allow to cool, drain off the liquid and spray with a redundant household trigger spray.  I then fill a 2-litre milk container with it so that I have some for when I can no longer find rhubarb leaves.  If used on food items, washing may be advisable.
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