Boil up a few chopped-up cloves of garlic (the more the smellier) in a pint or two of water till they go soft and mushy. Filter it through a fine sieve and/or muslin. Add a good dollop of oil (cooking rather than engine, I fancy; they do say olive oil is best) and a squirt of detergent to get them to emulsify. Dilute to a couple of litres in an old plastic bottle. Spray on the little b*ggers.
Works against small caterpillars and sawfly larvae too.
If you use Ecover washing up liquid then it's organic. I have used it as Fairygirl uses Fairy and it works, but it does kill good insects too, like ladybird larvae etc. So I rub them off with my fingers, brush them off with a brush or squirt them off with a hose.
That leaves a few behind for the bluetits who need them for their nestlings.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes - I use Ecover. Not sure it's organic, but certainly less environmentally dodgy than Fairy, just as good at cleaning (yes, I do wash up occasionally) - and slighty cheaper.
I'm not sure about garlic water on aphids although it's possible the boiling affects the chemicals present, or perhaps it's the detergent which actually does the job? The reason I'm a bit sceptical is purely because I found my garlic covered in aphids last week!
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
I think the oil blocks their spiracles and the garlic makes the leaves distasteful. Although maybe not Bob's. It's certainly worked for me on rose greenfly, broad bean blackfly and gooseberry sawfly.
The problem with any insecticide, organic or otherwise, is that they are indiscriminate and harm the good guys too. The best thing is squishing with fingers or blasting with a spray from a hose pipe to remove them from the plants.
The next best thing is the garlic spray as it puts insects off by smell without harming them. If you grow the plants strong and sturdy in good light and ventilation they can fight off pests and beneficial insects will come and eat the aphids if you give them time to find them and don't kill them off with spraying.
For outside plants, I find feeding the birds is an excellent trick as the sparrows and tits feed aphids and caterpillars to their young and that keeps pest populations down. Hang peanut and fat ball feeders near susceptible plants so they spot the pests whilst queuing for feeders.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Well said Obelixx, washing up liquid (eco or otherwise) used as an insecticide is a big No-No for me. Whilst it does kill aphids it kills everything else too, creating a boom bust cycle. I'm encouraging a few aphids (but keeping a close eye on them) at the moment as this will attract aphid eating ladybirds and encourage them to lay their larvae. If we kill off the aphids this early in spring there won't be anything for the ladybirds to eat, so will just go elsewhere to lay.
The detergent is just there to get the oil and water to mix; Ecover is claimed to be non-toxic (but maybe that's just to humans!). And the theory is that the predators are larger and less affected, although I've never been sure about that. I have seen plenty of ladybirds and hoverflies around though.
I agree about not spraying too soon - one has to give the predators a chance to get going, and allow some food. Last year, I found that after I sprayed my gooseberries and the leaves had a coating of garlicky oil on them, they weren't re-infested with sawfly. Until new leaves grew. Just as well, coz garlicky goosegogs would be a bad idea
Garlicky Goosegogs - that would be a good name for a folk band. You're welcome. I'll take 10%.
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Garlic emulsion.
Boil up a few chopped-up cloves of garlic (the more the smellier) in a pint or two of water till they go soft and mushy. Filter it through a fine sieve and/or muslin. Add a good dollop of oil (cooking rather than engine, I fancy; they do say olive oil is best) and a squirt of detergent to get them to emulsify. Dilute to a couple of litres in an old plastic bottle. Spray on the little b*ggers.
Works against small caterpillars and sawfly larvae too.
If you use Ecover washing up liquid then it's organic. I have used it as Fairygirl uses Fairy
and it works, but it does kill good insects too, like ladybird larvae etc. So I rub them off with my fingers, brush them off with a brush or squirt them off with a hose.
That leaves a few behind for the bluetits who need them for their nestlings.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Yes - I use Ecover. Not sure it's organic, but certainly less environmentally dodgy than Fairy, just as good at cleaning (yes, I do wash up occasionally) - and slighty cheaper.
I find vigilance and fingers work the best for aphids.
I'm not sure about garlic water on aphids although it's possible the boiling affects the chemicals present, or perhaps it's the detergent which actually does the job? The reason I'm a bit sceptical is purely because I found my garlic covered in aphids last week!
I think the oil blocks their spiracles and the garlic makes the leaves distasteful. Although maybe not Bob's. It's certainly worked for me on rose greenfly, broad bean blackfly and gooseberry sawfly.
The problem with any insecticide, organic or otherwise, is that they are indiscriminate and harm the good guys too. The best thing is squishing with fingers or blasting with a spray from a hose pipe to remove them from the plants.
The next best thing is the garlic spray as it puts insects off by smell without harming them. If you grow the plants strong and sturdy in good light and ventilation they can fight off pests and beneficial insects will come and eat the aphids if you give them time to find them and don't kill them off with spraying.
For outside plants, I find feeding the birds is an excellent trick as the sparrows and tits feed aphids and caterpillars to their young and that keeps pest populations down. Hang peanut and fat ball feeders near susceptible plants so they spot the pests whilst queuing for feeders.
Well said Obelixx, washing up liquid (eco or otherwise) used as an insecticide is a big No-No for me. Whilst it does kill aphids it kills everything else too, creating a boom bust cycle.
I'm encouraging a few aphids (but keeping a close eye on them) at the moment as this will attract aphid eating ladybirds and encourage them to lay their larvae. If we kill off the aphids this early in spring there won't be anything for the ladybirds to eat, so will just go elsewhere to lay.
The detergent is just there to get the oil and water to mix; Ecover is claimed to be non-toxic (but maybe that's just to humans!). And the theory is that the predators are larger and less affected, although I've never been sure about that. I have seen plenty of ladybirds and hoverflies around though.
I agree about not spraying too soon - one has to give the predators a chance to get going, and allow some food. Last year, I found that after I sprayed my gooseberries and the leaves had a coating of garlicky oil on them, they weren't re-infested with sawfly. Until new leaves grew. Just as well, coz garlicky goosegogs would be a bad idea
Garlicky Goosegogs - that would be a good name for a folk band. You're welcome. I'll take 10%.