This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.
Aphids!
Sian Humphrey
Posts: 4
Hi everyone,
I am new to gardening and have a lovely little kitchen garden growing in my green and everything was going great until this morning. I've noticed that several plants (coriander, lettuce, parlsey etc) are all covered in these little blighter, I'm assuming they are aphids.
My questions are
a) do I need to do anything about it?
b) If so, what?
c) Do I need to throw the infected plants away?
d) What can I do to help prevent future occurrences?
Many thanks
Sian 
Last edited: 05 June 2016 10:07:04
0
Posts
Yes, aphids. If left unchecked they will damage the leaves. Try blasting them off using a spray attachment to your hose or alternatively mix a couple of drops of washing up liquid with water into a hand sprayer which will drown them. No need to throw any plants away.
Hi Sian - in addition to Bob's reply, you can also wipe them off with your hand.
It's quite common for them to multiply very quickly at this time of year as we get some rain and some warmth. If you can encourage as much wildlife into your garden they will help by eating them. Blue tits, in particular, are very partial. A useful tip is to put a couple of small hanging feeders in and around susceptible plants to get birds there consistently. Ladybirds are wonderful predators too - so anything you can do to attract them will be a benefit in future.
Last edited: 05 June 2016 12:06:48
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...