Many of our gardens will be flourishing in the summer sun, but sometimes plants and flowers can harbour hidden insects that can ultimately wilt and kill your blooms. Garden designer and TikTok creator Ish, who goes by Gardening with Ish, revealed all you need is a two-ingredient homemade solution that uses one kitchen staple to get rid of unwanted aphids.
Aphids – also known as greenfly – are sap-sucking insects that can cause plants to lose their vigour, distort their growth, and often excrete a sticky substance (honeydew) where sooty moulds can grow. Unfortunately most plants and flowers are susceptible to aphid attacks, so you’ll have to be on the lookout for them throughout the summer.
If your plant is suffering from an aphids attack, you’ll be able to see colonies on shoot tips, flower buds and the underside of younger leaves. As well as leaving a sticky residue behind, the insects can leave a white cast on the surface of the leaves.
The issue with aphids is that they can stunt plant and flower growth, curling the leaves, and leaving the plant weaker overall. To combat these pesky plant pests, Ish shared three tips to help deter the insects.
Deterring aphids should be easy to carry out, with Ish explaining that a simple homemade solution can do the job. Ish said: “Now aphids, or commonly known as greenfly, are sticky little insects that will attach to the branches or the leaves of your plant and suck the out the saplings, eventually curling those leaves over and finishing off your plant – and they can be little tricky ones.”
To make Ish’s homemade solution, add a few tablespoons of washing up liquid to a spray bottle. Top the rest of the bottle off with some water.
Ish said: “Now this solution is fantastic at destroying the aphids exoskeleton, which effectively finishes it off, but doesn’t do any damage to your plants.”
Spray the solution all over the affected area of the plants and leave it to work its magic.
The RHS warned against using pesticides to sort out aphid problems. This is because most pesticides, including those made with organic materials, reduce biodiversity, including natural enemies, impact soil health and have wider adverse environmental effects.
Ish also recommended placing some fragrant plants around the blooms you want to protect. He recommended using plants such as marigolds and salvias, onions, and garlic.
Ish explained aphids have a really strong sense of smell, so planting these nearer to other plants in your garden will help deter them away. The last port of call for lingering aphids, according to Ish, is to give your plants a quick burst of water from the hose to wash them away.