Strawberry season is in full swing and there is nothing better than picking the juicy little fruits from your garden. Things can only get unpleasant if you notice that your plants are full of annoying aphids. These pests weaken the planting, contribute to disease, and prevent fruit production. But the situation is not hopeless! Find out how you can fight aphids on strawberries in this article!
Avoid aphids on strawberries with preventive measures
Aphids are tiny insects that attack plants and suck the sap out of them. They can be a real problem for strawberries because they shrivel up the plants and prevent them from bearing fruit. There are many different methods for controlling aphids on strawberry plants. Which method is best for you depends on the size of your garden and how much damage the pests have already caused.
Maintain healthy strawberry bushes
Start by keeping your strawberry plants healthy!This is the first and most important step. Before you begin combating aphids on strawberries, it is important to keep your plants healthy. This is the first and most important step! If you don't take proper care of your plants, you won't be able to get the best control of the problem. How to keep your strawberries happy and healthy:
- Fertilize them about every week (depending on how fast they are growing) by adding fertilizer to the water reservoir.Tipp: You should never add chemical pesticides or synthetic fertilizers to the soil, as both could harm beneficial insects like ladybugs, which eat aphids for breakfast.
- Water the plants regularly, do not let them dry out.
- Watch out for pests that might feed on the leaves and stems of your strawberries. If there are already any, kill these pests immediately before they injure more leaves/stems/fruits of your plants. Also be careful not to let too many weeds grow near the strawberry bushes, otherwise they will compete with each other when the time comes.
Keep your garden free of weeds
One way to keep aphids away is to not give them a reason to come in the first place. Aphids are attracted to weeds. So if you can keep your garden free of weeds and have little or no infestation of aphids, then the strawberry plants are unlikely to be attacked by them. If there are unwanted plants around your strawberry patch, consider removing them and replacing them with something less likely to attract pests than lettuce.
- Notice: Keep in mind that while weeds are bad for many reasons (they compete with your strawberries for water and nutrients), they also attract other pests like slugs that can also damage your berry plants. If possible, you should remove any nearby weeds as soon as possible after determining that they are infested with pests.
Use sticky traps to control aphids on strawberries
Glue traps are cheap and easy to use, but not a long-term solution. They won't eliminate all pests, but they will reduce the population. Sticky traps are suitable for both indoor and outdoor plants and are available at almost any garden center or online store that offers pest control products. They come in two or three different trap sizes to choose from, depending on how much space you have and how many pests you want to catch at once (the larger the trap, the more pests it can catch).
You should place the sticky traps near your plants so that the insects crawl over them as they approach their food source (your strawberries).
Neem oil supports the fight against pests
Neem oil is a pesticide that has been used for centuries. It is safe for people, animals and the environment. Neem oil does not harm beneficial insects such as bees or ladybugs, so you can also use it in an organic garden. However, you should always read the instructions carefully before using neem oil as it can harm your strawberry plants if used incorrectly.
What are the best home remedies for aphids? You can do thatfind out here!
- Conclusion:You can control aphids on strawberries in many different ways. The most effective way is to keep your garden clean and healthy. This will help prevent the aphids from returning in large numbers because they only feed on weak plants that have not been properly pruned or fertilized. If you follow the tips above you should be able to keep the aphids away.
