In today's article we will explain to you how to use soft soap against aphids and what you need to pay attention to.
Soft soap against aphids: When should you use the product?
Aphids appear on vegetable plants, fruit trees and ornamental shrubs from mid-May onwards. The insects hatch in spring from eggs laid the previous year and quickly colonize nearby plants. Young trees and plants weakened by disease, incorrect location or incorrect care are particularly at risk.
If the garden is designed to be insect-friendly, it will attract beneficial insects, which will increase the number ofAphids to a minimumhold. This means there is no mass proliferation and the plants can tolerate the pests.
Unfortunately, it is not always possible to make the outdoor area insect-friendly. It may be because the neighbors are treating their property with chemicals or because the beneficial insects are becoming fewer and fewer.As part of a studyFor example, it was found that the number of beneficial insects is declining nationwide, which means that aphids have increased in number in recent years. The aphids are then transferred from one plant to the other by ants and can cause great damage to the garden.
Treatment from the beginning of May in the kitchen garden:Begin treatment in May, then spray plants with the solution every 5 days until you can no longer find aphids on their leaves.
Treatment from the beginning of June for woody plants:To prevent this, the plants should be treated with soft soap in June. The young trees will then have already grown and can tolerate the treatment without any problems.
Mix the soft soap solution yourself: instructions
1. Pour 1.5 liters of water into a pot and heat it up. It should be hot but not boiling. Then take the pot off the heat.
2. Use neutral soft soap - it has a neutral pH value and contains neither phosphates nor formaldehyde. The product is suitable for both ornamental and commercial plants that are consumed. You can find neutral soft soap in drugstores and pharmacies. First add 30 g of soft soap and then pour the hot water into the bowl. Let the solution cool down first.
Mixing ratio soft soap: water – 1:50
3. Take an empty and clean 2 liter spray bottle and pour the lukewarm solution into the bottle. Never spray the plants with the hot solution, it can burn their leaves, shoots and roots!
Use soft soap against aphids
1. Spray the affected plants in the evening. Spray the leaves from below and above, all shoots and leave the home remedy to work overnight and the next day.
2. You do not need to rinse off the soft soap. If it rains in the next few days, you can use the home remedy again.
3. Repeat the process every 3 days until the aphids disappear completely. Three to four treatments should be enough for a moderate infestation. If there is any product left over after a treatment, shake it into the soil around the plant, but not directly in the root area.
4. For optimal effect, you can then populate the affected plants with Adalia ladybird larvae. They are natural enemies of aphids and can be ordered online or purchased from a garden center and then left directly on the leaves.
5. If treating crops, wait about a week before harvesting the fruit. For salads – wait 10 days and then rinse the leaves thoroughly.
Titelfoto: Deavita / Canva
