Aphids/whitefly organic methods

[Marb67]

I just cannot keep up with the constant fight against aphids and whitefly (and every other pest known to gardeners) in my small, walled garden. My greenhouse is full of them despite using so called effective methods like chives, mint chopped up around the plant. If they don't like chives/onions, how come aphids are at the base of my chives and spring onions ? I have even thought about using a joss stick in the greenhouse to smoke them out but not sure it will work.

I boiled some garlic cloves up in water about 3 years ago and kept the concentrate in a bottle. It still smells as pungent as it did on the day I made it up. That seems to have no effect sprayed either.

Any other home made method (not soap) that works and is chemical free ?

[jacob]

Well, squishing them, obviously.

This is not answer, but more of a comment/question. Although I sometimes find a few more than I'd like at this time of the year, something seems to keep aphids in check for most of the summer. I'm never quite sure what little bit of the ecosystem does this, the small spiders that hang out in my greenhouse perhaps?

[Chippy Minton]

T'internet recommends "Encarsia" a parasitic biological control.

[cariann88]

I am suffering with them and nothing seems to work.

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Sticky tape traps! although I have never used them myself

Can fess up n be "Big Headed" I never seem to have a problem on this front!..............Shoot! .........what have I just said!

But think my over compulsiveness to keep everything as clean as I can helps! Oh! n as I potter about, I collect the "Good Buddies" I see such as "Ladybirds" n such, and introduce them to the poly n greenhouse!

No much better organic than that I is thinking!

[Nicos]

Our fruit trees are covered with whitefly and greenfly...never seen so many. Must be down to the warm winter and 'hot' Spring?

Thing is they just sit/stand there dropping babbies, which then do the same , as their offspring do...and then my poor trees look like someone has attacked them with a hairdryer/blowtorch.

hosepipe might knock some off and then you can squish them, but you risk damaging the plants.

No idea what to suggest...maybe hunt down some ladybirds and pop them inside your greenhouse?

[lottie dolly]

have heard that a spray with pyrethrum in works,but not experenced it myself

[mothhawk]

Commercial sticky yellow traps work in a confined space, but only catch the adult (flying) stage, so you need to shake every plant every day to get the newly emerged flies to launch themselves to their doom. And change the traps when they get coated with flies or no more will stick. I believe yellow card smeared with vaseline works ok as a sticky trap but I've never tried it.

edit - whitefly I'm talking about. Greenfly can reproduce themselves without ever growing wings to fly.

[brownfingers]

Put marigolds in the gh to keep down whitefly. I always have one marigold per tomato and have never had whitefly in the gh. I've had them on sprouts only a couple of yds from the gh, but never inside. I spray with washing up liquid for aphids.

[Marb67]

I have read on the net since i posted that chopped up tomato leaves steeped in water and sprayed is poisonous to greenfly.

[Bill HH]

I use a 1 litre pump up spray bottle, the nozzle adjusts to a very thin but powerful jet, when I see em I give em a blast and they don't seem to come back.

[eospete]

Someone told me they swore by cold garlic tea for aphids. Since spraying my greenhouse plants I haven't seen one aphid and last year at this time they were everywhere



Growing wiser, growing stronger

[Marb67]

Used garlic for last few days with hardly any effect.