Grr, aphids

[Sonata]

I must have aphid cities on my roses - there are just so many!

I've been making up garlic spray (crushing some garlic and putting it in a spray thingie with water), but they're still there. Does that not do the trick?

They've also been spotted on my baby cucumber plants. I squashed all I could..the aphids, not the plants...

I'm trying to be organic and work with nature, so don't really want to use nasties.

[flowerpots]

Marigolds worked wonders in my greenhouse last year and it'd been infested with greenfly the year before.

I had about 8 or 9 big marigolds planted in with my tomatoes and peppers and the different was amazing, I hardly saw any. Of course, the slugs made a bee line for the marigolds but that's another problem

I'm not sure how that would work visually with your roses though!

[Two_Sheds]

Keep squishing with your fingers, to control the population. Don't let it get out of control. You can beat them.

[Sonata]

Aha, that's handy. I've got my first marigold hatchlings, so I must sow some more of those. I've heard planting garlic at the foot of each rose can help too - better stock up, I have a LOT of roses.

So each rose will have a little marigold and a little garlic friend then. I think it'll work well, golden marigolds and scarlet roses.

And tomorrow..I'll go out with the gloves (latex ones, don't like getting sticky aphid fingers) and it will be squishville.

[BarleySugar]

a little squirt of washing up liquid in a sprayer of water is supposed to kill them, but you need to keep it up, because it only kills those it touches. I'm using the squash technique for my chillies indoors, and trying out the washing up liquid idea outside tomorrow, if it isn't raining. I did buy some organic aphid killer, rapeseed oil it was based on, but when I used it on my lettuce last year it burned the leaves

[Sonata]

I read that the washing up liquid thing was illegal?

I just had the second day in a row where I've squashed absolutely loads. Found some on my strawberries as well today. Grr.

[Flummery]

How can washing your plants be illegal?
I usually find that in a few weeks it sorts itself out anyway - the birds feed them to their chicks.

[Redpepper]

My mum planted chives around the base of each rose bush and that really helped keep the aphids away.
For veggies, also tried Neem fertiliser scattered around the base of plants (think the little critters stayed away because it has a very strong, earthy smell) perhaps you could also try growing summer savoury or fenugreek seeds in the same patch.
Hope this helps!

[danmon_81]

My Acer has become infested... :-(
Im using the washing up liquid technique...its helping...the ants have started milking as well....and the marigolds ar coming up a treat!

[Mchanen]

I'll have to remember the tips of here just in case

I have planted Onions with my Strawberries in the hope of keeping these little critters away- seems to have worked so far

[Solitaire]

I use the washing up liquid method as well

[zazen999]

I'd feel proud to be arrested for spraying my veg with my chilli, garlic and soft soap spray that they get every year once the cabbage whites start on them - quite proud indeed.

[Two_Sheds]

My Acer has become infested... :-(
...the ants have started milking as well....

that is a bad thing - the ants protect the aphids, and even bring more in to the "farm"

[GrubbyGirl]

I can't believe it, I put my peppers outside today for the first time to start hardening off and when I came to bring them in they were covered in greenfly!!!