If you are just getting started with trying to grow your own vegetables in a garden, you are likely excited about the prospect of having food to provide for your family that came from your efforts. A part of garden maintenance is battling a variety of pests that attempt to eat any vegetables you grow. Aphids are tiny insects that prefer to nibble on greenery like lettuce and kale. They vary in color from brown, yellow, red, black, or green and have wings. Here are some steps to take to keep these insects from destroying your growing plants.
Use A Homemade Solution Regularly
You do not want to cause the vegetables in your garden to become compromised by a harsh solution made for pest control. For this reason, many gardeners turn to the usage of mild dish detergent mixed with water as an aphid deterrent. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the solution and add the mixture to a spray bottle. Use this homemade agent directly on the leaves of your growing vegetables and around the bases of the stems. Reapply after precipitation ends or every few days in drier weather. The soap causes the soft bodies of aphids to deteriorate, while the cayenne pepper aids in keeping aphids from crawling upon plants with the solution already in place.
Apply Water To Plants With A Heavy Stream
If aphids are causing destruction to vegetables with hearty stems, using water to knock them off is an option. Set your garden hose to a stream setting with a higher impact than usual. Direct the stream toward plants with aphids present. Since aphids are small and light, the stream of water will likely knock them off your plants and will possibly kill them in the process.
Use Your Fingers To Eliminate Aphids
If you do not mind touching the aphids and there is not an enormous amount of them on your plants, you can pluck them off the vegetation by hand. They can then be placed in a bowl of soapy water or squeezed between your fingers. This process needs to be done daily and be sure to check on the undersides of leaves in addition to visible areas.
Call On A Pest Control Service
Pest control services tend to many types of insects to keep them from causing continuous damage to homes and property. Be sure to indicate you need service within your garden area, and that you prefer they use environmentally safe products since they are being placed near food. Treating the area along the perimeter of your garden is also an option to keep pests from getting to close to vegetation.
Having pests in your home is more than just annoying. Many of the common pests that invade homes are actually dangerous. Rats can bite young children, spreading serious diseases like leptospirosis and salmonella. Cockroaches can spread E. coli, and many people are allergic to proteins in their bodies. Regardless of which pest is bothering you, it is important to get rid of it as soon as possible. Pest control companies can do a lot of this work, but it is also important to be informed. After all, you are the one who lives in your home and needs to take preventative measures against pests every day. Learn the basics here on this blog, and put them to use.