A Cheap and Effective Way to Kill Aphids

Try this chemical free recipe!

When was the last time you took a real close look at your houseplants? I mean a real thorough inspection; under the leaves and stems from top to bottom. Spring time is a particularly good time to check them out. Because you want to kill those aphids before they kill your flowers.

A plant’s most common enemy is the aphid. If you brought bedding and basket plants home from the nursery, and are keeping them indoors for a few weeks until the weather warms up, you could potentially have a problem. Most greenhouses have healthy nurseries and strive to keep them pest free. Many of them even employ ladybugs to help them do the job of killing aphids. It’s effective, though not a 100% guarantee.

Most of the time, plants arrive at the nursery looking good. But aphids lay microscopic eggs that can’t be detected until after they hatch. Except now, they’re no longer at the nursery, they’re at your house!

Years before the Internet, I used to run to my local garden center to learn which chemical to use that would kill aphids on my houseplants. The problem with using some of those chemicals, is that they could harm the plant if you didn’t apply them carefully according to instructions. Many products would leave an an outdoor plant “solar sensitive” and you run the risk of sunburning the plant after its been treated for aphids.

We’re all well-aware of the human and animal hazards associated with garden chemicals as well. Many are deadly poison and must be kept out of the reach of small children and pets.

The insects are commonly on the birch trees. Some years the infestation is worse than others. But a stiff wind can blow them hither and yon, so they can certainly gain a foothold in the garden. One summer, I nearly lost all my native lupine to aphids. Before I knew what was happening, they had razed down the entire row. I sprayed and sprayed with a garden chemical trying to kill all the aphids, not realizing that it caused the plants to become solar sensitive which further weakened them.

A chemical free solution to kill aphids

One day, I was talking to a co-worker known for her garden expertise. As I told her about my lupine, she readily shared her little secret for a better solution that was not only effective, but cheap. Wanna know what it is? Dish soap and water! Yup. Fill a spray bottle with water, add a few drops of liquid dish detergent and voila!

I was a little skeptical at first. What, no chemicals? Don’t you need chemicals to kill the aphids? Surprisingly, no! Apparently, chemicals are not necessary to kill aphids. So, how does it work?

If you examine an adult aphid up close, you’ll see that it has tiny, transparent wings. When you spray it with the soapy solution, those wings get all sticky and gunked up and the aphid can’t fly. A few squirts from your spray bottle immediately causes all kinds of physical problems the tiny insect cannot overcome and it soon dies.

It kills live, adult aphids almost immediately. However, it has no impact on eggs. After a day or two, re-inspect your houseplants for new aphids that hatch and re-spray. Use it on your outside plants as well.

Since seeing for myself how effective this soap and water solution is, I haven’t used anything else in over 15 years! If you have a moderate infestation and need to use a lot, this is the cheapest, non-chemical way you can go. Plus, no running to the store. You likely have everything you need right there in the kitchen!

Safer organic insect killing soap

Here’s a commercial product I also highly recommend. It’s one I have personally used for many, many years. Safer is an outstanding organic product for controlling aphids that uses less harmful ingredients. Like the soap and water solution, it works by dowsing aphids in a sticky substance that pretty much kills them on contact.

Disclaimer: I recommend this product solely on the basis of my experience with it. My promotion of the Safer product is purely a service to readers of this blog post. I have no connections to anyone affiliated with the company and do not receive any personal benefit from my recommendation of this product.

In conclusion

Remember to only spray the aphid. There’s no need to spray the entire plant or spray the leaves or anyplace where an insect doesn’t appear. I hope you’ll give this solution a try. If you do, would you please leave a comment below to share a little feedback? That way, we call can benefit!

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Thanks for stopping by and Happy Gardening!

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