Aphids! AGH!!!

[HotPepperQueen]

I have never had an issue with aphids before- but this year i have them bad. I have Seven dust that I can use on them, but I was wondering if there was anything else that was a little more natural that would work better since they are on my pepper plants?

 

[catjac1975]

Yuck-don't use sevin. Start with a hard spray of water. Try mixing garlic and water in a blender, strain out the pulp,adding a bit of dish soap, then spray it on.

 

[lesa]

I purchased a sprayer (sold for Roundup type products). I got it at Tractor Supply for 9 dollars. I don't use it for poison- but I use it for water. I take it to the offending plant with aphids (in my case the plum tree), locate the aphids and rub them off, while squirting water on them. Time consuming, but does a pretty good job.

 

[digitS']

This has been my Homemade Insecticidal Soap:

1 Gallon water
3 Tablespoons Palmolive Green dish soap

The idea came from Colorado State University: Insect Control: Soaps and Detergents You can see that I'm using the lowest percentage of soap because of concern about "the risk of plant damage" as the horticulturalists note. I like to spray either in the shade or near sundown and I'm back the next day to rinse them. I don't use the rinsing when I use commercial insecticidal soap, however. You can learn more about these and others: Less Toxic Insecticides, Clemson University.

Peppers seem especially sensitive to chemicals and, face it, even dish soap contains a number of things that wouldn't be falling on a plant in nature.

You know, a step up from "organic" that may make sense is pyrethrin combined with piperonyl butoxide. I only mention this because it is effective against aphids, I know that. And, I cannot find pyrethrin without it these days. Finally, the piperonyl butoxide is not supposed to be the toxic bug-killer just increasing the potency of the pyrethrin. It is synthesized so it doesn't make it to organic standards. Both of these are in lice shampoos . . .

Steve