Aphids

[rightsidebrain]

Hi all,

I have managed to grow a rather large Japaleno pepper plant in my flat here in sunny West London.

I'm quite proud of it although it has become a bit of an eyesore as it is now teeming with aphids.


Earlier in the year my flat was infested with ladybirds and they quite happily kept the aphid population to a minimum. However, the ladybirds have now vacated the property (I don't think they could afford the rent) and now the aphids are multiplying at an alarming rate.

I have read various webpages that suggested washing them off in the shower and spraying them with washing-up liquid, both of which I have tried but neither of which had any lasting effect.

Can anyone help me eradicate these pests once and for all??

[Reweed]

I get them every year on my chilli plants, I got a organic aphic spray from wilko's or somewhere, and it seemed to work ok.

I also suggest going over the plant with a wet clothing and wiping/crushing the little btards.

[Little tom]

Hi Rightsidebrain,

These little bugs are so frustrating!
I would hand pick (or hand squash...) the main spots to reduce the population as much as poss. Then, I'd spray your pepper with soapy water (or a liquid wash as you mention) to keep on top, but before doing so, I'd check if there are any ladybirds or lacewings babies to rescue, and I'd save them for later! I guess the soapy sprays work more as a 'control strategy' to check aphids population that are not too high...
My grand mother used to use black soap, but I believe it's the same thing as just soap.

I had green flies on by balcony borders ealier this year and that's what I did, and it worked.

I also went on the internet to find simple ways to deal with the pest and some people seem to swear by the following few tricks (haven't tried them myself though - could anyone comment on them?)
- planting matches in the pot, head down
- using a brew of rhubarb leaves (100g for 1L) or tomato leaves if you have, or nettles leaves to spray on your pepper weekly
- using a mixture of water+olive oil
- using sacrificial plants that the aphids will love more than your peppers
e.g. nasturtiums, or a sacrificial broad bean plant for blackflies
Hope you'll find something that helps you here!
I'm happy to hear about people's thoughts about the tricks above as I haven't tried them myself...

Good luck!

[stupo74]

Hi "All"
Garlic, Rhubarb or Elderberry solution made up, contains Oxalic Acid which is poisonous to Aphids.
Planting garlic, chives or onion near your affected pepper plant, should also deter them in the first place.
Also planting things like Hollyhocks and Dahlias (which aphids are especially attracted to) a little away from the area you want to keep free of these little critters also will help.
Hope the above is of some use, cheers stupo

[stupo74]

Me again,
Just read a bit more about Aphids, apparently, if herbs such as, Sage,Dill,Lavender or Thyme are planted close to susceptible plants, this will also deter the little bugs.
cheers stupo.

[Little tom]

Originally Posted by stupo74

Hi "All"
Garlic, Rhubarb or Elderberry solution made up, contains Oxalic Acid which is poisonous to Aphids.
Planting garlic, chives or onion near your affected pepper plant, should also deter them in the first place.
Also planting things like Hollyhocks and Dahlias (which aphids are especially attracted to) a little away from the area you want to keep free of these little critters also will help.
Hope the above is of some use, cheers stupo

Yes oxalic acid paralyses aphids - poor them.
Didn't know that was also present in elderberies...so that's why it's not a good idea to eat these!!
I've just asked my grand mother her recipe for rhubarb leaves solution:-
"500g of leaves in 5L cold water, leave for 24h, then boil 30 mins and filter when it's cooled down. Store in non transparent bottles"
Yummy.

[Pipsqeak]

Originally Posted by stupo74

Hi "All"
Garlic, Rhubarb or Elderberry solution made up, contains Oxalic Acid which is poisonous to Aphids.
Planting garlic, chives or onion near your affected pepper plant, should also deter them in the first place.
Also planting things like Hollyhocks and Dahlias (which aphids are especially attracted to) a little away from the area you want to keep free of these little critters also will help.
Hope the above is of some use, cheers stupo

You can also use a spray made of crushed chilli and garlic, which is supposed to be toxic to aphids (and seems pretty appropriate given the plant that they are feeding on!

Liquid detergents (i.e. washing up liquid) definitely works well at smothering and killing aphids. The trouble is that the surfactants in them don't break down very readily, and have been shown to cause more problems than some herbicides and pesticides. Vegetable based liquid soaps, however, will do just the same job without any of the potential hazards.

[Hollie the Wollie]

I heard that too Pips, that a washing up liqued (just a couple of drops to a litre of water) is apprently really good!

[Lesley Jay]

However, do not use antibacterial washing up liquid as this can burn the plants and kill them.

[Hollie the Wollie]

Originally Posted by Lesley Jay

However, do not use antibacterial washing up liquid as this can burn the plants and kill them.

I've got good old Fairy liqued, just the regular green one, not anti-bac. I will try this with my pumpkins that we spoke of on the other post Lesley.

good luck with the pepper!!!