i've probably had it for 6 months and it has remained COVERED in aphids as i'm lazy and not so good at following through with any kind of treatment regime. also there was the small fact that i may one day want to ingest some of the peppermint and therefore did not want to fill the little plant with chemical nasties and insecticides.
about a week ago i decided on a way to get rid of the aphids and i even followed through. once a day, i popped the little potted peppermint into my sink, filled up a spray bottle with water and sprayed the absolute bejeezus out of the stalks, undersides of the leaves and any little cheeky flying bugs that emerged too. i've been doing this every day (perhaps i'm learning to follow through?) and i think it's actually starting to have an affect on the aphid population! maybe home made peppermint tea isn't too far around the corner :D
do you have an aphid problem? how do you deal with the little devils?
I squish the aphids on the plant as I read years ago that they give out a 'fear' scent and I've been doing this successfully for years with small populations of them on pot plants. It makes your fingers stink though so wear rubber gloves. The squashing effect lasts for around 4-6 weeks before you need to eliminate a new colony. If you want to use an edible plant just wipe off the bug remains with a damp cloth as the 'fear' factor seems to remain on the plant. The resident ladybugs take care of the outdoor aphids - yum, yum!
ReplyDeleteA herbal spray is one clove crushed garlic in a 500ml container, fill with hot water, cover and leave overnight to infuse. Shake vigorously then strain liquid into a spray bottle, add 1 tblsp methythlated spirits (optional, so the garlic oil mixes better throughout the water), shake and spray on plant. This is good for outdoor/indoor inedible plants and leave out the metho for edible ones if you are consuming within the week. Try not to use too often as it repels some pollinating insects.
It amazes me that suddenly all these pests just seem to appear at the same time. Is there some sort of plant distress call they send out so all the pests come running to finish them off.
ReplyDeleteGet some pest oil onto them and they will head for the hills (aka another person's plant!) x
I'm another squisher, especially on small plants; otherwise soapy water sprayed on seems to help.
ReplyDelete