Curse you, Aphids!
 

A new year, new soil, new plants... more aphids.
My twilight pepper plant has been taken over by little white bugs that turn into little black or green bugs. Every flipping year, the come and take over one or more of my plants. I grown everything organically, with no pesticides, no chemical fertilizers, and this year more focus on bottled spring water (tyring to avoid the high levels of formaldehyde in our tap water). They're in pots on my balcony, not even near grass or anything, I think that when they cut the grass downstairs, the bugs go flying and somehow find my plants. The balcony gets sun pretty much all day and the more fragile plants get moved to the side that gets more morning sun, and vice versa. I want to get my garden started, but I'm really hesitant until this bug issue gets resolved. They do seem to gravitate towards the plants with more densely placed leaves and more textured leaves. The cayenne pepper plant doesn't have many at all and my orchid has none.
I talked to one of the organic gardners at the Market yesterday and she recommended NEEM oil or castille soap and water in a spray bottle... been there, done that, no dice. Just sticky plants and peppers that we didn't want to eat because they smelled yuck. I tried ladybugs a few years ago and most arrived dead, the twelve (of 500) that stayed were very happy but they just came back after the ladybugs left. I'm not sure what to do, any green-thumbers that have any ideas? I'm wondering if there is something I can put in the soil to make them less appealing to bugs or something I can plant nearby to deter them from transferring from one plant to another... I really want to start some tomatoes and thai chiles. Any thoughts?

With the ladybugs: buy them from a local source, and buy them in a sufficient quantity, 1500-2000, to compensate for the ones that will die. Did you water your plants and the general area before releasing the ladybugs? My mom taught me to really soak one part of the garden prior to releasing ladybugs (there should be puddles), and then mist the area you want the ladybugs to be in. They need drinking water to be motivated to stay.

Make them (the plants) a home out of biomesh...
insect netting quarantine mesh biomesh thrip aphid net

^ that's a (fine) solution for potted balcony plants.
I used to pick them off by hand & power wash them off every afternoon with the hose,
but I almost fell of the ladder when trying that with the taller apple trees.

Sometimes it would work in the garden if I designated a few 'sacrifice to the aphids, plants.'

Hand pick & hose off the majority & then sit back & watch the ants 'herd & farm' the aphids. Fascinating.

Sounds like you have a very real and persistent problem. Don't give up on ladybugs so easily - Snowy has some good advice there. You've mentioned that soap-based sprays haven't been working for you, what about orange essence and/or garlic? Boil some water with orange peels and garlic, add cloves if you can't stand the smell. Cool it down, and throw it in a spray bottle. I've heard good things about this method, but haven't needed it myself. I figure it's worth a try. I usually plant some green onions and marigolds in the midst of my garden spaces. Bugs tend to steer clear. This method probably wouldn't work for an existing infestation, though.

Our townhouse complex has a no-nonsense stance on bugs. They have an standing agreement with a local bug guy for all of their units. He sprays our place monthly. I have mixed feelings on the matter, at first it was somewhat negative, but since we're in bed-bug and roach-infested Cincinnati, I've come to respect their decision. It makes for fewer problems with bugs on my plants, but I do feel a need to be extra cautious with washing things before eating.

Steep a rhubarb leaf in a watering can, and water them with that. Its poisonous - but you are not putting it directly onto fruit or veg. African marigolds as a companion plant will keep fly out of a greenhouse - so should work on your balcony - they dont like the smell.

I finally pulled the pictures off my camera of the day I posted this thread.
They've killed every bloom, which means I won't get any peppers.
I'm going to strip the plant again by hand this afternoon after I go get some castille soap and an orange.

Do you have any ants?

No, it's weird. Last time I had ants farming the aphids.
I doused the plant with water and orange-scented castille soap last night, so we'll we how it goes...

Just found some greenfly on mine and used a spray made out of chrysanthemums mainly - seems effective so far. Had I had ladybirds too I wouldnt have sprayed as I dont see them as pests. Who would want to be a ladybird murderer - the little one fast asleep would never escape the house on fire if the ladybird couldnt get home.

Beautiful leaf. the green is natural. :

I finally pulled the pictures off my camera of the day I posted this thread.
They've killed every bloom, which means I won't get any peppers.
I'm going to strip the plant again by hand this afternoon after I go get some castille soap and an orange.

Lemon Thyme and Basil are natural insecticides. The Thyme can be planted in the pots around your plants. It's a low growing, spreading, ground cover that smells great. If you pinch the leaves, the whole area will smell like lemon. It can be planted around a patio or sitting area to keep away mosquitoes and flies as well.

My cousin uses Lemon Thyme as a ground cover around his Roses to keep Aphids away and it works great. In his garden, he plants Basil between each plant in the garden. He ends up with a ton of Basil at the end of the year to dry or freeze fresh and plenty of fresh Basil during the summer.

The Capsicum in the hot peppers works as a repellent too. If you mix a couple of teaspoons of Cheyenne powder in a spray bottle of water and spray the plants, the Aphids should go away. Just rinse your veggies really well before eating them, unless you like spicy salad.

Jerry Baker, my favorite organic gardener, recommends a spray of:

1 small onion chopped finely
2 medium cloves of garlic chopped finely
1 tbsp of baby shampoo
2 cups of water

Put it all in a blender and blend on high. Let it sit over night then strain through a coffee filter. Pour into a spray bottle and spray plants liberally.


I haven't used this recipe, but all of his recipes I've tried, work great. You can probably find his books 'Terrific Garden Tonics' and 'Backyard Problem Solvers' at the Library or order them online.

Jerry Baker, America's Master Gardener

Good luck.



..
.

They're actually taking over the hottest pepper plants I grow. The leaves, stems, and fruit all contain the heat of the pepper. Right now, a weekly rinsing of spring water with several shavings of citrus castille soap dissolved it in is holding them off enough. Unfortunately for the cayenne, it's no longer blooming. The twilight plant is putting up a valiant fight. My pots are not big enough to plant anything else in them, as I'm on a balcony and the pepper plants themselves are good sized. If I miss a week or let it go on a little too long, they take over again. I hate these damn things.

Could you squeeze in some african marrigolds? They plant them in greenhouses to keep the buggers out - faint smell like cat piss.