As the temperatures slowly climb up and warmth fills the air, plants and flowers will be gearing up to bloom in the next few months. To make sure your garden is in tip-top shape, gardening expert and TikTok creator Michael Griffiths warned that there’s a potential issue gardeners should be aware of before blooming begins.
Now is the best time to look out for a potential pest infestation that could harm your plants. Michael advised that aphids could appear on new plant shoots. These should be dealt with before a proper infestation occurs.
If you’re unfamiliar with aphids, these sap-sucking insects are more commonly known as greenfly, blackfly or plant lice. The pests attach themselves to plants and suck out the sap, which can affect the plant’s strength, distort growth, and often excrete a sticky substance – honeydew – which makes it easier for powdery mildew and mould to grow.
It’s also possible for aphids to transmit various plant viruses too. Michael encouraged gardeners to check new shoots on their plants for these critters.
If you do spot aphids on your plants, you either brush them off or use your hands to squash them. Usually, that’s all that is required.
You can also use a damp cloth to help remove them. The RHS advised against using pesticides to get rid of aphids.
This is because most pesticides, including organic-based pesticides, reduce biodiversity, including natural enemies, affect soil health, and have broader adverse environmental effects.
Gardeners’ World advised checking plants thoroughly, focusing on the leaf joints and the undersides of leaves, as these may be tricky to spot at first.
Gardeners’ World encouraged green thumbs to be on the lookout for these pests almost every month of the year. Aphids need warmth to flourish, which can limit their lifespan to spring and summer in the garden.
Early spring is the best time to get ahead with checking for these pests on new shoots and emerging plants. If you have a greenhouse or conservatory, the experts warned that aphids can pose an issue at any time of the year.
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