Is this a particularly bad year for greenfly?
We moved into our home about three years ago – we’re in south Dublin – and it came with a great garden, thanks to the previous owner. It has loads of roses, an apple tree, a plum tree and hydrangeas. We’ve added veg patches and some native hedging.
Last year we noticed loads greenfly on the roses. I ordered a box of ladybirds from Mr Middleton because we didn’t want to immediately go down the spraying route. Tbh the ladybirds didn’t make much difference and we ended up using Rose Clear on a lot of the garden after a couple of months.
This year though, they are back, and much worse (see pic). All the roses, our true geraniums, even the weeds are covered in aphids! I’ve never seen such a bad year for them.
Does anyone have any tips? We want to avoid harsher chemicals and would rather a more organic solution if possible. But we also want to save our plants!
by touslesjournos
8 Comments
Blast them all off with the hose on high pressure. Then washing up liquid mixed with water to spray the plant, as a deterrent.
You can just hose them off if you have a hose. You have to keep doing it but it’ll help and non toxic.
I was just letting an infestation on two small trees carry on as I figured the trees would be fine and I hoped they’d attract ladybirds but they damn near nearly wiped out all the leaves on one of the trees in the end! But hosing them for a few days worked fine.
I’m on South Dublin too and yes a good amount on roses this year. I had some eco friendly washing up liquid in a spray bottle and just sprayed them when I saw them.
I noticed a lot of greenfly earlier this year, I have more roses in the garden though so maybe just seeing them where I wouldn’t have before. I go out regularly and either spray them off with water or more recently, just squish them. Use a stick to tap the canes or flick them off the buds and it seems to be working just as well. There’s not many left now and the buds have cleared up and about ready to burst into bloom.
I was reading recently that some plants like salvia and nepeta are especially beneficial for roses. Not only do they look great, Nepeta produces nepetalactone and helps deter aphids and other pests by forming a repellant barrier through scent. Salvias help protect against blackspot while attracting other beneficial insects like ladybirds and pollinators. I’ve a couple of both in the borders so it’s possible they’re making for a better pest free environment.
edit:spelling
Planting sacrificial plants which they like more than your plants. I hear they like nettles so if you can plant something like that in a few places around the garden, it might help keep the plants you want free of them. I haven’t tried it myself but some gardening youtubers I watch swear by it. They have nettles next to their tomatoes and their tomatoes stay aphid free.
I thought ladybirds were supposed to work well but that’s usually within poly tunnels so maybe they don’t work as well outside. Nematodes is another thing I see recommended on here. Not an expert so maybe others might chime in with better options. I’d stay clear of chemicals if you can, they kill off a lot more than just aphids so are not good for long term soil health or wildlife.
Blast them off with a hose, and get castille soap or neem oil…. Spray everything every evening for at least 5 days, thats a huge infestation…
https://www.bomar.ie/products/liquid-castile-soap-base?srsltid=AfmBOorgA6QtTku3zHScuvh0AFQkRF4ioIIGq9mTxGernCq5zb_ItGD3
https://www.bomar.ie/products/neem-oil?srsltid=AfmBOopaQDr7-jS0TBHNt7WFzg9wG4ExnsgFDVgyhybKWffuiWhUApFa
Castile soap and neem oil combat aphids and greenfly through direct contact and systemic disruption, generally killing them by destroying their protective coatings or disrupting their feeding and growth cycles. Soap acts as a contact killer by dissolving the waxy shell of aphids, leading to desiccation, while neem oil also disrupts their hormones.
It essentially sufficates them, but you need to keep ontop of it for multiple mornings or evenings in a row.
Good video here on it:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uz0TIzYkI-U
Have you got any Elders nearby? I swear they contribute to outbreaks of aphids!
We had one growing out our back against a wall that got too big so had to be cut down. The new branches would be covered in aphids like this from spring. Since being cut down we’ve way less aphids.
Tbh what I do is get some tissue and squish them all and then wipe them off. On the few plants I have that I don’t want them on, at least. Which isn’t many. Couple things every season. Most plants I have idm them having bugs.
Neem Oil+ Horitculural Soap mix. Careful using it on plants with tender leaves.