Gardening enthusiasts will tell you, there is nothing more satisfying than having beautiful, fresh and healthy plants at home! Admiring your lush, flowery garden is a real pleasure every day. The only downside: these parasites which disturb our peace of mind. It’s difficult to escape this multitude of unwanted insects which invade our pretty plants, infest their leaves and disrupt their growth. But not impossible!
Aphids, also called plant lice, are small, soft-bodied, pear-shaped insects. There are different types of aphids, which also have more or less distinctive characteristics. But why are they dangerous for our plants? They tend to suck sap from plants. This can prevent the plant from carrying out its natural chlorophyll photosynthesis, and this encourages the appearance of dangerous fungi.
Of course, there are various solutions to chase away all these unwanted people. You don’t want to use chemicals? No worries, you can opt for natural insecticides. Quickly discover these ecological remedies to protect your garden or vegetable patch.
NB: We recommend that you always consult a specialist to check the health of your plants before taking action.
Baking Soda
Often used to make household chores easier, baking soda is also very useful for maintaining your garden. Indeed, this cheap and ecological product is one of the natural ways to protect plants from the parasites that surround them. Aphids, ants, mealybugs, cabbage worms, all these pests and other pathogenic fungi which proliferate on plants will be chased away thanks to its ability to limit the proliferation of bacteria.
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 liter of water and add a few drops of neem oil.
As a bonus, baking soda has an excellent cleaning effect. You can therefore use it to clean the leaves by dissolving half a teaspoon of the product in a liter of water and spraying with a spray bottle.
Neem Oil
This natural vegetable oil has many virtues. It has antifungal and antiparasitic properties, making it an excellent natural remedy against certain plant parasites and insects. It is one of the most popular remedies to keep aphids away, for example. It is a very thick oil, so it must be diluted and preferably in the solution of water and Marseille soap. Add 5-6 drops of neem oil to this solution (1 liter) and spray it on your plants.
Marseille Soap
Another natural method to get rid of aphids: Marseille soap.
This popular product for cleaning the house and laundry also serves as a real natural insecticide. It is also particularly suitable for all soft-bodied insects, such as red spiders or mealybugs.
As an insecticide, Marseille soap acts in a purely mechanical manner, by creating an envelope which prevents these undesirables from breathing and therefore making them disappear. All you need to do is dissolve 10 g of Marseille soap in a liter of water, and pour the mixture into a sprayer voila!
Garlic
Known for its pungent odor, garlic is rich in nutrients, but it is also a natural insecticide.
Take a head of garlic, cut it into cloves and peel them. Boil them in half a liter of water and add the peels. After 5 to 10 minutes, let cool and filter. This blend contains carotene, considered the most powerful antioxidant in the garden. It also contains minerals and vitamin B, essential nutrients for certain plants. But it not only acts as a fertilizer, it is also an excellent pest control!
Nettle Oil
Finally, you can still try this remedy based on nettle oil, one of the best-known natural solutions against insects in the agricultural world. This oil is, in fact, popular for its fertilizing and antiparasitic effect. It contains salicylic acid and formic acid which promote the elimination of aphids and other parasites from plants in our vegetable garden.
Take 1 kg of nettle leaves and soak them in a very large container containing 10 liters of water.
Maceration should be done internally until the liquid turns black and no foam forms. After about 3 weeks, you can finally spray this solution on your plants!
What are the parasites that attack plants?
Among the bulky parasites that attack plants, we find:
- Shield mealybugs.
- Mealybugs.
- Soil gnats.
- Spider mites.
Thanks to these little natural tips, you will be able to prevent all garden pests from lurking around your plants and thus allow them to flourish fully.
