BTW, that Hawk's Bill knife has become my every day carry out in the garden: shop.epicgardening.com/collections/tools/products/felco-light-grafting-pruning-knife

@emilylandgraf3933

2 жыл бұрын

Isn’t Neem oil bad for Aquatic life? So it would be bad if it got into the water system?

@GTILOUD

2 жыл бұрын

Your advice is terrible bro you don't know what you're talkin about

@adamhunter3785

2 жыл бұрын

Can you feed the cut off leaves that have aphids on them to chickens?

@Mycomagician420

2 жыл бұрын

Love the hawks bill knife , I use mine for mushroom foraging. It has a brush opposite the blade end for removing dirt from the mushrooms.

@karrielangston4005

2 жыл бұрын

I am confused. Title says foolproof yet these plants are covered with aphids.

I plant chives in every garden, roses n veg both. I plant chives EVERYWHERE. No aphids. Learned from a local garden center.

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

I've tested, so far no luck on my part but will keep trying!

@michelemoreira3832

2 жыл бұрын

Do you really use chives to prevent aphids? Here in Brazil chives attract this bugs from hell! When I had chives in my backyard they were the first to get an infestation. 😕

@pennylaur7687

2 жыл бұрын

@@michelemoreira3832 I havent had a problem since I planted chives. Maybe Ive just been lucky, idk. ?

@michelemoreira3832

2 жыл бұрын

@@pennylaur7687 Who knows? It can be related to the type of aphids you had problems with, too. Here I mostly find black aphids and in some rare occasions the white ones. ☺️

@elizabethraworth64

2 жыл бұрын

Good to know. I have a chive infestation. They are spreading everywhere in my yard.

I have a medium size stone fruit tree and last year I noticed it had a couple limbs COVERED in aphids, there was also a lot of ants. I was thinking about what to do and then noticed a couple of lady bugs. I went around the tree and counted about 8 or 9 total lady bugs. I also noticed the ants harassing the lady bugs to protect their food source, the aphids. I put ant traps at the base of the tree to get rid of the ants... the lady bugs, being unmolested now, took care of the aphids. I was pleased with myself for having the patience to only slightly alter the environment and then let the ecosystem do the rest.

@davidt3698

2 жыл бұрын

The añts can be tracked back to their holes in the ground. Take a spade and dig up the nests of eggs, larvae and turn them under. By destroying the next generation of ants the ladybugs, lacewings and hover flies will thrive and your garden ecology will be healthier.

@llm4187

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidt3698 😂🤣😂🤣I have been dealing with anthills for 30 years, maybe you mean well.

@davidt3698

2 жыл бұрын

@@llm4187 As a fruit grower I have been dealing with aphids, scales and mealybugs and their 6 legged farmers for 43 years. The ant is an organised and totally committed farmer of these herbivores. It has clear objectives and techniques. However, it has fundamental weaknesses in its organisation. The queen, the egg chamber and the nursery. All 3 require control of temperature, moisture and food for the colony to be successful. The queen is often established deep in the nest for security, but the young are reared on mass near the surface or under surface rocks to best maintain the temperature and humidity requirements critical for these delicate instars. Know your enemy.

@momcatx2

2 жыл бұрын

@@davidt3698 I wish I could attack them this way. Our neighborhood was built on old orchard land. We are infested with ants. They come out from under the concrete. I flood them, they grab their eggs and run. I flood them again. When I find them in the garden I dig them up as much as I can, but they just move. They take over everything.

@davidt3698

2 жыл бұрын

@@momcatx2 First thing in spring the nests have consumed their winter stores. Destroying the 1st generation of workers is best. Likewise, last thing in the autumn takes out the overwintering workers. If you have deep nests in tree roots it may be necessary to find all the holes of a nest and pour some petrol down every hole. This will fumigate them. I was confronted by a meat ant nest that was attacking my bee hives. After pouring in the fuel I lit the holes by throwing lighted matches at them. The candle sized flames burnt for 3 or 4 minutes. This draws the oxygen out of the deep chambers and suffocates the queen. They were not going to eat my Beebees.

As an "Aphidologist" (the word really does exist) working with the commercial farming industry, this is a breath of fresh air to hear of this type of aphid control. 👌

@llm4187

2 жыл бұрын

Well the problem is, commercial farms are big, and they don’t have the time, nor do they care.

@janinesnyman8842

2 жыл бұрын

@@llm4187 exactly. That's what I deal with on a daily basis so it's refreshing to hear of these other methods that can be used on a small scale.

@GreyKnight7777

2 жыл бұрын

The pros use lacewings, ladybugs, or parasitoid wasps (aphidius ervi and colemani are popular) to control aphid infestations. They're persistent and completely organic. Fight insects with other insects (and mites with other mites, but that's another story).

@janinesnyman8842

2 жыл бұрын

@@GreyKnight7777 yes indeed, I know about these forms of "natural control". However, it's not very effective when dealing with hundreds and hundreds of hectares that are planted by commercial farmers. But for smaller cultivated areas it's awesome.

@GreyKnight7777

2 жыл бұрын

@@janinesnyman8842 It's no secret that predators like phytoseiulus persimilis and aphidius ervi are used on large commercial grows, too. You can find videos on KZread right now of giant commercial strawberry and citrus farms deploying them, so it's simply not true that they're just for "smaller" areas. Don't even get me started on places like Humboldt county where they are the only option, as pesticides would render their very valuable crops worthless. Predatory species, particularly wasps, are self-sustaining and highly efficient. In fact, if you look into peer-reviewed research on the use of parasitoid wasps in particular (I believe the study I read was discussing citrus farms in California), you'll find the biggest limiting factor to their success is other competing parasitoid wasps which go after the eggs that the deployed parasitoids have already deposited eggs into(!).

I sprinkle dried garlic powder on at the first sign and they skidaddle instantly!

@Neenerella333

2 жыл бұрын

Huh. Will try this year.

@carlajoguthrie6498

2 жыл бұрын

@@Neenerella333 You can plant garlic and other alliums close by, but this is a quick fix.

@carlajoguthrie6498

2 жыл бұрын

@@hesaiditnotme7883 works a charm on my roses and tomatoes.

@renastreetman602

2 жыл бұрын

😍

@sharadabajracharya6286

2 жыл бұрын

Many thanks 😊

As a hort professional, I’m very happy to see you recommending the right approach. I haven’t sprayed anything in years. physical removal, reducing stress, and encouraging biodiversity is almost always enough. and when it’s not, a good blast of water does the trick :)

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Glad to hear this!

@conqueryourfuture6134

2 жыл бұрын

That doesn’t work for busy schedules

@dchall8

2 жыл бұрын

Plus up Loosely. I agree. I started using ordinary cornmeal back in 2002 to see if it would get rid of powdery mildew on my roses. Yes it worked for that, but 3 weeks later I noticed my decades long fight with aphids was over. There was not a single aphid on my roses. I've been aphid free in my entire garden for a full 20 years now. The application rate is one heaping handful under each plant. If you feel the need to reapply, then do it once a month. We used to have a guy in town who did experiments with compost. I told him my aphid story and he invited me to see his greenhouse. He showed me a set of three small plants in 4-inch pots. The canopies of the three plants were intermingled and aphids were visible. When he pulled the three plants apart, only one of the plants had aphids on it. His tests were double blind so he did not know which soil mix was used, but he knew the ingredients in one was plain potting mix (generic from Walmart), another had potting mix with 10% compost, and the final was the same as the second one with the addition of basalt sand.

@GTILOUD

2 жыл бұрын

He's wrong as shit lmao diatomaceous earth works great and its cheap not expensive. He's wrong about ladybugs, prior to releasing them just spray them with a little sugar water brown sugar in water, half water half sprite spray them in the bag, give them something to drink and makes their wings sticky they won't fly off out your garden immediately.

@karunald

2 жыл бұрын

Hard to do that growing inside waiting for winter to end to get them out.

In Poland there's this tradition to sometimes tie yellow ribbons around plants so they attract ladybugs (so you don't have to pay for them). And the other way - that's supposed to be eco friendly and allowing the consumption of the plant afterwards is the 1%vinegar solution misted over the aphids.

@matsveritas2055

Жыл бұрын

Any vinegar? Even ACV?

@mercedesbenzs600bash

Жыл бұрын

Did the vinegar solution work and what kind of vinegar???

@rhammermanaz

Ай бұрын

Aphid control

Companion planting seems working best for me; lots of zinnias, marigolds, chives, onions, basically whatever herbs you like between the other main crops. Happy gardening!

@kelleykindred7618

2 жыл бұрын

I must have super aphids, because the aphids in my area attack the herbs that are supposed to repel bugs: basil, chives, cilantro, parsley. . . all of it.

@aaronhopkins6697

Жыл бұрын

@@kelleykindred7618 me too, in Australia.

@annchong9701

Жыл бұрын

I have a couple of milkweed plants in my garden and I noticed the milkweed was full of aphids & it didn’t touch my pepper plants at all. Normally they would be attacking my peppers & petunias in the fall. The aphids just stay put on the milkweed! Pretty amazing!

@scray00

4 ай бұрын

@@annchong9701 milkweed is where butterflies like to lay their eggs too.

Soap+water+neem oil spray. Works really well. Also use boric acid+sugar on the ground to remove ants simultaneously for better results.

@Neenerella333

2 жыл бұрын

I will try that second step. I knew that ants milk the aphids and they also farm a type of spurge for seeds(which I also had everywhere). I had all three last year.

@sawcat6

2 жыл бұрын

I will have to try the boric acid sugar trick. I mostly try treating the ants first so see if it cuts them down.

@mfhmonkey

2 жыл бұрын

Boric acid and sugar doesn't work on Texas ants. I usually track down their nest and if its not in the garden or on the edge, I drown them with boiling water. Soap, water and neem work great on aphids.

@georgeball8116

2 жыл бұрын

Dry grits will kill ants not the queen but the worker ants eat them and explode it sucks the moisture from their bodies quickly

@user-hs4jq4nc3d

2 жыл бұрын

@@sawcat6 if the plant stem is thick enough, use Vaseline as a ring around it. It will stop smaller ants from climbing up if u are against killing the whole colony. Wont work against the bigger ants.

What really worked well for me was having a nasturtium somewhere in the garder. It will attract all the aphids and they'll leave all the other plants alone. + the sheer amount of aphids that the plant attracts, also attracts loads of ladybugs and they'll take care super well of the aphids on other plants. I like this because it is a very natural way of fighting them without intervening too much. But if you do need to intervene I recommend green soap and vinegar. As a kid, I used to have a little bush with flowers but it never flowered because the aphids just kept eating it. So I loaded up a supersoaker with that mixture (as recommended by my mom) and I sprayed it all over. I only did this once, and suddenly the bush became a feast of all kinds of bugs eating the aphids. And after a week I saw my bush flower for the first time. So that's a little anecdote of a story to tell you about how good it works :)

@ffs6158

2 жыл бұрын

My aphids don't seem to care about my nasturtiums, lol. 3 years now, completely ignored!

@Fattiapples

2 жыл бұрын

How close was your nasturtium?

@tpohlen

2 жыл бұрын

Plant things that attract the Lady bugs they're aphids natural predators no sprays nature usually has an answer to almost all infestations

@Sinnedx

2 жыл бұрын

I started gardening last year, a bunch of cabbage worms enjoyed my fall garden. Got some nasturtiums planted and the butterflies are already laying eggs on ‘em…. I think I need more nasturtiums, they might die before they get to bloom…

@MB-co6qj

2 жыл бұрын

@@Sinnedx BT spray for cabbage worms!

We use a 1 to 10 ratio of garlic to water. Spray as needed. When we have an infestation we’ll follow up every 2 weeks until gone but usually by the second spraying they’re gone.

Great timing! I went out to the garden this morning and discovered aphids. My work schedule has been hectic so I was neglecting the plants. Lesson learned.

Kevin, thank you for this outstanding information. My wife and I have gotten into gardening about 2 years ago, and this video here is the epitome of everything we have been learning about our bodies, and gardens. We subscribe and fully enjoy the educational content you offer. Great stuff man, peace on and keep up the good work Brother.

I totally agree that healthy plants get fewer pests! I have a large house plant collection and occasionally a mealybug or some other pest will show. I just squish the few bugs I find and never end up with an infestation. Meanwhile my mom’s house plants keep getting clobbered because she won’t listen to me about using well draining soil and not watering if the soil is still wet 😅 It’s so funny to think growing up I thought she had a green thumb 🙊 Well just goes to show, when your parents teach you everything they know, there’s still room to add to that knowledge for your generation

@bobborlog1677

Жыл бұрын

Women are Terrible gardeners I don't think I've met one yet that has the patience. They either neglect or over do e everything

@theskyisfalling_9012

2 ай бұрын

​@bobborlog1677 your terribly ignorant

Omg thank you for clearing up that there are different kinds of aphids! I have those cabbage aphids this year and I couldn’t figure out what they were because they didn’t look like the little green ones I normally see.

One thing I've found works really well, especially for my house plants, is to use a mix of; 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 squirt dishwashing liquid 1 litre of water Mix really well and spray onto your plants every 2 ish days depending on how bad the infestation is. It works well because the dishwashing liquid breaks down the outside shell of the aphid, then the baking soda drys them out!

@nicolamarkus3177

2 жыл бұрын

I’ve done the same but with flour and salt instead of baking soda. Worked really well for me and my cabbage plants!

@pangolin216

2 жыл бұрын

I tried this, but soda seems to burn the leaves and stunt the plant. Plus it clogs the spray bottle.

@Weeks25

2 жыл бұрын

I’m going to try this thank you. Neem oil isn’t working an neither did Diatomaceous earth

@aerokas4817

2 жыл бұрын

@@Weeks25 I hope it works for you! As pangolin said, it can damage your plants a bit. However I find that it's worth it overall because then the plant doesn't die because of the aphids. The plant will recover after a bit as well

@JamesBrown-uv4sn

2 жыл бұрын

I tried a little dish soap and water on bell pepper leaves last summer which were infested with aphids. Within two days all the leaves wilted and died… maybe I used too much soap?

Thanks for the tip. My chives were covered in little black ones. I used the dish soap and water spray method let it sit for a while the sprayed off with water. It worked beautifully. Thank you Kevin. Love your channels and content!❤🌎✌️

Kevin...Thank you for sharing your knowledge on getting rid of these terrible insects 🐜 in our gardens! It’s really appreciated my friend! -Calvin

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed Calvin!

Using your garden imperfections to teach us! Thanks dude! You're doing great, I'm learning a ton from you all the time!

Green Lacewings are my little heroes. They eat far more types of plant pests than simply aphids and don't migrate away like ladybugs might. I hatched a batch 5yrs ago and the population is still strong.

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

Ooooooh thanks for sharing your experiences. I have done ladybugs and they are still around (now that I got rid of the ant colony that was killing them off), but I feel I still need more help especially w/cabbage aphids. I think maybe it's a bit too cold now for green lacewing larvae but it's on my to do list for late spring to buy some. Can't wait.

One of the things that helped me was soaking onion clippings in water for a week or 2 and then spritzing plants with it once every day after watering and stuff has a chance to dry a bit. Worked great and didnt effect the taste as long as everything is washed properly. Also helped a lot with slugs and rodents

@kayleep3329

2 жыл бұрын

What are onion clippings exactly? Thank you.

@griffyt209

2 жыл бұрын

@@kayleep3329 you can use chopped/halved onions or onion greens off of any type of onion, garlic or chives. Ive used chives greens and yellow onion greens mostly.

@Ms.NoNo2

Жыл бұрын

@@kayleep3329 pretty much like making an onion tea with the discarded parts.

@fireworks4543

Жыл бұрын

is spritzing onion juice/tea a preventative solution or after being infected with asphids

What i use for aphid control is controlling ants in the garden. Using the ants to relocate aphids to other plants keeps on working really well. I mainly do that by planting some random plants that generally are really well liked by aphids close to the ants main colonies, this way the ants tend to move the aphids there and then i can easily take the aphids out, usually by blasting with cold water. I also use sunflowers here for that, since the aphids really really love them here. The stem can turn completely black from the little pests

What I've found that also works pretty nicely is spraying a mix of potassium soap and water. Essentially it produces the same effect as the castile soap.

Here in central Texas, the native sunflowers attract aphid. I planted them down wind from my garden areas (I’m really windy). Aphids migrated to the sunflowers, which attracted lady bugs and other assassin bugs. Doing this again this year to see if it was a fluke. My crepe myrtles get heavy spray. Takes care of them instantly. But I also do when I first see them show up. Thank you for showing more Non-chemical choices

Great timing for me also, because I found aphids on my cabbage and cut it off but didn't know what it was until I saw your video today! Thank you for the great information!!

I use the diatomaceous earth. Easy way to apply it quickly and effectively is to use a makeup brush. Just move the brush around in a bowl of the earth and then pop it in the air around the plants. It will put a ton of the earth into the air like baby powder. I don't recommend on a super windy day, but otherwise a couple pops about 6 to 8 inches from the plants and you have decent coverage quickly.

I’ve been experimenting with applying a solution of Hydrogen Peroxide (1 qt bottle added to water in a 2 gallon watering can) to the soil at the end of the growing season and/or prior to planting. This seems to be working to prevent the infestation from happening at all or at the very least reducing the magnitude. I think this is probably because cabbage aphids overwinter in the soil, and the H2O2 kills the eggs. For example, I did two applications in my grow dome this winter where I grow collards and kale all winter. Usually, by this time of the spring, the aphid infestation is coming on strong. This year, nothing! It has also been useful outdoors.

@conqueryourfuture6134

2 жыл бұрын

Ty

@patriciablanchard

2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant. Thank you.

@TheMightyYak

2 жыл бұрын

Hydrogen Peroxide will also kill a lot of beneficial insects, bacteria and microbes living in the soil, it's just as harmful as a pesticide really.

@julitadaguyen6266

Жыл бұрын

Do you add water on the hydrogen peroxide

@hughyoung1

Жыл бұрын

@@julitadaguyen6266 Yes, I dilute the peroxide: 1/2 to 1 quart in a 2 gallon watering can. Even at 1/2 quart, you'll see the peroxide working in the soil.

Very helpful video. I have used the water jet spray from the garden hose several times now and it really works. Thank you!

I have to be careful for my Monarch’s as well as all my plants here in Florida. Thank you for the video I’ve been praying for.

What timing! I actually noticed some (I'm pretty sure) aphids on my hibiscus flowers a couple weeks ago. They like to attack the flower buds where it's nice and soft. I was so worried because I give the flowers to my bearded dragon as occasional treats, and so using any chemicals or anything that alters the plant was off the table. I wouldn't say the aphids were to the point of infestation (yet), but they were noticeable, and I of course didn't want to feed aphids to my beardie in case of parasites or disease. But then, few days later, I noticed several ladybugs! A pair even laid some eggs under a hibiscus leaf! I kept an eye on the eggs and they just hatched a day or two ago. The larvae have already over doubled in size and gained some color, so I know they're getting some good food! I was lucky and it's been really cool to see nature keep itself in balance without my intervention :) Can't wait to have my own little ladybug army haha

Thank you for coming back and addressing this!

My fish love aphids actually. So I periodically search through the garden for an aphid infestation and toss a leaf or two into the pond. Sometimes I use a rock to hold the leaf under the water for the fish to get to. I try not to do too much to the aphids otherwise because always I find ladybugs and other predators on them, and I would like those predators to stay. If it is just a plant and the plant still looks mostly fine, I just leave the whole thing. If I want to pick a plant, I do check the leaves or florets and use a strong water spray on those. I try to resist messing with them though, because many predators are attracted to aphid colonies. They are apparently a good food source. So I definitely leave enough aphids as a buffet for the ecosystem of the garden.

In my language they are called "leaf lice" ;) The ants that "milk" the lice will fight lady bugs to protect them. The lady bugs work a lot better if there aren't ants to defend.

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

YES. I had to kill the ant colony with a Terro ant bait station (away from kids and dogs) because the ants were killing the ladybugs and ladybug larvae. Now with the ants gone the ladybug population is growing.

I needed this video like 2 weeks ago when my broccoli was being destroyed by aphids. Glad to know what to do in the future!

@kevinbossick8374

2 жыл бұрын

I have been doing what Kevin said to do. And they are still a problem. You just try to stay on top of it. But you can't get them all. That is one of the reasons I plant extra.

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly Kevin - nailed it

Thank you. I have been worried about when to spray and how often. But the simple instructions you gave that just spraying with water on the flat or cone setting is the easiest way to handle the problem. Thank you again for your help

Brilliant vid. You’re a concise speaker with common sense, experience and expertise. Thanks

I miss a part about companion plants like nasturtiums, those are really effective in controlling aphids too.

Thank you so much! Cabbage aphids have been my worst enemy for the past two years. Lost my Brussels and cabbage to them. Tried a couple different sprays that didn’t work, so I am looking forward to trying your method!

@benthicbios9395

2 жыл бұрын

Nasturtiums are supposed to release the same chemical that they enjoy eating in brassicas, but I'm higher amounts, try interplanting them.

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

@@benthicbios9395 For me I have different aphids on the nasturtiums than I do on the brassicas. For kale I have white cabbage aphids like in this video. On the nasturtiums I only have black bean aphids, TONS of them and they literally destroyed many of the nasturtium plants where I had a mass planting of them. The zinnias in that same area got the same black bean aphids covering them but they didn't die. Next year no more mass plantings of nasturtiums for me.

Thanks for giving the knife info. It looks super handy and easy to carry in a pocket. I just ordered one from you.

Love your garden channel. Your information is easy to understand and follow. I’m in zone 6/6b Michigan. I noticed in the background of this video you have a “ Hose Link” I have 2 of them and this year planning on getting one more. Thank you for being such a great teacher👏🏻👏🏻

One of the best ways to prevent aphids is to stop excessive nitrogen fertilization. Secondly, grow flowering plants like dill, cilantro, parsley and any flowers because they attract beneficial predatory insects that eat the aphids.

@SistAciro

Жыл бұрын

Yess, I came here to mention companion planting. Thank you :)

Had a little old lady living beside me that was an expert gardener. Her answer was to raise preying mantis. Still finding the descendants of those she bought. No aphid problems with those little savages around

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

Oooooh that's cool. Hmmmm. I may have to get those next year. I'm already going to get lacewing larvae in late spring.

Wowww! This is so interesting. I'm only a min or so in, but the info about the ants mining the secretions, AND all the beautiful close-ups of aphids... fantastic. Thankyou.

Looove how you brought in the link with our own health! So so vital! Thanks for sharing about the ants. Theres tonnes on my peppers and definitely is aphids.

Excellent info Kevin! I didn’t grow Brussels sprouts this year because of the terrible infestation I had last year despite staying with neem solution and just spraying with water. I don’t know what caused them to be so intense but I will keep all that spoke about in mind!

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

You got this!

What I find interesting in your garden too is the practice in bio-dynamic farming where roughly 1/3 of the ground is used for actual consumption plants, and the 2/3 of the ground is used to create an ecosystem that can clear all pests that come into your edible plants. And in return you have an enormous patch that is swamped with flowers, insects and other happy insects.

I had a Ranunculus plant that was COVERED in aphids last year. DE did not work in the slightest. I actually ended up pouring boiling water in the pot to sacrifice the 1 plant to save the many. Great tips here Kevin! Thank you!

I'm grateful for this video. I want to try container gardening this year since it's my 1st spring as a homeowner. I hate pests. Just seeing the pictures make me itch. I'm interested in all the info I could get to not have to deal with them at all.

Yep, some great ideas there. I like the idea of companion plants, that also helps attract beneficial insects. Good to grow mint, rosemary, marigolds, chives, basil etc along with the veggie plantings. Attract the natural predators and natural propagators. Thanks, good video.

Spray bottle with water and soap mix works well

I had aphids attacking dying mixed green salad heads and I chopped up a green onion and dropped the pieces into the salad leaves and within a few days they were gone. I’ve also created a spray by boiling garlic onion spring onion jalapeño maybe - it stinks up the place but so far it has been working on my big garden. I keep it in the fridge in a spray bottle. Still an experiment spraying once a week. Thanks for your content always learning!

I use concentrated neem oil mixed with water. It works so well. I have had the concentrated stuff where you use 1T per half g of h20. I've had this bottle for years.

I thinks you should put those affected leaves in a bag or bucket when you cut them off as the aphids can drop nearby to the other plants

I had a giant population of ladybugs and larva + hoverflies that randomly came in and made a home in my patio garden last summer and holy hell my plants never looked better

This is my new favorite channel. Great, practical info again!!

Excellent video: educational, informative, interesting and superbly narrated.

Tossing the infected leaves like that. The little devils will just fly back on the plant. 😩

I’ve found that adding neem seed meal to my soil mixture has helped. Healthy plants and systemic prevention!

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

THANKS! I just spent 20min reading reviews on Amazon for neem seed meal & got some. I think this will be a much better way for me. I heard that the soapy neem oil sprays people spray on plants can hurt and/or deter ladybugs and other good bugs too, but mixing neem seed meal into the soil sounds like it will just make your plants stronger and healthier which is the best strategy. I appreciate the suggestion!

@peterdallman4550

9 ай бұрын

@@JWHealing BTW. I’m in the PNW as well.

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

@@peterdallman4550 Very cool. I also am thinking about adding alfalfa pellets as a fall and/or spring additive to soil, maybe alfalfa meal for indoor seedlings only since it's pricier. Do you do that? Pro's seem to be that it would feed microbes in soil and that it has a natural growth hormone, and that pellets are inexpensive. Olympia, WA here.

@peterdallman4550

9 ай бұрын

@@JWHealing I do a cover crop that has crimson clover, winter rye, vetch, peas and some others. I’ve cleared out my onion and garlic beds, tomatoes are next, cannabis still has at least two weeks . I’m on the eastern slope of cascades in the Columbia River gorge.

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

@@peterdallman4550 Sounds great. I am still praying my tomatoes will ripen. :-) In my beds I interplant perennial herbs & flowers among the annuals so a cover crop probably won't make sense for me. Putting down alfalfa pellets in fall & a bit in spring I envisioned a bit like a lazy girl's cover crop. :-)

The info is so detailed and helpful. Thank you!!!

Very good information. We're still going through freezes, so neem oil and soap in a spray bottle is my go-to for getting rid of aphids right now. DE has its place, just not aphids.

I love the videos on pest prevention. Most people don't like to show us the errors in gardening. But it's how we learn. What do you think about Bt for aphids?

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

I don't use BT for them - tends to affect larval forms like caterpillars moreso, I'd rather not affect

Ugh, those Argentine ants in SoCal are so hard to control. This winter, the ladybugs have shown up in force and are happily keeping the ant-farmed aphids in check!

Here in Israel we are moving into Spring and fairly hot weather over the past few days has created an explosion of Aphids in my end of season Beets and Mangold. My 'take' is that planting too close can exacerbate the problem...reduced air flow, less access to monitor what is going on and as you mentioned washing away the pests. I tried hosing the pests off on consecutive days but the buggers came back very quickly. I removed the most seriously infected plants altogether which seemed to help somewhat. There is a theory that pests can sense when a plant is at its end and attack the weaker ones.

I think this was the best video about aphids on KZread. We got some aphid pressure on some of our container plants we were overwintering inside. They haven’t disappeared, but I think we finally have them under control. Just rinsing then off and using sticky tape to get them off. When the plants get back outside, I’m sure the abundant amount of ladybugs and other “bio bugs” we have on our property should decimate their remaining population. They are so annoying. Haha. Another great video.

This video really touches well on something that people seem to have forgotten--if we mimic nature as much as possible, and get out of the way, changes are good that everything will work out. Healthy soil full of beasties and microorganisms, is really the base for any healthy garden. If you look in nature, it's almost always the unhealthy plants which get attacked. You'd think it was survival of the fittest out there or something. :) Between building your soil year-by-year, and companion planting when you can, you really don't need to spray insecticides. As your soil improves over the yeas, your plants get more and more robust. *Disturbing your soil as little as possible is really key to this.* Killing off some of your soil life when you expose it to the sun, is working against you.

Great cabbages, in spite of the aphids! I did cringe when you tossed the infested leaves, with aphids spilling on the soil, rather than containing the leaves in a paper bag and into the trash. Aphids are relatively easy to manage, white flies and squash bugs really destroyed a lot of my crop last season. This year I am trying more netting!

@wmluna381

2 жыл бұрын

Same here when I saw those leaves hit the ground. Old.

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

Yeeeeeessssss to the don't throw around aphid infested leaves.

In Australia, I used to get crazy amounts of aphids/scale, etc. Last spring I let out a few batches of native ladybugs (3 sets of 30 adults) and some green lace wing - in Autumn now and successive generations of both species have been seen in my garden ever since and 90% of the aphid issue is gone. These guys breed their own bugs, and they are super expensive - hobbies in Australia...

ahh, this brings back memories. i worked in tomato greenhouses for a summer and at one point we had an aphid problem. we purchased ladybugs and plant tags with parasitic wasp eggs glued on them, but given the time it took for the ladybugs to arrive and for the wasp eggs to hatch, one of my tasks until the control measures started was to spend an hour or so each day just squishing all the aphids i could find, by hand. 🤢 definitely a low point of my job, and not much improved by the ladybugs crawling out of their jars and all over me when i removed them from cold storage.

The problem is they get on plants that are just starters and kill their growth. You can't really wash them off either, the pressure is too strong.

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

Yes I find for nasturtiums it's impossible to wash off black bean aphids. The leaves and stems are too delicate, and it's like the aphids are glued on. I think water spraying might work on my kale leaves, but even that some of the leaves might not be strong enough.

There's also lettuce root aphid, Kevin! A really insidious aphid that also burrows down and colonizes and drains the roots of the plant. You'll know you have it because when you dig up the root zone, you'll see all this white stuff that you might at first think is mycellium. Then you see aphids.

@wmluna381

2 жыл бұрын

Damn 😳😬

We've used Monterey Fruit Tree Plus on our peach, pear, apricot, plum, apple and plumcot trees with great results. It's 70% neem and a little pyrethrin. First sign of shiny leafs I drench them.

Thank you for the guide I got aphid for 2 weeks now because I just watering my garden and I saw a lot of ants surrounding my pepper plant and I don’t even look closer to see that I got many aphid.

Ugh I got those on my Brussels last year too, they creep me out and I need to avoid them this time around!

The only plants they really attack for me is the corn, but weirdly they only really attacked the yellow corn. They practically left the black and red untouched which was literally right next to them. 🤔

Thank you. The simplest solution is often the best solution. I also learn from comments on your channel. Excellent source and smart viewers.

I know this didn't focus on potted plants, but for those, drowning works well. Half hour or so in a bucket of water with a tiny amount of dish soap fully submerged. Dish soap breaks surface tension so they can't float

Slightly unrelated but still a question about pests. I live in a really hot humid climate and struggle very badly with spider mites. Esp on my bean plants. Would love something like this episode for addressing spider mites.

@yeevita

2 жыл бұрын

I do the same thing as with aphids - Try to figure out why your plants are stressed. Maybe more shade to cool them? I also do the water spray. It does very well to keep the spider mites under control when the weather gets super hot and the plants are more stressed. You can also try predatory mites but I think they really dislike hot weather? I try to keep an ecosystem friendly to predator and water spray if I notice a heavy infestation.

@jessicachen3966

2 жыл бұрын

@@yeevita unfortunately, I've tried both of these without sucessm

@potatoes1640

2 жыл бұрын

Same, I spray off the eggs but after a few hours, there's even more eggs

You should have a container or bag to place the infested leafs to help control the spread of the pests

I don't have much trouble with aphids as I have a wide variety of insects, frogs, toads, and birds in my yard. When I do get some, I spray the plants with garlic juice. Works really well. A couple of cloves per liter (quart) of water is what I use.

I plant cuban orégano (Orégano Brujo, or Oregano Sorcerer in English) around my plants and no aphids; they can’t stand the smell of orégano. You can also make an infusion or tea of this oregano and spray the plants.

For me, nature's way has always worked the best! Ladybugs are my guardian angels. I got aphids on my grapes and hibiscus last year, and within just a few days of releasing a pack of ladybirds, the aphids were totally gone! And they haven't been back since. I've actually got a few of them to stick around lurking and eating the ants in my strawberry plants. Of course there are absolutely drawbacks- it's not really 'foolproof', because they are animals, and they're not predictable. They're also more of a fix after the fact, rather than a preventative measure. I'm certain these ways also work just as well and I have tried the neem oil trick before! I just prefer something that to me at least seems a little more 'natural' & requires less direct intervention from me lol

@beentheredonethat6584

Жыл бұрын

Me too. I used to reach for the sprayer to rid my garden of pests. Insecticides kill insects and most garden predators are insects. Organic insecticides also kill insects. Many insects are great killers of pests; the larvae are far more effective than the adults. Lady bug larvae are more effective aphid killers than the adults. Would you recognise them? Syrphid fly larvae are also great aphid killers but I've never seen one because they are so tiny. Insecticides kill those larvae (and the eggs) too. I have multitudes of syrphid flies, wasps and ground beetles. No sprays and no aphids. To paraphrase Joni Mitchell, 'hey gardner, gardner throw away the sprayer bottle, yeah' happy times in the garden, yeah

I've heard that aphids are an indication you have too much nitrogen. Any truth to that, and, if so, what are good strategies to remedy the situation (other than not fertilizing with nitrogen)?

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Yup, that is true, and what you said is the way to prevent :)

@beskamir5977

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah from my understanding it's cause plants grown with excess nitrogen have much larger cells which makes it easier for sucking insects to attack them.

@victoriazengo2081

2 жыл бұрын

@@epicgardening what if you've never fertilized at all? how do you combat the nitrogen?

@agdayem

2 жыл бұрын

100% true. Everything I excessively fertilize nitrogen I get aphids. Another prevention is planting beneficial insects by growing some flowering plants like dill, cilantro, parsley.

@ccaffie1231

2 жыл бұрын

maybe you can reduce it by growing plants that use up more nitrogen?

Thanks Kevin! That was super helpful.

Do castile soap and neem oil affect the soil at all? What risks do we run when using these? Thank you!

@Meskarune

2 жыл бұрын

Castille soap that is made with no synthetic ingredients (like foaming agents and such) is fully biodegradable. Neem oil is also fully biodegradable being an organic plant based product.

Agree that the ecosystem of your garden is the best long term solution to aphids and other pests. However I am an advocate of Diatomaceous Earth. Yep it is messy but contrary to what you said it is not expensive. It is especially affordable if you use it for other things as well. I buy a 50 lb bag (it is heavy so not as big as you are now visioning LOL) I use this to keep my chickens fee of little critters, to stop infiltrating ants from getting into my home or tearing up the cracks in my driveway. But most importantly it is my first defense against aphids! Here they tend to attempt to enter my space via my roses. I bomb them with this powder right away. Looks awful but nothing is in bloom when this invasion starts (and nothing will be if it continues). The powdered baby butt look only lasts about a week though. Once thwarted my problem is at worst minute and often non excitant. Very different than what used to happen here. I should also say "keep an eye on your fence line." You can gave a very healthy garden but if your neighbor does not that is the rout of entry for these nasty's into your garden. Peace, love and death to aphids :)

@JWHealing

9 ай бұрын

LOL. Peace, love, and death to aphids and the ants that protect them!

That was a great help. Thank you!

Super interesting! This explains a lot! I didn’t even know there were several different types of aphids. I had seen an aphid video on KZread and this woman had a leaf with clusters of bright green aphids, and they didn’t fly, they weren’t really fast movers, and they stayed clustered together with other aphids. But then I saw this other aphid (on the same plant) that was slightly bigger, could fly, it was super fast, and was always alone, never in clusters. So I was thinking to myself, which one is the aphid?? Now I get it, they are both aphids, just different kinds

Thoughts on you trying out a pach of garden full of mushrooms and plants and the other without mushrooms but full of plants just to see how they fare at the end?

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Trust me..it's coming!

@thesilentone4024

2 жыл бұрын

@@epicgardening asome cant wate 🤗

I’ve tried the natural sprays(soap, neem oil & water) & it just takes too long for me to get rid of the aphids. My favorite way to get rid of the little demons, are ladybugs! They are gone within hours or a couple of days. Whereas the sprays take weeks.

@Neenerella333

2 жыл бұрын

I had lady bugs visit on their own(even make lady bug babies) and had a couple mantids. I yelled at them for doing such a lackluster job at controlling my aphids. There was swearing. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm crazy.

What a well rounded instructive video

Great video! I’ve had pretty good luck with green lacewing larvae. Have you every tried those?

Feed the affected leaves to your chickens. They love aphids!

The annoyance of growing brassicas The best thing is to try and have regular inspection of plants before the build up

@kevinbossick8374

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly. You pretty much have to do it daily to get the best results. And that is not always possible.

@AAHomeGardening

2 жыл бұрын

@@kevinbossick8374 yes, too much to do in gardening Inspection normally don't get done on a regular basis

I had horrible aphid problem on my chard plant. I watered them off thank you for that advise!! Then I read somewhere online banana peel they hate smell so I put thin two pieces of banana peel circling around my chard plant on top soil. I been changing out banana peel. Then 2 weeks later and still no aphids come back!

I love that pathway you did!!! So pretty!!!!

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

TYT!

I had a 3x5 tent full of cannabis plants in early flower with a huge infestation. I ordered 1,000 ladybugs on Amazon released them into the tent and in a couple weeks infestation was gone. The ladybugs died off soon after. Just remember to cover your fans with screen first.

@bridgethaig8923

2 жыл бұрын

You should have released the ladybugs when the aphids were gone.🐞

@DankDadReviews

2 жыл бұрын

@@bridgethaig8923 unfortunately it was late December in Connecticut.

@bridgethaig8923

2 жыл бұрын

@@DankDadReviews rats to bad you couldn't mail them to me. And some of your cold weather.

I get cabbage aphids like crazy. I like to spray them down with some water and diatomaceous earth

@epicgardening

2 жыл бұрын

Same approach here, minus the DE!

@arielvidal6491

2 жыл бұрын

@@epicgardening I don't have the patented Epic Aphid Yeeter unfortunately. Haha.

Awesome video bro! Much specified appreciated

Thanks or your advice I been having troubles with this insects.

Aphid (and slugs ) were terrible at my place when I moved in. Killing them was an endless task, especially since the neighbour is a rental and no one cares about the garden, so it's an infinite source of pests. I bought lacewings for the aphid and they have been amazing. It's a long term solution; took about 3 months to really notice the difference. But now I rarely see aphids at all. The main catch with this solution is that the lacewings are carnivores when young, and nectar eaters as adults. So you need flowers for them to complete their life cycle. Actually, not that much of a problem for a gardener. Also these are native where I am. If you look into bio-control of pests, please encourage native predators to your area.

@DK-zu6tt

2 жыл бұрын

You can also plant decoy crops along your renter neighbors fence. Pick the thing the pest likes most (internet will tell you) and it's like a drunk to liquor---they can't help themselves and will leave your good crops alone.