Homemade aphid killer. It was easy to make

You know how it goes. You’re looking forward to a great harvest of currants, gooseberries, peppers, or whatever else, and suddenly you see lots of tiny, disgusting dots on the plant itself. It’s not a disease; upon closer inspection, you’ll find the plant is covered in aphids. These tiny, unsightly insects can quickly ruin the mood of more than one gardener. That’s exactly why you need to quickly figure out how to get rid of the aphids. Of course, you can buy various sprays, but it’s much cheaper and better to get rid of aphids naturally with a spray you make yourself from household ingredients. It’s nothing complicated.

Ground chili as the main ingredient

While many of us love capsaicin, aphids really don’t. Ground chili contains quite a lot of it. Capsaicin has an irritating effect on insects. It works perfectly on the aphids’ nervous system and deters them from further destroying our crops. Making this aphid repellent is very simple.

Photo: Pixabay

How to make a chili pepper spray against aphids?

You’ll need half a liter of water and one small teaspoon of ground chili pepper. Mix everything thoroughly and let it sit for about 36 hours. After this time, strain the mixture, leaving only a strong, concentrated solution. When straining, be careful not to get the solution in your eyes, or you’ll literally experience hell. The solution is highly concentrated, so if we sprayed the plants with this mixture, we would burn them. Therefore, mix 20 ml of the solution with 1 liter of water. This gives us an effective spray that kills only aphids. It’s a good idea to add a little liquid soap or dishwashing detergent to the sprayer.

When and how to spray the plants

Ideally in the evening or early morning. In any case, choose a day when there is no wind. We didn’t manage to do that, and the spray ended up in places it wasn’t supposed to. We should spray the plants every 7 days. We shouldn’t spray while the plants are in bloom or when there are already fruits on the plant.

Tip: How to identify aphids, whiteflies, or thrips? It’s relatively simple.

A baking soda spray is also excellent

We usually have baking soda on hand as well. You’ll need 1.5 liters of warm water, a teaspoon of baking soda, and 1.5 teaspoons of dish soap. Mix everything together and you have a great aphid repellent. Spray once a week, just like with the chili pepper solution.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions about making homemade aphid spray

Where can I get ground chili?

You can either buy it at the store or grind up chili peppers yourself.

When should you spray the plants?

Ideally in the morning or evening, when there is no wind.

How often should you spray the plants?

Once a week is more than enough.

Sources: Author

Photo and photogallery: Pixabay