Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Garden
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-27-2008, 04:49 AM
 
Location: Los Angeles, which as I understand was once upon a time ago part of the United States of America
849 posts, read 1,038,084 times
Reputation: 314

Advertisements

I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-27-2008, 07:47 AM
 
Location: Philaburbia
41,728 posts, read 74,675,578 times
Reputation: 66665
A soap and water solution and a hard spray from the hose is not only better for the shrub, but also better for the environment than harsh chemicals. You can make the solution yourself with dishwashing liquid and water, or buy commercial insecticidal soap from a garden store.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 07:53 AM
 
Location: West 'Burbs of Chicago
1,216 posts, read 5,754,688 times
Reputation: 451
I also use soap and water.

I get the cheapest lemon dish soap, some generic brand -- usually around a buck
I'll fill a qt spray bottle and leave about 2" unfilled ... then i fill that approx 2" with the soap. you really dont need a lot, just so that you get "suds" when you spray.

What plants are being attacked?

My roses used to get them until i read to plant Lavender near them... now no aphids.
Also, for Japanese Beetles ... if you plant 4-O'Clocks [Mirabilis jalapa] -- that will draw the pest away from roses, or other plants to the 4-O'Clocks, which in turn kills them.

I am planting more beneficial herbs around my roses and tomatoes to keep the pests away.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 09:18 AM
 
Location: GA
2,791 posts, read 10,775,123 times
Reputation: 1181
You could also buy some lady bugs from your garden center. They eat aphids, and may help get the problem under control. good luck!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 09:29 AM
 
16,579 posts, read 20,608,308 times
Reputation: 26860
Are they hurting the shrub? If not, you might just leave them there. A healthy plant can stand to have some bugs on it.

When you spray poison you'll also kill the bugs that will eat the aphids, like ladybugs, lacewings, etc.

In addition to the other suggestions, you can wipe them off the leaves with your finger (gloved, if it grosses you out) or spray them off with plain water.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 09:33 AM
 
2,377 posts, read 5,384,635 times
Reputation: 1723
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince of Lombards View Post
I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
Was the Ortho product you got a Systemic? Aphids suck the juices out of the plant...Systemic goes through the plant and kills them that way... I have 9430430 rose bushes (Well, maybe not that many..but close!) and it takes care of them just fine..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 06:26 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles, which as I understand was once upon a time ago part of the United States of America
849 posts, read 1,038,084 times
Reputation: 314
Yes they are hurting my plant. The leaves they are inhabiting eventually whither and die.

I'll give the soap and water a try.

I'm not certain if the spray is a Systemic. I'll check the next time I'm out back.

Thanks for the tips.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 07:03 PM
 
4,948 posts, read 18,633,403 times
Reputation: 2907
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince of Lombards View Post
I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
i had the same problem, spotted some lady bugs, only a few-did the Ortho, soap and water- it dd not work-the bugs killed or did eat it all. I would
try the lady bugs to control this, if you can get them.I also do think lady bugs on line are easy to get. I had to look on line to see what these bugs were-they did eat and eat.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 07:07 PM
 
4,948 posts, read 18,633,403 times
Reputation: 2907
Quote:
Originally Posted by Prince of Lombards View Post
I tried some Ortho brand poison to get rid of these things, and although the bottle says the poison kills aphids, it was only marginally successful despite multiple applications. Can somebody recommend a sure-fire, no holds barred, nuke 'em all method of killing aphids without also killing my flowering shrub?
i had the same problem, did spot some lady bugs, only a few-did the Ortho, soap and water- it did not work-the bugs killed or did eat it all. I would
try the lady bugs to control this, if you can get them.I also do think lady bugs on line are easy to get.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-27-2008, 08:27 PM
 
Location: Out there somewhere...a traveling man.
44,545 posts, read 61,229,694 times
Reputation: 125536
If you want 100% kill-em dead, use the chemical malathion. If you're not into chemicals, then the soap method is fairly good. The big secret is to spray the undersides of the foilage. Thats where they live and proliferate. And spray when the sun is not directly on the plants to prevent sunburn.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Garden
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top