Not only the tiny whiteflies are among the pests that prefer to suck on the sap of the petunia. Aphids also prefer to form their large colonies on petunias and can thus noticeably impair their vitality.

Water with dish soap is a popular home remedy for lice

Regular checks: prevention makes fighting easier

During the summer, aphids can sometimes multiply surprisingly quickly due to their rapid succession of generations. Therefore, you should gently push apart the dense foliage of hanging petunias with your hands at least once a week to check the shoots for attached lice. A light infestation with aphids is quite natural and does not necessarily have to be a problem. However, aphids can also transmit viral diseases that may even kill petunias.

Home remedies for petunia aphid infestation

A sharp jet of water is usually enough to rinse off a certain part of the aphids sitting on the shoots, thus making it more difficult for them to follow generations and spread. There are several home remedies that have been shown to be effective in controlling lice on petunias:

  • tobacco solution
  • Sprays made from water and soft soap or washing-up liquid
  • nettle manure
  • coffee grounds

While the coffee grounds are spread directly on the plant substrate in the pot, the soil should be covered when spraying the plants with the liquid home remedies. A biological alternative can be the purchase of beneficial insects such as ladybirds from specialist shops, provided that they are native species of ladybirds in this country.

Combat aphids in the garden in the long term

Plants such as nasturtiums, elderberries, roses, daisies and petunias almost magically attract aphids. If you grow many of the plants mentioned in your garden, you should always keep an eye on the pressure of aphid infestation. In the long term, you can minimize the maintenance required by the aphids if you encourage the natural predators of the aphids, such as ladybirds and parasitic wasps (€22.99), to settle there. Provide a suitable habitat for ladybirds and other beneficial insects with an insect hotel (€11.33) and they will take care of the aphid plague for you. Since ants create and maintain veritable "plantations" of aphids due to the coveted honeydew, ant nests should be removed from the balcony boxes (€109.00) with petunias.

tips

There are various chemical agents on the market for combating aphids, with the systemically acting agents being preferable in case of doubt. These are stuck into the substrate around the petunias, for example, as sticks, so that the toxins they contain are absorbed by the plants. As a result, aphids sucking on the plant sap die quickly without the ambient air being polluted with an agent sprayed on the plants.

Category:

Indoor plants