How to Identify and Treat Aphids on Your Tomato and Vegetable Plants: No Chemicals Needed

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How to Identify and Treat Aphids on Your Tomato and Vegetable Plants:
No Chemicals Needed


Many pests and diseases come to our garden. Not all of them need to be managed by stronger chemicals. Aphids are soft bodied insects that can be managed using any of these three spray methods.

1) Spray with a jet of water. Spray every other day for 3 rounds of spraying.
2) Make a soapy water spray. Spray every other day for 2-3 rounds of spraying.
3) Make a smothering oil and soap spray. Spray every other day for 2-3  rounds of spraying


Start with water spray. The aphids are weak and once knocked to the ground they don't return. They stay typically in the area from which they hatch. You want to manage aphids with several rounds of interventions as to control newly hatching aphids. By using water spray, you remove 90% of the aphids and do no harm to good insects. The good insects will come in and eat what is left.

You can add in soap and oil as you wish to increase the strength of the spray method. Soap damages the soft bodied insect and they die. Oil covers them and they smother. You may or may not need the stronger intervention but in the case of aphids no strong garden chemicals are needed. The video discuss all the mixes and how to make them. 

Good Luck in Your Gardens,
Gary (The Rusted Garden)



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