Aphids Are The Worst! And indoors, they are twice as deadly! Left unchecked, an Aphid outbreak will quickly decimate and ruin your indoor plants, crops, and vegetables. Often, when we bring plants indoors over the winter, Aphids hitch a ride inside. Without their natural predators and weather pressures, their populations explode! Fortunately, there are safe, natural ways to get rid of Aphids outbreaks, even on our plants, herbs, and vegetables that we intend to eat!
In this article, I’ll show you 4 ways to get rid of Indoor Aphids naturally to keep your plants safe and happy, no matter what you are growing!
4 Natural ways to get rid of aphids on indoor plants
1. Manual Removal
This leads us right into our first strategy and that’s manual removal. When you notice an aphid population beginning to form you need to become the hunter. Remove heavily infested branches and leaves entirely either burning them or putting them outside in the cold.
Run your fingers over the leaves and stems of aphid-filled plants manually, squishing their soft bodies in the process.
The goal here is simple, population control. Above all else, we need to get the aphids in check and take back ownership of our indoor plants.
If the manual massacre isn’t your style we can get by with a little help from a spray bottle.
2. Jet Stream
If your infected plants are in pots and you can move them, great. Take them outside for this step. What you want to do is blast the aphids with a fine jet stream of water from a simple spray bottle.
Like the manual removal with your fingers, this isn’t a complete eradication but unlike squishing the aphids with your fingers you’re not actually killing them you’re just blasting them off the plant.
So this is something you’re going to want to do outside otherwise you’re not really doing anything to the aphids, they’re just gonna crawl back.
Methods one and two are simple population control. Much like aphid predators and the weather would do outside in nature.
Now that we have the aphid population under control with manual removal let’s look at true eradication.
I accomplish this with two different strategies: a dry method and a liquid solution. For the ultimate results they can be combined together but for now, let’s start with the dry method first.
3. Use Diatomaceous Earth to get rid of aphids
So our third method overall for combating aphids indoors and our first true eradication method is to use diatomaceous earth.
Diatomaceous earth is a fine dry powder comprised of fossilized diatoms. The accumulated amorphous silica in these tiny fossils acts on the soft bodies of aphids in two ways:
- First it acts as an extreme abrasive literally piercing and impaling the aphids as they come in contact with it.
- Secondly diatomaceous earth is extremely absorptive, meaning it grabs onto water and moisture like nobody’s business. Literally desiccating the aphids as they come near it.
The aphids as well as their eggs are fatally dehydrated and new colonies are just not formed as they’ll avoid the plants that have this stuff on them.
To apply your diatomaceous earth simply use a kitchen sifter and liberally dust the entire affected plant. Leave the dust on the plant for at least a week ensuring that all aphids are dealt with.
When you’re confident that the aphids are gone simply wash off the diatomaceous earth with clean water.
Also, read Diatomaceous earth: How to apply | How does it work | Benefits.
4. Use Natural liquid insecticides to get rid of aphids
The final method that I use for indoor aphid control is to make a safe liquid insecticide. Now there are a million different recipes out there I’ll show you the one that works for me.
Natural liquid insecticides act on aphids in two key ways:
- First like diatomaceous earth, the fatty acids in true natural soaps penetrate the aphids cuticle or skin and cause their cells to rupture, collapse and dry out.
- Secondly natural soaps kill aphids by straight up suffocation, due to the viscous nature of the solution itself.
Combined these two outcomes are massively effective and an aphid population is quickly brought under control in a safe and natural way.
To make your own soap at home simply use one tablespoon of pure Castile natural soap to one liter of water.
Add in one teaspoon of vegetable oil to make it even more effective and fill up your favorite spray bottle with it.
Dose the entire plant stem leaves and all and make sure to coat the undersides of those leaves as well. Aphids love to hide there.
Because this is a chemical and not a systemic two or three applications three to four days apart may be necessary. Once your aphid population is dealt with simply rinse off any soapy or oily residue with clean water.
As I mentioned before using diatomaceous earth and the natural soap insecticide together in combination is the ultimate in effective aphid control. But you can’t use them at the exact same time.
For diatomaceous earth to work it has to be kept dry, then I go into a liquid insecticide routine. These two methods combine aphids don’t stand a chance.
Conclusion
Aphids are a nuisance no doubt and if you bring in plants from outside during the winter or really any time of the year you’re gonna encounter an outbreak. But having safe natural methods to eradicate these soft-bodied pests really is the key.
No one wants to resort to chemical applications, not indoors and certainly not on any plants that we intend to eat.
Diligent use of these 4 natural methods to get rid of indoor aphids will ensure that aphid outbreaks are not a problem and most definitely not a death sentence for your indoor plants and crops.
Hey if you know of or use any other safe methods of getting rid of indoor aphids leave in the comments down below. Thanks for reading guys, if you’re getting value in this article then hit those share buttons. Happy Gardening!
Also, read Why are my plants dying (8 Most Common Reasons).
