I’m still battling aphids in the plant wall, but I am making headway. Instead of seeing a dozen, I’m seeing an occasional very lethargic speck of green with legs.
Jill at JMH Water Gardens gave me a recipe for a fish safe aphid spray that seems to be working really well. The fish are alive and the aphids aren’t. I see that as being the measure of success. Oh, did I mention it’s cheap to make out of common stuff? Yeah, that too. Blend oil into a beaten egg white, store in the fridge.
Jill’s recipe says 1 cup of oil to 1 tbsp of egg white. I confess to not being that precise. Store in the fridge, mix a bit with water in a spray bottle and spray. I did say I wasn’t that precise, didn’t I? Her instructions say 2½ tsp of the egg/oil mix to 1 cup of water. I don’t need that much at a time so I mix a little over a teaspoon to ½ cup of water. Spray as needed. It doesn’t keep so dump what you don’t use right away and mix new each time you need it.
I came here through the barrel-ponics group, and was browsing quickly through your posts. I love all the things you’re doing but this recipe for AP safe aphid control is worth the price of admission all by itself. Starting yesterday I’ve been using a spray of half water and half white vinegar to control the ants. Ants herd aphids, so it might control the problem that way. But I think I’ll do both. Thanks for the tip!
It really works! I’m glad you posted a comment. It’s a great reminder for the start of aphid season this year!