Aphids are one of the main enemies of summer residents and gardeners.
These insects attack plants, feed on its juices, which leads to the death of the crop. Dealing with aphids can be quite difficult. Today we will tell you about an effective remedy in the fight against this insect, ammonia. Dear readers! For you, we have created communities on social networks in which useful articles and interesting ideas are published several times a day! Subscribe and receive useful content in a convenient format!
How does ammonia work on aphids?
Many cultivated plants suffer from aphids. The most delicious plants for the parasite are currants, viburnum buldenezh, roses, cherries, sweet cherries, apple trees, and cucumbers. But in general, these small parasites can be found on any cultivated plant.
Ammonia causes respiratory arrest and paralysis of the insect's respiratory system. In addition, it causes swelling and burns. As a result, the pest cannot breathe and dies from suffocation.
The most important factors for quickly solving the problem
When feeding on the sap of a plant, the aphid pierces its skin with its proboscis. Old leaves, due to their rigidity, are beyond its strength, so the pest’s “menu” is dominated by the most delicate young leaves and buds.
Aphids on roses are carried by ants. Famous for their hard work and energy, insects in an extremely short time can disfigure currant leaves and strew tender and fragrant buds with parasites.
The spread of the pest by ants is due to the fact that the latter need its sweet syrup. It is this factor that is the reason for the “delivery” of more and more “Sokopians” to the young leaves.
Moreover, insects not only “supply” the destroyer to green spaces, but also do their best to protect it from all kinds of enemies. The range of tasks of the site owner includes the task of eliminating access of insects to aphids.
How to make a solution of ammonia, effective recipes for aphids
It is very simple to prepare the working solution. Prepare a ten-liter bucket of settled water.
IMPORTANT! Do not use water directly from a well or pipeline for spraying.
Carefully pour a bottle of ammonia (50 ml) into the bucket. Stir and use immediately. To prevent the solution from eroding, you can dilute the drug directly in a sprayer, then reduce the dose several times. For 1 liter of water you need 2 tablespoons of the drug.
To make the product stick better and stay on the leaves longer, add soap to the mixture. Laundry soap is the most effective. It is grated so that it dissolves faster.
To enhance the effect of the drug, you can add strong-smelling ingredients to it. For example, garlic infusion. First, grate or finely chop the head of garlic. Fill the mixture with water and leave to infuse for a week and a half. Then strain the mixture and add the liquid to a bucket of water and ammonia.
ON A NOTE. When treating with ammonia, it is better not to use fine spraying. In this case, the ammonia will quickly disappear. Set the sprayer to medium spray level.
Effective recipes
Whatever the method of control, the main attention should be paid to the completeness and regularity of treatments. Even in outdoor conditions, laid aphid eggs tolerate wintering well, and with the arrival of the first warm weather, a new round of destructive activity on plants begins
In diluted form
To dilute ammonia for spraying against aphids, the following proportions and dosages are recommended in the basic recipe:
- bottle of 10% product with a volume of 40 ml;
- 10 liter bucket of water.
With soap
The ideal additive against aphids is tar soap.
It provides additional assistance for quickly eliminating pests in the garden. Many people use tar in soap to treat other pathological conditions. Therefore, if you have the opportunity to purchase such a product, it is recommended to use the solution to kill aphids during the treatment process.
With garlic
Pungent additives with intense odors act in a similar way to ammonia solutions.
Almost all parts of the plant can be used to prepare the product:
- cloves;
- arrows;
- stems.
The longer the prepared mass is infused, the higher the concentration will be. Preparing the solution is simple - just pour cool water over the ground raw material, mix and leave for three days. Subsequently, the cake is separated from the infusion and stored in the refrigerator. There are no strict relationships in this case.
If there is a clear aroma on the plant, the product will reliably act against aphids and other parasites.
For strawberries
To protect crops from aphid invasions, get rid of an existing colony and feed strawberries, ammonia solutions are also used.
Unlike chemical insecticides, ammonia does not accumulate in berries and does not have a harmful effect even during the formation of ovaries.
During preparation of the product, it is recommended to add fatty acids, i.e. ordinary laundry soap, rubbed to fine shavings. It will create the thinnest film and ensure a longer action of the solution against aphids, preventing its premature evaporation.
The best ways to control aphids on strawberries
With washing powder
Laundry powders are quite suitable in cases where it is not possible to buy laundry soap. To prepare the product, a very small amount per bucket of solution is enough - about a tablespoon. Ripe fruits after this treatment should be consumed after thorough rinsing with clean water.
For prevention
After successful elimination of a colony of aphids, it is imperative to monitor the condition of the plants. Having appeared once, parasites can return at any time. Therefore, preventive treatments against aphids will allow you to destroy uninvited guests at the very initial stages of reproduction.
Read more effective recipes for aphids in this article.
For which plants can ammonia be used?
Almost all plants can be treated with ammonia. Let's talk about some of the nuances of spraying.
Treat only buds, shoots and leaves. Do not work with flowering plants. Roses are best sprayed with a hand sprayer.
When processing currants and apricots, unroll the curled leaves. Aphids hide in them.
It is also better to spray Buldenezh manually. Here aphids accumulate near the rosettes of leaves and near the petioles.
Pay special attention to spraying cherries. The tree forms a dense crown, and aphids most often hide on the back side of the leaf blade. Therefore, cherries need to be treated at the first sign of aphids. Otherwise, it will be very difficult to deal with it later.
Other crops are processed by simple spraying: tomatoes, peppers, dill, raspberries, cucumbers, etc.
ON A NOTE. Treatments with ammonia can be carried out once every 20 days.
Pros and cons of using this product
Let's say a few words about the pros and cons of using this tool.
The benefits of ammonia include:
- Efficiency in the fight against aphids;
- Cheapness and availability;
- Ease of preparation of the working solution;
- The product acts immediately;
- Ammonia is a source of nitrogen, that is, at the same time it is a foliar nitrogen fertilizer.
The disadvantage of this product is:
- Ammonia volatility;
- Inability to work with the drug for a long time (may cause respiratory arrest).
- Difficult to use on large trees;
- May cause an excess of nitrogen in plant tissues.
Tar
Tar is a widely used product in folk medicine and gardening. With its help you can get rid of aphids , Colorado potato beetles, caterpillars and other garden pests.
Tar against aphids does not combine well with other means, but it can quickly “drive” aphids out of the area. Already after the first spraying with tar, the result is noticeable.
To prepare a tar solution, dilute 100 g of birch tar in 10 liters of water, adding 25-30 g of laundry soap.
Tar does not dissolve well in water because it is much lighter than it.
The entire plant (without inflorescences) and the soil at the root are sprayed with tar.
Precautions for use
When working with ammonia, you need to be careful. Protect your eyes and respiratory system. Remember that ammonia vapor can cause temporary respiratory arrest. Therefore, be sure to dilute the liquid outdoors. If you have to work indoors, open the windows.
Carry out spraying in calm weather. It is best to do this in the morning or evening after sunset.
Another important point: do not use the product during flowering, as ammonia vapor is harmful to beneficial insects too.
Does ammonia help against aphids?
The experience of various summer residents shows that ammonia copes with aphids. But there is one caveat. Processing should be targeted and targeted. That is, you need to spray the aphids directly. This is easy to do on small shrubs or young trees. You can process both the upper and lower parts of the sheet plate. But with a large bush or tree it will be more difficult. Some insects will survive and breed again. Therefore, when large plants are seriously infested, it is better to use more powerful insecticides.
Errors during use
Despite the ease of preparation and use of the product, some gardeners make mistakes:
- The working solution is not used immediately. In general, for the treatment to be as effective as possible, the working solution must be prepared directly in the garden or vegetable garden. Ammonia evaporates very quickly.
- Failure to comply with dosage. The drug is not only an insecticidal agent, but also saturates plants with nitrogen. Take this into account when treating them against aphids. During flowering and fruiting, excess nitrogen harms the plantings.
- Processing is carried out without personal protective equipment. Ammonia vapors can cause burns to the nasal mucosa and even cause loss of consciousness. Therefore, firstly, use personal protective equipment, and secondly, do not work for too long.
Fighting methods
You can quickly and safely remove aphids from plants mechanically. To do this, you simply need to crush the insects or wash them off the plant with a stream of water. On the ground, aphids quickly die, becoming easy prey for other insects - predators.
This procedure is very effective for small colonies of aphids, but in case of mass lesions (or a large planting area) they turn out to be very labor-intensive and ineffective. In this case, folk recipes will come to the rescue, the use of which can be used to treat and prevent damage to plants by aphids. It will also be useful to learn about how to spray roses against green aphids.
Herbal decoctions
It is very easy to prepare such decoctions, and a wide variety of cultures are suitable for this. The algorithm of actions is very simple. First, the main ingredient must be boiled in a small amount of water.
Herbal decoctions
The mixture should brew for a couple of hours, after which it is filtered and diluted in large proportions. Usually take a liter of concentrated solution per 10 liters of water. Spraying must be done on the same day, because the composition loses its properties during storage. To prepare the solution, you can take one of the ingredients listed below.
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What decoctions will help against aphids:
- Chopped tomato leaves (about 400 grams per serving).
- Garlic arrows (200 - 300 grams).
- Garlic cloves (50 grams).
- Potato tops (0.5 kilograms).
- Tobacco leaves (400 grams).
- Fresh parts of celandine (300 – 400 grams).
- Onion peel (1 kilogram).
- Chopped wormwood (300 grams).
It will also be useful to learn about how to deal with moss in your summer cottage, and what products should be used first.
To enhance the effect, you can add regular laundry soap or a special insecticidal soap to the decoction. The soft shells of aphids quickly soften when exposed to detergents. In addition, this component improves adhesion to leaves and other parts of the plant. Thus, the product is not washed off even in light rain. Instead of soap, many gardeners use dishwashing detergent and liquid soap. It depends on individual preferences, as well as capabilities, so what exactly to add is up to you.
Soap and ash solution
Among the simplest and most affordable are treatment with soap solution or wood ash.
Preparing such solutions is as easy as shelling pears: for 10 liters of water you need to crumble 50 grams of laundry soap and 300 grams of ash. This treatment is carried out every week and, when used, provides not only reliable protection, but also additional nutrition for the plants.
Vinegar treatment
Diluted vinegar essence can also kill aphids. To do this, you need to take about 30 tablespoons of vinegar (70%) in a bucket of water and also add 5 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid. Carry out the treatment three to four times per season until the pests are completely destroyed.
Alcohol sprays
A simple and effective way. To do this, ordinary vodka or alcohol diluted with water is used as an insecticide. The method is good for its simplicity, but for some flowers it will be a serious test, so before treating the entire area, it is recommended to test the effectiveness on an individual plant.
It may also be useful for you to learn about how ornamental cabbage is planted with seeds and what chemicals will help in pest control.
On the video - what to spray against aphids:
Iodine and soda against aphids
The original recipe against pests. Take two tablespoons and 40 drops of regular pharmaceutical iodine into a bucket of water. Spray the plants immediately after preparing the solution.
This treatment is very effective and safe for soil and plants. Instead of soda, you can add 100 ml of fat milk - the effect will be the same.
Treatment with ammonia
Ammonia purchased at the pharmacy is also an excellent remedy against aphids. To do this, use two tablespoons of ammonia and liquid soap per bucket of water.
Soda against aphids
To combat aphids, you can use regular lemonade or the well-known Coca-Cola. To do this, simply insert the sprayer into the bottle and spray the roses.
Answers to frequently asked questions
What ammonia should I use?
An ordinary bottle from a pharmacy will do.
Is it possible to treat indoor flowers with the drug?
Yes, but be careful not to get poisoned.
How many treatments are needed?
Usually 1-2 is enough. But it all depends on the degree of infection of your plants.
How to enhance the effect of the product?
Add garlic infusion or ground pepper.
Coca Cola
Coca-Cola, a carbonated drink that contains phosphoric acid , is increasingly being used for other purposes: against scale, rust, stubborn dirt, blood, and now also against various insects, including aphids.
It is the presence of acid in the drink that pests do not like . Phosphorus is generally extremely useful in killing most garden insects - it is part of many pesticides and insecticides.
Coca-Cola against aphids acts quickly and creates a long-lasting effect: after the destruction of aphids with Coca-Cola, the pest is unlikely to return .
The duration of use of Coca-Cola depends on observations, but usually 1-2 weeks of spraying is enough to completely get rid of aphids, and the effect appears immediately after the first use.
There are several recipes for preparing a solution against aphids:
- 5:1 coca cola and water . A very concentrated mixture, used for large numbers of affected plants.
- 1:1. Less concentrated, but more often used mixture.
- 2 liters of Coca-Cola per 7 liters of water (small bucket) . This solution is suitable when aphids are just beginning to appear on the leaves. At the same time, it is important not to miss the moment and carefully examine the inside of the leaves, where the aphids lay their larvae.
Do not use undiluted Coca-Cola, otherwise all kinds of insects will flock to the smell of caramel and sugar, and there will be no effect, apart from the time spent.
Spray the bushes of garden plants with this solution without touching the inflorescences. Coca-Cola is not dangerous to humans unless it is often taken internally.
To see how Coca Cola works against aphids, watch the following video.
