These are all over some of my Aji pepper plants. How do I get rid of them?
by mvanpamel
Peppers
These are all over some of my Aji pepper plants. How do I get rid of them?
by mvanpamel
3 Comments
Those are aphids, a common pest on pepper plants that feed by sucking sap from the leaves. To control them, spray the plants with a strong stream of water to knock them off, then treat the leaves especially the undersides with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Check the plants regularly and repeat treatment as needed, since aphids reproduce quickly. Removing heavily infested leaves can also help reduce their numbers.
Aphids. They are a pain in the ass of every gardener. They are so effective at reproducing they can literally be born already pregnant, and a single one can reproduce asexually. To top it off, ants will purposefully “ranch” aphids and milk them for their sugary pee at the expense of your plants.
The main approach with aphids is physical removal – soapy water is good at washing them off and away from the plant.
You also might want to watch your fertilization – I’m not sure of the mechanism, but over fertilizing with nitrogen in specific can result in more aphids on a plant.
Aphids. You have a lot of options:
Squish (satisfying pop), Spray off with a hose, Insecticidal soap, Ladybugs, Lacewings, Neem oil
Long term, I recommend planting bunches of flowers to attract beneficial bugs and attract aphids away from crop plants. I like alyssum, nasturtium, marigolds, and letting herbs and lettuce go to flower.