Aphid

[Aquaman]

Hello! Can you all tell me how to effectively get rid off aphids from my cucumber leaves. I hate to see them so much. Thanks for your help.

[George]

(1) Knock them off with a spray of water.  Repeat as needed.

(2)  Soap spray, lye soap if you can get it.

(3)  Worm casting spray.  I've never tried it but some say it is the best.

[Michelle Tonkinson]

Is the soap spray and lye okay to use with fish though?

I get aphids on my lettuce and kale.  I pull up the whole plant and let them float in the fish pond.  The aphids fall off and become yummy fish treats!

I tried spray bottle of water which knocks them off into the grow bed. But I think they just crawl back up on the plants again.

[George]

Good point.  Low overall water volume in your system and/or too much soap could be fatal to your fish.  However, soap is used sparingly and effectively in aquaponics.  I've never used it.

Using a spray of water is only feasible outside and a forceful spray from a hose is what I'm recommending - you can direct the spay to the underside of the leaves to knock the aphids off.  Repeat as needed until the infestation is eradicated.  Believe me, this works.

If pulling your plants up works for you, that's great but it would cause too many torn roots left in in my gravel and too much shock to the plants.  

Michelle Tonkinson said:

Is the soap spray and lye okay to use with fish though?

I get aphids on my lettuce and kale.  I pull up the whole plant and let them float in the fish pond.  The aphids fall off and become yummy fish treats!

I tried spray bottle of water which knocks them off into the grow bed. But I think they just crawl back up on the plants again.

[Aquaman]

Thank you

George said:

(1) Knock them off with a spray of water.  Repeat as needed.

(2)  Soap spray, lye soap if you can get it.

(3)  Worm casting spray.  I've never tried it but some say it is the best.

[Janine Garfinkel]

We recently had aphids.  I scooped everything that had aphids - including the cilantro plants - and tossed everything into the fish tank.  Left them 2 hours.  Then replanted.  Removed the hydrogen the next day.  The fish ate the aphids, and now there's not a trace of them.  

[Frank Buffone]

Had a bad aphid infestation in my summer of plagues tis year. A friend had millions of lady bugs hatching in her house around the same time. I caught a couple hundred of them and released them in my patio. A few days later, no aphids and only a few stray ladybugs hanging around. They are aphid eating machines.

[Robbee]

Where do you get lady bugs? I live in central Florida so there are not a lot of lady bugs around.

[Frank Buffone]

Lady bugs hatch here when the first warm spell hits usually. I don't know how they get in but many hatch inside houses. They are easy to catch as they usually collect against windows. You may be able to purchase them if they are not indigenous to your area.