GROW LIKE MIKE: Defeating Aphids

You Ask – Mike Answers!

Ask our Head Grower, Mike Hicks, all of your burning planty questions.

The question below was emailed to us last month:

Hi Mike,

How do I control aphids on my houseplants?

Mike says:

Aphids can be a common, and relentless, pest on houseplants. Because aphids can have several generations per year, it’s important to be on top of treatment and be aggressive.

Aphids in mild climates reproduce asexually throughout most or all of the year with adult females giving birth to live offspring—often as many as 12 per day—without mating. They will also lay eggs when the weather warms up.

Yikes! What to do?

Use an insecticidal soap or horticultural oil (not neem oil) spray every 3 days for 6 weeks until you don’t see any more aphids. We like the Garden Safe brand.
Rotate between the soap and the oil for a one-two punch. Because they reproduce so fast, they can become resistant to treatments. Spray generously! These are contact insecticides.
Spray all your plants, not just the ones with aphids. Because the pesky critters can fly, it’s safe to assume there’s a few hiding out in your collection.
For a long term solution, Mike recommends using systemic insecticide granules labelled for houseplants.
If you’re looking for an effective insect predator to manage aphids, try Lacewings or Aphidoletes. We do not recommend ladybugs as almost all sold in the U.S. are wild harvested. Learn more here.