As much as I love the idea of microbiomes and letting nature do its thing, when it comes to finding aphids on tomato plants in my garden, I tend to take things into my own hands. If you haven’t come across them, you probably will at some point in your gardening experience.
Aphids are tiny green insects that are easy to miss unless you look closely. They feed by tearing into the plants with their vampire-like fangs and sucking out the nutrient-rich liquids. Worse, they can carry diseases from plant to plant, causing extra damage.
And in case that’s not enough, they reproduce quickly, so a few aphids on tomato plants in a corner of your garden can soon be a destructive force. Lucky for us, there are several ways to get rid of aphids.
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5 Easy ways to kill aphids on tomato plants before they ruin your garden
Your first line of defense in dealing with aphids on tomato plants or elsewhere in your garden is our friend, the ladybug. In the world of beneficial insects, ladybugs are legendary as aphid killers. You can also plant chives and marigolds, as they may repel aphids and other pests.
If you’re past that point, though, and need to take more drastic action, head to your pantry. You most likely already have what you need to take on an army of aphids.
1. Easy aphid spray. You only need a few simple ingredients for this one. Add a few drops of dish detergent and a tablespoon of vegetable oil to a quart of water and spray your plants when it’s cool out, either very early in the morning or late in the evening, so the oil doesn’t concentrate in the summer heat. You can also make this without the vegetable oil; the dish soap and water mixture should do the trick, it might just take a little longer. With either recipe, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to help deter any further aphid infestation.
2. Neem oil spray. Neem oil is like the ibuprofen of the garden. It seems to cure so many problems, from mildew on rosemary to aphids on tomato plants. If this miracle cure isn’t in your pantry already, go get some as soon as you can. For dealing with aphids, mix two tablespoons of Neem oil into a quart of water and spray weekly, making sure to get the underside of the leaves where aphids congregate.
3. Vinegar spray. This one is pretty basic, as well, but it works. Simply combine vinegar and water in a one-to-five ratio and spray your plants. Vinegar can also help prevent mold and fungal diseases, so you get bonus points for this combo.
4. Flour. I’ll be honest. I haven’t tried this, but supposedly all-purpose flour is one way to kill aphids on tomato plants. It’s said to dry them out when they eat it. Again, I can’t vouch for this, but if you’re desperate, it certainly won’t hurt anything.
5. Water. Okay, this one probably isn’t in your pantry, but if you don’t have a major infestation of aphids on tomato plants, you can use your garden hose to spray them off. A word to the wise, however: spray away from your garden. You don’t want to shift the aphid problem to another plant.
As with most pest problems, of course, the easiest solution is to prevent them in the first place. Companion planting with mint, garlic, and other strongly scented plants (such as the previously mentioned chives and marigolds) is a great way to add some extra life to your garden and keep pests away.
Have you had issues with aphids on tomato plants in your garden? How did you take care of it?
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Our whole yard seems to be full of aphids….what to do??
I dry the morning coffee grounds, then mix into the soil. If you are in a hurry to get rid of them, make weak coffee and water. The aphids should be gone in a day or two. Repeat. Also works on my organic roses for 20 years.
Our tomato plants are growing nicely but the tomato are black what can I do ?
As an Extension Master Gardener I usually consider your articles informative and agree for the most part but I have two issues with this one. 1) vinegar has a PH value of 2 to 3. That makes it a strong acid. Diluting it doesn’t raise the PH it only waters it down. You are still spraying acid on your plants.
2) spraying a jet stream of water on the plant is as effective as anything. Most extension agent’s recommended this first. Don’t worry about where the aphids go because they try to hold on and the jet spray rips their mouth parts off.
Thanking you in advance.
They were on my tomato plants leaves. I picked all the leaves off my tomato plant and covered the plants with cheesecloth — that worked.
Thank you for the information on aphids, my problem is white fly under the leaves.
We love hit pepper and try to grow different varieties but white fly is there weekly
I use the been oil and soap but I was wondering if you have a magic potion