Does Copper Fungicide Kill Aphids?

Copper Fungicide is used to treat your plant for any diseases it may carry. As well as killing diseases, let’s look at if this solution kills pests such as aphids as well.

Will Copper Fungicide Kill Aphids?

There has been debate over the use of copper fungicide in gardening because of its potential ability to harm and kill insects, including aphids. This solution has been used to kill aphids and other sap-sucking pests as well as to treat the diseases that can be caused by the presence of these insects.

It can and will kill some aphids but it can also harm other insects in the garden which is why it’s a good idea to err on the side of caution when using it in your garden.

How to Use Copper Fungicide

Copper fungicide is copper metal, dissolved into a liquid and there are many things that can be added to it to create different fungicide solutions.

Whilst it is used primarily to treat fungal diseases on plants there is the added benefit of pest control. In particular, gardeners have noticed that the mixture of copper sulphate and lime is effective when killing and getting rid of aphids.

This salt solution is likely to be so hated by aphids because of the presence of lime. Aphids do not like the smell of citrus and can be deterred by citrus fruit peels at the base of plants.

What Does Copper Fungicide Treat?

Focusing on its primary use of disease control and treatment, listed below are some of the different plant problems that can be solved by the use of copper fungicide.

Powdery Mildew

This can affect any types of plant and is usually the result of high humidity. You can tell if your plant has powdery mildew because the leaves will have a thin layer of white or grey powder which can eventually make the leaves turn yellow. You can see this shown below:

Downy Mildew

This problem is often undiagnosed as it is tricky to spot. It most commonly shows by displaying symptoms of fury growth on leaves that is usually white, brown or purple.

Septoria Leaf Spot

If you grow tomato plants, you need to keep your eye out for this. It is a leaf spot disease that causes black spots and holes to form in plant leaves due to the presence of fungus.

Anthracnose

This strange-sounding disease is most commonly found on the leaves of plants and usually occurs in the spring. The spring weather allows the fungal spores to spread and reproduce on the often wet leaves and twigs of plants.

These are just some of the problems that copper fungicide can treat, but you should not assume it treats all ailments. Make sure to research what your plant needs before applying a copper fungicide.

Can Copper Fungicide be a Primary Aphid Deterrent?

You can use a copper fungicide as your main way to control aphids, but you shouldn’t.

Not only is it not 100% effective at killing aphids, but it can also cause harm to other insects. These insects include, but are not limited to, very beneficial garden insects such as ladybugs, bees and butterflies. Bees and butterflies are brilliant pollinators and help to keep your garden looking beautiful and healthy.

Too much copper fungicide can cause damage to these insects and that should be avoided. It can also cause harm to ladybugs that are aphids’ biggest predators. So, by using copper fungicide you might accidentally help your aphid population by killing their predators.

Can Copper Fungicide Harm Plants?

The overuse of copper fungicide can cause harm to your plants. The solution works by penetrating the plant cells to tackle the diseases. If you overdo your application of copper fungicide it can then proceed to penetrate and damage the plant cells themselves.

Though copper fungicide can be very helpful, and sometimes necessary, to tackle plant diseases you should use it with caution and only if required.

Final Summary

To summarise what has been said in this article, yes, copper fungicide does kill aphids. However, it also kills other garden insects such as bees that are very helpful.

You should not use a copper fungicide as a primary method of pest control as it can cause damage to the environment as well as your plants if it is overused.

Copper fungicide should be reserved for the use of treating diseases, some of which include powdery mildew, downy mildew and Septoria leaf spot.