Aphids can be pests to all kinds of plants that you may be growing in your garden. However, they are commonly found on roses and can quickly cause severe damage to the plant, so let’s look at some ways you can rid of the aphids on your roses.
Natural Ways to Remove Aphids
If you don’t want to kill the aphids and want them removed, there are some simple ways to do this. However, you will probably have to do this more frequently than simply employing a method that kills them.
Remove them by Hand
If you are a little squeamish about bugs then this probably is not the best solution. Aphids are practically harmless to humans and they can be simply picked off of the plant.
You should place them far away otherwise they will quickly come back and reinhabited the plant you removed them from.
Remove them with Water
Aphids are not particularly strong. A good blast of water from a hose will knock them prone and then the water will wash them away from the plant.
When doing this, be sure to blast the underside of leaves as well as that is where many aphids lay their eggs.
Natural Ways to Repel Aphids
The easiest way to deal with an aphid problem is to try and prevent it. Here are a couple of ways you can deter aphids from going to your rose bush.
Garlic
Planting garlic around the base of the rose bush is said to be very effective at helping to keep it aphid free. The aphids do not like the smell of garlic and thus will avoid it and instead inhabit a different plant.
Use Trap Plants
A trap plat is a sturdy plant that can withstand aphids. They are usually bright and scented, like sunflowers, and if they are planted in the garden, then aphids will likely go to these plants and therefore leave your rose bushes alone.
Natural Ways to Kill Aphids
If you want to be permanently rid of those pesky aphids, then there are some natural and easy ways for which you can do so.
Use Natural Predators
You can procure natural predators of aphids through biological control suppliers. The best predators for you to get are ladybugs and lacewing larvae.
Releasing these into your garden will not only improve the ecosystem but they will work well to control the numbers of aphids in your garden because, as primary predators, they eat a large number of aphids every day.
Make a Homemade Insecticide
Using commercial insecticides is an effective way of getting rid of aphids. Still, they are extremely harmful to the environment, and you can make a natural one just as easily at home.
To make this spray, mix one-quarter of water with a couple of teaspoons of natural, liquid dish soap. Mix the solution and add it to a spray bottle. It is always a good idea to conduct a test to ensure the soap you have used will not harm your plants.
Spray a small area of leaves and check in a few hours to see any damage. If not, then you are safe to use it to get rid of aphids.
What Aphids Infest Roses?
There are many different species of aphids and each species has a favourite plant to inhabit. Let’s have a look at what species of aphid you may find on your rosebush.
Rose Aphid
As you may guess from the name, these aphids are almost always found on roses. They are usually green in colour and are most commonly seen in spring and summer.
Potato Aphid
You are more likely to find these aphids closer to the soil and feeding off of the roots of your rosebush. Potato aphids are also green in colour and can be found on a variety of different plants.
Final Summary
To summarise, there are ways to deal with aphids on your roses. You can remove them by hand or using water, and you can deter them by planting garlic or using trap plants.
Using natural predators or making soap spray are the best ways to kill aphids naturally. The aphids you are likely to find on your roses are the rose aphid and the potato aphid.
Ryan is a keen gardener from the UK who’s spent years dealing with countless, common pests over the years so knows the ins and outs of how to deal with pests in the garden
