How to spray roses from aphids?

A rose affected by aphids is a sight that breaks the heart of the owner of the site. It is unbearable to watch how small pests densely clung to young shoots and stems of flowers. Feeding on juices, insects "bleed" the magnificent flowers, simultaneously spreading fungal and viral diseases. What to do if aphids appear on roses, how to help your flower garden, how to process it?

Signs of damage to the rose by aphids

The pest can be seen with the naked eye, the following features indicate the massiveness of its population of roses:

• a sticky, sweet coating on the leaves (honeydew) that attracts black ants;
• rolled or yellowing leaves;
• shrinking buds;
• reduction in growth rates, manifestation of dwarfism, especially noticeable in tall varieties.

The fight against aphids begins immediately, as soon as the slightest signs of damage appear. In a short time, the pest attacks all plants on the site, spreading many diseases, including cancer.

Ways to get rid of aphids

Depending on the method of exposure to the pest, methods of getting rid of it are divided into 4 groups:

• mechanical restoration;
• the use of insecticides;
• folk remedies;
• pest prevention.

Mechanical processing of rose bushes means manual collection and destruction of insects. Another option is to regularly spray the plants with water under moderate pressure. Pests washed off the leaves and stems fall on the ground, where they become prey for wasps, ladybirds and other predatory insects.

Treatment of rose bushes with chemicals

The use of chemicals on the site is an extreme measure, which is used to treat roses from aphids.

From an extensive list of drugs aimed at destroying aphids, choose those that are applicable to roses. The manufacturer indicates this information in the instructions. The most effective remedies (according to gardeners who specialize in growing the queen of the garden):

• Fitoverm;
• "Aktofit";
• "Spark";
• "Decis";
• "Aktara";
• Inta-Vir.

The listed tools show good results, but they have drawbacks:

1. Over time, pests develop insecticide resistance.
2. Collecting flowers and buds for medicinal purposes after using chemistry is not possible.
3. Do not use the poison on roses located next to berries, fruit trees and shrubs, especially during the period of formation and ripening of fruits.

The treatment of roses from aphids is carried out using personal protective equipment. Working solutions are prepared strictly according to the instructions.

Getting rid of roses from aphids with folk remedies

Processing roses with folk remedies to get rid of pests is considered less effective, but the safest. Properly prepared potions for a single use reduce the number of aphid colonies on each rosebush by half.

The most reliable, time-tested folk recipes are based on the use of improvised means available at each site.

• Soap solution

In a bucket of water, dissolve 250-300 g of soap - household, tar, coniferous, green. Rose bushes are sprayed until the pest is completely exterminated. Sometimes the soap is partially replaced with dog shampoo.

• Wood ash

The infusion is prepared at the rate of 2 cups per bucket of water. Ash is poured into water, boiled for about half an hour, filtered. Add liquid soap or shampoo (40-50 ml per 10 l), mix well and process the rosary. For best results, you need to spray roses for several days in a row.

• Arrows of garlic

The concentrate is prepared from finely chopped arrows in a volumetric ratio of 1: 5. Insist 4-5 days, then squeeze the green mass. The working solution is prepared from 10 liters of water and 1 tbsp. l. infusion. Roses are processed daily or every other day until complete victory over pests.

• Nightshade

Leaves or stepchildren of tomatoes, potato tops, young shoots of tobacco are crushed and poured into a bucket half the volume, filled with hot water, insisted for 2-3 days under a lid. The strained solution should be sprayed with rose bushes. Processing is carried out within a week.

• Hot pepper

The crushed pods are poured into boiling water in a volume ratio of 1:10, boiled for 25-30 minutes, insisted for 2-3 days. The resulting concentrate is diluted with water 1:10. Roses are processed every other day until the pest disappears completely.

• Sagebrush

2 kg of fresh wormwood (700 g dry) is boiled in a bucket of water for 10-15 minutes, then insisted until it cools completely - about 5 hours. Rose bushes are processed once a week.

If, before spraying with infusions prepared according to folk recipes, mechanical cleaning of the bushes from aphids is carried out, the effectiveness of the procedures will increase by 2-3 times.

For the preparation of infusions, onions are also used, their arrows or husks, chives, horseradish leaves, mustard powder,

In addition to the listed means of folk "gardening" medicine, summer residents use many other methods of getting rid of aphids - they spray with Coca-Cola, kerosene or an iodine-milkshake, hang banana peels on the branches, etc. It is difficult to judge the effectiveness of new techniques, reviews they are contradictory.

With a massive defeat of the aphid rose garden, folk remedies are not always able to help. When resorting to industrial insecticides, preference is given to biological products, for example "Fitoverma", "Aktofit", characterized by a wide spectrum of action against other pests and diseases.

Preventive actions

Prevention of the appearance of aphids on roses includes not only the correct choice of a place for the rose garden, soil preparation, timely removal of damaged and weak parts of the bushes. The choice of neighbors in the flower garden often serves as an excellent natural protection of the queen of the garden from aphids.

Plants that cannot stand aphids:

• lavender (landscape designers welcome this neighborhood);
• calendula, which repels aphids and ticks at the same time;
• nasturtium, which additionally improves the soil;
• marigold, flowers, insecticides and healers in the flower bed;
• geranium;
• tansy;
• pyrethrum (Caucasian chamomile);
• thyme (thyme).

The aroma of marigolds, tansy, calendula attracts ladybirds to the bushes - the natural enemy of aphids.

In early spring, before the buds swell, the soil in the root zone and around the bushes is treated with urea (500 g / 10 l of water), and a week later - with copper sulfate (200 g / 10 l). The treatment helps to get rid of the larvae and adults of aphids wintering in the ground, and will kill the spores of pathogenic fungi.

It is also important to protect the roses from the aphids that can spread. To nullify any harmful effect on the bushes themselves, gardeners use a little trick: they dig the soil under the bushes with essential oils of eucalyptus, mint, tea tree, or sprinkle with ground cinnamon. Ants cannot stand these aromas and therefore do not bother rose bushes growing on scented soil.

Whichever remedy is chosen for the treatment of the aphid rosary, one has to remember that the pest easily adapts to the poison, therefore, chemical and folk remedies alternate. The correct combination of preventive measures and harmless methods of treating bushes from aphids allows you to do without the use of chemical insecticides.