The Queen of the Flower is a favorite prey of lice. We reveal how to successfully combat aphids on roses, which home remedies help and how to prevent aphids on roses.
Are you already looking forward to the magnificent colors and the unique scent of your roses in summer? But as soon as you see the first flower buds, you make an unpleasant discovery: deformed, shiny and sticky leaves. These are typical symptoms of aphid infestation, because leaves and flowers can be severely damaged by such. Aphids suck on the sugary phloem sap of roses, stunting shoot growth. A severe aphid infestation can even kill the bud. In order to save the fragrant blossoms in summer, we will show you how to recognize an aphid infestation, how to fight the aphids on roses in an environmentally friendly way and how to prevent a new infestation. In addition to various home remedies, there are also very effective ecological methods to get rid of lice on roses.
Recognizing aphids on roses
Once a few aphids have found their way onto your roses, they can multiply very quickly, which is why you should check your roses regularly for aphid infestations. But how can you recognize an infestation with the small animals? You can usually see aphids close together with the naked eye on the shoot tips and flower bases. The lice are a few millimeters in size and can be green, black, red or white in colour. The green colored large rose aphid (Macrosiphum rosae) is usually found on roses. Another indication of aphid infestation are deformed and curled leaves at the shoot tip and hanging flower buds. In the case of a severe infestation, flower buds can even be shed from the plant. Flower buds and shoot tips that hang downwards develop because the aphids cause a large local water loss through their sucking activity on the plant. Leaves among the aphid clusters are often coated with the sticky honeydew that glistens in the sun. What glues the leaves together should actually be a high-energy compound in the plantcirculate and nourish your cells. Due to the sugar on the leaves, blackish sooty mold likes to settle here, which can further weaken the plant by impeding photosynthesis.
Tip: The increased occurrence of ants on a plant indicates an aphid infestation. Ants eat the aphids' honeydew, a sugary excretion of the insects. Therefore, ants protect the aphids from predators and encourage them to suck even more plant sap. In this way, the ants promote an infestation of the small pests.
What are the symptoms of aphids on my roses?
- A few millimeters in size, mostly green insects on the shoot tip
- Deformed and curled leaves
- Dangling flower buds and shoot tips
- Honeydew leaves sticky and shiny
- Sometimes blackish sooty mold on leaves
- Increased occurrence of ants on the plant
Fighting aphids on roses: Recommended measures
What to do if you have discovered an acute aphid infestation in your roses? The aim should be to stop the sucking activity of the aphids as quickly as possible and then get rid of them.
Plant protection products can be divided into biological and synthetic products. Synthetic agents are potentially harmful to beneficial insects and should therefore not be used in the house garden or in the apartment. We recommend always preferring biological measures.
Neem-based products, which are obtained from the seeds of the neem tree, are a very effective and natural alternative. These contain an oil that is particularly good for combating aphids. The purely herbal active ingredient from neem oil is absorbed by the aphids when sucking. After a few hours, the insects lose their appetite and stop sucking. The active ingredient also disrupts the growth and development of the aphids, which causes them to die off.
The active ingredient is distributed throughout the plant, which is why hidden aphids are also affected by the systematic effect.
Our Plantura organic pest-free neem is based on this highly effective neem oil. It allows you to quickly and naturally combat aphids on your roses. The agent is simply mixed with water and sprayed onto the affected plant using a spray bottle. Already three millilitersMixing pest-free with two liters of water is enough to treat twelve roses.
At the same time, our Plantura organic pest-free neem is not dangerous to bees. Of course, the correct application is very important for every crop protection product. You can find detailed information and instructions for use on the product packaging.
Tip: If a neem-based product is applied, you should make sure that cats keep a little distance. While there is no warning from the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, some studies suggest cats may be sensitive to neem oil.
Plantura Organic Pest Free Neem: How to Use it
- Apply immediately after detecting the infestation, in the morning or in the evening.
- Put on protective clothing and observe the instructions on the package insert.
- Mix 3 ml of organic pest-free neem with 2 liters of water to treat approx. 12 roses (do not prepare more spray mixture than necessary).
- Spray onto the affected plant with the squeeze bottle.
- Distribute any leftovers on plants and do not dispose of them with the waste water.
- Repeat the treatment soon after heavy rains.
Home remedies for lice on roses
Especially in the case of a slight infestation of aphids on roses, you can also use home remedies to combat the little animals. We will introduce you to the two most effective home remedies.
Home remedy no. 1: soapy water
The most common home remedy for aphids on roses is soft soap. To do this, make soapy water with a perfume-free pure curd soap or soft soap. For a liquid soap, a mixing ratio of 200 milliliters of soap to one liter of water is suitable. Other detergents, on the other hand, are not suitable as they could damage the plants. The soapy water is then applied to the entire affected area with a spray bottle. This creates a lye film under which the aphids find it difficult to breathe. You will achieve a good effect if the soapy water is sprayed on several times a day. When your roses are no longer visibly infested with lice, you can stop the treatment.
How to use soapy water against aphids on roses:
- Soapsuds with curd soap or soft soap from 200 ml liquid soap to one liter of water
- Spray several times a day on the affected parts of the plant
Home remedy no. 2: Nettle broth
Not only can nettles be a nuisance to humans, but they also help fight lice on roses. You can easily make such a nettle broth yourself:
Soak about 500 grams of fresh green nettles in a pot of five liters of boiling water. You should stir the mixture a few times with a wooden spoon, then cool it down and leave it for 24 hours. The active ingredients in the nettles, such as formic acid, are extracted from the leaves in this way. The brew can then be strained with a fine sieve to prevent the spray bottle from clogging later. You can now spray the brew undiluted with a spray bottle on the affected areas. You should repeat this treatment several times a day until your roses are no longer infested with lice. On days with persistent sunshine, it is best to postpone treatments to the morning and evening hours to avoid burning the leaves. The nettle decoction not only rids your roses of aphids, but also contains active ingredients such as silicic acid, which strengthen your plant at the same time.
Tip: The nettle leaves that have been filtered out can be dried and used as a mulch in your rose bed. The remaining nettle brew can be mixed with water in a ratio of 1:20 and used as liquid fertilizer, as you can read in our article on nettle manure.
How to use nettle decoction against aphids on roses:
- Nettle broth made from 500 g fresh nettles and five liters of boiling water
- Spray on the affected parts of the plant several times a day
Prevention of aphids on roses
The motto when it comes to aphid infestation is: prevention is better than cure. Aphids have an easy time with weakened plants, which is why severe infestations are more common. Aphids tend to prey on weakened plants, so strengthening your roses can help prevent aphid infestations.
The right care for roses is just as important as an optimal supply of nutrients. When fertilizing the roses, care should be taken to ensure a good supply of potassium, while reducing the supply of nitrogen. It is also important that you ensure an adequate supply of magnesium. An optimal supply of your roses with nutrients offers, for exampleour Plantura organic rose fertilizer.
How about a mixed culture instead of a bed of roses only? Plants with essential oils such as savory, onions and especially lavender not only drive away aphids, but also look good next to the roses. A mixed cultivation of roses and, for example, lavender can prevent your roses from being infested with lice.
The targeted promotion of beneficial insects against aphids, such as ladybirds, parasitic wasps or gall midges, can also prevent your roses from being infested. You can encourage beneficial insects by setting up nesting aids and making your garden beneficial insect-friendly. Beneficial insects can also be bought and settled in a targeted manner, which works particularly well in rooms or greenhouses.
Furthermore, aphids are not very good at holding on to their host plants. If you have only noticed a slight infestation on your plants, you should free the shoots from the lice with a somewhat powerful jet of water. Since an infestation often occurs in spring and early summer, regular inspection of the plants from April is recommended.
What is the best way to prevent aphids on my roses?
- Needs-based fertilization of your roses with good potassium and magnesium supply with Plantura organic rose fertilizer
- Mixed culture with fragrant plants such as lavender or savory
- Promote beneficial insects in the garden or use them in a targeted manner
- Spray slightly affected shoots with a jet of water
You can successfully combat aphids on your roses with these numerous variants. With the help of our professional tips for the correct fertilization of your roses, nothing stands in the way of a fragrant bloom.