| I've have Stella D'oro Daylillies in my front yard flower beds. They were planted in 2004 and last year they had aphids. I tried to remove them with a safe wash I purchased at Home Depot, but I wasnt able to get rid of all of them. Do you have any suggestions? I want to start early this year (my stellas are starting to show through the mulch) and I want to be sure my plants dont get damaged like last year. Thank you. Terri |
| Luckily, just because you had aphids last year does not mean you will have them again this year. Modern pest management practices for aphids recommend waiting until a problem occurs and then treating if it is truly severe, rather than spraying preventively. You would need to keep an eye out and see if they reappear. The easiest way to remove aphids is to wash them off with a spray of water from the garden hose. Another option is to wait and let nature control them naturally -- when an aphid problem is severe, usually ladybugs will appear and eat them off the plants for you. Or, you can use an insecticidal soap per the label directions. Something else to keep in mind is that aphids tend to attack plants that have been overfertilized, so take care you are not overfeeding your plants. I hope this helps! |
