Aphids and Cukes

[tcy1227]

Hi All,

I currently have 4 cucumber and 3 zucchini plants in a planter in my rooftop garden which are growing well and just beginning to produce cukes. Today I realized that I have aphids (which migrated from my tomato plants) on my cukes and zucchini.

Can anyone tell me the impact aphids have on these plants?

I have a bunch of ladybugs I put on the maters and brought some over to the cukes/zukes, but any other ideas would be most welcome.

Thanks,

Tom

[rainbowgardener]

Aphids are aphids and what works against them on one plant will work on another. You can type aphids in the search box in upper left and read what all has been written about them in the forum, but here's an overview of the non-chemical suggestions:

• ladybugs
  squish them by hand
  hard jet of water
  water with a little non-detergent soap added
  Neem oil
  homemade insect sprays -- my personal recipe is blend up garlic, onion, red pepper, black pepper, tomato leaves, and anything strong smelling and aromatic you have around (mint, tarragon, tansy, etc) in water. Let it stand for awhile then strain. Add a little salad oil to help it stick to the plant and a couple drops of soap, spray.

If you are having as much rain as we are you will need to redo it every once in awhile as it gets washed off.