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Your Aerogarden may become infested with indoor garden pests, much like any other indoor plant.
However, you're growing things to eat here and so chemicals are a definite no - even if you use them outdoors, you don't want to be using them in your home.
Your Aerogarden will very likely be in your kitchen and so you'll need to be really careful as to what you select to combat the pests.
This advice is equally applicable to any indoor plants you have growing - it's just with the Aerogarden, you need to be cautious as it is an electrical appliance.
You can try a sample lesson to help you decide if the Herbal Academy of New England is the right choice for you - follow the link below.
Much like outdoors, you'll see signs of infestation.
The first thing to do is make sure you've got an infestation
They can arrive on clothing, other plants in the house or produce you bring in.
These sticky papers work by catching the flies as they come to lay their eggs - no eggs, no babies :-)
The bright yellow color is attractive to most insects (a good tip if you don't like being bothered by stinging insects outdoors is to avoid wearing yellow and avoid planting yellow flowers near your sitting area) and so they make a 'beeline' for it (pardon the pun) They stick to the paper and that's the end of them.
Throw them away when they're full - they've done their job and kept your plants bug free, so don't begrudge the few bucks you've spent on them. It means you won't have to go through all the rigmarole of dealing with the bugs and perhaps losing the crop you've been carefully tending to.
What you do will depend on the size of the plants when you first see the pests.
If the plants are small and there are no flowers or fruits set, then treat as follows:
If the plants are larger or have set flowers or fruits then treat as follows:
It's very simple to make - you need to use natural soap, Liquid Castile is the best. If you can get peppermint Castile soap, then use that, if not, then add five drops of peppermint essential oil to the mixture.
Don't use anything other than natural soap - no detergents - it is the fatty acids in animal fat or vegetable oil which are the active ingredients.
Put this into a spray bottle and give it a good shake before using it.
Spray on the plants, making sure you get underneath the leaves. Repeat weekly until the pests have gone.
Treat all the plants in your house if you have an infestation as a precautionary measure.
If you want to make a smaller quantity, then one heavy tablespoon (so a quarter more) to one quart of water.
You will also find these articles of interest
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The pros and cons of having an Aerogarden  |
How to find space in a tiny kitchen to set up your Aerogarden  |
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