Was so happy to see my sad, under-soiled tomato plant putting out flowers, but it's also attracted aphids! I'm too poor to even afford pesticides, and was planning on growing organic anyways, but I'm not getting any help with pest predators from the surrounding apartment environment (cropped lawn grass and dandelions)
How do I attract natural predators of plant pests, like hoverflies, parasitoid wasps, ladybeedles and others without just buying a pack from a store? I want to engage in the war on bugs on the side of bugs, but the bugs that eat the bugs that eat my plants, for essentially a budget of $0. How the hell am I supposed to do this...
Oh and if anyone's wondering, I bought these plants from the farmer's market on EBT because they were cheap but I can't buy any dirt or bigger pots. So I'm working with the best I got until I get a job and a paycheck
If you have a spray bottle you can mix water and a bit of soap and spray down the flowers to knock them off. It also makes a slippery surface so they should have a hard time getting back on. Though tomatoes don’t usually like water on the stalks or leaves too much so be careful and try to target the affected areas only.
Be very careful.
"Soap" today isn't what it used to be. It's made of synthetic high performance surfactants that can severely damage the plant.
Only use potassium soap or very mild baby shampoo that doesn't contain much sodium.
And only use it in ultra diluted amounts.
You only want so much that the water can suffocate the aphids, and not leave any residues that harms the plant!
This is when commercial products lead the way. Get some safers soap or some neem oil.
This is the answer. Simple recipe that works: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/pesticides/homemade-soap-spray.htm
Just spray it where you see aphids consistently and they'll eventually stop showing up. Also look around to see what other plants they may have come from. They don't just show up on one.
The aphids have an oily layer that keeps them hydrated. The soap breaks this down and they dry out.