I have treated many pests and insects to help my garden plants. Believe me, whiteflies are the only insects that return again and again. This is not only for my garden, many people complained the same. After treating whiteflies they return again within a few days. Based on my experiences, I am sharing the best home remedies for whiteflies on plants.
No matter, if your plant is potted or in the ground you can apply these methods.
One suggestion to my fellow gardeners: Always try to find a natural organic solution or home remedy first to treat your plant. If that does not work go for insecticidal or chemicals. Some insecticidal should not be applied to edible plants. Always check the instructions.
Their attacking pattern and how they work
You need to understand the whiteflies and their attacking pattern. It will help you to understand how home remedies work.
Experiments and failures make a gardener better. It took me almost 10 years to find the best home remedy to get rid of whiteflies from my garden plants. I thought it would be worth sharing with other gardeners.
Whiteflies are not flies at all. Yes, you heard that right. Whiteflies are tiny, sap-sucking insects closely related to aphids and mealybugs. They might be small (1-2 millimeters in length), but the nuisance they create is significant.
These pests feed by piercing plant leaves. The next step for them is to extract sap. This is why your plant will weaken day by day. As they eat, they excrete a sticky substance called honeydew. These can coat the leaves and stems of your plants. Due to the coverings, sooty mold grows.
Whiteflies Information
| Characteristic | Details |
|---|---|
| Size | 1-2 mm |
| Color | White, powdery wings |
| Common Host Plants | Vegetables, ornamentals, fruit trees |
| Natural Predators | Ladybugs, lacewings, parasitic wasps |
Home remedies to get rid of whiteflies on plants
I will give you the remedies one by one in a specific order (ordered by infestation severity). The second remedy will work better than the first remedy. The third remedy will work better than the second remedy.
Why am I doing this? The amount of whiteflies! Yes, if your plant is attacked by a small number of whiteflies, you don't have to go wild to treat.
Use yellow sticky traps
For the mildest whitefly infestation, Place yellow sticky traps around affected plants. Whiteflies are attracted to yellow colors. They will fly and stick to sticky traps.
Spray water
A strong water stream can be used to wash off the whiteflies (if the number of whiteflies is very few). Even if the whiteflies started creating coatings, the water stream would wash those. You can use your hands wearing gloves to rub and clear the infected spots. This method will not harm the beneficial insects at all. But there is a chance that the whiteflies will come back again. If they come back, follow the rest of the home remedies.
Neem Oil Spray
Wait! There are a lot of gardeners who say "neem oil does not work on whiteflies". The reason is quite simple: you need to apply neem oil before they start reproduction. Neem oil interrupts whitefly feeding and reproduction. Spray the neem oil and water mixture thoroughly on the plants.
I will not recommend soap and water solutions. They work better on caterpillars. I am downvoting soap and water solution on whiteflies.
Garlic clove and chilli powder
Blend garlic clove and mix with red chili powder. If you have chili peppers at your home, just blend them and make powder. Now add water to the mixture and let sit overnight.
Now strain and spray on the plants. The whiteflies might return but they will go back as they don't like garlic and chili on their foods.
But the question is for how long? You can expect 15 days, not more than that.
Warmer and humid regions (like Florida), are the heaven for these whiteflies.
Companion Planting
If you are a regular reader of my gardening tips, you already know the benefits of companion planting in vegetable gardens. There are a few plants you can plant with your infected plants together. They are good at helping repel whiteflies. For example, marigolds (basil, marigold, or nasturtiums too) can help repel whiteflies with a strong scent. Check my companion planting article to learn more. Some plants attract ladybugs and they will eat up whiteflies.
Attracts small birds to your garden
I have two separate gardens and one of those is bird-friendly. I don't have to use insecticidal in the bird-friendly garden. Birds have good eyesight and they can find small insects and eat them. Whiteflies will not be able to stay on your plants due to the birds.
If you are from South Florida or Zone 10, you can check: Best trees to attract birds in South Florida
Insecticidal soap
If any of the above methods are not working for you, it's time to use Insecticidal Soap. If you don't want to buy it, you can create your own.
Mix 1 spoon of liquid dishwasher and 1 spoon of vegetable oil in 1 litre water. (Use warm water)
Now once it gets to normal temperature, spray on the plant.
These are the only home remedies that worked in my garden.
There is one last remedy which I don't recommend but it will work.
Horticultural Oil
If you spray this on the whiteflies-affected plants, it will create a coat and suffocate the whiteflies. But this will also affect the respiratory system of your plant. Apply sparingly if possible.
Request to our readers
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