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Do you have any suggestions on dealing with aphids? We usually get them later in the summer, but our water lettuce that we purchased had them. We've had them isolated from the rest of the plants, but we really need to get them under control. Rinsing each plant is very time consuming... Josh
The best way to deal with water garden aphids is to keep up with trimming yellowing leaves. A water lily aphid usually spends most of its life on one leaf and by the time the leaf has started to yellow it has quite a population of aphids -- a large family group, I would say. By trimming old leaves off you remove a lot of aphids. Besides your water garden looks better by removal of these leaves. There can be aphids on the undersides of lotus and on lettuce, etc. However, I have found that there will be fewer aphids by removing old leaves. I am very aggressive in taking these leaves out. Any sign of yellowing and they are out. Oh yeah, be gentle in keeping the aphids on the leaf until it is out of the pond.
By spraying them off the leaves with a garden hose does NOT reduce the population of them. They are right back on a leaf ASAP and you have just spread them to more leaves (some of them young leaves). I have never seen fish eat them when I have done this. The books say to do this but it is one of those things that keeps getting said but without proof that it works.
Newly purchased water plants need to be rinsed and inspected. It is easy to bring the little buggers and infect all your plants.
We have a new product available that is for spraying on aphids and is suppose to be non- toxic to fish/plants of a water garden. It comes in a green bottle and is called Herbal Aphid Control. I have heard that it works but I have no personal experience. I do have a bottle and will use it when I have a chance. No aphids yet -- knock on wood.
Hope this helps. Jamie