Nothing ruins a day of gardening quite like the discovery of an aphid outbreak. It can never just be one — it has to be all of them! Aphids can suck the fun out of gardening by sucking the sap out of plants. This can lead to discoloration, wilted or disfigured leaves, and can even spread plant diseases to the plant they’re feasting on. They multiply quickly on their own but are encouraged to do so by little ant farmers who want the sticky liquid the aphids leave behind.
You can get rid of aphids in many ways, whether by letting ladybugs enjoy an aphid buffet or using products like neem oil or vinegar to eradicate them. Though there are many battle tactics to take back your plants, don’t overlook prevention. There’s a simple solution you can use that you probably have in your kitchen: banana peels. You can use these to repel aphids and keep them far away from your garden.
Send a warning to aphids with banana peels
A lot of people enjoy the lightly sweet scent of bananas. But aphids, not so much. The scent repels them and will make them want to keep their distance from your garden. Use this to your advantage and put them around your plants. Cut up banana peels into small pieces and bury them under a thin layer of soil around your plants. Keeping them covered is important since the peels attract backyard critters like raccoons, squirrels, and curious pets. It may take a couple of days for the current aphids to flee, but it will start helping prevent new aphids immediately.
Bananas make a great addition to the soil since they can be composted pretty quickly. The smaller you cut them up, the faster they’ll return to the earth, and you won’t have to worry about critters getting to them. Bananas will replenish nutrients in the soil, which will help out the plants drained by aphids.
