If you are gardening in pots or in grow bags, you need to take care of your plants very well. Your plants can be affected by aphids that are difficult to detect at first. These pests live in a group and cause damage to plants. In this article, you will know, what are aphids and how to remove aphids from plants.
What are Aphids?
Aphids (black bugs) are very small soft-bodied insects that infest the leaves, flowers, and stems of plants. These insects suck the sap from the leaves of the plant for their food, due to which the plant becomes weak, and gradually the growth of the plant stops. As a result, the plant withers or dies. Moreover, it is difficult to figure out where they are coming from and how they spread so quickly. 
- Aphids rapidly increase their numbers, so it is important to control them before breeding begins.
- Aphids can create lots of problems for plants
- Generally, these insects attack plants on the back side of the leaves, thus they are not visible from the upward side.
- If we stop these aphids (black bugs) at the beginning itself, then it will be fruitful, otherwise, they can create lots of problems for the plants.
How to get rid of aphids on plants
There are many ways to remove aphids (black bugs) and keep plants safe from them without using harmful chemicals and pesticides. It is mandatory to follow the correct procedure to get rid of them otherwise they can spoil the whole plant. These insects harm the plant but they do not affect human beings. We can use our hands while doing treatment for them.
Let us know the ways to remove aphids from plants:-
1. Cut the affected part 
If you see Aphids on your plant, then the first step is to separate the affected part from the rest of the plants.
2. Check the condition of the plant
After separating it, check the actual condition of the plant because all the affected parts need to be removed as aphids inhabit groups all over the plant. You might find them at the bottom of leaves, in the branches, or in flowers.
3. Cover the pot and the soil with plastic
After checking the plant thoroughly, cover the pot and the soil with plastic properly. This is very important, do not avoid this step. When pesticides are sprayed on the plant, there might be the possibility that insects will fall down inside the pot (on the soil). They might attack the plant again. So, to get rid of them completely, it is important to cover your pot with plastic.
4. Protect the soil from the insects
- Tilt your plant’s branches to the outer side (of the pot) for treatment.
- Make sure you keep one bucket under the branch (on which you are doing treatment), so that pests would not fall on the pot or ground. These insects should fall inside the bucket only.
- Our final motive is to protect the soil from these insects.
5. Wash the infected leaves from the water 
- After that, remove these insects from all the leaves, and wash them with water.
- Clean the bottom side of the leaves properly.
- Spray bottles or any water cans can be used to do the spray.
6. Prepare organic pesticide
For effective treatment, prepare one solution.
- Take 8-10 cloves of garlic and grind them to make a paste.
- Add 1 glass of water to this paste, boil it for 5 minutes, and sieve it.
- Take one ½ liter bottle and fill it with this solution.
- Add 1 tbsp neem oil, ½ tbsp hand wash (soap), and normal water to the garlic solution. Your spray is ready.
Aphids run away from the garlic and that is why it is used in this solution.
- Neem is an organic pesticide, it also helps a lot to get rid of pests.
- Soaps can vanish any virus. It can help in removing insects from the plants also.
7. Spray Neem oil solution on each and every part of the plant 
- After creating the neem oil solution, spray the solution on each and every part of the plant – branches, leaves, flowers, etc.
- This process can be done in the evening because during the daytime plants do photosynthesis and if the leaves are coated with this solution then photosynthesis would not happen.
During the evening, plants do rest and respiration. If we do spray at that time, it would not affect the growth of the plant.
8. Wash the entire plant with water again
- Next day in the morning, cover your pot and soil with plastic properly.
- Now, wash the entire plant with water properly.
- At that time, you will observe that 80% of aphids are gone and only 20% are left. Repeat steps 7 & 8
After that in the evening time, repeat step 7 for 2-3 days continuously, and in the morning repeat step 8.
If you continue this for 2-3 days regularly, all the aphids will disappear from the plant.
9. Keep checkingÂ
Keep on checking this plant, if you see the pests again then repeat the whole process again and keep your plant healthy.
Stay Clean !!
Stay Healthy !!!!