Aphids on Potato Plants: The Causes and Ways to Free

Aphids on potato plants are issues that make every potato lover furious when they notice this condition on their plants. Potatoes are edibles, and the presence of aphids doesn’t only make them unfit for eating but also makes them unsellable for farmers.

So the question on your mind is, “What are the causes of this infestation, and how can one resolve it?” The answers to your questions are here, so let’s go through the details surrounding your potato aphid infestation.

Why Are There Aphids on Potato Plants?

There are aphids on potato plants because of the environmental conditions, ant infestation, and infected plant material around them. You should also know that it can be due to growing the crops through stress, having the absence of beneficial bacteria, and having variation in the seasons.

Potato aphids kick off their infestation when the environmental conditions in the plant’s location support their feeding and breeding. The health status of your potato plant also contributes to the chances of being infested by aphids.

– Environmental Conditions

Aphids breed and manifest under certain environmental conditions as it supports their life cycle, and potato plants fall among their victims. These pests grow in environmental conditions that are damp and warm, with high humidity and little to no air circulation, and this is when they find the opportunity as the surrounding is rich in warmth, and grow.

The chances of them infesting your potato plants also increase with the presence of excess moisture in your plant’s location. All these conditions create the optimal conditions for aphids to increase their numbers, infesting your plants faster.

The infestation can also reach a certain irreversible state if not attended to on time, killing your precious potato plant. There are barely any pink aphids but aphids, in general, attack potatoes when the right conditions are met, which are most applicable to their increase and development. You can expect to find aphids on your potato plants and any other plants you might have in that garden or location.

– Ant Infestation

The infestation of ants and aphids go hand in hand since they share a unique relationship as they move about. It is a symbiotic relationship where the ants protect the aphids in return for special honeydew, and they will be helping one another to preserve the ecology they created.

This means there is a high chance of noticing aphids in locations where ants run rampant, which can be your plant. You should keep in mind how ants also provide a means of transportation for aphids by moving them from other locations to your potato plant. In short, it is essential that you watch out for ants infesting your potatoes while it’s still on the plant.

– Infected Plant Material

Infection and infestations can also be transmitted, and your potato plant isn’t exempted from the victims of these situations. You will notice infestations if you have an infested plant around your growing potatoes, affecting its overall health.

Common occurrences are the transfer of potato aphids to tomato plants and vice versa, which causes a series of plant damages. Your potato plant might also get the infestation from its previous location, such as a nursery, during its early growth stages. Propagation from stem cuttings also allows your plant to get infested and infected via aphid transfer.

– Overcrowding

Your plant needs a certain level of spacing to enable it to grow optimally, and overcrowding denies this benefit. It doesn’t just stop there, as your potato plant will also run the risk of being infested by aphids.

For this, you would have to see how overcrowding gives the plant less air, and aphids love locations with little ventilation for efficient breeding, whether you overcrowded the surroundings with other potatoes or infested crops. In addition, you may also see that your potatoes are experiencing the net necrosis that you notice due to growing under environmental conditions that are too dry.

In this case, you would also see how aphids would also tend to hasten the process and contribute to this symptom, especially during their infestation. It also denies your plant the optimal nutrient level that it needs for healthy growth, thereby reducing its resistance. This gives the aphids free roam and the chance to attack your potatoes without suffering consequences.

– Growing Through Stress

Your plant can get stressed, which counts among the recipes for aphid infestation for one of many reasons. On the other hand, the general reason is always due to an imbalance in the nutrients your plant gets while growing.

Overfertilizing and under-fertilizing your potatoes stand as good contributors to plant stress affecting its overall health status and resistance to attacks. When irrigating, a different ratio causes the same issue but with different symptoms and results but makes the plant experience constant stress.

A stressed plant is unable to fend off pests and diseases properly and is prone to infestation from aphids, and this is the notion to keep in mind because as the stress increases, the pests would also increase.

– Absence of Beneficial Insects

Certain insects are the natural predators of aphids, making them unable to breed in the location they choose. These insects help ward off aphids by feeding on and chasing them away during every encounter to protect your plant.

When in a situation where there is the absence of these insects allows aphids to follow up on their infestation routine without any consequences. Growing the plant outside its natural habitat is one way that keeps the natural predators away from your potato plant.

– Variation in Seasons

Four major seasons provide different living and environmental conditions for both humans and plants. This means there are also climate conditions that promote the infestation of aphids in your current location. It also implies that the rate of infestation varies depending on the season that you are currently in, creating different scenarios.

Aphid infestation takes a high rise during the spring and summer periods due to the temperature being favorable for breeding. When it happens, you will see them growing and absorbing the nutrients from your crops. So you should expect to notice some aphids on your potato plant when the climate conditions in this season are satisfied.

How To Get Rid of Aphids That Infest on Potato Plants?

To get rid of aphids that infest on potato plants, you must introduce biological predators surrounding them, or use some neem oil. You can also tackle them with some watering sprays, or try to plant companion plants, and lastly, give them proper spacing and prune the infestation.

Aphids cause a lot of problems, and the severity increases the longer it takes to get rid of the infestation. The good news is that there are several methods that you can implement when trying to curb aphid infestation, depending on the type of infestation.

These methods include solutions that will cost you to purchase branded products and homemade methods you can try. However, you should note that some methods are easier to use than others, with varying costs.

– Introducing Biological Predators

Prioritizing the use of biological predators works wonders in helping you resolve your aphid infestation issue without much hassle. These insects are tasked with the mission of warding away or feeding on the aphids that are infesting your potato plant.

The effects of this solution are efficient as the predators feed on both the aphids and their eggs located on your potato host plant. Some of the natural predators noted to resolve aphid infestation are lacewings, ladybugs, and parasite wasps, and when you breed them alongside your potato plants, you will see them eating the aphids. You can also learn about more natural predators and aphid infestation by checking out the potato aphids identification chart.

– Using Neem Oils

Implementing chemical control is one of the surefire ways to eliminate aphid infestation, and Neem oil counts as one. Neem oils are obtained from neem trees and are sometimes packaged into products that can be used to remove aphids, and this shows you how the organic solution is readily available.

Reducing the concentration by diluting the neem oil in water is important to avoid harming the plant during use. Ensure you prioritize diluting it to a value between two and five percent or to match the requirements stated on the package. Spray the solution on every part of the plant while prioritizing sections with clumps of aphids and underneath the leaves.

– Getting Water Sprays

Using water sprays also works to remove aphids from your plant without costing you as much as other methods would. It’s also a great solution to your aphid issues since it requires no technical knowledge and takes less time.

All you need is a jet hose or a regular hose fitted firmly to a water outlet, then spray your potato plant. The force helps to push the aphids off your plants with the force of the water, keeping your potato plant clean. However, try to avoid using too much force so as not to damage the parts of the plant, as it may overly irrigate.

– Prioritizing Companion Plants

Another reasonable solution you can implement is using companion plants to resolve your aphid problem. Companion plants are unique plants that chase away pests and insects with some particular traits.

The common trait is the use of special scents to ward off insects, which also protects your potato plant. However, you will need to be careful of the companion plants you get since you need the specific ones that ward aphids off. Also, ensure you don’t get a plant that attracts another pest like potato beetles that will cause harm to your plant.

– Proper Spacing and Pruning

Lastly, two essential solutions that are very basic and should be prioritized are proper plant spacing and pruning. Proper plant spacing helps prevent overcrowding damage by making spacing a priority when planting your potatoes.

Ensure no other plants are shading it from the sunlight, and it’s at a fair distance for proper nutrient management. You also need to avoid pruning too much by cutting excess parts and repeating this process too frequently. Prioritizing these two solutions reduces the aphid infestation you are experiencing with your potato plant.

Conclusion

That concludes your issues with potatoes and the aphids infesting your favorite edible tuber, but always remember that:

• Overcrowding denies your potato plant from getting enough nutrients.
• Using pesticides might have also killed or chased away the natural predators that were present to protect your plant so that you can breed new ones like ladybugs.
• Power washing around the plants works well to chase away aphids.
• Observe your plant more carefully during the spring and summer seasons. This can be a season they increase, so use neem oil around them.

Now that you have all the details about the potential causes of aphid infestation aligned with the solution, it’s time to work, so you can use this information to grow your plant to the healthiest one you can have without sparing any safety resources.