this post was submitted on 11 May 2025
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67
Poverty gardening - APHIDS! (lemmynsfw.com)
submitted 1 week ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
31 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Was so happy to see my sad, under-soiled tomato plant putting out flowers, but it's also attracted aphids! I'm too poor to even afford pesticides, and was planning on growing organic anyways, but I'm not getting any help with pest predators from the surrounding apartment environment (cropped lawn grass and dandelions)

How do I attract natural predators of plant pests, like hoverflies, parasitoid wasps, ladybeedles and others without just buying a pack from a store? I want to engage in the war on bugs on the side of bugs, but the bugs that eat the bugs that eat my plants, for essentially a budget of $0. How the hell am I supposed to do this...

Oh and if anyone's wondering, I bought these plants from the farmer's market on EBT because they were cheap but I can't buy any dirt or bigger pots. So I'm working with the best I got until I get a job and a paycheck

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If you want to attract beneficial insects you should buy some parsley. It's attracts beneficial insects and supposedly hides the scent of other plants.

It attracts pollinators as well. There's no point buying bugs if you don't have anything to feed them. Just buy a parsley plant and then you can use it as well

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Lemongrass is good at masking scent also, and grows like a weed (plus makes yummy tea!)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 days ago

I have been planting some in a pot because I was told it repels mosquitos. I don't think it does but I grew enough tea to last me more than what I used in a year. I think this season I am going to freeze some of the larger stems for cooking and make some infusions with thee grassy parts. I would recommend it