Aphids can cause significant damage to your garden beds, and the delicate leaves of cabbage are particularly attractive to them. If you want to avoid chemicals and protect your plants naturally, a garlic oil spray is ideal.

Garlic contains sulfur, which strongly repels aphids, and the oil creates a thin film on the pests’ bodies, making it difficult for them to breathe.

🧄 Recipe for homemade garlic spray

It is easy to prepare and only requires ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.

What you will need:

1 head of garlic (about 10-12 cloves)

2 teaspoons of vegetable oil (e.g. rapeseed or sunflower)

500 ml of warm water

A few drops of organic wormwood or liquid potassium soap (acts as a wetting agent so that the mixture adheres to the leaves)

Preparation:

Peel the garlic and finely crush or chop it.

Pour over the vegetable oil and leave to infuse for 24 hours at room temperature.

The next day, add warm water and a few drops of soap/wormwood. Mix everything thoroughly.

Strain the liquid through a fine sieve or cheesecloth to prevent the sprayer from getting clogged with garlic pieces.

Pour the liquid into the sprayer.

How to use the sprayer correctly?

💡 Important note: Never spray cabbage in direct sunlight! The leaves could get burned. The ideal time is early morning or evening.

“` Thoroughness is key: Aphids like to hide on the underside of leaves and deep in the leaf axils. So focus your treatment on these areas first.

Repetition: Natural sprays don’t last as long as chemical sprays. Repeat every 3 to 5 days until the aphids are gone, and of course always after a rain.

🌿 Other quick alternatives

If you don’t have garlic on hand, try these tried and tested organic alternatives:

Soap solution: Dissolve 1 tablespoon of liquid soap (ideally Marseille or potassium) in 1 liter of lukewarm water. Spray directly on the aphids.

Nettle infusion: If you have time, soak fresh nettles in a bucket of water for 24 hours (don’t let them ferment, as they will then turn into fertilizer). This undiluted infusion reliably repels aphids.