Are you experiencing whiteflies in a hydroponic garden? I have. Of all the pests out there, the one I have encountered most frequently in my garden is whitefly! These tiny insects look like moths and can do more damage than you think. Whiteflies are capable of laying hundreds of eggs per day, quickly reproducing and taking over your hydroponics garden.
So, I am going to share what I have learned and tested in my hydroponics garden and found to be simple, affordable effective ways to eliminate whiteflies without resorting to more harmful pesticides.
What are whiteflies?
The whitefly is a small insect with yellow or white wings that looks like a tiny moth. The eggs hatch within 5-10 days. The larvae, also known as crawlers, remain attached to the underside of the leave up until they reach the pupal stage, when they then fly away to continue the cycle.
It doesn’t take much for a whitefly infestation to spread and overtake your hydroponic garden. Whiteflies love tomato and pepper plants, and they love mine!
How whiteflies affect your hydroponic garden
Whiteflies are sap-sucking insects that feed on your hydroponic plants for most of their life cycle. Whiteflies will cause the plant to be stunted. Leaves on which the whitefly suck will will eventually wilt and die. Honeydew is excreted by whiteflies after they eat the sap. This attracts other pests, diseases and insects.
Whiteflies can cause physical damage to plants, but they also transmit viruses and pathogens.
What to do if you find whiteflies in your hydroponic garden
Early whitefly infestations can be hard to detect. They blend in with the plants, making it difficult to spot them. Most often, you will notice an infestation of whiteflies in your hydroponic gardens when they are in their adult stage.
You can find whiteflies in large clusters hanging on the undersides of your hydroponic plants’ leaves. Use your vacuum wand and the vacuum hose to remove the whiteflies from your indoor garden before you begin to treat it.
How to Save Your Hydroponic Garden from Whiteflies
Sticky Traps
Sticky traps can be used as a tool for tackling a variety of pest problems, including whiteflies. You can use them to catch adult whiteflies before they lay eggs. Even before I see any signs of pests, I set up sticky traps in my garden. You can catch a whitefly, fungus gnat or other pest before they can lay their eggs.
You can even make your own. Smear some Vaseline on the underside of a yellow post-it note and attach it near your plants. The post it note color attracts the whitefly, but the Vaseline traps them. It will give you an idea whether whiteflies or other critters are present too.
Spray down Your Plants
It’s worth rinsing your plants with water if they are outdoors. Whiteflies and their nymphs can be removed by spraying your plants with the hose. A higher pressure spray can work well, but only if it’s not so high pressure that it damages the leaves. So, be careful. And of course, if the whiteflies are removed but not killed or injured, they could come back and reinfest your crops. So, this may be a good way to remove the pests in the first instance, but other methods should eb sued to keep them off more consistently.
Vacuum up those whiteflies
If you find whiteflies on plants, especially in an indoor environment, then vacuum up the pests can be an effective way to remove them. Make sure to dispose the vacuumed up pests properly otherwise they’ll be back at it again, sucking your plants life juice!
Blow them away
You can use an air blower, like a battery-operated inflator to blow white flies off your plants. Make sure that the pressure of the blower is not too high, otherwise you may damage your plants. The disadvantage of simply blowing the pests away means they are likely to find somewhere else to infest.
Soapy spray
Sometimes a simple soapy spray will do the trick for small infestations. If you want to use a spray, you can either mix your own or buy some already mixed insect-killing soap. Repeat the soap spray daily for 7-10 days.
A natural peppermint soap adds further prevention because the peppermint odor deters many kinds of pests, including whitefly and aphid infestations.
Neem Oil
The organic option of neem oil can be used to rid your hydroponics garden of spider mites. Mix with water to create a foliar mist. You can dilute neem oil to make a 2 gal mix in a sprayer by adding and mixing in 2oz of neem oil.
Insecticidal Soap – Neem Spray
Combining the soap and neem oil in a mixture to spray provides the benefit of both elements in one treatment! Create a 2 gallon mix by adding 2 tablespoons of soap and 2oz of neem oil. Make sure to spray all over the plant, including the undersides.
Azamax
Azamax can be used to treat a heavy infestation. Azamax contains a compound derived from neem trees. The product works even better when combined with neem essential oil. It is also a foliar spray which is mixed with water.
Add Predatory Bugs To Your Garden
This is only if you do not mind having bugs fly around your house. Introduce predatory insects to your garden as a way to rid it of harmful pests and whiteflies. Ladybugs, and other beneficial insects love to feed upon whiteflies and garden pests.
The Bottom Line on Treating Whiteflies in Hydroponic Gardens
Whiteflies can damage your garden, but they can also be controlled. Early detection of a whitefly problem in your hydroponics garden is key to solving the issue and the simple, affordable measures listed above can help get rid of whiteflies in your hydroponic setup. When treating with sprays of any sort (such as a soap-neem mix), make sure to spray the undersides of leaves as well as the tops. Infested plants can also be treated by physically removing the insect pests with a air blower or water sprayer, but be careful not to damage your plants with high pressure. To control pests, friendly natural predator insects can be introduced (like ladybugs) that can work for you!