Thank you, rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7. Let me respond point by point: . "P., baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, not calcium bicarbonate (whatever that is). Sodium bicarbonate really does work." I meant sodium; I don't know how calcium got into my head! . "I worry a little about your prescription for the vinegar. It's very important that the dosage be accurate or leaf tissue can be burned. I also think that a warning about the very real effect that 2 or 3 T. of vinegar/gal. of water can do to the soil pH if carelessly watered in on a routine basis is important." My precscription for the vinegar is clear (as opposed to blackeyedgurl's "diluted"), and has been tested (by me) on catnip. (Note: "Vinegar" means the 5% vinegar that's what one gets at a store.) It's always the case that one may want to try even more-dilute mixtures first, especially on fragile or valuable plants. And concerning your "carelessly watered in": To be clear, I wasn't talking about "watering in", just spraying the foliage (although some say that lightly spraying the surface of the soil can help with fungus gnats). Of course, when one sprays the foliage, there's always the issue of how much ends up in the soil. Optimally, none would - and I work to achieve that as much as possible - but lotsa times, that's unavoidable to some extent. Note that this vinegar solution is so dilute that application such as the above shouldn't change the pH of any soil-based medium, absent extreme over-administration. . "I always cringe a little when someone recommends pure soap or real soap, but don't explain what that means. I suggest that anyone discussing a 'pure soap' be prepared to give examples, brand names. I assume that you mean a plant based liquid soap, free from fragrances and dyes?" So do I - especially since I killed two camellias by using dish-washing liquid that must've had some extra ingredients (duh! talk about careless! I should've tried it on a small part of the plants first.)). Since then, I've used Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile liquid, without any problem. I'm confident that other Castile soaps - either liquid or solid - would be just fine - as would Ivory, no doubt. . "My favorite home remedy for PM is 1 T. baking soda, 1 tsp. horticultural oil, 1 tsp. insecticidal soap, and 1 gallon of water." I've not used oil, since it seems that (and sounds like) it would introduce unnecessary problems. Relatedly, several sources I found said that Baking Soda is ineffective without horticultural oil!

If your containers aren't too large, place them on their sides, and gently pour water over the plants while running your fingers along the plant stems and leaves to knock(and squish)the aphids off. If you wash them into the containers they will find their way back up on the plant. If you do this regularly it should reduce the damage over time. In the mean time, take a cutting or two and root them in moist potting mix or seed starting mix or sand to get more plants started for your kitties. Once they root, plant them in a container away from the others.HTH

I've never had PM on my catnip, but I used diluted milk on the PM that was on my zucchini and cucumbers this year. It did slow it down, but didn't stop it completely. Could you post a picture of your plant? I have two pots of catnip that I brought in for my cats. They have smaller leaves now due to less light, are sitting next to a small lamp with a compact flo bulb, and I have chicken wire cages wrapped around them to keep the cats from eating them down to the nubbin'. They keep the plants trimmed down to the cage. The plants also get 'very' dry between waterings, and we keep the apartment at least 70 degrees most of the time. Do you have catnip seeds? I would start some new plants in new medium asap for back-up in case the current one succumbs to the PM. HTH

Hi Dawna, Thanks for the kind words. I just wanted to put together a little info sheet for everyone because the pests are so bad this year, and everyone has had a lot of questions. It sure has been raining a lot up your way. I hope all is well there. At least we aren't having to worry about wildfires or a hay shortage this year. Flooding, however, may be this summer's big issue. Dawn