Aphids, ants and coffee...

Tonight I was asked what to do with used coffee grounds besides throwing them in the compost. Well it reminded me that I have been meaning for ages to treat the aphids on my lemon tree.

The tree was transplanted from a pot where it stood for 2 years and supplied me just one lemon in that time. It recieved a new lease on life with the transplanting and we picked a good few lemons last season. At the moment it has about 10 green fruits.

But under the leaves we have the tell tale presence of aphids, being farmed by the ever industrious ants.

If you treat the ants, the aphids decline and ants hate coffe...so the coffee grounds from my machine go around the base. I will add each days grounds to the trunk base and eventually the ants will dissappear and we can then wash the aphids off the leaves with a home made spray.

Simple Lives Thursday.