Neem and soaps pretty much only kill what they're applied to that day. Neem may have a bit of residual carry-over, but generally it's a day-to-day thing with aphids.

I'd try to give the plants an initial good strong hose spraying with just plain water to start (including under leaves). The next day I'd hit them up with your neem or soap to go in for the kill.

A good amount of aphids can be effectively controlled by simply knocking them off the plant. They're not good at finding their way back unless ants bring them in order to "farm" them.

As far as covering the plant with neem/soap...you really only have to apply it where the aphids are. If they're not on a part of a plant or leaf...you're better off not applying.

Yes water and a couple drops of dish soap only kills on contact. If you use a sprayer you should be able to get the undersides. Not only the aphids but the ants. But it should be worth the effort. This can be done without neem oil.

Neem Oil products should not be the first choice to use, nor should Insecticidal Soaps since plain water sprays work quite well at knocking Aphids off plants. Organic gardeners should be using the least toxic means of insect control resorting to the broad spectrum poisons only if the least toxic does not work. Insecticidal Soaps and Neem Oil products could also kill off the predators of Aphids.
Aphids are most attracted to new, lush growth, maybe to growth due to excess soil Nitrogen so knowing your soil can help with control as well.
Just knock the wee buggers off the plants with a sharp spray of water.

First, aphids will not kill off an artichoke no matter how severe the infestation. Weaken the plant, maybe - kill it, no way. Second, using a strong stream of water is a good solution, as others have mentioned. It is one of the easiest ways to control specific insect issues on densely foliated plants, large plants or on the underside of the leaves.

Finally, there is really no preventative spray for insects. And I am reluctant to suggest any systemic methods on edibles, organically grown or not. There are preventative measures you can take to reduce or eliminate insect problems but they do not involve pesticides, organic or otherwise. Most often cultural controls but sometimes biological controls (predatory insects, companion plantings, etc.)

FWIW, sometimes aphids just appear whether or not there is any lush or over-fertilized growth -- they just happen. Try the water approach or look into ladybugs or mantises.

Thanks to you all!!

I will try the water thing more diligently. I went out a few nights ago and sprayed my collards like crazy!! Next evening aphids were all back!! Ugghh. However, am wondering if because they are so bad, I will need to keep on doing it until they realize I'm serious! ha!

nc crn - What do you mean by the ants farming aphids??

We have a bad ant problem. We had tooons of black ants and now, for about the past week, we have tooons of red ants and I'm not seeing the black ants anymore.

Yesterday, I trimmed the low lying leaves off of the artichoke plants and tossed them on the ground. I left them there until this evening when I went out to gather them up. When I lifted one pile, in particular, WOW! the ground was moving. It was absolutely covered in red ants. Had to be hundreds, maybe even thousands. Didn't take the time to count 'em. ha!

Any ideas on how to control these ants? I thought I'd heard they were good for a garden, but this many??

Thanks all!

"What do you mean by the ants farming aphids?? "

If you notice ants on your plants they're feeding off the secretions (aka, poop) of the aphids (or other pests that produce "honeydew").

Since ants love honeydew as a food source...and they're rather smart insects considering their small brains...they will bring aphids to plants in order for them to produce honeydew for the ants to collect and feed off of. Brilliant stuff, really.

Aphids are generally "just there" on their own, but occasionally ants will bring them to plants or relocate them to parts of plants they want to "farm" honeydew on.

...as far as ant control...

There's a lot of methods, but my preferred method is using Borax soap and powdered sugar (or corn syrup) in a 1-part Borax to 2-parts powdered sugar solution...with just a touch of water...enough to make a paste. Too little water and it will harden up quickly...too much and it's liquid. I put it on cards (usually cut up chipboard/cereal-boxes/etc) and distribute them throughout the garden...especially at the base of plants they're currently visiting.

Note: this works for a lot of ants, but not so well for fire ants.

The boron in Borax is what does the ants in...while it may not kill every ant, it usually causes the colony to seek food elsewhere.

This post was edited by nc-crn on Wed, Apr 3, 13 at 0:17

The Aphids did not return. What happened was the next generation moved in. Aphids produce young almost as soon as they are born themselves so you have 5 plus generations waiting for an opportunity to replace their parents.
Most all information about ant control has to do with inside your house because ants do not belong there. Ants are part of Ma Natures recycling machine so due care in any control program in the yard or garden is needed. Boron is a broad spectrum poison that also needs to be used with great care since most baits will also attrract many other, mostly beneficial, insects not just the ants.

I find that I cannot control the aphids without getting rid of the ants. The ants in my yard are hugely abundant. They are the small, black Argentine ants that are NOT NATIVE. As my artichokes are in planter boxes, I use tanglefoot around the planter and that gets rid of the ants. Tanglefoot is sticky and not toxic. I generally get covered with it in the process--use rubbing alcohol and oil to get it off. Then spray the aphids off with the hose. You may need to do it repeatedly. Avoid ladybugs! The oils will kill them. You can also use Terro (boric acid) or other boric acid methods to reduce ants in the area if you have no way to use tanglefoot. You could put a circle of aluminum edging around the plant and tanglefoot that. The ants are quite annoying, inside and outside the house. They hate overhead watering and the spraying so enough of that can help. I only need to refresh the tanglefoot once a year. Trim any leaves that threaten to create a bridge.

Finally, aphids can definitely kill an artichoke. I've seen it happen. My neighbor does not seem to be able to control his aphids and his artichoke nearly died (until I washed them off) and is quite stunted. Mine are, not to brag but, magnificent and we have enjoyed many a meal centered on them. Just started 2 more with splits. I find planting in stock tanks to be so handy. You can design the soils, no need to battle gophers, and put tanglefoot all around under the rim. Has to be a big box or tank for artichoke, but they do great. I've got two in a tank, with elyssum between as a beneficial insect habitat, I hope.

"Nearly died" and "quite stunted" are a long way from way killing a plant!! And the only way aphids could possibly knock down/kill an artichoke is if the plant was completely ignored....or the plant was just a baby. Even the occasional watering down with a hose will keep the aphid population down to manageable levels. And neem or other hort oil or insecticidal soap can kill them off completely.

btw, is thread is more than 6 years old so no doubt the OP managed the aphid situation a good long time ago!

I have tried water. In a serious infestation, it is not adequate. I even have a bug blaster and love it, but it does not work here. Sorry.