Aphids on a Grape Vine?

Q: I just got a grape vine for my edible garden, even though it's asmall 8" vine, it has aphids. I know the homemade recipe for killingthem but will it harm the vine when it's this young?

Thanks!
Kuke from Baltimore, MD

A:

Kuke,

Since your grape vine is so young, I wouldn't risk damaging the plant tissues. Instead, I would recommend simply blasting them off with your garden hose. You'll still need to exercise some caution to avoid breaking the vine when you spray. Give it support by holding it in one hand while you spray the aphids off with the hose. Use short bursts of water with only enough pressure to wash them away. As an alternative, you could also try using a magnifying glass and painting your homemade remedy directly on the aphids with a cotton swab or small paint brush (really, I'm not kidding!)