How To Get Rid Of Grasshoppers On Plants

If you’re seeing jagged holes in your leaves and sudden bare stems, grasshoppers might be your problem. Learning how to get rid of grasshoppers on plants naturally is key to protecting your garden without harsh chemicals. These hungry insects can quickly turn a lush garden into a skeleton of its former self, but there are many effective, eco-friendly ways to manage them.

This guide will walk you through simple, proven methods. We’ll cover everything from understanding their behavior to hands-on control tactics you can start today.

Natural control focuses on making your garden less inviting and dealing with pests directly. It requires consistency, but it’s safer for your plants, soil, and beneficial insects. The best approach combines several methods for the greatest impact.

Understand Your Enemy: Grasshopper Basics

Grasshoppers are chewing insects with powerful hind legs for jumping. They feed on a wide variety of plants, favoring grasses, leaves, flowers, and vegetables. They are most active in warm, dry weather and their populations can explode in hot summers.

They lay eggs in the soil in fall, which hatch in late spring. Controlling them early in the season, when they are younger and smaller, is much easier than battling large, mobile adults later on.

Prevention: The First Line of Defense

Stopping an infestation before it starts is always best. A healthy, diverse garden is more resilient.

Till Your Soil in Late Fall or Early Spring: This disturbs and exposes grasshopper eggs to predators and cold weather, reducing the number that hatch.
Encourage Natural Predators: Birds, frogs, lizards, and even some small mammals eat grasshoppers. Add a birdbath, leave some leaf litter for frogs, and put up birdhouses to invite them in.
Plant a Trap Crop: Grasshoppers love certain plants more than others. Planting a sacrificial border of tall grass, zinnias, or marigolds can lure them away from your prized veggies.
Use Floating Row Covers: Cover young, vulnerable plants with a lightweight fabric barrier. This physically blocks grasshoppers (and other pests) from reaching them. Remember to secure the edges tightly.

Direct Natural Removal Methods

When prevention isn’t enough, these hands-on tactics can reduce their numbers significantly.

Hand-Picking

It’s simple but effective, especially in the morning when grasshoppers are slower. Wear gloves and drop them into a bucket of soapy water. This method is best for light infestations or as a daily routine.

DIY Garlic and Pepper Sprays

These create a spicy barrier that repels many chewing insects. Here’s a simple recipe:

Blend two whole garlic bulbs and two hot peppers with a quart of water.
Let the mixture steep overnight, then strain it into a spray bottle.
Add a tablespoon of mild liquid soap to help the spray stick to leaves.
Test on a small part of a plant first, then spray liberally on affected plants, especially under leaves. Reapply after rain.

Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade)

This fine powder is made from fossilized algae. It feels soft to us but is sharp on a microscopic level, damaging the exoskeletons of insects. Dust a thin layer on dry leaves and around the base of plants. It needs to be reapplied after watering or rain. Be careful not to inhale the dust and try to apply when bees are not active.

Beneficial Nematodes

These are microscopic worms that you water into your soil. They seek out and infect soil-dwelling pests, including grasshopper eggs and nymphs. They are completely harmless to plants, pets, and earthworms. Apply them in late spring or early summer according to package directions, usually when the soil is warm and moist.

Long-Term Garden Strategies

Building a balanced ecosystem is the ultimate goal for pest control.

Diversify Your Plantings: Monocultures (large areas of one plant) are a buffet for pests. Mix flowers, herbs, and vegetables together. Strong-smelling herbs like cilantro, basil, and dill can help mask your more desirable plants.
Accept Some Damage: A perfectly pristine garden is an unnatural one. Allowing a few grasshoppers provides food for the predators you want to encourage.
Keep Your Garden Tidy: Remove weedy areas and tall grass around your garden’s perimeter. These are prime egg-laying sites and hiding spots for nymphs.

What to Avoid

Some common “natural” suggestions can do more harm than good. Avoid using broad-spectrum insecticides, even organic ones like pyrethrin, as they kill beneficial insects like bees and ladybugs. Also, don’t rely on one method alone; an integrated approach is always more succesful.

When to Call It

In years of extreme drought or heat, grasshopper populations can become overwhelming. If a major swarm descends, even the best natural methods may struggle. In these rare cases, protecting a few key plants with physical covers might be your best bet until the population moves on or is controlled by natural cycles.

Remember, persistence is key. Natural pest control is about management, not instant eradication. By combining these techniques, you can protect your harvest and maintain a healthy, vibrant garden ecosystem.

FAQ: Natural Grasshopper Control

What is the fastest way to kill grasshoppers naturally?

Hand-picking combined with a direct application of diatomaceous earth on dry plants can provide quickest results for visible adults. For a longer solution, introducing nematodes in spring targets the next generation.

What smells do grasshoppers hate?

Grasshoppers tend to avoid strong scents like garlic, onion, and hot pepper. This is why sprays made from these ingredients can be effective repellents, though they need frequent reapplication.

Will vinegar spray keep grasshoppers away?

A vinegar spray might kill a grasshopper on direct contact due to its acidity, but it is not a reliable repellent. It can also easily harm your plants by burning the leaves, so it’s generally not recommended.

What plants keep grasshoppers away?

While no plant is a foolproof guarantee, grasshoppers often avoid strong-scented herbs like cilantro, calendula, and hyssop. Planting these around your garden boarders can help as part of a broader strategy.

How do I protect my potted plants from grasshoppers?

Potted plants are easier to defend. You can move them to a screened porch or use a small piece of floating row cover as a tent. A light dusting of diatomaceous earth on the soil and plant is also very effective for containers.