Wireworm - or the larva of the click beetle - an insect pest that feeds on roots and causes a lot of problems to gardeners and gardeners, does not tolerate mustard.
received its unofficial name due to its similarity to hard wire , has a length of up to three centimeters and a diameter of up to 4 millimeters, dense cover and three pairs of legs located symmetrically at the head.
. Contents
- Legumes
- Onion husks
- Marigold
- Ash
- Siderats
General information
Most wireworm attack onIn the gardens, potatoes, radishes, turnips, carrots, turnips are exposed, the larva and onions do not hesitate.
2 way: Do the following experience: pour vinegar on a handful of earth. If the soil is alkaline, the reaction will follow - bubbles and "boiling".If the soil is acidic, there will be no reaction.
wireworms carefully avoids :
- mustard
- legumes( and therefore nitrogen compounds)
- volatile
This is due to the fact that mustard incorporates sulfur compounds( which accounts for its spicy burning taste), which the beetle larva doesn’t like at all.
How to use mustard from a wireworm on potatoes
Apply this cabbage plant in two ways.
Use mustard powder
When planting potatoes, add one teaspoonful of dry mustard powder to each well of .
If the amount of wireworm crosses all borders, you can mix mustard powder with red pepper( in accordance with 5: 1).Among other things, mustard and red pepper also have antibacterial properties.
Sowing as a living fertilizer
Mustard is an annual plant, it is able to very quickly increase the green mass , accumulating useful potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. Mustard must be sown before planting potatoes( April-May) over the entire area of the potato field.
Mustard is unpretentious and can withstand frost temperatures down to -5 degrees. Before planting potatoes, the plant will have time to ripen, it must be mown and dig into the surface layer.
How else can you effectively deal with the wireworm
Returning to the graph of the graph of the first thing that does not take a breakthrough?soil acidity .In the latter will help lime fluff, chalk, dolomite flour or ground egg shells.
It is advisable to work to reduce the acidity of the soil before starting gardening work: apply fertilizer to the surface and carry out deep digging of the soil. Lime additives are recommended to make no more than 1 time in 3 years .
Than it is dangerous for
potato is immediately lost. Damaged tubers become watery, quickly flakes and darkens .The waste products of the larvae left in the potato also contribute to fast fermentation.
When harvesting potatoes, you need to carefully discard the damaged material. If the larvae fall into the vegetable store, they can damage almost the entire crop, moving from one tuber to another.
Chemicals
In the fight against wireworms, Basudin, Gromoboy-2, Medvedox-U, and Calypso are widely used. Granules of the drug "Provotox", made in the hole during planting, have a long-lasting effect.
The newest chemical means is the bacteriological preparation Nemabak, a symbiosis of predatory nematodes and bacteria. Nematode, getting into the wireworm, launches the mechanism of destruction .Moreover, the actions of predators are narrowly focused: it is safe for earthworms and other inhabitants of the soil, as well as for humans and animals.
Other means
Legumes
Legumes produce nitrogen compounds necessary for feeding any garden crops. Nitrogen also reduces soil acidity. And for the gardeners, faced with the larva of the beetle beetle, legumes are of strategic importance.
It is recommended to plant bean rows in the field, interspersed with planting potatoes. Thus, legumes will act as a barrier to a voracious pest.
Onion Husk
When planting potatoes, an handful of onion peel is added to the well. You can enhance the effect by mixing the husks with the needles of any coniferous tree.
Phytoncides is a natural antibiotic that provides natural plant immunity. It is proved that these substances are released by absolutely all plants, just some plants produce them only for their own protection, while others are able to help others.
Marigolds
Flowering calendula or marigold bushes have an intimidating effect on wireworms. is recommended to sow them in rows between rows of potatoes or along the perimeter.
Ash
Wood ash has a neutralizing effect , it is actively used by gardeners in soil deoxidation, in top dressing. It is advisable to make wood ash before digging at the beginning of each garden season.
Siderates
This method is especially recommended if potatoes are grown from year to year at the same place .The soil is depleted, and nutrient reserves can be replenished exclusively by adding organic matter.
Siderata - plants grown in vegetable gardens for additional soil nutrition. Usually they are allowed to grow before the formation of seed pods and mow, followed by incorporation into the soil. In the process of fermentation, green manure plants enrich the soil with organic fertilizers.
Starting the fight with the wireworm, you need to remember that the cycle of transformation of the beetle larva into an adult is five years. Therefore, it is not necessary to hope that it can be defeated by one-time measures. We must try to make the life of the wireworm in the garden unbearable, using all of the above in the complex.