Foliar feeding of potatoes: how it is produced, why it is needed, useful recommendations. Caring for potatoes during and after flowering How to spray potatoes during flowering

Eternally obsessive headache summer residents are pests, the invasion of which is much easier to avoid than to correct the consequences of a riotous feast of insects in the garden. This is the goal of processing potatoes before planting. It will relieve you from constant worry about the health of plants and the safety of the future harvest, and will also allow you to increase its size.

Selection of seed material

Preparing potato tubers for planting consists of several sequential procedures. It begins with careful selection of seed material. The main requirement here is health, although the shape and size of the potatoes also matter. It is convenient to sort the tubers on the table. Potatoes that are rotten or affected by fungal or bacterial diseases are immediately discarded. They should not come into contact with healthy tubers. The infection can be latent. To identify it, the selected seed is heated (at 14-18°C). If the potatoes have been infected, they will show signs of disease by the time they are planted and will be easy to sort.

Externally healthy tubers are checked for yield. They are dipped into a urea solution. It is prepared by stirring 1.5 kg of the substance in 10 liters of water. Tubers suitable for planting are dense and heavy; they will sink to the bottom. Unripe ones will float to the surface. The same fate will befall diseased potatoes.

When selecting tubers, pay attention to their size. Planting medium-sized potatoes (weighing 50-80 g) gives good results. But there are no strict restrictions here. A high yield can also be obtained by using smaller tubers, weighing from 30 g, or larger tubers, weighing more than 100 g. If the potatoes differ greatly in size, they are laid out in 3 piles. Tubers sorted by size are planted in different beds. This way you can achieve uniform emergence of seedlings: the germination period of potatoes is largely determined by their size. In the future, bushes of the same height will be easier to care for.

Gardening or germination?

Preparing potatoes for planting is usually done in one of the following ways:

• through its landscaping;
• germination method.

Each method has its own advantages. It's better to hurry up with landscaping. It is carried out in the fall, after digging up the harvest. Potatoes selected for planting are laid out in 2-3 layers in a bright, well-ventilated place. Direct rays of the sun should not fall on them. After 10 days, the tubers are removed into containers in which they will be stored until spring.

When exposed to light, potatoes actively produce solanine, a toxic substance that acts as a natural fungicide and insecticide. In addition to protecting against diseases and pests, it participates in wound healing processes, accelerating them. Greening seed tubers helps retain the moisture needed by potato sprouts as they begin to develop. They cannot get it from the soil due to an insufficiently developed root system. If it was not possible to green the tubers in the fall, this can be done in the spring by combining the procedure with germination.

Most summer residents prefer to plant potatoes with real sprouts. It produces seedlings faster, which develop better and ultimately bring a rich harvest. It will not be possible to avoid such preparation if the soil on the site is heavy and contains a lot of clay or peat.

Germination rules

Germination of potatoes before planting is carried out in a warm room with high air humidity. Under such conditions, seed tubers laid out in a thin layer in boxes usually last for 3-4 weeks. They are turned over periodically (every 7-10 days). This must be done carefully so as not to damage the sprouts. After turning up the tubers, they are inspected again, rejecting those that are weak and infected with diseases.

Temperature is important to awaken the kidneys. During the daytime, potatoes should be kept warm (12-18°C). At night, it is advisable to lower the temperature to 6°C. Long sprouts break easily when planted. To avoid pulling them out, during the first week the seed is kept in a room where the air is heated to 20-22°C. Further germination of tubers is carried out in a cool place - at a temperature of about 7-8°C.

The air humidity in the room should be 85-95%. To successfully germinate seed potatoes, they are periodically sprayed with clean water. The tubers will be ready for planting in 20-25 days. Potatoes with powerful sprouts reaching 1 cm in length and having root rudiments in their lower part are placed on the beds.

Before planting, the tubers are sorted again. Those who are unsuitable for it are:

• have only 1 sprout;
• did not sprout;
• formed weak thread-like shoots.

Experienced summer residents practice germinating potatoes before planting in a greenhouse. It is easiest to provide the tubers with optimal temperature and air humidity.

If it is not possible to germinate the planting material in the light, it is heated. It requires a dark room and a constant temperature between 18-20°C. This technique reduces the potato preparation time to 8-10 days. Since warming up gives results quickly, it is advisable to start it shortly before the planned planting. If the tubers lie in heat and darkness longer than the recommended period, the sprouts will be long and fragile. In most potato varieties, their breaking off causes a significant reduction in bush yield. Certain varieties of crops may not sprout at all after it.

It is better to plant tubers with dormant buds than to germinate them and then damage them. If it was not possible to avoid the sprouts being pulled out, they are not torn off. Having carefully removed the potatoes from the box, they are placed in a hole or furrow and carefully sprinkled with soil. The first shoots have increased vitality.

Disinfection

On the surface of tubers there may be pathogens of dangerous diseases. To prevent plant infection, potatoes intended for planting are treated with biological fungicides.

The timing of the procedure depends on the drug:

• "Planriz" is used 7 days before placing the tubers in the ground;
• "Albit" - 24 hours before landing;
• “Fitosporin”, “Baksis”, “Arilin” - right in front of her;
• "Binoram" and "Agat-25K" are used twice: before planting and 5 days before it.

Traditional methods of disinfecting planting material - ash, copper sulfate, potassium permanganate - are also widely practiced. They are simple, gentle and effective. To treat seed potatoes, copper sulfate (1 tsp) is dissolved in water (3 l). You can spray the tubers with the resulting mixture, but the result will be better if you immerse them in it for a short time (maximum 2 minutes). The potatoes removed from the solution are dried and left for 2-3 days. They can then be further treated with a growth stimulator. Such preparation will protect the future harvest from wireworms. Click beetle larvae do not like copper sulfate. If there are a lot of wireworms in the area where you intend to plant potatoes, you can water the area with its solution in the fall or scatter the substance over the surface of the soil.

Do not prepare a solution of copper sulfate in metal containers. It is recommended to use glass, wood or enamel dishes. You can do without it by digging a hole in the area and covering it with durable film.

A disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate is made at the rate of 1 g of the substance per 1 liter of water. The tubers are placed in it for 30 minutes. You can add copper sulfate (10 g) and boric acid (20 g) to this amount of potassium permanganate. They are thoroughly mixed in 10 liters of water. After keeping the seed tubers in the resulting composition for half an hour, they are dried and planted in the ground. Potassium permanganate is also effective for tillage. To destroy the wireworm, before planting the hole under the potatoes, water it with a solution (3-4 g per 10 liters of water). But this method is only suitable for neutral and alkaline soils. If the soil in the area is acidic, excess manganese along with getting rid of wireworms can lead to plant burns.

In this case, it is better to treat the tubers and soil with ash. It will also serve as a fertilizer for potatoes. Having prepared a nutrient solution from it (1 kg of substance per 1 bucket of water), immerse the seed tubers in it. You can do this without removing them from the grid. There is another way - after slightly wetting the potatoes, roll them in fertilizer. They are planted immediately. Ash scares away the wireworm. It is added to the soil in the fall, before autumn digging. You can do this when planting, adding fertilizer to each hole. Some gardeners protect plants from wireworms all summer by periodically scattering ash next to the plantings and loosening the soil.

Pest Prevention

Treatment of potatoes before planting against the Colorado potato beetle will help avoid the invasion of voracious insects and minimize damage to the crop. It is carried out with special fungicide preparations. The following remedies are popular among summer residents.

• "Matador Grand" It protects potatoes from wireworms, beetles, whiteflies, aphids, flea beetles, moths, cicadas, late blight, downy mildew, rhizoctonia and a number of other diseases. They process the tubers “on tables”. Having spread them in 1 layer, they are sprayed with a solution of the drug. After drying, the potatoes are turned over and the other side is processed. The solution is prepared at the rate of 30 ml of the drug per 200 ml of water. When the potatoes are completely dry, they can be planted;
• "Prestige" (100 ml) in combination with "Maxim" (70 ml). 100 potatoes are treated with this dosage.

Both methods are not suitable for protecting early varieties of crops. They have a long-lasting effect, remaining in tubers for up to 60-70 days and making their consumption undesirable. It is better to treat early-ripening varieties of potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle with the preparations “Taboo” (it will also help get rid of wireworms and aphids), “Cruiser” or the like. Their validity is limited to 45 days.

There are several ways to protect crops from wireworms with Tabu:

• spray the tubers “on the tables” with it;
• cultivate the soil - the bottom of the planting hole or furrow. For 1 hectare, 1-2 liters of fungicide solution are used.

There are quite a few chemical compounds, the use of which on seed tubers will allow you not to be afraid of wireworms: “Commander”, “Nuprid 600”, “Pikus”, “Imidor”. They have a comprehensive protective effect, increasing plant immunity and protecting the future harvest from fungal diseases and a whole range of pests: wireworms, mole crickets, aphids, beetles, cutworms.

Growth promotion and nutrition

Shoots will appear faster, and potato bushes will be more powerful and lush if you treat the tubers with a growth stimulant. This is done 1-2 days before placing them in the ground. Most often, to activate the germination of eyes on tubers, summer residents use the drug “Poteitin”. After dissolving it in 1 liter of water, spray the potatoes with it. The product is used sparingly: 1 ampoule is enough to process 60 kg of planting material. The drug strengthens the immunity of plants, makes them more resistant to changing weather conditions, and increases productivity.

Other popular means:

• "Mikon", which contains many microelements important for culture;
• “Epin”, which doubles the yield of potatoes, improves their keeping quality and accelerates their ripening by 2 weeks;
• “Bioglobin”, which causes active cell division and an increase in the root system of the bush.

You can treat the seed tubers with a nutrient composition. To prepare it, use “Nitrophoska” or “Solution”. 1 tsp of the drug is stirred in 3 liters of water. By the time they are placed in the ground, the tubers are treated 3 times, repeating spraying every 10 days.

The question of how to prepare potatoes for planting is one of the most important in crop farming. Proper processing of seed tubers will save effort in the struggle to preserve the crop and increase its size. It can be done in different ways, based on personal preferences and capabilities, the conditions for growing the crop, the amount of time remaining before planting, and the availability of certain drugs on the farm. You can use all known agricultural techniques or limit yourself to a few of them.

The Colorado potato beetle is one of the most malicious opponents of every gardener. Vegetable growers process tubers and potato plants several times throughout the growing season, but they often fail to achieve the expected results. Insects continue to destroy plants, and the crop accumulates many toxic substances from frequent spraying. Therefore, many prefer to use exclusively folk remedies to protect potatoes from insects.

Complex of preventive actions

The fight against potato pests will be much more effective if it is carried out throughout the year, and not limited to just the growing season of the crop. It is important to constantly create conditions in your area that are unfavorable for the development and reproduction of insects. For each season there is a certain set of preventive actions.

Fresh or rotted walnut leaves are good at repelling pests. In the fall, they need to be scattered throughout the area, and then the garden should be dug up. Plowing the ground on the eve of a cold snap will make it possible to destroy a significant part of the insects that did not have time to go deep enough in preparation for wintering. Throughout the winter, it is necessary to evenly scatter on the garden bed, which has a detrimental effect on leaf beetles and enriches the soil with beneficial vitamins (phosphorus, potassium).

In the spring, before sprouting, you need to put a few pieces of raw potatoes or their peels in glass jars (0.5 -1 l). The vessels must be buried flush with the soil surface, evenly distributed throughout the bed. Such traps should be checked periodically and any pests caught in them should be destroyed. You can lure and collect insects using this method even after harvesting.

During the growing season, you need to periodically inspect the tops, and promptly carry out manual assembly and destruction of pests. In addition to the pests themselves, their larvae must also be removed. And if beetles on potatoes are visible quite well, then detecting eggs is sometimes not easy. Insects usually deposit them on the inside of leaves.

Newborn cubs are much more dangerous than older individuals. They are capable of destroying a large area of ​​plants in just one day. Therefore, it is important to prevent their birth as much as possible.

Protecting potatoes by dusting

This old folk remedy for the Colorado potato beetle, when used frequently, can have quite a positive result. Shedding tops and row spacing has received a second name - “dry control”, which includes the following methods:

• Dust the leaves with reseeded wood ash at the rate of 10 kg per hundred square meters. The most effective are pine and birch ash.
• Corn flour tends to expand in volume when interacting with moisture. Once in the stomach of the insect, it begins to swell greatly, which causes its death.
• The smell of fresh pine or birch sawdust scattered between the rows works well to repel leaf beetles.

When dusting, it is not the quantity of materials used that is decisive, but the frequency of the procedure!

Spraying potatoes with infusions and decoctions

There is a wide variety of solutions for the preparation of which natural raw materials are used. Treating potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle with such infusions will help to significantly reduce its number in the garden.

How and with what to spray potatoes is a purely personal matter for each vegetable grower. Many gardeners add sunflower oil, vinegar, mustard and other specific ingredients to their solutions. Regardless of the composition, there are a number of rules and recommendations for treating garden crops with liquid preparations:

• Any solution must be filtered before use to avoid clogging the nozzle of the spray device.
• Spraying should be carried out in calm weather in the early morning or evening (from exposure to sunlight, the preparations quickly lose their insecticidal properties).
• Adding soap or washing powder to the solution improves its adhesion to the surface of the leaves.
• Despite the natural origin of the components of the product used, you must work with it following all safety measures.

A product based on them is considered very effective for treating potatoes against Colorado potato beetles. Approximately a half liter jar of insects should be placed in 10 liters of water and covered with a lid. After 5-7 days, the solution will be saturated with the necessary toxins, and the “rodents” will settle to the bottom of the vessel. A liter of such insecticide is diluted with two liters of water.

Spraying potatoes with undiluted infusion can burn the tops!

Neighbors who can't stand the "striped one"

Colorado beetles have well-developed smell receptors, so they do not like to live in areas where strong odors predominate. To create such conditions in their garden beds, some vegetable growers alternate potato rows with plantings of other crops. Among the most “unloved” by the pest are onions, beans and beans. Some plants emit a strong aroma only when flowering. They are used to plant potato plantations around the perimeter. Calendula, coriander, violet and hemp have good repellent properties. True, the cultivation of the latter is prohibited by law.

Features of pest control

Colorado leaf beetles are very heat-loving; they prefer to lay their larvae in well-lit and sun-warmed areas. It has been noticed that in shady places the tops are devoured by insects much less. The pest also applies ambiguously to different varieties of potatoes. First of all, beetles eat bushes of early crops, the leaves and stems of which are usually not powerful enough.

In order to get rid of beetles on potatoes, it is advisable to use several methods overnight. The pest tends to adapt to certain drugs and conditions, so you cannot limit yourself to one specific method, no matter how effective it may be.

The fight will be much more effective if you destroy insects not only on your site, but also within the largest possible radius from it. Therefore, in such matters, it is important to interact with the owners of neighboring plots, share knowledge and experience, look for common solutions on how to get rid of beetles on potatoes, and carry out all “anti-Colorado” operations within the same time frame.

How to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle using folk remedies - video

Since the 50s of the last century, the Colorado potato beetle has become the scourge of potato fields, both industrial and private. Summer residents in every corner of our big country are wondering whether it is possible to spray potatoes during flowering. The striped pest is very tenacious and adapts perfectly to any weather conditions. In regions with cold winters, it burrows almost 0.5 m into the soil and calmly waits out the cold.

It is not without reason that summer residents ask whether it is possible to spray potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle right during flowering. Massive consumption of potato tops begins precisely during the formation of buds on potato bushes.

Overwintered beetles crawl to the surface in the spring, when the soil temperature reaches 12 °C. At daytime temperatures of 20 °C, adult individuals actively mate, females lay clutches of eggs, from which larvae appear on potato leaves by the time of flowering.

The Colorado potato beetle and larvae are equally dangerous for potato plantings. Pests drink the juice and eat the leaves. If there is no fight, you can lose your entire potato crop. The loss of 80% of tops and leaves on potato bushes leads to their inevitable death.

Environmentally friendly means of control

For two reasons, it is necessary to be careful when spraying potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle during flowering:

1. The first reason is concern for pollinating insects. Beetle control agents can have a negative impact on bees, wasps, and bumblebees.
2. The second reason is our health. Agronomists believe that toxic substances that get on potato leaves during flowering affect the quality and environmental cleanliness of the developing potato tubers.

There are clear reasons why potatoes should not be sprayed with chemicals during the flowering period. But the problem remains, the beetles multiply and the crops die. What to do? The main thing is not to give up at this time, take jars of water in them and go to the potato field to cheerfully collect larvae and adult beetles. Yellow-striped bugs are clearly visible on young green tops.

Migrating beetles will not attack your field if the potatoes are treated with a solution with a high concentration of nicotine during flowering. We started processing potatoes in such an original way a long time ago. The pest does not tolerate nicotine, and the solution is easy to prepare.

You need to buy 10 packs of cigarettes at the nearest store. The cheaper the cigarettes, the better. Pour all the tobacco into a bucket of water and leave for two days in a dark place. Before processing the potatoes, stir 40 g of grated laundry soap into the infusion.

Ash will help

At any dacha you can find ash. Carry out the treatment early in the morning. The first time before the buds form, the second time when the potato field begins to bloom, later - every two weeks. Potatoes, if the weather is dry, water the tops the night before. Scatter the ash on the ground around each bush, sprinkle it thickly on the potato leaves.

When potatoes bloom, an infusion of ash saves them from pests. A 10-liter bucket needs exactly 2 liters of it. Rub a pack of laundry soap into the ash infusion so that it sticks better to the tops. Early morning and early evening are considered good times for spraying. There should be no wind or rain during operation.

At any dacha you can find raw materials for preparing a repellent solution. Infusions are prepared from onion peels, celandine, and ground red pepper. When removing shoots on tomato bushes, you don’t have to throw them away, but use them to fight insects. If you pour hot water over them overnight, the infusion will be ready in the morning.

Chemicals

If you can’t use chemicals during potato flowering, then when can you use it to successfully poison the pest without harming your health. It must be said right away that when growing early-ripening potatoes, even after flowering, you should use chemicals with caution.

It's clear why:

• ultra-early and early potato varieties can be dug up for food 45–50 days after planting;
• the concentration of systemic chemicals in tubers on days 45–50 is high, since their decay period lasts longer.

Early potatoes can be sprayed with biological preparations. They are made from a certain type of bacteria. The insect dies under their influence, the bacteria destroy its digestive tract. The following products are in demand:

• Fitoverm.
• Batsikol.
• Agravertine.
• Dendrobacillin.

During the growing season, spray the tops three times, apply treatments at weekly intervals. There is no accumulation of harmful substances in potatoes. Already on the 5th day after being sprayed, it can be eaten without any consequences.

Systemic and contact drugs

Late and mid-late potato varieties are removed from the field quite late, so it is permissible to use chemicals against the beetle. Use it exactly according to the instructions, do not forget about personal protective equipment.

Potato fields treated with systemic drugs are protected for a long time. Insects are not addictive and die after three treatments. There are many systemic drugs; the instructions should be carefully studied before purchasing. Pay attention to the decay period. Popular remedies for beetles and larvae:

• Corado.
• Prestige.
• Confidor.
• Colorado.

The next group of chemicals are contact agents: “Match”, “Aktara”, “Decis”. Pests die if a toxic agent is splashed directly on them. These drugs do not accumulate in the tops and are immediately washed off in rainy weather. Insects become accustomed to drugs in this group, so they alternate.

Conclusion

There are no universal drugs to kill the pest. But, since domestic and foreign scientists are actively working on the problem, it will be solved sooner or later. We will get effective drug from bugs, does not harm us. Today you need to use those products that are on sale. Process potatoes while protecting yourself with a respirator and rubber gloves; eat them only after the expiration date specified in the instructions.

It turns out that the fight against the Colorado potato beetle with folk remedies is quite effective. We have collected for you the most popular recipes for natural preparations that repel and destroy potato pests.

Fighting the Colorado potato beetle with chemicals is not always safe, especially if you treat potatoes with pesticides in an area where small children and pets walk nearby. In addition, poisons can accumulate in root vegetables, which we then eat.

Today, various methods are known to combat the Colorado potato beetle. But the safest method for many years has been manual collection of pests and their subsequent destruction. However, over large areas, such protection of potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle is labor-intensive and ineffective. Therefore, the easiest way is to treat potato plantings several times during the season using natural remedies.

Folk remedies are safer than chemical ones, but often no less effective

Wood ash from the Colorado potato beetle

Experienced gardeners know that pollination of potato bushes with sifted ash, especially birch ash, is very effective. In the morning, while the dew on the leaves has not yet dried, or after rain, dust the plants at the rate of 10 kg of ash per 1 sq.m. After 2 days, the striped insects should die.

An ash solution used to spray young potato bushes is also effective. To do this, dissolve 2 kg of ash in 10 liters of water, then dilute 1 liter of the solution in 10 liters of water and treat the plants with the resulting liquid.

Ash dusting is carried out once every 2 weeks before flowering and once a month after flowering. At the same time, it would not be a bad idea to sprinkle dry wood ash on the soil between the rows.

Instead of ash, you can use corn flour, cement or gypsum to dust wet potato leaves.

Herbal infusions and decoctions

Effective preparations for processing potatoes can be prepared independently from weeds and cultivated plants. We will present here the best recipes for folk remedies.

• Pour 300 g of walnut shells and the same amount of dried leaves of this plant into 10 liters of boiling water, leave for 5-7 days, then strain and use the infusion for spraying.
• Fill half a bucket with fresh poplar leaves, cover them with water, boil for 15 minutes, increase the volume to 10 liters and leave for 3 days.
• Dissolve 100 g of birch tar (tar soap will do) in 10 liters of water and spray the tops with the resulting solution 3 times a week.
• Infuse 1.5 kg of dry or fresh celandine in hot water for 3 hours. Then pour 1 liter of 1.5% calcium chloride solution (15 g per 1 liter of water) into the infusion.
• Pour 300 g of onion peel into 10 liters of water at a temperature of 70-80°C and leave for 24 hours. In this case, it is advisable to place a heavy load on the husk in the container.
• Grind 100 g of dried elecampane roots, pour boiling water over it, cover with a lid and leave for 1.5-2 hours. Spray when the tops reach a height of at least 15 cm.
• Pour 200 g of dandelion shoots and 200 g of horsetail into 10 liters of water and boil for 15 minutes. Cool and use in a concentration of 0.5 liters of decoction per 10 liters of water.
• Mix 300 g of crushed wormwood with 1 glass of wood ash, pour 10 liters of boiling water and leave for 3 hours.
• 500 g of tobacco dust, as well as tobacco stems and roots, pour 10 liters of water, leave for 2-3 days, then strain, add 40 g of laundry soap and mix well.
• Pour 1 kg of crushed leaves and stems of tomatoes into 10 liters of warm water, leave for 4-5 hours, add 40 g of bar soap (or 3 tablespoons of liquid soap).
• Pour 200 g of chopped garlic heads and arrows into 10 liters of hot water and leave for 24 hours. Then add 40 g of soap to the infusion.

Recently, many gardeners have noted that it is very effective to use mustard against the Colorado potato beetle. To do this, dissolve 200 g of dry mustard in 10 liters of warm water, add 100 ml of 9% vinegar and spray the resulting liquid onto potato bushes during flowering. In this case, the leaves are processed not only from above, but also from the reverse side.

Mustard solution is effective only during flowering

Rules for using herbal remedies for the Colorado potato beetle

1. Spray in the morning or evening in calm and warm weather (18-22°C) on dry leaves.

2. Repeat treatments every 7-10 days, with the last spraying should be carried out 20 days before harvesting.

3. Use all solutions within a few hours: natural remedies do not last long. Bury unused infusions and plant remains in the ground, preferably outside the site.

4. The Colorado potato beetle quickly adapts to drugs, so insecticides must be alternated.

The larvae of the Colorado potato beetle are especially resistant to insecticides.

Processing potato tubers before planting

For preventive purposes, before planting, it is recommended to treat the tubers with protective agents against diseases and pests. Potatoes can be disinfected using wood ash (1 kg per 10 liters of water) or a solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 10 liters of water). You just need to dip the tubers in one of these preparations for a few seconds.

Such effective control of the Colorado potato beetle will protect your plants and help them produce a rich harvest of healthy tubers.

6cotok.org

Folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes - what could be better?!

Folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle have always been of interest to gardeners, since they not only want to grow healthy and beautiful potatoes, but also healthy ones, without pesticides. Therefore, the best methods are considered to be those that will not harm the future harvest...

Why is this bright beetle so dangerous?

The Colorado potato beetle is persistently exploring new territories, eating hectares of potato plantings, and it is not so easy to cope with it. Every year, summer residents and gardeners destroy a huge number of these insects, but with the advent of the new season they appear again.

The fact is that on our land he has practically no enemies who would help us fight him, which is why he multiplies in unlimited quantities. These quantities are truly amazing in their scale, since the female of this beetle can lay from 400 to 1000 eggs during the spring-summer period (this is simply incredible!).

The peculiarity of these harmful insects is that they can go into diapause, which can last up to three years.

Spraying potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle can, of course, also be done with chemical insecticides, but in order not to harm your crop, it is better to do this using long-proven folk methods:

• An infusion of fresh leaves and young walnut fruits. Pour one kilogram of foliage in a bucket of boiling water and leave for five days, then filter and you can process the bushes with potatoes;

• Birch tar works well against beetles. Dilute 100 grams of the product in 8-10 liters of water and spray the plants every three days;

• Place the onion peel at the bottom of the bucket, add warm water, leave for 24 hours (100 grams of raw material per 5 liters of water);

• Bitter wormwood is mixed with ash, brewed with hot water and allowed to brew for about 6 hours (200 grams of herb, one glass of ash, 10 liters of water);

• Take several small pods of dry hot pepper and boil them in a bucket of water; when the broth has cooled, it is ready. For better settling on the tops, you can add a little grated laundry soap (liquid soap is not recommended);

• Dusting with wood ash. It is advisable to do this in the morning, when the dew has not yet disappeared, so a larger amount of ash will settle on the potato tops. Typically, after a day or two, most larvae and adult insects die;

• Sunflower (500 grams of flowers) is placed in a bucket, brewed, and left for 48 hours;

• A decoction of celandine works well against beetles. A bucket is filled with dry or fresh leaves of the plant, filled with cold water and boiled for at least 20 minutes, then the resulting decoction is diluted in a ratio of 1:20;

• Infusion of white acacia (bark). Infuse one kilogram of bark in one bucket of water for three days, then strain and can be used;

• Infusions of dandelion and horsetail are also good in the fight against beetles. You need to take 0.2 kilograms of horsetail and dandelion grass and boil in 12 liters of water for about ten minutes, then cool;

• An infusion of elecampane roots is also effective in combating beetles. To do this, take 0.5 kilograms of fresh roots of this plant (you can also take 200 grams of dried ones), add water (one bucket) and boil for about 30 minutes. Then we filter and spray the potatoes;

• Garlic infusion is widely used in pest control. You need to take a glass of chopped garlic (or arrows) and fill it with warm water in a volume of 8-10 liters, leave for a day, and then process the potato tops;

• An infusion of tomato tops is prepared as follows: pour one kilogram of crushed tomato leaves into a bucket of warm water and let it brew for 3-4 hours, before using, add a couple of tablespoons of laundry soap.

Treating potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle will save not only the potatoes themselves, but also neighboring plantings. But in neighboring beds you can place crops whose smell repels the Colorado potato beetle. It could be garlic, beans, coriander. Plant marigolds or nasturtiums around the perimeter of your plot; beetles do not like this smell.

ogorodko.ru

How to treat potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle

It’s not for nothing that potatoes are called the second bread; they are grown in almost every garden plot. Coming from the nightshade family, it does not require special care, the biggest problem is the fight against the Colorado potato beetle. If no measures are taken, this pest can destroy most of the plantings, or even destroy them completely. Means to combat it are used by spraying, so let’s try to figure out until what time potatoes are pollinated from the beetle and by what means.

Briefly about the beetle

This is a rather large insect, with a yellow body and black stripes on the carapace. It received its name in the century before last from the name of the state of the same name, Colorado, where the entire crop was destroyed due to an invasion of beetles. It overwinters in the soil and comes to the surface when it gets warmer. Only adult individuals can withstand severe cold; younger ones die. This pest does not completely eat the greens; it gnaws at them, replenishing moisture loss.

Treatment of potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle

The safest and most environmentally friendly method is to collect beetles from bushes by hand. In addition to adult insects, larvae that are located on the bottom of the leaf are also collected. The collection is carried out in 2 stages - first, the beetles are collected, then the immobile larvae and laid eggs. It is better to carry out all manipulations with gloves; the pests are collected in a bucket, and then filled with kerosene and burned, or simply placed in a strong salt solution.

The best period to combat the beetle is before emergence. Prepare bait for them: pieces of tubers or potato peelings are placed in a solution of karbofos or chlorophos for 5 hours. To prepare the solution, take 5 tbsp. funds per liter of water. Such baits are used both before planting and after harvesting. Having tried it, the pests die.

The pest is very susceptible to various types of odors. This feature is successfully used to combat the beetle: plants with a strong odor (dill, calendula, marigolds, legumes) are planted between rows. This will not ensure complete victory, but it will significantly reduce the army of pests wanting to feast on fresh greens.

Another way is to use onion peels, preferably with onion pieces, which are laid out between the rows. When onions rot, they give off a sharp, unpleasant odor that repels insects.

The plantings are also treated with a solution of birch tar, for which 100 g of tar and 10 liters are taken. water. Treatment is carried out no more than 2 times a month.

How to spray potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle

You can always make your choice of how to treat potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle: mustard, decoctions of various plants, or chemicals. Let us dwell in more detail on the types of chemicals and folk remedies used.

Chemicals

The beetle does not like toxic drugs, including nicotine. To prepare a solution for spraying, take half a kilo of dry tobacco or use tobacco from cigarettes (10 packs are required). Then it is filled with 10 liters of water and left for 2 days. The solution also includes soap (40 grams), rub it on a grater, then add a little water to give it a liquid state. Soap is added to the infused mixture and the bushes are sprayed.

If the proposed method does not help, chemicals are used. “Karate”, “Decis”, “Marshal”, “Sumi-Alpha”, “Sonnet” had good results.

Rules for the use of chemicals for processing

Chemicals have a detrimental effect not only on insects, but also on humans; their use requires special caution.

1. Spray the products carefully; pregnant women and children are strictly prohibited from spraying the area.

2. During spraying, it is prohibited to consume any food or drink.

3. Only special devices (sprayers) are used. Use of improvised means such as brooms and watering cans is prohibited.

4. After the work is completed, clothes are removed and sent for washing, and the sprayer is washed with water. Hands and face are washed with soap, then you can take a shower.

6. It is prohibited to be on the site for the first two days after spraying.

7. Treatment is carried out no later than a month before harvest.

Folk remedies

If you are faced with the problem of how to spray potatoes against beetles in August, use folk remedies. They are safe and will not cause harm. Let's talk about them in more detail.

Horsetail and dandelion are taken in equal proportions, filled with water, and the resulting mixture is brought to a boil. For spraying, take 0.5 liters of infusion per bucket of water.

Garlic tincture

Prepared from 200 gr. chopped garlic, you can use both arrows and heads. It is mixed with 10 liters of water and laundry soap (40 g).

If the size of your plot is small, you can treat the plants with the safe biological product “Bitoxibacillin”. For 10 liters of water you will need 200 g. drug. The first spraying is carried out when the larvae first appear, and also large quantities adults. The drug destroys up to 90% of adult individuals, and the larvae die almost completely. After a couple of weeks, the treatment is repeated. Per 100 sq.m. area will require 4 liters of working solution.

In addition to using various solutions, there is another very interesting method. The Faverol breed of chickens will help get rid of harmful insects without any chemicals. The method is based on adding finely chopped potatoes and tops to the chicken feed. At the age of 1 month, Colorado potato beetles, crushed into powder, are added to food. The dose is increased daily. Three-month-old chickens are released onto the site without being fed beforehand. As a result, hungry chickens destroy almost all pests.

Video: how to treat potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle

So, we looked at several ways to combat the Colorado potato beetle. The mechanical method is suitable for small areas; traditional methods are harmless to humans, but, unfortunately, are not always effective and do not destroy the larvae. The Colorado potato beetle develops immunity to drugs over time, so the products used must be alternated. Fulfilling this condition will make pest control as effective as possible.

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Folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle

People themselves made the Colorado potato beetle a pest, just like all its other brothers. The increase in the food supply caused an increase in the number of insects. Moreover, in our latitudes he has practically no natural enemies, because he is a foreigner from the distant state of Colorado. His food preferences extend to the entire nightshade family: tomatoes, eggplants, peppers and, of course, potatoes. With human connivance, the leaf-eater will turn a potato field of any size into a desert in a matter of days without choking.

It is possible to fight the Colorado potato beetle on potatoes, but there are 2 fundamentally different ways.

Declare a chemical war on the “occupier” and arm yourself with a sprayer and the latest chemical, by the way, not the cheapest, preparations. And in war, as we know, one cannot do without casualties. Only the summer residents themselves, who receive chronic poisoning from pesticides, fall into the category of victims. According to the instructions, insecticides should decompose after a certain time into something safe for humans and environment products, but some of them still end up on our table and in our stomach.

The second way is to fight using environmentally friendly methods. The result may not be as lightning fast as after a chemical attack, but it guarantees a clean harvest. Every year there are more and more adherents of the second path. And to help them - folk remedies for the Colorado potato beetle?

Dusting with ash, cornmeal, cement or gypsum

If the potato plot is small, then the pest can be controlled using the most ancient technique - collecting insects. Fortunately, they are clearly visible - go and collect them. But you shouldn’t crush them; it’s better to place them in a strong saline solution.

On large nightshade plantations, collecting beetles is a hopeless task. Another thing is processing potatoes using the dusting method.

Sifted ash can serve as “powder”. It is used to pollinate wet potato tops after rain or in the morning. Even one treatment at the rate of 10 kg/100 m2 will rid cultivated plants not only of adult individuals, but also of their voracious larvae. Dusting is carried out 2 times a month before the potatoes bloom and 1 time after.

You can walk on nightshade leaves damp from dew and cornmeal. Its particles, once in the insect’s stomach, increase in size and clog the intestines, which causes its death. The same end awaits the uninvited guest if you dust the plants with plaster or cement.

Fresh sawdust is also good for repelling stripes. In potato beds, the ground is sprinkled with birch and pine sawdust. Beetles do not tolerate the smell of fresh wood and avoid such areas.

Living barriers against pests

The stranger also does not tolerate the smells of some of our plants. You can take advantage of this weakness and arrange fragrant islands of matthiola, nasturtium, coriander, calendula or marigold among the rows of potatoes. Potato protection also involves planting rows around the perimeter of the area.

The question of spraying potatoes is relevant every season. How to treat the plantings so as not to harm health and get a good harvest? Let's talk about this further.

• Is it possible to spray potatoes?

  Regardless of the type of variety, whether it is early or late, potatoes require periodic tillage, fertilizing and spraying three times a day. Main choose the right medications, specially designed for processing this type of potato.

• When to spray potatoes?

  Experts advise spraying a maximum of 60 days before harvest. Some preparations suitable for early varieties are recommended for the last spraying a week before potato harvesting.

  Drugs with different spectrums of action are used at different periods - some during the mass spread of larvae, others it is advisable to use for preventive purposes, when even egg-laying has not yet appeared.

• How long (when) can you eat potatoes after spraying?

  Immediately after treating potatoes with drugs, you can eat the crop only if it was harvested in August. And can be eaten 50 days after spraying. It is then that all the toxins that could remain in the tubers will be removed.

During flowering

Very often you can hear the question of how justified it is to spray potatoes during flowering and whether it is worth doing. Let's look at this issue:

1. Is it possible to spray potatoes during flowering?

   Not recommended. The optimal time for spraying is considered to be the period before and after potato flowering. Even if the first beetles were noticed on the flowers, it is better to use traditional methods of control or collect insects by hand.

2. How to spray potatoes during flowering?

   When potatoes are flowering, you can spray them with biological and chemical preparations “Fitoverm”, “Agravertin”, “Bikol”, “Akarin”, “Bitoxibacillin”. Spraying will bring the best results when it first appears.

   Spray again after a week. Among folk remedies, gardeners choose nicotine poisoning: Make an infusion of 200 cigarettes in 10 liters of water for two days, then dilute with 40 g of laundry soap. Flowers can also be protected from pests by sprinkling with ash through a sieve, irrigating with various infusions and decoctions of walnut or poplar leaves.

3. Is it possible to spray potatoes after flowering?

   Yes, you can. At this time, the beetles hide underground and come out only a year later with the first warming. During this period, it can be lured out and destroyed or resort to special drugs.

4. Why can't you spray potatoes during flowering?

   Some drugs are so toxic that they can kill bees and other insects that pollinate plants. Even though potatoes are self-pollinating, its flowers still attract insects. In addition, potatoes are just beginning to form during the flowering period, and are most vulnerable to chemical poisoning.

Spraying is carried out in the early morning (before 10 o'clock) or in the evening (after seven in the evening), when temperatures are lowest and the weather becomes windless and dry (so that the poison is not washed away by dew and does not evaporate). This will allow the drug to have the strongest effect and be evenly distributed throughout all the bushes.

You can learn more about the best chemicals for pest control in the material “The best drugs for controlling the Colorado potato beetle and “.

From the Colorado potato beetle

The Colorado potato beetle causes a lot of trouble for gardeners. Read on to learn about when to spray potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle and how to spray potatoes against the beetle.

• How to properly spray potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle?

  Each preparation contains precise instructions for use, as well as a list of recommendations for self-defense (respirator, gloves, spray in hot or cool weather, etc.), for the most part they are universal, since they are based on different substances and are productive under different conditions.

  All potato varieties must be sprayed one or more times in season. To prevent the beetles from becoming addicted and developing immunity to the poison, the chemicals must be changed regularly.

  Most drugs are used externally and can only be sprayed on tops. It becomes toxic to beetles that eat the stems and foliage, while the tubers are absolutely safe for humans after a certain period.

• How to spray potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle?

  Among the most commonly used drugs in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle developed by "Bitoxibacillin", "", "Aktelik", "Colorado", " ", "Arrivo", "Sonnet", "Decis extra", "Confidor", "Bankol", "", "Mospilan", "Agravertin", "Bikol", "Senpai".

• When should you spray potatoes against the Colorado potato beetle?

  As soon as the first eggs and larvae of the Colorado potato beetle were noticed on the leaves and stems of plants, spraying should begin. The interval between treatments is approximately 3-4 weeks. The timing varies depending on the type of preparation and potato variety. last processing. For “Bitoxibacillin” this is a week before harvest, and for “Tsimbus” it is 20 days.

Systemic pesticides affect insects only after they have eaten plants treated with the drug. Contact poisons exert their effect directly upon contact with beetles. Gardeners advise alternating systemic and contact preparations so that the Colorado potato beetle does not have time to adapt to chemicals.

Superphosphate

Recently, the so-called senication or foliar feeding of potatoes has become increasingly popular. The essence of the method is that a concentrated solution of superphosphate is prepared and, using spraying, causes artificial aging of the tops and the outflow of useful and nutritious substances to the tubers.

Some vegetable growers recommend performing the procedure immediately after flowering, others advise waiting 15-20 days. Both the first and second are right, the main thing is that the plants should be treated 20 days before harvesting, but not before they bloom. Thus, early varieties are processed a week before harvesting, ultra-early varieties are not processed at all, medium varieties are processed a week after flowering, and late varieties are processed after 15-20 days. Spraying is carried out in calm weather.

Recipe:

Pour 2 kg of superphosphate into a bucket of water, the powder does not dissolve well, it will take about two hours. After 2 hours, the settled solution is poured into another container, filtering through cheesecloth. (The sediment can be used as a regular fertilizer for other plants.)

The average statistical indicator for this method is that the yield increases by 15-20%, and the tubers turn out to be very beautiful.

With the drug Hom

Hom is a wettable powder of copper oxychloride, which spray crops during the growing season to protect against late blight, Alternaria and other infections. The powder consumption is 40 g per 10 liters of water. 10 liters of ready-made solution will be enough for 100 sq.m.

Immediately after preparing the mixture it is necessary to spray the leaves of each bush generously. Only dry and windless weather is suitable for this.

This is a moderately hazardous substance, to work with it you must follow safety rules: when spraying potatoes with HOM, you must not smoke, eat or drink, your skin, eyes, breathing apparatus and head must be reliably protected (cotton robe, respirator, goggles, gloves, etc. .).

Like most chemicals, Hom should not be used in hot weather, or in close proximity to water sources, or near animals and children. It is not advisable to spray potatoes during flowering.

Prestige

Gardeners often ask whether it is possible to spray potato leaves with prestige?

" " everywhere used in the fight against the Colorado potato beetle and soil pests, penetrates into potato tubers, and only then sits in the stems and leaves of the above-ground part of the plant, which insects feed on.

However, he fits only for spraying when planting potatoes planted in April and harvested in August (mid-early and mid-late varieties). Early varieties Potatoes are harvested in June-July, the maximum harvest can be harvested until August 1.

In this case, the tubers themselves are treated before planting, and not the tops.

Saltpeter

Before you start planting the tubers, you can leave them for 45-60 minutes in a solution of ammonium nitrate and superphosphate. Preparing potatoes will be much more efficient if immediately after this you take out the tubers and sprinkle them with ash.

Not a single variety has absolute resistance to late blight or Alternaria, but there are varying degrees of vulnerability. Even the most resistant potato varieties when new strains appear and other conditions may lose their immunity and become infected.

From late blight

Many varieties of the Urals, Siberia, the central black earth region, the Far East, Kamchatka and the central part of Russia are vulnerable to late blight. New potato varieties are created using selection methods, which are specially “hardened” against this disease.

If the harvest is still was affected by a fungal disease and late blight ascomycete, at the first signs of infection you will need to use fungicides. The question arises: “What to spray potatoes against late blight?”, the answer is below.

• When to spray potatoes?

  When diseased tubers with depressed brown spots are identified and sorted, treatment should begin immediately before planting (“Kvadis” and “Uniform” will protect for 3-4 weeks). Don't wait for the first symptoms– engage in prevention in the early stages, because after the outbreak of infection has already flared up, treatment becomes almost ineffective.

  Due to the rapid development of late blight, it will take about two weeks to completely infect all plants. For prevention one of the most productive "Maxim" and "Celeste Top"(duration of effect 2 weeks). Is it possible to spray potatoes when they bloom? Generally not recommended. As soon as flowering has completed, contact agents “Bravo”, “Ditan M-45”, and “Shirlan” can be applied.

  Pre-harvest treatment with a contact preparation will help protect potatoes underground. At the same time, it is useful to use desiccants (continuous herbicides) to dry the plants, or manually cut off the tops. Desiccants will make it easier to save the crop from infection at the last stage of ripening.

• How to spray potatoes against late blight?

  Among pesticides for dehydrating tops and spraying potatoes the most common drugs are “DUAL GOLD”, “Basta”, “REVUS TOP”, “Celest Top”, “Gezagard”, “Reglon Super”, “Maxim” and “Fitosporin-M”.

Conclusion

When processing potatoes you should keep in mind the timing of its flowering and collection period finished harvest. Some drugs can only harm potatoes, while others have no effect at all. When purchasing planting tubers, consider their variety, because they differ in planting and harvesting times. Now you know what to spray potatoes with during flowering, as well as answers to many other questions.

Spraying must be carried out using protective equipment and at a strictly defined time. To prevent pests from getting used to poisons, the types of preparations need to be changed several times.

Useful video!