How to deal with a tick on a strawberry?
Most gardeners plant strawberries in their summer cottages. At the same time, this berry is often exposed to various diseases and pests. Today we will talk about how to deal with a tick on Victoria.
How to recognize the presence of a pest?
There are several signs by which one can understand that strawberry seedlings have been damaged by this particular parasite. If a tick has settled on your strawberries, then the leaf blades of the plant will be seriously affected first. White and yellow small spots will appear on them. Recognizing the pest itself is quite difficult, because it differs in too small body sizes.
If strawberries or strawberries are not treated immediately, these damages will quickly become larger. And then the whole leaf will look yellow. Then it will be covered with a special waxy sheen and will gradually begin to twist, which will lead to its imminent death.
In the final stages, cobwebs form on the affected plants. The bushes simply do not have time to ripen normally and give a full harvest. Strawberries and strawberries are most often affected by this pest, so experienced gardeners strongly recommend planting mite-resistant varieties in their plots.
Remember that due to such a parasite, the intensity of photosynthesis can be significantly reduced. As a result, the immunity of all plants on your land may decrease.
Reasons for the appearance
Mites are most often attracted to the undersides of young, healthy leaf blades on plants. After all, it is on them that they have a thin juicy skin that can be easily bitten through.
But there are several main reasons for the appearance of a tick on strawberry bushes:
- too humid and warm climatic conditions for growing strawberries;
- planting already infected strawberry seedlings;
- distribution of tick larvae with clothes or shoes of gardeners.
Harm
The tick can cause great harm to strawberry and strawberry bushes. Due to the activity of this parasite, the development of plants stops abruptly. In addition, if this pest has settled on your site, it will ruin the crop not only this season, but also the next one, so this insect is most dangerous for remontant varieties.
Because of the mite, you can lose almost the entire crop of berries. After all, it harms not only the leaves and stems, but also the fruits themselves. They dry out quickly before they have matured enough.
The parasite significantly reduces the level of frost resistance of strawberry bushes. Therefore, strawberries in the winter season may simply not withstand too low temperatures and die.
Fighting methods
There are many ways to get rid of mites on strawberries. Often, gardeners use folk remedies for this purpose.
- Infusion with tomato leaves. To prepare such a decoction, you need to pour one kilogram of tops with water (10 liters) and insist for several hours. After that, the liquid is boiled for three hours, filtered, diluted with water. It is also recommended to add some laundry soap (40 grams) there.
- Decoction of hot red pepper. To make it, you need to place the pepper in a deep bowl (100 grams) and completely fill it with hot water, let it brew for several hours. The leaves and stems damaged by the mite are carefully washed with the resulting decoction.
- Onion decoction. Onion peel (200 grams) is insisted in boiling water for at least five days. With this liquid, diseased leaf blades are thoroughly washed. Strawberries should be sprayed with this decoction only in early spring. After the procedure, the plants are briefly covered with a special film. Spraying can be carried out during fruiting.
- Dandelion infusion. To prepare it, you need to take dandelion stems and grind them. The resulting mass is poured with water (10 liters). The liquid is infused for about four hours. After that, it is filtered and damaged plants are treated with it.
- Decoction with garlic. Fresh garlic heads (0.2 kilograms) are crushed and poured with 10 liters of water. The resulting broth should be sprayed with diseased seedlings immediately, it is not necessary to insist on it before that.
- Heat treatment. It is effective only at the initial stages of fruiting and at the end of fruiting. Water for this treatment is poured into a saucepan and brought to a boil. Remember that this folk method can only be used for small damaged areas.
- Soap solution. Grate some laundry soap on a medium grater. Dilute it in clean water (1000 milliliters). Mix the resulting solution thoroughly. It must be insisted for 4-5 hours. For greater efficiency, the soap solution is mixed with onion. The liquid is filtered and damaged plants are treated with it.
- Tobacco solution. For such a composition, dry leaves and stems of tobacco are taken (50 grams per liter of water).Plants are poured with boiling water and left to infuse for several hours. After the solution is diluted with a little water. Then you can spray.
- Decoction with yarrow. To prepare such a solution, dry plants are taken (80 grams per liter of water). Yarrow is poured with hot water. The liquid is left to brew for a short time. Then damaged seedlings are treated with it.
- Infusion with potato tops. Cheese potato mass (120 grams) is poured with water (one liter) and left to infuse. Later, they are sprayed with diseased leaf plates of seedlings.
Many experienced gardeners use only proven chemical agents (acaricides) when dealing with ticks on strawberries.
- Fitoverm. This chemical preparation belongs to low-toxic agents for humans. It has an intestinal-contact effect on pests. Processing with such a composition should be carried out no later than three weeks before harvesting. To make a solution, you need to dilute two milliliters of the product in 10 liters of water.
- Karbofos. To make a composition with this chemical preparation, you need to dilute three tablespoons in water (10 liters). In this case, the water should be preheated to a temperature of at least 30 degrees. It is necessary to spray diseased seedlings with such a solution immediately after harvesting. The resulting diluted preparation is first poured into a watering can and the plants are treated with it.
- "Aktelik". To make this solution, you need to dilute 2 milliliters of the drug with 10 liters of pure water. Spraying is best done before harvest. The frequency of procedures is indicated in the instructions for use.
- "Neoron". Many gardeners note that it is with this remedy that it is most effective to treat strawberry and strawberry beds.The drug practically does not scare away beneficial pollinating insects. To make a solution, you need to dilute one ampoule in water, which contains five milliliters of the substance.
- "Sulfur colloidal". This fungicidal agent is used in the form of an aqueous suspension. It is a special wettable powder or special paste. Treatment with the drug can be carried out at a temperature not lower than 20 degrees. Otherwise, it will simply be ineffective, the tick will remain on the plants.
Mistakes
Many gardeners make some gross mistakes when processing strawberries from a tick. If you use chemicals, be sure to read the instructions. It prescribes the appropriate time for processing by this tool.
If you spray the seedlings with a chemical solution at a different time, it may not give an effective result, and the mite will continue to parasitize. Another common mistake gardeners make is the treatment of badly damaged bushes using folk methods.
Remember that folk decoctions can be sprayed on damaged plants only at the initial stages of infection or simply as a preventive measure. If the strawberry is already very sick, it must be treated with extremely effective chemical preparations.
Often people make serious mistakes even when caring for strawberries, which subsequently leads to the appearance of a tick in the beds. Some disrupt watering by doing this procedure too often or too infrequently.
Many people make mistakes when they apply top dressing and various fertilizers.
Remember that substances that contain nitrogen should be used carefully, because their excess in the ground can cause the appearance of various parasites.Other plant nutrients should also be used in moderation at certain stages of development.
Prevention
To prevent the tick from appearing on strawberries at all, special preventive measures must be taken periodically. Before planting strawberry seedlings, check them carefully. All of them must be without damage and deformation. Only such seedlings can be used in your summer cottage.
Before planting, the bushes are recommended to be treated in warm water. This will kill all harmful bacteria. After this procedure, the seedlings must be sprayed with chilled water.
Remember to remove all damaged and diseased plant parts. You need to do this right away. Plant strawberries in well-lit areas. It is better not to land in dark areas.
As a preventive measure, regularly loosen the earth around young seedlings. Do not forget about top dressing with substances and elements necessary for fruit plants.
Remember that strawberry seedlings should be sufficiently ventilated with cool air. Remove all weeds around the bushes in time. All old mustaches and leaf plates must also be removed from the plants.
To prevent pests from appearing on strawberries, it is necessary to carefully take care of the beds even after harvesting the entire crop. The land needs to be cultivated, fertilizers must be applied to the soil.
Reviews
Currently, many gardeners leave feedback on various methods of dealing with mites on strawberries and strawberries. So, the majority noted "Fitoverm". This chemical preparation will allow for a short period of time to get rid of the pest for a long time.
Some people noticed Karbofos as well. In their opinion, such a drug is also effective. It will help to quickly destroy the tick on the plants.But at the same time, this product has an overly pungent odor, so if you use it indoors, then it must be ventilated afterwards.
Means "Aktelik", according to gardeners, is an excellent option for combating ticks. It will be able to destroy the insect after the first application. Some also noted the convenient shape of the ampoules in which the drug is produced.
Colloidal sulfur also deserved positive feedback. Many noted that it is an effective and fast-acting fungicide. In addition, this tool has a low price. But remember that it does not dissolve well in water, which complicates its preparation.
Some gardeners have also approved folk methods of dealing with ticks on strawberry bushes. Among the most effective of them, an infusion with chopped garlic, a decoction with red hot pepper, and yarrow were singled out.
About the tick on strawberries: what is dangerous and how to deal with it, see the next video.