Content
All gardeners are familiar with the Colorado potato beetle.
No plot of potatoes, tomatoes or eggplants has been overlooked by this striped leaf beetle. Therefore, summer residents are constantly inventing or looking for reliable ways to combat this harmful beetle. Among the main methods are:
- chemical;
- agrotechnical;
- biological;
- recipes of folk wisdom.
Today we will focus on the last point. Indeed, many potato growers avoid the use of chemical poisons, they often cannot fulfill all the requirements of agricultural technology. Therefore, the striped beetle is annoying. Another unpleasant ability of the Colorado beetle for summer residents is that it quickly gets used to the action of modern drugs. Therefore, they try to poison the Colorado potato beetle with different compositions.
Burning remedies for leaf beetle
Mustard powder and table vinegar are popular ingredients among summer residents. However, it should be said right away that the folk recipe scares away the adult pest and its larvae, and does not destroy.
Mustard against the Colorado potato beetle is used alone and mixed with various substances. It helps to eliminate from the garden not only the aforementioned pest, but also other unwanted insects. Its ability to grow rapidly, to clear the ground of scab and pathogenic phytophthora saves plantings from moths, wireworms and slugs.
An important quality is the environmental friendliness of mustard. It is sown as a green manure, used in cooking and to protect vegetable beds. You can poison the Colorado potato beetle with mustard using dry powder, which is easy to purchase in the store chain.
Dry Mustard vs. Colorado Beetle
Dry mustard is very simple to use, and its action allows you to cope with pests over a large area. How does mustard work against parasites? It exudes a smell unpleasant for beetles and thus scares them away from the garden. Colorado potato beetle larvae do not like the bitter taste of mustard powder. Therefore, they leave the leaves on which mustard powder is poured.
A complex recipe is not required to apply dry mustard powder. You purchase raw materials in the right amount, scatter them in places where pests accumulate and in aisles. Then sprinkle the plants well. The duration of exposure to the powder is up to 4 days. At this time, the larvae will leave the plants, and the adults will bypass them. To enhance the effect of the substance, different formulations with mustard are used. The mustard and vinegar recipe works well.
The combination of these components enhances the action of the product and allows you to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle faster and more reliably. The beetle does not develop immunity to the mixture or to individual components, so the composition always works.
Using a mixture of components
Not only mustard has a specific aroma, but vinegar also has a characteristic pungent odor. The main thing is to observe the proportions of the components in the mixture of mustard and vinegar against the Colorado potato beetle.
There are several recipes with the addition of additional ingredients to prepare the mixture to combat the Colorado parasite.
The simplest one looks like this:
- For 10 liters of solution, take one bag of mustard powder (100 grams) or 4 tablespoons.
- Add 100 ml of table vinegar (9%).
- Mix the ingredients well.
- Dilute the mixture with water (10 liters) and mix again.
The second version of the composition is slightly different in the method of preparation and the proportion of the components. For it, take twice as much dry mustard powder (200 g), dilute in a bucket of water (10 liters) and leave for 12 hours to infuse. Then add table vinegar (150 ml). If in the first version a mixture of mustard and vinegar was diluted with water, now we do not mix these substances at the beginning of preparation.
To enhance the effect of the remedy, many gardeners add wormwood, infusion of garlic or onion peel, turpentine to it.
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Wormwood, turpentine, mustard, vinegar from the Colorado potato beetle have a strong effect when used correctly. How to apply the prepared solution? Spraying the bushes will be the most acceptable way. Treatment should be started at the beginning of the growth of the tops and at the time of the increase in the number of striped pests.
Certain conditions must be observed to achieve maximum effect:
- Start spraying in the evening. At this time, the heat subsides, the activity of the sun decreases. Plants get less stress, and mustard will not lose its beneficial properties from direct sunlight.
- Choose a warm and calm evening. The composition will fit well on plants and not be sprayed outside the beds. And the heat will help the components to better show their effect.
- Process regularly. The last time is 3 weeks before harvest.
- The composition must be used within 3 hours after preparation. Otherwise, it will be useless.
- If it rains after spraying, you will have to repeat the treatment. Drops of water wash off the solution from the bushes and its effect ceases.
Compositions are used not only for spraying potato ridges, but also for watering.
Reviews of gardeners
Conclusion
When fighting the Colorado potato beetle it must be remembered that the main harm is caused by the larvae of the pest. Therefore, you should not pull with the use of the chosen means. Folk recipes are safe for both humans and the surrounding nature. Therefore, their use will not only get rid of the gluttonous parasite, but also will not harm.
