Carrot is one of the most delicious root vegetables, delighting gourmets not only with its aroma and taste, but also with its bright color. However, garden pests also enjoy eating a sweet, juicy and vitamin-rich vegetable. With inadequate care for the orange root crop, you can lose all or part of the crop. Therefore, the control of pests of carrots should be timely, effective and, if possible, environmentally friendly. By the way, the unfortunate activity of insects and rodents in the beds is also a good sign, because it indicates that carrots are healthy and not poisoned by harmful substances. The main thing is to manage to cope with a new misfortune by selecting the appropriate remedy.
Fighting a Carrot Fly
This insect begins its harmful activity in late spring as pupae emerge from overwintered larvae. Fortunately, it will not be difficult to detect signs of activity of a carrot fly - the bronze color of the tops will testify to it. If you do not take proper measures, then the foliage will wither, and the root crop will die. The situation is aggravated by the fact that even minor damage to the vegetable makes it unsuitable for consumption due to the bitter taste. However, subject to the proper use of protective equipment, carrot pests and their control will not cause any particular problems. To do this, you can use chemicals, folk remedies and some of the methods of cultivating the soil. Among the chemical means for killing a fly, it is worth highlighting such preparations as Arrivo, Ziper, Shar Pei, etc. They also cope with a carrot fly by adding along a row a mixture of tobacco dust, ash and slaked lime. In addition to everything, do not forget about the initial implementation of deep plowing and regular weeding of rows.
Fight against a carrot leaf
This insect is a bit like a fly, but belongs to the category of fleas. The pest has jump legs and reaches a maximum of 2 mm in length. Leaf flap appears in March, and then begins to lay eggs. In the future, the formed larvae develop directly on the beds, after which they suck out the juices from the leaves of the carrot tops, which leads to the shrinkage and drying of the latter.
It is more difficult to destroy a small leaf-cover than to prevent its propagation in the garden, therefore, immediately after the formation of the first fruits, it is recommended to cover the tops with a non-woven fabric. For small lesions, it will be appropriate to control pests of carrots with folk remedies - for example, you can water the seedlings with tinctures from tobacco dust, citrus fruit peels or coniferous branches. But a greater result will be achieved by spraying with tobacco broth diluted with laundry soap. To prepare the composition, you need to take 1 kg of tobacco waste, pour it with 10 liters of warm water and add 30 g of soap. Next, the solution is boiled for 2 hours, filtered and applied as directed.
Carrot Moth Fight
Moth on the garden bed covers a wide range of plants, among which all representatives of celery, as well as amaryllis. Therefore, in this case, the control of pests of carrots, onions, celery, parsley and dill will be carried out according to one scenario. A decoction of tomato tops, which is recommended to spray vegetation during flowering, has a deterrent effect on moths. Prepare this tool is not difficult. Approximately 3.5 kg of pre-cut tops must be poured with 10 liters of hot boiled water. The resulting solution is aged for two days, after which it should be filtered. At the final stage, 50 grams of laundry soap is added to it and you can start spraying.
Fighting the Gall Nematode
One of the most unpleasant and elusive pests that affects not only carrots, but also other cultivated plants. Nematode is a vermiform insect, the length of which reaches 1.5 mm. To understand the danger of such pests of carrots and how to deal with them, it should be borne in mind that the parasite penetrates the root crop, after which blisters and growths form on it. But the harmful effect is not only the defeat of a particular vegetable. Larvae of the worms can remain in the soil, multiplying and endangering all new plants.
There are still no concrete and 100% effective ways to destroy the nematode. Therefore, mainly gardeners use preventive measures. In particular, it is recommended to use only disinfected tools scalded with boiling water when processing the soil and handling seeds. The soil itself can be treated with carbon disulfide, formalin or chloropicrin. These measures will reduce the likelihood of developing a nematode, and will also contribute to the death of its larvae.
Fighting the Bear
Compared with the parasite described above, the bear is easier to detect and remove from the site. On the other hand, in a short time it is able to destroy a very large volume of the crop by gnawing the stems and roots of the plant. Accordingly, these are very dangerous pests of carrots, and the fight against them, the photo of which is presented below, should be carried out quickly and effectively.
Medvedka hides in the bowels of the soil, so frequent and deep weeding with loosening in the aisles will give a certain preventive effect. When an insect is found, more radical methods of control should be used, one of which is kerosene cultivation of the earth. The bear does not tolerate the specific smell of this fuel, as well as solutions of washing powders, tinctures of mustard and pepper.
Wirewalking
Much of the destruction process depends on how easily pests and control of carrots are determined. The wireworm, like the bear, is detected visually by eye, but not only. Characteristic sounds also produce it, as this parasite comes from click beetles. The wireworm lives and moves in the bowels of the soil, looking for root crops acceptable to its diet. Even small areas of damage on carrots are quickly covered with wet rot, which leads to the death of the entire fetus.
It is recommended to deal with wireworm with any fertilizer from the group of ammonia-containing ones. For example, it can be ammonium chloride, nitrate and ammonium sulfates. If on the site there are lesions of a large area that are left by carrot pests, and the fight against them does not bring results, then liming of the soil should be applied. But in this case, it is important not to overdo it, since the strong chemical effect will not be limited to just wireworm and will go to the whole crop in the processing zone.
Fighting naked slugs
The optimum habitat for slugs is considered moist soil, as well as turf with stones and fallen leaves. Parasites can lay their eggs directly in loose soil near the root system of plants, and after a few weeks young individuals appear from them. Common field varieties are especially common in Russia, but there are also representatives of naked slugs. These are the most dangerous pests of carrots, and control measures should be selected especially carefully. First of all, the garden must be cleaned of weeds. Old tops, leaves, stones, rotten boards and other objects where slugs can find their shelter should be removed. After this, the area should be treated with lime mortar with ash. Processing with superphosphate and spraying from an aqueous solution with sodium chloride can also give a good result.
Fighting winter scoop
This is a variety of caterpillars, a favorite delicacy of which are vegetable crops, and in particular carrots. The parasite can nibble the tops, as well as directly affect root crops, contributing to the death of plants. These are not the most destructive pests of carrots, and the fight against them, a photo with an example of which is located below, is completely implemented by conventional spraying.
You can scare away caterpillars with tincture of yarrow and chamomile, as well as using decoctions based on burdock. If this does not help, and on the site there is a second or third generation of winter scoops, then it is advisable to prepare a more serious means of struggle. For example, you can use biological products, including concentrated lepidocide, as well as pyrethroid drugs.
Rodent Protection
Carrot pests include not only insects, but also rodents. Field mice and rats are capable of causing no less harm to the crop, therefore it is necessary to provide for the protection of root crops in this direction. If there is free space on the site, it is desirable to plant a black elderberry. This poisonous plant will also scare off midges and mosquitoes that spoil the tops. Do not forget that mice are odor-sensitive pests of carrots, and the fight against them may include the introduction of aromatic components. For example, the smell of anise and mint near the carrot ridges will preserve the crop and at the same time will not harm the gastronomic properties of the root crop.
Prevention of carrots from diseases
Among the most common diseases of carrots, it is worth highlighting phomosis and white rot. In the first case, fungal lesions are observed on the leaves, which later go on to the root crops themselves. It is possible to provide protection against phomosis with the help of potash fertilizers, which should be applied in the process of digging the earth in the autumn. It is important to consider that various parasites can contribute to the development of this disease. These are doubly dangerous carrot pests, and they must be controlled in ways that are safe for the plant itself. To prevent the appearance of white rot, potassium fertilizers and pesticides are also used. Mineral deposits are not recommended, as they form a favorable environment for the appearance of diseases.
Conclusion
By and large, the issues of protecting root crops from various pests and diseases are resolved by means quite affordable for the ordinary summer resident. Usually, when new threats are discovered on the site, amateur gardeners look for the most advanced and modern ways to save carrots. In this case, diseases and pests, their control and preventive measures can be quite traditional. It is important not to forget that in many cases you can cope with the problem by elementary care of the beds. Soil cultivation, timely weeding and watering can lay a good base for crop conservation. In addition, much depends on the variety of carrots. For example, there are seeds that are resistant to fungal diseases, and other species are unattractive to rodents.