Every gardener knows how difficult it is to grow good strawberries, and how hard it is when a plant begins to hurt or is exposed to various pests. Out of ignorance, it is not immediately possible to determine that a plant is sick, what exactly it is sick with, and, as a result, lose such a precious crop. Let's look at what are the main strawberry pests and how to deal with them.
One of the most dangerous fungal diseases is gray rot. It appears on the fruits of strawberries in the form of brown soft spots. The spots begin to rot gradually, as a result, the berry rots completely. In order to avoid infection of healthy berries, damaged fruits must be removed immediately from the site, since the wind can spread the spores to the site. To prevent the
disease, strawberries must be treated with
copper chloride 2 times: before flowering and after the last harvest from the garden. Dosage - approximately 1 tablespoon per ten-liter bucket of water.
Another disease is strawberry spotting. Spots are white, brown and brown. Appear in the summer or autumn. The disease affects the leaves of strawberries. They begin to turn and fall. Means of dealing with this disease are the same as with gray rot.
In case of
powdery mildew, the leaves and fruits of strawberries are covered with plaque and rot. To combat the disease, the leaves can be treated with potassium permanganate or sulfaride (spraying is done in spring and autumn from the consumption of 2 tablespoons per bucket of water).
Straw pests such as millipedes, slugs and snails appear in moist areas with humus soils. They damage directly the fruits of the plant. To combat them, metaldehyde is used in granules. Processing is done after picking berries in places of special accumulation of parasites (5 grams per square meter).
Strawberry transparent mites are very dangerous strawberry pests. The photo below illustrates the appearance of this parasite. The places of accumulation of ticks are the antennae of young strawberry leaves. Ticks suck the juice from young leaves, as a result of which the bushes become stunted, and the berries are very small.
A spider mite has a similar effect on strawberries , only at the same time the leaves are covered with a characteristic cobweb, turn yellow and dry. Weevils, strawberries, whiteflies and other strawberry pests can also ruin your harvest. To protect against parasites, the leaves must be treated with malathion at the rate of 3 tablespoons per ten-liter bucket of warm water. Spraying is done after the last harvest of berries. The sprayed area is tightly covered with a film for 3 hours.
Strawberry pest control is one of the most important components for a good harvest. Therefore, do not forget about the general processing of strawberries from pests. It is being held closer to the end of September for disease prevention next year. It is carried out in this way: 2 tablespoons of wood ash, liquid soap and vinegar are diluted in a bucket of warm water, and 3 tablespoons of burnt vegetable oil are added. The resulting solution is thoroughly stirred, filtered and sprayed on the soil, as well as strawberry bushes. Remember, if you follow all the specified measures for the care and cultivation, then no pests of strawberries will not be scary.