Spring is a wonderful time when you need to take care of the summer strawberry harvest in advance. They love it from an early age, because it is tasty, sweet and healthy, however, at the same time, it is the most capricious berry of all in the garden, because it requires regularity and effort from a person. Namely, cut off the tendrils and leaves in time, water and fertilize. In addition, many gardeners are faced with the problem of pests and diseases of this berry.
Not everyone knows how to help the berry cope with them without harming them with purchased or homemade liquids, which are sold in abundance on store shelves. Therefore, we will look at several means of pest control and important tips on how to take care in advance that they are not a threat.
List of pests, main damage and recipes for getting rid of them
| Strawberry pests | How to determine harm | Safe control methods |
| Weevil, body length up to three millimeters. The color of the insect is black or dark brown (No. 1 in the photo). | - flowers on plants fall off;
- the flower bud cracks or breaks at the base of the stem; - holes form in the leaves of the berry. |
1. Plant garlic or onions next to the strawberry beds, this will scare away uninvited guests;
2. To spray the bushes, you will need dry mustard and laundry soap. Two hundred gram portions of each ingredient, mix with each other and dissolve in ten liters of cold water.
|
| There are two types of mite: spider mite (green) and earth-colored (No. 2 in the photo). | -the fruits are small and the leaves are yellow. | |
| Tiny worms (nematodes), their length is only 1 millimeter, transparent (No. 3 in the photo). | - deformed stems, leaves and inflorescences. | |
| Aphids, tiny in size, come in white and green (No. 4 in the photo). | -infects exclusively young leaves of berries and flower buds;
-aphids get onto the plant thanks to ants, which carry them on themselves. |
3. Spray the leaves with the crafty solution. To do this you will need forty grams of onions and five grams of laundry soap. Chop the onion, add one liter of warm water and let it brew for five hours. Then add soap. |
| May beetle, the body of the beetle is white and yellow, size 5 cm (No. 5 in the photo). | -the larvae of the individual feed on the roots of the berry, and the adult beetles feed on its green part. | |
| The whitefly, about 1 mm in size, is somewhat reminiscent of a butterfly. | - there are many small holes in the leaves located closer to the ground;
-the damaged area turns yellow and curls; -fungal diseases often appear. |
4. Try to place strawberry beds in areas where there is more sunlight. Under no circumstances should you grow cabbage and cucumbers near berries; they attract pests. |
| Slugs are similar to snails, they lack a shell and are transparent or dark in color. | -the harvest contains bitten leaves and small berries. | 5. You need to scatter ash or sawdust at the roots of the plant. |
| The mole cricket, the largest pest, is brown in color and its body length reaches 6 cm (No. 6 in the photo). | -larvae feed on the roots of the plant, which leads to its rapid drying out and death. | 6. Try to attract various birds to your garden beds, such as starlings, crows, rooks and insectivores (moles, lizards). They will eat both adults and their larvae. |
Measures for preliminary protection of strawberry beds from all kinds of pests and diseases
- Buy seedlings only from well-known manufacturers;
- First of all, before treating with special or folk remedies, it is necessary to go around all the beds with berries, cut off and burn the buds, the leaves that have been exposed to insects, frozen or dried out. This will prevent the proliferation of pests and prevent the infection from spreading to other plants;
- Systematically remove weeds and water the beds. As soon as the first flowers appear, try to keep water away from them;
- Plant beneficial plants next to strawberry bushes, such as lupine, it repels insects and helps restore the soil;
- Replant the berry bushes in a timely manner to prepared and treated areas;
- Try not to dig up the soil around the plants in early spring, because this process can slow down the growth of roots and delay the ripening of the crop;
- As soon as the young leaves of the strawberry appear, immediately treat the plant with raw materials in the form of cow manure.
Thanks to these events, you will be able to protect yourself and your garden from unnecessary troubles in advance and will contribute to the ripening of a rich harvest. Parasites choose strawberries for the plant's young roots, tender leaves and its aroma. Therefore, the main task for every gardener is to prevent pests from entering the territory using safe means. It is better to use chemical-free products, as this will protect not only the plant, but also the person.
