The most dangerous enemy of garden crops is a miniature insect called aleurodida or whitefly. This relative of the aphid is distinguished by its small size (up to 3 mm) and the white color of the wings, as if powdered with a powdery bloom. Greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants especially suffer from the whitefly invasion. Every summer resident should know how to effectively deal with it, so as not to be left without a crop.
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Ways to deal with whitefly in a greenhouse
This small but dangerous pest is distinguished by moisture and thermophilicity. He feels good in greenhouses, greenhouses. Aleurodida may also appear on a closed balcony with flower pots.
In greenhouse conditions, the harmful insect begins to actively reproduce. For this reason, it is so important to start fighting it in a timely manner, preventing the mass destruction of plants by the whitefly.
There are 2 ways to fight the pest:
- mechanical removal of larvae from foliage;
- treatment of affected crops with insecticidal preparations or means prepared according to folk recipes.
Both methods should be used in combination for maximum effect.
Fighting Whitefly Attacking Greenhouse Tomatoes
The appearance of this pest on tomatoes growing in a greenhouse is diagnosed by gardeners by yellowing and curling foliage, weakened shoots. Near the tomato bushes, you can see many small white moths. Their larvae, living on the leaves, draw sap from the plants.
On the back of the leaves of a tomato affected by aleurodida, there is often a bloom of black color.
The appearance of signs of whitefly damage in greenhouse tomato bushes requires urgent measures from the summer resident to save them:
- elimination of larvae and plaque from foliage by wiping it with a cotton swab, which has been soaked in soapy water;
- placing traps in a greenhouse - pieces of yellow cardboard greased with castor oil;
- spraying plants with Fitoverma solution (Inta-Vira or Confidora Maxi) with repeated treatment after 2-3 weeks.
Destruction of the pest on cucumbers
Whitefly loves to feast on juice from cucumber leaves. She is attracted by droplets of liquid on the foliage called honeydew.
Plants affected by the parasite develop white spots on the leaf plates. The leaves themselves become sticky, deformed, fall off.
This attack can be prevented by annually disinfecting the greenhouse, freezing it in the winter, and regular ventilation.
Also, the summer resident will need to remove weeds in the greenhouse in a timely manner.
To save the greenhouse cucumbers affected by the whitefly, they should be sprayed with "Alatar", "Biovert", "Iskra Zolotoy".
Fight against a pest that attacks eggplant
This miniature enemy of greenhouse crops will not refuse such a delicacy as the juice of young eggplant leaves. In a bush affected by the invasion of a pest, the deciduous decoration will be yellowed, deformed. Over time, such leaves will begin to blacken and crumble.
As a preventive measure for the problem, experienced gardeners resort to freezing the greenhouse, disinfecting it, and destroying weeds. You will also need to inspect the greenhouse eggplant bushes from time to time in order to timely identify the first symptoms of their defeat by the whitefly.
Particular attention should be paid to the back of the leaves. There you can find pest larvae.
In addition to mechanical cleaning, affected plants should be treated with the previously listed insecticides.
How to deal with whitefly folk remedies
Popular folk remedies also help to resist the pest. They are available to every summer resident and give a good effect, but are less effective than purchased insecticides.
Greenhouse crops affected by whitefly can be treated with these natural and safe formulations:
- Sugar solution. To obtain it, dissolve a little granulated sugar (2 tbsp) in warm water (250 ml). l.). After the crystals are completely dissolved, the foliage is sprayed on the plant affected by the insect with a sweet liquid. After 1 week, spraying with clean water is carried out to remove sweet plaque from the leaves.
- Garlic infusion. For its preparation, gruel is made from chives (15 pcs.). Pour it with water (100 ml). The tool will need to be insisted for 5 days. Before use, the concentrate is diluted with water (proportion - 5 ml per 1 liter).
- Decoction of yarrow. To obtain a liquid composition, plant raw materials (80 g) are crushed and poured with boiling water (1 l), boiled for a minute or two and allowed to brew for 24 hours.
Knowing how to deal with the whitefly can effectively counter this enemy of greenhouse crops and save your crop.
Do you know how to protect vegetables growing in a greenhouse from whitefly?
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