Very often, an unwanted and harmful "lodger" appears on the currant bushes, which can ruin the entire crop. It's aphid. Small bugs, only 1 - 2 mm in size, attack the bushes of vitamin berries, feeding on the juice of leaves and shoots.
Ants are taking care of the distribution of these "guest workers". "Working guys", planning their diet, with great diligence breed for themselves a "subsidiary farm" of these insects. The aphids give off a sweet liquid that the ants perceive as a treat. They take care of their "herd", in case of danger, they protect it, transfer it to another place, drag it underground, hide it for the winter in the bark of old branches.
Enterprising gardeners, even before bud break, spray the bushes with boiling water. This procedure will not harm the culture - boiling water will destroy the eggs that these fertile insects managed to lay at the end of the season. If time is lost, then other measures must be taken.
Aphids settle on stems and the lower part of currant leaves. From the vigorous activity of pests, the leaves acquire a brown color and curl, the stems become lethargic, the plant weakens and may die.
Proven folk recipes will help prevent such an unfortunate fate for currants: infusions of garlic, wormwood, celandine, onion husks, ash, tobacco dust. But there is the most effective and proven method that will destroy aphids and save the crop, and which has been used by experienced gardeners for a long time.
The recipe for a solution that is harmless to human health is prepared from available and environmentally friendly substances: water, ammonia and laundry soap. Preparation of the spray composition:
- Grate a briquette of laundry soap and add the shavings to 10 liters of warm water.
- Stir the mixture thoroughly until the solid is completely dissolved.
- Add 40 ml of ammonia or 10% ammonia solution to the soap emulsion.
- Let the mixture brew for 8 - 10 hours in a dark place.
- Mix the infusion thoroughly, pour into a spray container and process the bushes.
Aphids do not tolerate the pungent smell of ammonia, and the soap promotes better adhesion. As a result, the withered corpses of the villains dry up and crumble.
On a note! Processing should start from the undersides of the leaves, where the aphids are going to have a feast.
It is necessary to spray the entire bush, otherwise pale green insects in a stressful state and madness can move to other branches.
The procedure should be carried out in calm weather in the morning or evening hours. Ammonia will not only rid the currants from pests, but also serve as an additional effective feeding. This will give a chance to get the desired harvest.
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