Plant Pest Control - Guide
Prevention is better than combat.
Prevention is better than combat.
Our main goal as a successful grower is to prevent pests from entering our growing zone and snack from our plants. Although, sometimes it is not possible.
Let's learn about the most common pests, how they harm our beloved plants, and how prevent them from doing so.
There are insects everywhere and in a huge variety, the good news us that they can be controlled, and the battle isn't lost.
An understanding of pests, prevention methods, and extermination types are all that is required.
The most effective treatment is prevention:
In addition to isolating the breeding space, mosquito netting, and reducing the sources of infection, animals roaming outside with mites in their fur should be prevented from entering the breeding site.
It is also possible for the grower himself to carry pests on his clothing, so make sure you wear clean clothes when entering the growing space.
Take extra care to avoid dirt, dust, etc. In the breeding space.
It is easier to notice changes in plants and unwanted guests in a clean space.
During periods of no plant growth, it is recommended to wash the space with a strong detergent (such as bleach) and spray with a chemical pesticide.
After 48 hours without ventilation, ventilate the space well and start a new cycle in a clean, disinfected area.
A glue trap provides protection from unwanted pests and allows an attack plan to be constructed.
Using a waxy protective layer such as Leaf Coat [does not harm the leaf's viability].
In the weeks leading up to the pest season, weekly sprays of pesticide (organic or chemical) followed by a periodic treatment can form a respectable protective wall.
A magnifying glass or a microscope should be used routinely to examine the plant from all angles, including above and below the leaves, at the connection points between the leaves and branches, on the stem at the top and around the trunk, and in the soil.
It is recommended to combine lavender, basil, mint, garlic, chives, and other plants that secrete essential oils into the air to keep leaf aphids away.
Prevention is always better than combat
An insect species that has barbed mouthparts and a 2-4 segmented trunk. It belongs to the bedbug family.
Usually, they feed on plant sap or animal body fluids, which they suckle with their mouthparts. There are more than 13,200 species known throughout the world.
Many agricultural crops and ornamental plants are affected by these pests.
Aphids have a digestive system that exhausts the essential nutrients from plants and secretes the rest as "honeydew".
Dew is a food source for many types of ants, which reach the affected plants as well.
The dew also contributes to the development of various fungi on the plant.
Aphids feed on the sap of plants and often introduce viruses. There is a phenomenon called "soot" (soot-like) on leaves caused by aphids.
These insects are often found on young leaves and are usually green, black, or yellow in color.
They cause the leaves to look slightly curled and produce "honeydew" drops.
In the case of leaf aphids, organic or chemical fertilizers will be effective in treating them. When it is in its early stages, organic can provide a helpful response. When aphids are mature and numerous, chemical treatment is preferable, or a combination of the two.
Treatment - Spraying is used for treatment. Spraying both sides of the leaves is important, as is persists until the problem is eradicated.
In order to remove eggs from the lower parts of the leaf, it is recommended to wipe over the lower parts of the leaf with a cloth after applying the preparations.
Immediately act whenever you spot the aphids on your plants! As your plants might be destroyed in a matter of days.
There are about 300 species of aphids in this genus.
The mealy aphids look like a cotton wool. Elliptical white and covered with white powder.
The pest is active all year round and usually damages mature parts of plants. Colonies of this aphid are found mostly in stem joints. Moisture and heat are needed for it to survive.
In addition to sucking sap from plants, mealy aphids excrete honeydew that can produce soot.
Furthermore, it causes paleness of the leaves and their early fall, which can halt the plant's development, or it can cause distorted growth.
Various fungi and diseases are transmitted by aphids.
Treatment - Mealybugs must be treated chemically, organic options do not work unless they are at an early stage, in which case removing the infected centers and spraying with organic fertilizer can work.
In the case of large ornamental plants in the garden, watering with a strong stream can help bring them down.
Various fungi and diseases are transmitted by aphids.
Many crops, including field crops and cover crops, are at risk from spider mites such as the red spider mite and the yellow spider mite.
They feed on the sap of the plant cells, usually from the underside of the leaf, leaving tiny bright spots visible from the top.
Having a large population of the pest causes bleaching of the foliage, thereby decreasing the plant's ability to carry out photosynthesis, and drying of the foliage, even resulting in death.
Like a grain of salt, the mites resemble small spiders and are almost indistinguishable because of their size.
Microscopes and magnifying glasses are the best tools for identifying them.
Their damage is similar to that caused by thrips - tiny white-yellow dots on the back of the leaves (depending on severity).
Thrips leave grayish trails as opposed to silver dots that mites leave behind.
The flowers and the top of the plant are also covered with very fine spider webs.
Mites build a web of webs that they use to move from plant to plant and spread throughout the crop.
Approximately seven eggs are laid on the underside of the leaf and on the webs every day by the female, whose color can range from yellowish with two dark spots to red and dark brown.
There are small, transparent eggs that are round in shape.
Treatment - In the early stages of mite infestation, organic pesticides are effective. Chemical pesticides are used in more severe cases.
Having a large population of the pest causes drying of the foliage, even resulting in plants death.
It is created by different strains of fungi from the powdery series and damages a wide variety of plants.
It is one of the easiest diseases to recognize and its symptoms are quite unique. The damage is manifested in white powdery spots on the leaves and stems.
Usually, the fungus starts its way from the lower leaves and develops upwards, sometimes it affects the whole plant equally regardless of its height, sometimes this disease mainly attacks young bulbs and young plant parts in the spring and summer seasons.
The white spots grow and concentrate as the fungus develops, and the blight may also spread along the length of the plant's stem.
Powdery fungus develops well in an environment with high humidity and moderate temperatures.
Treatment - primary organic treatment option, is baking soda - one tablespoon per liter of water, spray every day for a week or two.
Another option is for 1 liter of water, 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap [organic] 1 teaspoon of baking soda powder, and 2 teaspoons of vinegar, spray organic and chemical pesticides depending on the severity of the situation, in extreme situations you can combine the two.
The Powdery Mildew usually, starts its way from the lower leaves and develops upwards.
More than 30 species of yeast flies belong to the yeast fly superfamily. As a winged insect, it looks more like a mosquito than a fly.
Its size is approximately 2-3 cm. With six slender legs and red eyes, it has a brown or black body and brown or black eyes.
Rotting fruit can also contain it. It takes about a month for a fly to complete its lifecycle, from birth to laying offspring to death.
At 28 degrees, it takes about seven days for an egg to become an adult. A female lays about 400 eggs 10-20 times every day. 4000 - 8000 eggs a day! And each egg measures 0.5 mm in length.
In the adult stage, the flies do not harm the plant, they dig into the growing medium and lay their eggs. Once the larvae hatch, they start eating the roots' hairs, which damages the plant.
As fermentation flies are attracted to fermenting things, the key to combating them is to prevent the conditions for their establishment in and around the growing area.
Treatment - for pest control, it is recommended to spray organic spray to kill larvae and to adhere to an irrigation regimen to prevent excess water. Switch to bottom irrigation to keep the upper part of the soil as dry as possible.
It is worthwhile to change a pot and refresh the soil if possible. Glue traps should also be placed near the cannabis plants.
A female lays about 400 eggs 10-20 times every day. 4000 - 8000 eggs a day!
An assortment of small insects with wings. Scientific records have documented more than 5000 species of thrips, among which there are the Californian thrips, cuckoo thrips, western flower thrips, Syrian thrips, Ficus thrips, and tobacco thrips.
By piercing holes in plants and animals, they drink their contents.
In agriculture, there are many pests that cause problems for plants that are commercially important. Examples include corn, onions, pepper, strawberries, cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, eggplant, and beans.
The other species feed on other insects, such as mites, and are considered beneficial. They can grow at dizzying speeds and form large, disturbing colonies if conditions are right.
By piercing holes in plants and animals, they drink their contents.
The California thrips is a small insect with a narrow body and a length of up to 1.2 mm. The male is smaller than the female and has lighter color.
When in rest, the wings of the thrips are laid on its back, forming a dark stripe along its body where they meet.
An adult female's spawning tube protrudes from her abdomen, and an adult male has two small orange dots around his abdomen.
In addition to the egg, there are two larval stages, a pre-pupal stage, a pupa (an inactive stage found in the soil), and an adult.
At a temperature of 25 degrees, the development of an egg into an adult takes about 15 days. There is a peak in the population of the thrips in early spring and late fall when they develop primarily in sheltered crops during the winter.
As a result of scratching and sucking the host plant, the thrips cause direct and indirect damage.
As a direct result, chlorophyll is damaged, resulting in the yellowing of foliage, sometimes accompanied by the leaf drop.
Growth retardation and deformity are present at the growth tips.
As a result of damaging the pigment, the thrips leave a grayish trail.
Treatment - it's important to treat the plant and the substrate simultaneously, sprinkle cinnamon on the soil and spray the plant.
A dose of 2-3 ml per liter of chemical pesticide can also be used to treat thrips.
In terms of organic thrips preparations, we don't yet have an answer, the question is whether we need one.
Only chemical pesticide will work against Frankliniella Occidentalis. It's much better to treat the plant and prevent those pests than combat them.
In the Panthera family, the prodenia moth's head is covered with brown scales that form a large garlands around the eyes, giving them a similar shape to Panthera eyes.
Prodania butterflies and their relatives are often called animates because of their large eyes.
There are tens to hundreds of eggs laid by a female prodania on various plants.
It hatches from green eggs, which turn grayish brown after a few years.
A single black hair grows from each bump.
They come in a variety of shapes and types.
In the night, the reptiles gnaw on the leaves, and during the day, they hide in the soil nearby.
Treatment - chemical pesticide.
In the night, the reptiles gnaw on the leaves, and during the day, they hide in the soil nearby, making them very hard to spot.
In the subseries of aphids, the aphid belongs to the family of moth aphids in the bedbug series.
Also included in the aphid family are leaf aphids, shield aphids, psyllids, and phylloxera. They all cause serious problems in agriculture.
Using their stinging-sucking mouthparts, these insects consume plant sap.
During the hot months, between June and August, aphid populations increase greatly when temperatures rise above 25 degrees. If you live in a tropical climate country, this is not applicable, as they reproduce all year long.
As a result of sucking sap from plants, the aphids create heavy pressure on the plants, causing honeydew and soot to form, as well as an increase in infection rates through viruses transmitted by it.
It looks like a tiny moth or white fly, which lays eggs not only on the substrate but also on the leaves.
A shake of the plant will bring up small white flies that resemble small white dust. Significant damage will only occur if their numbers increase disproportionately.
Treatment - spray the substrate lightly and both sides of the leaves with an anti-pest product, and repeat the process four to seven days later.
Up to two weeks before picking, spray only organic material on flowers.
When organic pest control is not effective, chemical pest control can be used.
Before plants yield, do not spray them with chemical pesticides.
Specified fertilizer added to the irrigation water is the best pesticide against tobacco moth aphids, and one or two treatments usually solve the problem.
Strong reproduction in whiteflies occur during the hot months, or in hot regions.
An insecticidal oil is produced from various parts of the Indian Neem tree.
The oil contains limonoids that inhibit insect growth control. While they do not directly kill the insect, they harm its development, growth, and metamorphosis ability.
In addition to being effective against tunnel moths, whiteflies, and acaaria, it can also be used against head lice and fleas.
Natural exterminator and bee attractant, non-toxic to humans. The best time to spray is during the cool hours of the day.
There are several preparations based on the oil of the Indian Azadrake tree.
Pesticides based on Neem / Azadrake tree are highly effective against pests.