How to process potatoes from wireworm before planting: 8 proven remedies
Most often, it is potato tubers that suffer from wireworms. To protect the crop, it is necessary to properly prepare vegetables for planting. In the fall, they carry out prevention, and at the beginning of the season, complete protection.
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Who is a wireworm
Wireworm - click beetle larva. An adult is not a particular pest, although it feeds on cereals, it does not cause great harm.
Wireworms, caterpillars, which are so named for their color of the calf, are very voracious and cause a lot of harm. They live for several years, the first year they hardly eat, and years of life 2-4 cause significant damage.
What do wireworms eat
Damaged potatoes.
Larvae, starting from the second year of life, are omnivorous. They primarily attack tubers and prefer potatoes. But they also eat:
- carrots;
- beetroot;
- cabbage;
- rye.
How to determine the appearance of wireworm on potatoes
Pests do not disdain green shoots of tops and roots. But it is difficult to notice the first manifestations. Here are some of the main signs.
- Withering of individual bushes. With great appetite they eat one bush and do not move.
- Undermining. If you periodically check the potatoes, you can find through holes or spots.
- Loosening. Sometimes, in the process of weeding or hilling, the larvae themselves are visible in the upper layers of the soil.
- Beetles. Dark beetles on the green may be evidence of infection. They click unusually, which is a feature.
How to process potatoes from wireworm
The easiest way is to process before planting potatoes. To do this, use chemicals and folk remedies.
Special drugs
Chemistry is used on potato varieties that have an average and late ripening period. It is important to correctly determine the dose so that the plant has time to remove the drug. All chemicals must be applied according to the instructions, using protection methods.
Folk methods
These are ways that are cheap and affordable.
It is crushed and put directly into the wells. Some practice the processing of the tubers themselves, but the procedure is difficult to perform.
Suitable from nettle (500 grams per 10 liters of water) or from dandelion (200 grams for the same amount). Process tubers on both sides.
Scatter into holes or just into the ground before planting. For 1 square meter you need 20-30 grams.
A light solution is used to treat potatoes before planting, or even adult bushes.
Many remedies for the Colorado potato beetle help protect seedlings from wireworm larvae as well.
Conclusion
It is possible and necessary to carry out a fight from a wireworm even at the landing stage. There are a number of special chemicals that will operate throughout the season. No less effective are folk methods that are simple and safe.
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