How to treat watermelons from diseases and pests at home for their treatment
Watermelons are considered a common plant that is loved by almost every gardener. When growing pumpkin crops, many pay attention to the proper care of bushes and practically do not pay attention to the diseases of watermelons. However, care must be taken that the seedlings are not infected with anything, since the development and productivity of diseased plants deteriorates.
What measures need to be taken to protect plants and fruits from pests
Often, due to the appearance of dangerous pests, watermelon bushes stop bearing fruit and die. To protect seedlings from insects, it is recommended to take the necessary protective measures in advance. They are performed in three sequential stages:
- Spring. The first stage is carried out in mid-spring, after planting seeds in the garden. It is during this period that all insects wake up after winter and become more active. During the spring stage for the protection of seedlings, all bushes are treated with special protective equipment.
- Summer. The next stage begins in the summer, when the planted culture begins to bloom and gradually build up the fruits. Summer processing of seedlings is mandatory, since insects become more aggressive in summer.
- Summer-autumn. If the two previous treatments were unsuccessful, you will have to process each ovary a third time. It is necessary to spray the bushes no earlier than 20-30 days before harvesting ripe fruits.
Before you start processing watermelon seedlings, you need to familiarize yourself with effective remedies.
Biological
To protect plants in the garden, biological agents are often used. If the first signs of the presence of insects appear on the bushes, you must immediately get rid of the leaves on which their eggs are laid. Torn leaves should not be left on the site, as eggs will still develop on them. Therefore, experienced gardeners advise to burn them.
Also, among the biological protective agents, onion and garlic tinctures are distinguished, which can prevent the death of watermelons from insects.
To prepare a mixture in ten liters of water, add 300 grams of chopped garlic.Then the product is infused for 30-40 minutes, after which it is filtered. The prepared solution is enough to process five square meters of the vegetable garden.
Chemical
When biological agents fail to protect the watermelon bushes, chemicals are used. Gardeners advise using them if the number of pests on the bushes is constantly growing. For example, it is necessary to use such preparations if there are more than five spider mites, gall midges or aphids on each leaf. To completely cleanse the seedlings from pests, it is necessary to treat them with a solution prepared from Keltan. You can spray the plants with a chemical before setting the fruit.
The main signs of plant disease
Determining that a watermelon is sick with something is quite simple. To do this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the main features of the manifestation of watermelon diseases.
There are several signs that are most often manifested in diseased bushes:
- Withering. The most common symptom of most pathologies is that the leaves of the seedlings wither. At first, only leaves suffer from wilting, but then it spreads to the stems. Most often, the leaves dry out due to a lack of moisture or due to exposure to pathogens. The symptom manifests itself after bacteria or fungi enter the leaves of the plant.
- Rotting. The common signs of the development of powdery mildew and other pathologies in watermelons include rotting. In the first days of the onset of a symptom, the leaves curl in the bushes, after which their tissues begin to decompose and soften. Over time, decay spreads to the root system and watermelon fruits.
- Necrosis. The most dangerous signs of pathologies include the development of necrosis, which lead to the death of plants. At first, the leaves of watermelons turn yellow and become covered with dark spots. The mottling on the leaves can differ in color, size, shape, edging and development rate. If you do not deal with the treatment of the disease, due to which necrosis appeared, the seedlings wither and the bushes die.
- Deformation. Under the influence of certain diseases, watermelon seedlings begin to deform. At first, the shape changes in young leaves. Fruits, stems and even the root system are gradually subject to deformation. Due to damage to the roots, the bushes slow down their growth and begin to dry out.
- Neoplasms. There are times when, due to bacterial or fungal pathogens, tumors appear on the bushes. Such neoplasms can appear on any part of the bushes.
Types of watermelon pests and how to deal with them
When growing watermelons in the open field, and even in greenhouse conditions, gardeners often encounter dangerous pests that slow down the development of seedlings and impair yields.
It is recommended that you familiarize yourself in advance with the most dangerous insects and how to deal with them in order to quickly get rid of pests.
Melon aphid
Growing watermelons in the garden, gardeners often have to deal with such a dangerous insect as aphids. Such pests can be seen on fruits, leaves, flowers and stems. It is very difficult not to notice aphids, as they densely cover the surface of plants. Areas where insects have been for a long time are covered with a thick transparent liquid.
If you do not process a bush with aphids in a timely manner, it will begin to dry out and gradually die. To get rid of the insect, use effective folk remedies that can be prepared at home. Aphids do not like the scent of plants such as garlic and onions. Therefore, it is better to deal with the pest with solutions prepared from these ingredients.
Wireworm
Inexperienced gardeners are sure that this pest appears only on young potato bushes.However, pumpkin plants are also susceptible to wireworm attacks, which can completely destroy crops. This beetle is dangerous in that it eats holes in the watermelon fruits, because of which the process of decay begins.
Wireworms often appear in acidic soils, and therefore, before planting watermelons, the site is carefully treated with ash and flour. This will several times lower the acidity of the site and reduce the likelihood of beetles appearing.
Spider mite
Ticks are very difficult to notice, since they are small, and at first they settle only on the inner side of the leaf. After the appearance of the pest, brown spots form on the surface of the leaves, the diameter of which gradually increases. Then, barely noticeable threads appear in them, which outwardly look like a spider web. It is recommended to immediately clear the bushes from ticks, as the affected plants will die. Alternative methods and remedies made from garlic heads will help fight the tick. Infected seedlings should be processed at least twice every 10-15 days.
Thrips
Thrips outwardly resemble thin lines of a dark color that are difficult to see. Insects appear on the surface of the leaves and feed on their sap. A week after the appearance of thrips, all damaged leaves wither and fall off. Gradually, the pests move to the stems of watermelon bushes, which is why they become discolored. To get rid of thrips, you need to use decoctions of chamomile or tomato tops.
Biological preparations will also help to cope with insects, among which Karate, Spintor and Vermitic are distinguished. Bushes are treated with such means at least three times a week.
Sprout fly
The sprout fly is considered the most dangerous pest for young watermelon bushes. She is able to completely gnaw the inside of the stems, which leads to the drying out of the bushes. At first, the fly feeds on newly planted seedlings. After a few months, the insect begins to destroy the grown bushes.
To protect plants from flies, it is necessary to dig up the site in advance and clear it of weeds. Also, for prevention, special disinfectants are used, in which the seed is processed.
Gall nematode
Among the dangerous parasites that lead to the death of watermelon fruits, include the gall nematode. Outwardly, it resembles a small worm 2-3 centimeters in size. The nematode develops at a high temperature of about 35 degrees and high humidity. First, the parasite damages the root system, which makes the bush worse at absorbing nutrients and moisture. This leads to curling of the leaves and drying of the seedlings. It is impossible to get rid of the nematode with folk remedies, and therefore gardeners have to use chemicals. The bushes are treated with chemicals 2-3 times a week.
Butterflies scoops
Pumpkin plants are often attacked by scoops that feed on leaves. During the day, their caterpillars are in the soil, and at night they get out to the surface to eat leaves with shoots. On places that are damaged by caterpillars, yellowish oval spots appear.
To get rid of the scoop, you will have to regularly spray the bushes with a solution prepared from young wormwood. When preparing such a tincture, 400 grams of herbs are mixed with 80 grams of soap and 60 grams of ash. Then all the ingredients are poured with 8-10 liters of water and put on the stove to boil. The solution is insisted for 3-4 hours, after which it is sprayed with infected seedlings.
Locust
Plants grown in the garden are often attacked by locusts, which are considered a dangerous pest.
For melons, not only locusts are dangerous, but also their larvae, which penetrate the root system and gradually destroy it.
Locust larvae can be stored in the ground, therefore, in order to get rid of them in advance, it is necessary to dig up the area and disinfect it with hot water.Chemicals such as Zeon and Taran will also help protect seedlings from locusts.
Birds
Watermelon attracts not only insects but also birds. Pigeons, crows and starlings love to feast on them. Birds often peck at the fruit, causing harmful bacteria to enter the fruit and rots the watermelon. To protect the seedlings, textile nets are used to cover the watermelon bushes. Also, each seedling can be covered with a box that will prevent the birds from getting to the fruit.
Descriptions of symptoms and treatments for watermelon diseases
Fungi and bacteria often cause the appearance and development of diseases that lead to the death of planted watermelons. In order to timely identify them and get rid of them, you must familiarize yourself with the list of common diseases in advance.
Fusarium
Fusarium wilt appears due to the influence of a fungus that has entered the pumpkin plant through the roots. Infected bushes are covered with oval spots with a light bloom on the surface. Then the infection spreads to the rhizomes, because of which they rot and cease to function.
To eliminate the disease, seedlings are treated with Krezacin or any other drug with the same effect is used.
Anthracnose
Anthracnose is an infection due to which all leaves are covered with a yellowish spot. Gradually the spots increase, and a bulge appears on their surface. If anthracnose is not treated, the spotting will darken, the bushes will begin to deform and rot. To get rid of the signs of anthracnose, melons are treated with a weakly concentrated Bordeaux mixture. In this case, spraying should be done very carefully so that the liquid covers the surface of each bush.
Root rot
The increased moisture content of the soil contributes to the development of such a fungal disease as root rot. It is difficult not to notice signs of pathology, since infected seedlings are covered with a dark spot. When root rot is activated, the roots in the soil grow and become covered with cracks, which leads to the death of watermelons.
You can get rid of root rot only at the initial stage of its development. To do this, they reduce the watering of the site and cultivate the land with ash and vitriol.
Bacterial spot
The disease is transferred to healthy bushes with the help of insects. The pathogens of spotting are activated in the first half of summer, when the air warms up to thirty degrees Celsius. Infected bushes will turn yellow, cover with small oblong spots and dry out. When signs of spotting appear, all infected leaves are cut off and burned. This will prevent further development of bacterial disease.
Powdery mildew
It is difficult to confuse powdery mildew with another disease, since infected watermelons are covered with a white bloom that looks like flour. When the disease progresses to the next stage of development, the plaque darkens and turns brown. The bushes with powdery mildew wither, and their fruits darken.
After detecting signs of pathology, the plants should be immediately sprayed with Karatan or Topaz. Gardeners advise to pluck and burn infected fruits and leaves before spraying.
Downy mildew
To make sure that the watermelon is infected with downy mildew, you need to carefully examine the leaves. Their inner part is covered with a bloom of purple, and round, light spots form on top. Gradually, the leaves dry out and become wrinkled. Also, the disease spreads to fruits that become discolored and tasteless.
To eliminate downy mildew will help a sulfuric solution, which is sprayed with soil and leaves of watermelons.
White rot
Signs of white rot appear on plants at high humidity and low temperatures. At first, the stems and leaves are covered with a thin white bloom.Then it darkens and leads to rotting shoots. It is impossible to cure the infected areas, so you will have to cut them off. After the sections are treated with a solution of activated angle or sulfur.
Gray rot
The causative agents of this disease are found in the remains of weeds and other plants. Therefore, most often watermelons are sick with gray rot if they were planted in uncleared areas. Infected leaves are covered with gray spot and dark bloom.It is possible to get rid of gray rot only at the initial stage of its development. For this, all plants are treated with Topaz or Teldor.
Mosaic disease
The development of mosaic disease is evidenced by the appearance of light spots on the leaf plate. At the beginning of the development of the mosaic, the shape of the leaves changes, they dry and fall off. Also, signs of the disease appear on fruits that are covered with bumps. For the prevention of mosaic, it is recommended to treat the seedlings twice a month with Karbofos.
Leaf rust
Leaf rust affects plants due to the effect on rust bushes. The disease is accompanied by the formation of tubercles on the leaves and stems. After 2-3 days, they crack and spores spill out of them, which can infect neighboring plants. Only fungicidal preparations will help get rid of rust.
Olive spot
Signs of pathology appear on young fruits, the surface of which is covered with sunken olive spots. Then the spot spreads to the stems and leaves, which begin to dry out. To eliminate the manifestations of olive spot, watermelons are treated with Bordeaux solution.
Preventive measures
Melons and gourds more often than other plants are attacked by pests and are infected with diseases. It is recommended to take preventive measures in advance to protect the seedlings. To do this, each vegetable grower must carefully examine the bushes every day, this will make it possible to identify any changes in time. Pre-sowing disinfection of soil and planting material will also help prevent many diseases. To do this, all the seeds are soaked in a manganese solution, and the soil is spilled with boiled hot water.
Conclusion
Most gardeners are engaged in the cultivation of watermelons and other melons and gourds. When cultivating such plants, one often has to deal with dangerous insects and diseases. To get rid of them, you need to familiarize yourself with the description of pests and ailments, as well as study ways to deal with them.
