How to deal with carrot fly with ammonia
Various insects often spoil the mood of summer residents. The carrot fly is no exception. This is a very dangerous pest that can ruin almost the entire carrot crop. How to process plants in a summer cottage against such misfortunes? This is not very difficult, but certain rules must be followed so that the grown carrots are not destroyed.
What is a carrot pest
The larvae are a thunderstorm for the root crop, it is they who eat the juicy fruits from the inside, subsequently the damaged vegetable begins to rot.
The dimensions of the insect are insignificant: from five millimeters. But the larvae are gluttonous. Early spring is the breeding season for the insect. An adult lays eggs in carrot stalks. The appeared larvae devour the roots. At the time of pupation, they leave the damaged fruit.
In the summer, new insects appear. They pupate in autumn and winter in the ground.
Control methods
There are several ways to save a summer cottage from a terrible misfortune:
- Application of insecticides.
- Correct agricultural technique.
- Treatment of the affected beds with ammonia.
The first method is the most effective. But root crops treated with pesticides are harmful to health and the environment. We all love organic products, so using carrots processed with pesticides in food is not only unpleasant, but far from safe. If there are carrots with larvae on the site, then no matter how sorry the plants are, it is better to destroy them.
The use of agricultural technology to prevent the appearance of diseases and pests
In order not to be excruciatingly painful for the ruined crop, you need to choose the right predecessors correctly. Knowing that the larvae of the carrot pest winter in the soil, you need to alternate the sowing sites. It is not advisable to make beds with carrots in the same places. The best predecessor is the bow.
It can also be used for carrot fly protectionplanting next door. This proximity solves two problems at once: onion fly doesn't like carrots, and carrot doesn't like onions. These vegetables will protect each other.
The absence of excess moisture will also help when growing, since the fly is very damp. This must be taken into account when planting: you need to avoid lowlands, where moisture usually accumulates.
Environmentally friendly treatment
Such a popular method as the treatment of carrots with ammonia has received the greatest recognition. All means are good for pest control. In other words: we fight as best we can.
Ammonia is more familiar to everyone as a medicine. But not everyone knows that it can be used at their summer cottage. In recent years such use has become popular due to its high efficiency. The beneficial effect of use is due to the content of nitrogen compounds in it. It is he who is needed by plants.
Carrot fly, how to deal with it with ammonia? Good concentration makes it possible to eliminate unpleasant moments. This is a very effective method as the smell can keep flies away.
The solution for spraying is prepared as follows: for 10 liters of water, you need to take 2 ml of ammonia. The prepared composition must be watered to the tops. The beds should be processed once every 2 weeks, during which time the smell will not have time to disappear.
In addition to destroying these insects, such a composition can be used to combat garden ants and aphids, as well as to spray cabbage from caterpillars, slugs, snails and various fleas. It also saturates it with nitrogen and other trace elements. To process cabbage, it is necessary to dissolve 80 ml of ammonia in 10 liters of water.
The resulting composition can be sprayed on plants once every few days. Against slugs, watering from a watering can to the head is necessary.
How to spray and water
It should be remembered that ammonia is a poison and safety precautions must be followed. It is volatile, and it is best to spray the plant with a solution based on ammonia using a watering can with visible trickles according to the following rules: at sunset after you finish watering, or, when the weather is cloudy, from early morning as dawn comes.
It is necessary to work with rubber gloves and protective clothing.
How to process besides ammonia to get rid of the fly?
For protection, they fight with the following folk remedies:
- Wood ash or black ground pepper. These components scattered in the aisles repel insects.
- Orange peels also have a specific smell. Tincture of these is a good defense.
Positive and negative effects of using ammonia
Ammonia is a universal fertilizer for horticultural crops, and the benefits are undeniable. Unlike other formulations containing nitrogen, it is not as harmful to humans, pets and plants. It is not only a fertilizer, but also a means to combat harmful insects.
It is worth focusing on the negative aspects. The main disadvantage will be the fact that with redundancy there will be problems with the growth retardation of crops. Therefore, you can use it no more than once a week. Using ammonia for spraying, you need to make a solution of very low concentration, over time it must be gradually increased. Otherwise, you can get a negative result from the application, root crops and other garden crops can get burned or die.