How to process a peach if aphids are on it, how to deal with folk remedies and drugs
Aphids are an insidious pest that affects orchards. Colonies of insects can kill plants in a matter of days. If aphids appear on a peach, you need to urgently save the tree, for this you need to know how to process it. There are many popular ways to get rid of parasites, but if aphids are discovered too late, then you cannot do without the use of pesticides.
Characteristics
Aphids are small insects, no more than 3 millimeters long, attack plants in unison, forming colonies. There are several types of aphids on peach trees:
- black;
- green;
- blood;
- white;
- large peach.
The most dangerous species is the blood aphid. Insects not only eat the leaves, buds and flowers of plants, but also suck nutritious juices from tree trunks. The plant loses strength and energy, the future harvest is under threat.
Peach aphid, like other species, begins its distribution from the inside of the leaves, then spreads to the branches and trunk of peach crops. In the presence of a large number of colonies, the crown of the tree begins to dry out and wither, the top of the plant may die off.
How to determine the appearance of a parasite
It is necessary to identify parasites in a timely manner. To do this, you need to regularly inspect the plants. Aphids can be identified by the following features:
- black dots on the inside of the leaves;
- sticky layer on buds and peach flowers;
- the presence of dried, twisted leaves, small spots may appear;
- insect colonies are visible to the naked eye;
- the blood aphid lives on the trunk and stems, sucking the sap of the tree;
- the crown begins to wither, the plant stops growing.
On a note! A peach affected by aphids loses its immunity, weakens, the frost resistance of the plant is noticeably reduced.
Insect control methods on peaches
You need to start fighting small pests as early as possible. Aphids on peaches spread quickly, there are proven methods of insect control: agrotechnical measures, insecticides, folk remedies and recipes.
Agrotechnical method
It is recommended to start fighting the pest using a number of agrotechnical techniques:
- Often, aphids move to peach plantations from other plants. Removing weeds growing near the peach eliminates the interaction of infected plants with the peach.
- Planting siderates: spicy and fragrant herbs scare aphids away from trees. Dill and mint are enemies for insidious parasites.
- Removal of old bark and mechanical cleaning of the trunks from insects.
- Use a jet of water to clear the peach foliage of parasite colonies.
All affected foliage and removed diseased branches are burned. The tree is sprinkled with wood ash at the root. Bleaching trunks with lime is a proven method of protecting plants from aphids.
These techniques are effective at the initial stage of the disease and are good prevention of plant infection by aphids.
Chemicals
The use of pesticides is extreme measures, but if the plant is completely affected by aphids, you cannot do without them. It is possible to carry out insecticide treatment against aphids in three stages:
- in early spring - during the period of kidney recruitment;
- before flowering;
- after harvest.
It is dangerous to process peach crops with chemicals during the fruiting period - the crop decreases its quality, the fruits are not recommended to be used for food within 20 days after processing.
Chemicals enter the diet of insects along with the sap of the tree. Aphids paralyze, within two to three days the colonies die out.
Modern chemical plant protection products are diverse, their choice depends on the period when the plant needs help and the type of aphid that attacked the plants. During the flowering period, you can use Confidor. Phosphamide will quickly kill black and white aphids. DNOC will relieve larvae and overwintered aphids. The dosage of drugs is determined according to the instructions.
Important! Before harvesting, it is prohibited to process trees from aphids.
Toxic chemicals must be alternated. Aphids quickly develop immunity to drugs, the funds become ineffective.
Folk methods and recipes
The use of folk remedies is justified, they do not affect the quality of the crop, the poison does not penetrate into the juices of fruit trees. You can use folk recipes at any period of plant development.
An arsenal of folk ways to combat aphids includes:
- Garlic and onion skins. In 10 liters of water, 800 grams of onion husks are insisted during the day and 10 chopped heads of garlic are added. The solution is filtered and fruit plants are sprayed with a spray bottle. The effect of the folk remedy can be enhanced by adding half a piece of laundry soap to the solution.
- A mixture of red pepper, mustard and wood ash. For 10 liters of water, add 1 glass of each component, and then spray the plants.
- Infusion of tobacco powder based on laundry soap. One standard bar of soap is dissolved in 10 liters of water and 250 grams of tobacco powder is added. After three days, the product is ready.
In the struggle of gardeners with aphids on peaches, many ways of destroying small pests were born: Coca-Cola, ammonia, vinegar and boric acid - all the means successfully proved themselves in the fight with aphids. How to spray or process a peach from an insidious aphid, the gardener decides on his own. It is recommended that you try several methods to find the most effective one.
How can insects be prevented?
Prevention is the best way to control aphids. To prevent the appearance of parasites on peach trees, a number of measures are taken:
- spring and autumn bleaching of trunks with lime;
- sanitary pruning of old leaves and stems;
- digging peach trees in a circle and sprinkling the dug-up surface with wood ash;
- planting fragrant herbs next to peaches;
- treatment with Bordeaux fluid during the period of kidney recruitment;
- elimination of anthills from the personal plot. These insects breed aphids and carefully protect them;
- ladybugs feed on aphid larvae, the presence of these insects on peach trees is an effective way to control pests.
You can save peaches from aphids with the help of comprehensive preventive measures and regular inspection of trees for the presence of pests.
Healthy peach trees are a gardener's dream. If the plants are attacked by aphids, this is not a disaster. A disease detected in time is always treated, many methods of pest control have been invented: from folk remedies to chemicals. The main thing is to take preventive measures in a timely manner.
