Why plum fruits have worms and how can it be processed
The harvest of fruit trees often becomes a treat for pests. Gardeners are forced to think in advance how to process the plum from worms in the fruit so that they do not damage all the fruits. Preventive spraying has already become a must for tree care. Experienced summer residents already know for sure in what period of time and what drug it is better to use to keep the garden healthy.
Why is the plum wormy
The reason that a wormy plum appears on the tree is the negative impact of pests, namely:
- garden mite;
- sawfly;
- aphid;
- moth garden;
- plum moth;
- apple honeydew.
The most dangerous is the plum moth.
The larvae are able to penetrate into the fetus and completely eat out the core of the bone. The affected fruit stops growing, matures early and falls off.
The sawfly is no less dangerous. The caterpillar first eats small fruits, and then penetrates into larger ones and eats the pulp. As a result, the fruits crumble and rot. Other insects are also of great danger. Together, they lead to the fact that the gardener may be left completely without a crop. It is best to prevent the appearance of pests on the drain and take preventive measures in time.
How to spray a plum from worms
To date, there are many ways and means designed to combat garden pests. The tree is protected not only with drugs of chemical origin, but also by folk methods, and they also resort to installing special traps. But if the plum is already wormy, what to do and how to save the remnants of the crop?
Store drugs
The stores offer a wide range of drugs that are used to treat plums from pests. It can be both ordinary nitrogen fertilizers and karbofos, from which solutions are prepared, and more serious means. The best are "Horus" and "Oxyhom", which include copper. It is useful to add Inta-Vir to them. An excellent result is shown by chemicals that include:
- durspan;
- phosphamide;
- metathione;
- cydial;
- zolone.
Folk remedies
To prevent the appearance of worms on plums, the folk method is widely used. As soon as spring comes, all cracks and crevices are covered with clay or lime solution. Awakened pests will not be able to get out of wintering places. It is useful to hang birdhouses in the garden so that the birds eat the larvae and the harmful insects themselves.
Dried wormwood is placed on plum branches, or it is specially planted under a tree. In this case, wormwood flowers are cut before they have time to ripen. To prevent a worm from appearing on the plums, it is good to spray with garlic or tobacco infusion, as well as a decoction of yarrow.
Pheromone traps
Pheromone traps begin to be placed in the garden at the beginning of flowering and continue to do this until the very harvest. The principle of its operation lies in the fact that a dispenser with the scent of a female moth is placed in a box with a sticky bottom. Butterflies react to smell, fly into the trap and stick to the bottom. This technique is completely safe for animals and humans, does not harm the environment. The trap is replaced with a new one every 5 weeks. You can buy it at a trusted gardening store or order it online. In this case, one should beware of fakes.
When to spray plums
If a worm plum appears on the tree, how should you deal with this trouble and save the crop? It is important not only to choose an effective tool for controlling plum pests, but also not to miss the time for processing. As a rule, works are carried out several times per season.
In early spring
Before the start of sap flow and blooming of the plum leaves, they are treated with the "Inta-Vir" preparation for aphids and silkworms. The rose budworm is fought by processing the tree with karbofos. If necessary, this agent is replaced with others similar in effect:
- "Nitrofen";
- chlorophos;
- benzophosphate.
It is advisable to spray the plum with a weak solution of copper sulfate and Bordeaux mixture to prevent the appearance of weevils. With the onset of the first warmth, the tree trunk is wrapped in a dense cloth so that the moth caterpillar does not climb it.
During flowering
During flowering, the plum is sprayed with preparations such as:
- "Kartotsid";
- Khomycin;
- "Kuprozan".
Sometimes gardeners use copper sulfate instead.
After flowering
After the plum has finished flowering, repeat the treatment with Inta-Vir to prevent the appearance of the silkworm. Re-spraying with copper sulfate is also carried out. During this period, the drug "Decis" is used.
In autumn
After harvesting, the plums are treated with a Bordeaux mixture. To eliminate the moth and caterpillar, they dig up the earth in the near-trunk circle, remove foliage and weeds.
Scheme and technology of processing
The first processing of plums is carried out before bud break. During this period, both chemical preparations and folk remedies are used. It can be infusions or solutions with a strong characteristic odor that repels pests:
- infusion of wormwood;
- infusion of needles;
- soap solution;
- tobacco dust;
- mustard.
Several times per season, plums are treated with insecticides. The dosage and the exact number of required treatments are indicated in the instructions for the selected drug.
If the number of pests on the plum is large, then spraying is carried out every 10 days.They take into account the fact that it is forbidden to use chemicals during flowering.
The last treatment is carried out at least 25 days before harvesting. When carrying out work, the requirements of the instructions for use should be strictly followed. Otherwise, instead of the expected benefits, the tree will be harmed.
On average, each adult drain requires 4 liters of solution. The land around the plant is also worth cultivating. With each spraying, the agent used must be changed so as not to become addictive.
Preventive actions
It is always easier to prevent a problem than to fix it. This also applies to the treatment of plums against the appearance of worms.It will be necessary not only to take the necessary protective measures in a timely manner, but also to provide the tree with full-fledged care, which includes, among other things, sanitary cleaning, cleaning of fallen leaves, thinning of the thickened crown, and digging of the trunk circle.
Spraying plums with Bordeaux liquid in autumn reduces the likelihood of pests that winter in the garden... A good preventive measure is planting plants with a strong and pungent odor:
- calendula;
- marigold;
- mint;
- sagebrush.
Birdhouses hung near the plums will not only make the garden more comfortable, but will also attract birds to it, which will assist in the fight against pests, eating not only themselves, but also the larvae. In the spring, it is advisable to whitewash the skeletal branches and the lower part of the plum trunk. For prevention to be more effective, all activities must be carried out regularly, and it is better to do this together with neighbors in the area.
Constant examinations and observations will help prevent the appearance of pests and damage to plum fruits. The first signs of the appearance of insects, discovered in time, will allow you to react in a timely manner, choose the right drug and carry out the treatment.
