How to get rid of the wireworm on the potato plot?

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

In our country, every year a huge number of summer residents are engaged in the cultivation of various crops on their site. In order to get a good harvest, plants need to be properly cared for, namely: timely watering, feeding with nutrients, protection from sunlight and pests.

Wireworms are pests that feed on potato tubers. These worms can significantly reduce the quantitative and qualitative indicators of yield. They live in the earth. Sometimes it's hard to spot the threat. All the damage caused can only be detected when digging up a vegetable. To avoid unpleasant consequences, it is better to know in advance how to get rid of the wireworm in your summer cottage. Experts offer several options for action.

Who is a wireworm?

The wireworm looks like a brown or golden worm. This is the larva of the click beetle, which belongs to the Elateridae family. There are about 400 varieties of this in the world.insect. On the territory of the former USSR, the main damage to potato beds is caused by the species Selatosomus and Agriotes. Click beetles of the Melanotus type are found in the European part of Russia. The length of the larvae is from 1 to 4.5 cm. A recognizable feature is the body covered with a hard shell. Crushing such a beetle is quite difficult.

Shelkun can live for about 5 years. Four of these years he remains in the form of a larva. For the first twelve months of life, the insect needs a large amount of food. A favorite delicacy for him are the roots of some plants, such as potatoes.

Harm from wireworm

So what should we expect? Many gardeners are interested in the question of whether it is possible to get rid of the wireworm forever. The larvae are able to draw nutrient juices and substances from the roots, and also cause significant damage to the tubers. Through them, pathogenic microorganisms, bacteria and fungi can penetrate into the root crop. As a result, he begins to rot. This reduces the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the crop.

As experienced agronomists say, wireworms cause no less harm to plantings than Colorado beetles. But if the defeat of the beds by the last pest is quite simple to identify and destroy, since they spoil only the above-ground part, then the wireworms destroy potatoes while being right in the ground. How to get rid of the wireworm in the garden forever?

Measures against wireworms

Under the methods of dealing with wireworms today we understand actions that can significantly reduce the numberlarvae on the site without the use of chemicals and special tools.

The main ones:

1. Spring digging after harvest. The depth of soil cultivation should be approximately 25-30 cm. When digging, try to choose larvae and adult click beetles from the ground. Experts also recommend removing the roots of weeds. Wireworms especially like to hide under Ivan-tea and wheatgrass. If these plants are available on your site, then special attention should be paid to them when digging. Such tillage in the spring months helps to remove the clutches of click beetles from the soil. The pest will die under the influence of sunlight. In autumn, when digging, wireworms will die from frost.
2. Crop rotation: this method will be especially effective if potatoes are cultivated in large areas. In this case, carefully tilling the land can be difficult. If you plant potatoes all the time in the same place, pests can get used to it, and their population will grow every year. How to get rid of a wireworm in a potato plot? The culture should be changed periodically. For example, after several years of growing potatoes, try planting peas or beans in the area. Wireworms cannot stand them and will most likely leave the soil. Buckwheat, lupins, rapeseed and spring crops are also good for crop rotation.
3. Distraction. There is another answer to the question: "How to get rid of the wireworm?" Lettuce bushes can be planted between the rows. The wireworm loves the roots of this plant very much. Therefore, instead of root crops, the pest will spreadon them.
4. Proper watering. Many gardeners are interested in how to get rid of the wireworm in the garden with folk remedies. The main reason why the larvae prefer to eat potatoes is the search for moisture. In dry weather, they can cause serious damage to plantings. They can be counteracted by abundant soil moisture during the dry season. It will also benefit the quality of the crop.
5. Weeding. Another procedure that helps eliminate pests is regular weeding. The larvae can concentrate on the places of the plexus of the roots. For this reason, it is not recommended to plant potatoes near lawns and uncultivated areas. If there is uncultivated soil near the site, then you need to dig a trench 80-100 cm wide. If possible, weed the beds themselves from time to time.

Soil care

Many novice gardeners are interested in how to get rid of wireworms on a potato plot. One way to reduce the number of larvae is to reduce the acidity of the soil. For this purpose, a procedure such as liming is carried out. This helps repel the pest. It is not recommended to use plain lime for areas where potatoes are planned to be grown. This substance can significantly reduce the immunity of the plant. Egg shells, chalk and dolomite flour are best suited for this purpose.

Another simple tool that can significantly reduce the acidity of the soil is wood ash. Howas a rule, it is brought into the ground when plowing, digging and planting in a hole. The ash left after burning sunflower or potato tops is also well suited. You can prepare wood waste yourself or purchase it at a flower shop.

Use of green manure

How to get rid of the wireworm in the garden? Good results are obtained by the use of green fertilizers, or green manure. This is a universal way to improve the soil used for growing crops. Green manure helps to saturate the soil with useful substances. They also show high efficiency in weed control. As a rule, green manure is embedded in the soil. In addition, they help to get rid of the larvae. Such green manures include alfalfa, vetch, lupine and mustard. Owners of potato plantations often plant potatoes on one side of the plot, and green manures on the other, and swap them for the next season. This method has a significant drawback. About 50% of the soil is idle every year. But this problem also has a solution: green manure can be planted after harvesting early ripening varieties. Green fertilizers usually have time to grow before the onset of the cold season.

Using chemicals

How to get rid of the wireworm on the site using modern methods? The industry today offers a wide range of remedies for the pest in question. A gardener who cares about the quality of the crop should use these compounds only in accordance with the instructions for use. This will avoid the accumulationin the tubers of toxic substances. These products are completely safe when used properly. In this case, the potato, when eaten, will not pose a danger. Before digging and plowing, insecticides are applied in the form of granules.

Thus, you can immediately fertilize the soil and get rid of the wireworm. For tillage, a solution is prepared consisting of 0.2 liters of acetone, 80 ml of water and pesticides, for example, 1 ml of Karate. Then you should take 5 kg of superphosphate and distribute it in a thin layer. The granules are evenly sprayed with this solution. Then the superphosphate moistened with a solution of pesticides must be dried in the shade. The soil during planting potatoes can also be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. It will not only scare away pests, but also disinfect the earth. This will help you protect the crop from diseases in the future.

How to get rid of a wireworm in a potato field?

Some more simple and inexpensive remedies can be advised:

• ammonium chloride;
• ammonium sulfate;
• ammonium nitrate.

Alternative ways. Many novice gardeners do not know how to get rid of wireworms in a potato field. Experts say that some alternative means are also well suited for pest control.

Here are just a few of them:

1. "Aktara". From this tool it is necessary to prepare a solution for spraying planting tubers. In the wells, when embedding, you can still add a little dry composition. Many gardeners have already managed to make surein the effectiveness of this tool.
2. "Prestige". The technology and principle of action are the same as the previous drug.
3. Bazudin. This tool is characterized by a stronger effect. For animals and humans, this is a real poison. It is advisable to use it only if we are talking about the defeat of potatoes by a wireworm on an industrial scale. The main active ingredient of this tool is diazonin.
4. Grom, Initiate, Medvetoks-U. These products pose a risk to human he alth. However, they provide a lasting and powerful effect.

If you are interested in how to get rid of the wireworm forever, using chemicals, the options presented above will help you with this. However, remember that precautions must be taken. Act strictly according to the instructions, and you can avoid problems.

Biologicals

What to do if a wireworm is wound up in a potato? How to get rid? Biological methods are extremely effective. They consist in the intentional introduction of destructive organisms to the beds. Best of all, Nemabakt helps from the wireworm. This formulation contains microscopic nematode worms. They are inactive in the absence of a wireworm. When a worm appears, bacteria have ways to infiltrate its body and cause serious damage to it. When the enemy is eliminated, the nematodes will spread to a new pest.

Folk ways

Many summer residents are interested in how to get rid of the wireworm folkmeans. After all, not everyone agrees to use toxic chemicals in their backyard. Some folk remedies for wireworm can be extremely effective.

Here are just a few of them:

1. Infusion of nettle. For a pound of greens, you need to take 10 liters of water. The resulting infusion must be kept for 12 hours.
2. Celandine syrup. It is prepared in the same way, only 10 grams of the plant is enough for 10 liters of water.
3. Onion peel. A handful of this component is added to each well when planting potatoes.
4. Eggshell. Used to reduce soil acidity. For maximum effect, it must be evenly distributed over the surface of the soil.
5. If you plant calendula or marigolds next to potatoes, it will scare away pests.
6. S alt also saves well from wireworm. It is enough just to scatter it on the soil. Experts recommend doing this procedure right before the rain. So the solution will penetrate directly into the ground, closer to the tubers.

It is necessary to water the beds with infusions at least three times. Between treatments, a period of a week to 10 days should be maintained.

Baits

How to get rid of the wireworm? There is another way, which is to use special baits. Rye, wheat, corn and barley are excellent for this purpose. In early spring, two weeks before planting the tubers, the seeds of these cereal crops are sown on the site. During this time, cereals will already have time to germinate and become excellent food for beetles and nutcracker larvae. earth after the expiration14 days should be dug up, while destroying pest worms. To enhance the effect, you can additionally treat the seeds of cereal crops with chemicals such as "Karate" or "Decis". This will make it possible to remove all the larvae. These substances will not cause any harm to the future potato crop.

You can also use pieces of carrots, beets or potatoes buried in the ground as bait. The places where such "goodies" for pests are placed are marked with twigs. A few days later, it will be enough for you to simply take out the bait and destroy the wireworm by burning or boiling water. Making the bait is quite simple, even a novice gardener can handle it.

How to get rid of the wireworm forever? There is one rather interesting and original way. It involves the use of glass bottles. It is necessary to put a piece of root crops in them and bury them in the ground to the neck. It is better to choose a shady place on the site, since wireworms do not tolerate sunlight. The baits are taken out every couple of days and the caught larvae are destroyed. Then new pieces are placed in them and again immersed in the ground.

Conclusion

In this review, we looked at how to get rid of the wireworm using modern chemicals and folk remedies. In a small summer cottage, simple biological preparations and herbal infusions will be effective. If we are talking about growing potatoes on an industrial scale, then powerful chemicals will help to cope with the wireworm. Preventive measures are also of great importance. In spring and autumn, the area for planting potatoes must be dug up. If you follow all these recommendations, then you are guaranteed a good potato harvest.