A lover of moist air and one of the most compact and rare orchids, pafinia is a real star for most orchid growers. Its flowering rarely lasts longer than a week, but it can be an unforgettable sight. You want to look at the unusual striped patterns on the huge flowers of the modest orchid endlessly. In indoor culture, pafinia is rightly ranked among the difficult-to-grow species. It became fashionable only with the spread of interior terrariums.
In 2014, the Japanese company Takii seed introduced petunia with a striking petal color - salmon-orange. By association with bright colors southern sunset sky, the unique hybrid is called African Sunset. Needless to say, this petunia instantly won the hearts of gardeners and was in great demand. But in the last two years, the curiosity has suddenly disappeared from store windows. Where did the orange petunia go?
In our family Bell pepper they love it, that’s why we plant it every year. Most of the varieties that I grow have been tested by me for more than one season; I cultivate them constantly. I also try to try something new every year. Pepper is a heat-loving plant and quite whimsical. Varietal and hybrid varieties of tasty and productive sweet peppers, which grow well for me, will be discussed further. I live in middle lane Russia.
Meat cutlets with broccoli in bechamel sauce are a great idea for a quick lunch or dinner. Start by preparing the mince and at the same time heat 2 liters of water to a boil to blanch the broccoli. By the time the cutlets are fried, the cabbage will be ready. All that remains is to collect the ingredients in a frying pan, season with sauce and bring to readiness. Broccoli needs to be cooked quickly to retain its vibrant color. green color, which, when cooked for a long time, either fades or the cabbage turns brown.
Home floriculture is not only a fascinating process, but also a very troublesome hobby. And, as a rule, the more experience a grower has, the healthier his plants look. What should those who do not have experience do, but want to have indoor plants at home - not elongated, stunted specimens, but beautiful and healthy ones that do not cause a feeling of guilt with their fading? For beginners and flower growers who do not have much experience, I will tell you about the main mistakes that are easy to avoid.
Lush cheesecakes in a frying pan with banana-apple confiture - another recipe for everyone’s favorite dish. To prevent cheesecakes from falling off after cooking, remember a few simple rules. Firstly, only fresh and dry cottage cheese, secondly, no baking powder or soda, thirdly, the thickness of the dough - you can sculpt from it, it is not tight, but pliable. A good dough with a small amount of flour can only be obtained from good cottage cheese, and here again see the “firstly” point.
It is no secret that many drugs from pharmacies have migrated to summer cottages. Their use, at first glance, seems so exotic that some summer residents are perceived with hostility. At the same time, potassium permanganate is a long-known antiseptic that is used in both medicine and veterinary medicine. In plant growing, a solution of potassium permanganate is used both as an antiseptic and as a fertilizer. In this article we will tell you how to properly use potassium permanganate in the garden.
Pork meat salad with mushrooms is a rural dish that can often be found on a holiday table in the village. This recipe is with champignons, but if possible, use Forest mushrooms, then be sure to cook it this way, it will be even tastier. You don’t need to spend a lot of time preparing this salad - put the meat in a pan for 5 minutes and another 5 minutes for slicing. Everything else happens practically without the participation of the cook - the meat and mushrooms are boiled, cooled, and marinated.
Cucumbers grow well not only in a greenhouse or conservatory, but also in open ground. Typically, cucumbers are sown from mid-April to mid-May. Harvesting in this case is possible from mid-July to the end of summer. Cucumbers cannot tolerate frost. That's why we don't sow them too early. However, there is a way to bring their harvest closer and taste the juicy beauties from your garden at the beginning of summer or even in May. It is only necessary to take into account some of the features of this plant.
Polyscias is an excellent alternative to classic variegated shrubs and woody ones. The elegant round or feathery leaves of this plant create a strikingly festive curly crown, and its elegant silhouettes and rather modest character make it an excellent candidate for the role of large plant in the house. More large leaves do not prevent it from successfully replacing Benjamin and Co. ficuses. Moreover, polyscias offers much more variety.
Pumpkin cinnamon casserole is juicy and incredibly tasty, a little like pumpkin pie, but unlike pie, it is more tender and just melts in your mouth! This is the perfect sweet recipe for a family with children. As a rule, kids don’t really like pumpkin, but they never mind eating something sweet. Sweet pumpkin casserole is a delicious and healthy dessert, which, moreover, is very simple and quick to prepare. Try it! You'll like it!
A hedge is not only one of essential elements landscape design. She also performs various protective functions. If, for example, the garden borders a road, or a highway passes nearby, then hedge simply necessary. “Green walls” will protect the garden from dust, noise, wind and create a special comfort and microclimate. In this article we will look at optimal plants to create a hedge that can reliably protect the area from dust.
Many crops require picking (and more than one) in the first weeks of development, while for others transplantation is “contraindicated.” To “please” both of them, you can use non-standard containers for seedlings. Another good reason to try them is saving money. In this article we will tell you how to do without the usual boxes, pots, cassettes and tablets. And let’s pay attention to non-traditional, but very effective and interesting containers for seedlings.
Healthy vegetable soup made from red cabbage with celery, red onion and beets - a vegetarian soup recipe that can also be prepared in fast days. For those who decide to lose a few extra pounds, I would advise not to add potatoes, and slightly reduce the amount olive oil(1 tablespoon is enough). The soup turns out to be very aromatic and thick, and during Lent you can serve a portion of the soup with lean bread - then it will be satisfying and healthy.
The aphid family is very extensive. The number of its representatives reaches 4 thousand. Currant bushes with red and white berries are most often inhabited by leafy gall aphid. As a result of the life activity of the pest, the leaves of the plant become covered with swellings and growths of yellowish and cherry color. They may also appear on its branches. Black currants are more attractive to gooseberry shoot aphids. Feeding on cell sap, tiny insects cause leaves to curl and wilt and buds to deform. Young shoots of currant bushes infested with pests become distorted and their growth slows down.
But this is not the only reason leaf aphids and other types of aphids are dangerous. A large colony of insects weakens the plant, making it vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. The natural result of their appearance in the garden is dangerous diseases. Unable to process all the juice they suck, pests secrete a sweet substance (honeydew, or honeydew). The sticky film on the plant prevents it from breathing, and besides, they quickly settle in it and actively develop various kinds fungi. It is because of aphids that white and red currants begin to suffer from black sooty mildew.
Contrary to popular belief, ants do not fight pests, but contribute to their dispersal, transferring slow and clumsy wingless insects to shoots that have not yet been colonized by them. The reason for this is the same honeydew. Ants love to feast on sugary substances. The appearance of hordes of these insects on currant branches is a reason to sound the alarm. Measures to combat aphids necessarily include the destruction of anthills located near infected plants.
Gentle methods of control
You can get rid of pests on currant bushes different ways. When choosing a remedy, you must first take into account the degree of damage. If there are few plants affected by aphids, and the colony of insects has not yet had time to grow on them, folk recipes will come to the rescue. Infusions made using them are safe for humans and animals, and they can be made from improvised means.
- Wood ash. Add 3 liters to 2 glasses of substance hot water and dissolve 1 tbsp in the resulting mixture. l soap (liquid or laundry soap will do). You can spray currants with the resulting composition within a day, having first filtered it. The ash will perform two functions at once: it will repel aphids and provide the plants with nutrients.
- Liquid soap (you can use any dishwashing detergent instead). 2 tbsp. l of viscous substance is dissolved in 1 glass of water. The composition is used immediately after preparation. To destroy pests, currants are sprayed with them daily. The product acts on the respiratory organs of aphids, clogging them and causing the death of insects.
- Tobacco dust (shag). After pouring 1 liter of water into a container, add 100 g of dry mass to it. The mixture is placed on the stove, brought to a boil and kept over low heat for 1 hour. The cooled product is filtered and diluted with water, adding 300 ml of tobacco infusion to a bucket of water. It is better to spray currants with it from a spray bottle. Repeated treatment is carried out after 2 days. To enhance the effect, you can mix tobacco with wood ash. For 10 liters of water take 400 g of each substance.
- Soda ash. To prepare a remedy for aphids, the drug is dissolved in water (1 tablespoon of the substance per 1 liter), adding a little soap to it.
Treating currants with herbal infusions brings good results. Some common plants repel aphids.
- Celandine. Its tops can be used fresh (3-4 kg) or dried (1 kg). Fill the grass with 10 liters of water and leave it for 24-30 hours. Use the product after straining.
- Dandelion. Its roots (200 g) or leaves (400 g) will help get rid of insects. Add 10 liters to the container with plant materials warm water. It will be possible to treat bushes affected by aphids with dandelion infusion within 2 hours.
- Onion. Insects are repelled by the smell of its husk. An infusion from it is prepared for 4-5 days. Take 200 g of husk per 10 liters of water. Green feathers will also come in handy. A means for spraying currants is prepared from them in the same way, but the volume of plant raw materials is increased to 3-4 kg.
- Hot pepper. Having crushed its pods, they are filled with water (1:10) and, after boiling for 30 minutes, left for 2 days. Then the composition is filtered. Before treating currants with it, the infusion is diluted (100 ml per 1 liter clean water). An aphid repellent can be prepared from orange or lemon peels, wormwood, tansy, and yarrow. They use the same recipe, but with one difference: there is no need to dilute the resulting composition.
- Potato tops. After finely chopping it and pouring boiling water over it (the proportions should be the same), let the mixture brew. After 2 days, it is filtered and the currants are sprayed with it. An infusion of marigolds and tomatoes is prepared in the same way.
To save the garden from aphids, you will have to try. Insects live on the lower part of the leaves, so you need to spray currants so that the toxic compounds fall on them. The use of a spray bottle will increase the effectiveness of the procedure. Don't forget about safety rules. A mask on your face and rubber gloves on your hands will protect your skin and respiratory organs from harmful substances.
To prevent and combat infection, professionals fumigate black and red currants with dry stems of celandine. The tobacco-ash mixture will also repel aphids. The lower part of the leaves is powdered with it. It is recommended to do this when high humidity(after rain or watering). Ash is also poured under bushes from spring to autumn.
Biological and mechanical methods
In the early stages of infection, as well as after flowering, when the berries have already set, apply chemicals it has become dangerous experienced summer residents They prefer to fight aphids on currants mechanically, removing pests from plants. For this
- Carefully trim and burn damaged (twisted or blistered) leaves and shoot tips.
- Wash off the insects with water by pointing a hose at the bush under strong pressure.
- Squeeze aphids on a plant with your hands rubber gloves.
- In the spring, infected buds are picked off and destroyed. This must be done while they have not yet blossomed. The buds in which the pest eggs laid in the fall overwintered differ from healthy ones in being larger in size and round in shape.
Despite the effectiveness of these measures, they have a significant drawback - labor intensity and the need for repeated treatments. Using them, you will have to carefully inspect the blackcurrant every day. When the young insects hatch from the eggs, the fight against aphids will begin again.
To protect plantings from pests, summer residents attract their natural enemies to their plots. Aphids have a lot of them, they are exterminated:
- small birds;
- ladybugs;
- lacewings;
- earwigs;
- hoverflies.
Installing drinking bowls and feeders will help lure tits and sparrows. If you create beds with tomatoes and dill or a flower garden with marigolds, calendula, nasturtium, and cosmos next to currants, their smell will both repel aphids and attract beetles that eat them. A bad neighbor for a bush is corn. Pests love its succulent leaves. Having destroyed the corn plantings, they will attack the black currants.
Insects that hunt aphids can be placed on plants artificially. They are sold in stores specializing in organic farming, or at farmers' markets.
Useful in the fight against aphids and weeds. Insects love quinoa. If you leave several plants under the currant bushes, they will take the blow. Once the aphids are infested, the quinoa is pulled out and burned.
Chemical attack
At large area lesions, it is more advisable to use special preparations for aphids.
You can treat currants with insecticides:
- "Aktaroy";
- "Wofatox";
- "Inta-Virom";
- "Kinmiks";
- "Confidor";
- "Karbofos";
- "Rovikurt";
- "Fufanon";
- "Fury."
Due to the high toxicity of these products, you should work with them wearing a protective mask and rubber gloves. To achieve a sustainable result, 3 treatments are carried out:
- before buds open;
- after the appearance of young leaves;
- in summer (at least a month before the berries ripen).
Control of aphids with chemicals can only be safe if the manufacturer's recommendations are strictly followed. The duration of action of the product must also be taken into account. If the waiting period is more than 2 weeks, at the budding stage it can no longer be used against aphids on currants. In this case, it is better to use drugs of biological origin (Fitoverm).
Chemicals are a salvation for summer residents whose plots are attacked by aphids every year. By treating blackcurrants with them at the beginning of the growing season and after another 2 weeks (the exact timing is specified in the instructions), you can forget about pests. Since aphids are capable of developing immunity to poisons used against them, the preparations must be changed. It's better to do this annually.
Prevention of infection
The appearance and rapid spread of aphids is a reason to wonder whether currants are being cared for correctly. Strong and healthy plants resistant to pests. The short proboscis of aphids are unable to penetrate their hard leaves, so insects do not settle on them, preferring to look for easier prey.
Prevention of aphids on currants comes down to the following measures.
- Timely watering and fertilizing of bushes with low nitrogen content compounds.
- Annual pruning, which involves removing old, dry, diseased, damaged, excess branches and root shoots;
- Mulching the soil under plants.
- Removing weeds.
- Cleaning the trunk of exfoliated bark in which aphid eggs can overwinter.
- Extermination of ants living under or next to a bush. Regular boiling water will help here. Having filled the bucket with it, it is poured onto the anthill. It is recommended to do this in early spring. A shallow trench dug around the currant bush and filled with a sticky substance will limit the movement of ants.
Aphids do not like strong-smelling plants: mint, garlic, onions, parsley, coriander, basil. If you plant them next to currants, you don’t have to worry about insect invasion.
In autumn, the soil under the plants is slightly loosened, and with the arrival of spring, their trunks are whitened. For prevention purposes, you can treat bushes with buds that have not yet awakened with systemic insecticides, and spill the remaining solution onto the soil underneath them. This will enhance plant protection.
Getting rid of aphids that have settled on currant bushes will take time and patience. Best results in that not an easy task This is achieved by summer residents using an integrated approach. Proper agricultural technology, implementation of preventive measures, attracting natural enemies of insects, planting useful plants around the berry garden will protect currant bushes from infection. If it was still not possible to avoid it, initial stages You can get by with more environmentally friendly physical, biological and folk methods of destroying the enemy. If they are insufficiently effective, they switch to heavy artillery - drugs with insecticidal action.
With the onset of summer, many pests appear in the garden that can cause significant damage to fruit plants. This is both a leaf roller and spider mites, and scale insects. Aphid colonies on currants cause particularly harmful damage, so you need to figure out how to deal with them in advance. You can recognize her visit by curled leaves, characteristic swellings on them, and premature drying of the crown. In addition to the main damage, aphids lead to infection with vector-borne infections.
The harmful effects of aphids can be seen by curled and swollen leaves.
Twisted foliage when attacked by a pest
It is quite difficult to fight aphids due to the fact that most species do not lay eggs, but are viviparous. Per season at favorable conditions Up to 10 generations are born.
Types of aphids and signs of their appearance
There are more than 4 thousand species of aphids in nature, 8 of which are dangerous for currants and others. fruit and berry crops. Each species is recognized not only by external characteristics, but also secondary signs of their vital activity.
The following are considered harmful for currants:
- red gall aphid;
- bird cherry;
- beet;
- blackberry;
- green;
- currant-salad;
- peach
The result of the harmful activity of gall aphids
The red gall type has winged and wingless varieties. The first is distinguished by its larger size and rich green color. Winged representatives have a watery-yellow body and a pair of transparent wings. The pest can be recognized by reddish swellings in the central part of currant leaves. The branches of an infected bush are dotted with galls - red-brown growths in which aphids breed. When damaged, insects patch up the holes with their own bodies and milk, as a result of which they die.
The bird cherry type is distinguished by its brown color and is the main carrier of vector-borne infections. When it appears, the leaves of the plant dry out and curl into a tube.
The beet (bean) appearance has oval shape and black (less often olive) color. It rarely affects currants, as it specializes in legumes and root crops. Signs of infestation include yellowed punctures on young shoots and curled foliage.
Blackberry aphids are yellow-green in color. It feeds on the fruiting buds of plants, causing their productivity to suffer. Identified by drying tops and yellowing buds. It attacks not only blackberry bushes, but also settles on currants, raspberries, grapes, and apple trees.
Currant aphid is a green aphid, the period of active activity of which falls in June and July; in 4-5 generations it gives birth to winged forms that can migrate to neighboring bushes and branches. Belongs to the oviparous species. The breeding season falls in September. Females lay eggs under the currant bark and cover the laying site with milk. Overwintered larvae are capable of reproduction on the 2nd day of life. Signs of appearance of this type in spring, summer, and autumn there are curled leaves and slow growth of the bush.
The currant-lettuce aphid differs from the one above in its orange color and its ability to transmit Gooseberry virus.
The peach form has a light green color and small dimensions. It is most dangerous for currants, since one puncture can transmit up to 120 types of infection to the bush.
Biological products and chemicals against aphids
Chemicals against the pest are most often used before fruit ovaries appear on red, black and golden currants. In case of severe infection, the bush is treated 7-10 days before harvesting.
The most effective chemicals are:
- Kalash,
- Tanker,
- Spark double effect,
- Aktara,
- Aktellik,
- Decis,
- Intavir and others
Jaguar is an effective remedy for aphids and weeds based on ethyl fenoxaprop-P. Sold in 5 liter containers. It is characterized by rapid absorption. The effect lasts from 3 to 4 weeks. Treatment is carried out in dry, lightly windy weather, at least 3 hours before precipitation. Optimal temperature for spraying from +25°C. The solution is prepared in a ratio of 1 part Jaguar to 10 parts water.
Dosages of the most popular chemicals are given in the memo.
Biological products that help with aphid infestations include:
- Acrofit,
- Fitoverm,
- Lepidocide,
- Bicol,
- Bitoxibacillin and others.
Biological drug Fitoverm
A product based on aversectin C, produced in ampoules of 2.4, 5 ml, or bottles of 20 ml. Has a prolonged action. The poisoned insect dies 4-5 days after spraying.
Processing is carried out dry clear weather. During the dry period, the drug remains effective from a week to three. When dew or rain occurs, spraying must be repeated. During the flowering period, Fitoverm is prohibited for use. The berries are edible after 5 days from the date of treatment, since the active components of the drug provoke poisoning.
It is forbidden to combine with alkaline solutions.
A test must be carried out before any planned combination treatment. Fitoverm is mixed with other drugs and the appearance of sediment is monitored. When this occurs, chemical combinations are prohibited.
To prepare the solution, use 5 ml of Fitoverm per 600 ml of water with a neutral pH. Liquid consumption is 10 l/100 m2. The treatment is carried out in a special suit with protection of the respiratory tract, mucous membranes and skin. Repeated spraying is carried out after 20 days.
Fufanon with fast-acting effect
Organophosphorus emulsion, produced in 10 ml bottles and 5 ml ampoules. The main component of the drug is melation. Has a fast-acting effect. When contacted with aphids, it causes complete paralysis after 2 hours of action and death after 24 hours.
Before treating currants with this product, it is necessary to wait at least 15 days from the date of the last feeding. It is completely incompatible with other chemicals. To prepare an aqueous solution, use 5 ml of the substance and 5 liters of clean water. Spray currants on a cloudy day in the early morning or at sunset. The duration of action does not exceed 4-7 days; after the specified time period, the bushes must be sprayed again.
Acrophyte in the fight against aphids
Acrofit is a concentrated solution of aversectin C with paralytic action. Sold in 40, 200 and 900 ml packaging, as well as in 4.8 liter bottles. When caught on the body of an aphid, it causes instant paralysis. The infected insect dies within 48 hours after treatment. The drug is resistant to precipitation and remains in the plant for 2-3 weeks. Pests drinking the juice of treated currants die out after 2-3 days. Acrofit is not addictive.
Acrophyte is not used during flowering.
The optimal time for spraying is dry, windless weather at a temperature of +20 °C. For spraying, 8 ml of the substance is diluted in 1 liter of water. Ready solution bushes and berries are processed. The fruits are edible after 2-3 days. Repeated spraying is carried out after 2 weeks. The solution is not suitable for storage; the active substance avesectin decomposes in water.
Folk remedies to combat aphid colonies in spring and during fruiting
Folk pest control measures are numerous. Treatment in the spring against aphids is reduced to the destruction of larvae and overwintered individuals. For these purposes, insecticides, pesticides or boiling water are used. In April, marigolds, Dalmatian chamomile, garlic or onions are planted around the infected currant bush. The smell of these plants repels not only aphids, but also ants.
In April, the stems of the bushes are wrapped in rags soaked in tar, and also sprayed with a solution of laundry soap. Currants can also be treated with folk remedies during fruiting. They are safe for humans and bees, but effective against insect pests.
When they help folk remedies, and in what cases you can’t do without chemistry is described in the video.
Laundry soap, tobacco, esters
If young shoots and berries are eaten by aphids, and the gardener does not risk using chemicals, a soap solution is an effective replacement. To prepare it, use dark-colored laundry soap and warm water. Soap is grated, then 4 tbsp. l. The mixture is diluted in 200 ml of water, mixed, and poured into a spray bottle. The resulting mixture should be sprayed onto the affected bushes.
Tobacco is harmless to bees and humans. Currants can be watered with infusion in June, during the period of active flowering of the bush. To prepare, take 100 g of shag or tobacco leaves, pour in a liter of boiling water, and let it brew for about 8-12 hours. The cooled infusion is sprayed onto the crown once every 2 weeks, no earlier than 7 days before harvest.
Tobacco infusion can be used throughout the summer until the aphids are completely destroyed.
Citrus fruits, spruce needles, onions and garlic contain a high concentration of phytoncides. Their pungent aroma repels pests and helps fight not only aphids, but also ants.
15 drops essential oil add to 100 mg of cream and stir in 400 ml of warm water. The mixture is sprayed on currants in the morning and evening for 10 days. The number of aphids will be reduced by 1/3 already on the 3rd day; after a week, the vectors will also leave the plant. Repeat treatment as necessary.
Trichopolum and tar
Trichopolum is an oral metronidazole-based drug used to treat bacterial diseases. They are often used to treat currants during aphid infestations. Trichopolum instantly penetrates the body of insect pests and causes paralysis. The solution is prepared from 20 tablets per 10 liters of water. The treatment is carried out in dry weather and, if necessary, repeated daily for 1 week.
Tar tires applied to currant trunks prevent ants from entering the crown and the spread of aphids. To prepare the splint, birch tar and gauze bandages are used. The fabric is generously moistened in liquid, and the trunks are wrapped at a level of 10 cm from the ground. The soil around the hole is spilled with a water-tar solution in a ratio of 5:10. After precipitation falls, the bundles are again moistened with tar. To do this, draw concentrated liquid into a syringe and inject it directly into the bandage. The pungent odor repels ants.
Mechanical processing and use of boiling water until the buds swell
Sanitary cleaning – effective method fight against aphids. Using pruning shears, cut out all affected leaves from the crown. Branches and shoots are cleaned of insects and coated with garlic juice. After cleaning is completed, the affected foliage is burned.
Video about processing with boiling water.
To finally get rid of gall and green aphids on currant bushes, it is necessary to destroy the clutch of eggs. To do this, in early March, before the buds swell, the crown is doused with hot water repeatedly. It is important that the stream of water is sprayed and hits the cracks in the bark. The acceptable temperature for spraying is +80...90°C. It is worth considering that by the time the gardener reaches the desired shrub, they will take such indicators, and during processing a few more degrees will be lost.
After spraying with boiling water, the trunks are whitened with slaked lime. Lime helps destroy the remains of the colony, fill voids in trunks and under the bark, preventing the spread of pests.
Fighting aphids on currants is a responsible undertaking that cannot be delayed, as you may be left without a harvest or, in the worst case, lose the entire bush. Therefore, preventive measures are the key to healthy fruit plants and abundant harvests.
Aphids on currants can greatly weaken the plant, deprive the harvest and become a real disaster for the gardener. Therefore, gardeners are interested in questions about how to fight aphids on currants, and how to treat currants against aphids.
Aphids - very small insect, the largest specimens reach 2.2 mm in length; its appearance can only be noticed by the changes occurring in the young leaves. Red or yellow swellings may appear on them, most often this happens with the leaves of red and white currants. This indicates the vital activity of gall or currant hairy aphids.
On black currants, the appearance of gooseberry or shoot aphids is marked by curling of the leaves. You need to get rid of this pest from the first moment of detection - they can cause too much trouble.
As soon as young leaves begin to bloom, the first generation of aphids appears from eggs that the females laid under the bark of young annual shoots in the fall. These first individuals feed on the juice of young leaves; after a very short time, a new generation is born; aphids multiply especially quickly in dry, hot weather.
By mid-summer, when the growth of new leaves slows down or stops, the first generation of aphids with wings appears, this allows it to move to other plants, it invades weeds next door, spreading further through the garden. And in the fall, the fertilized queens return to the currants to lay eggs under the bark of young shoots.
You can see currant aphids when a huge number of these small pests cling to the tops of young shoots and sit on the underside of the leaves, causing them to deform and wither. Bushes infected with aphids lose a lot of strength, stop growing, their harvest becomes worse in quality and quantity, young fragile bushes can die irrevocably if the fight against harmful aphids on currants is not carried out.
Fighting with chemicals
The most effective remedy- These are special chemicals that can be bought in stores. They do not repel, but destroy pests. Along with them, bees and other beneficial insects may suffer, so summer residents and owners of private gardens on their small areas they try to avoid their use, or delay it until the last moment, hoping to get rid of aphids on currants using more gentle folk methods.
Treating currants with the well-known insecticides “Karbofos”, “Vofatox”, “Kinmiks” will show how to get rid of aphids in a short time. The drugs “Aktara”, “Rovikurt”, “Aktellik”, “Novaktion” are often used. All of them have certificates and specifications from the manufacturer, instructions that must be followed very strictly when using.
There is a whole group of expensive products, which may be why they are rarer in our stores, which can also be used in the fight for your garden. These are “Assail” or “Neemix”, produced in India, “Exirel” and “Sivanto”, which are very dangerous for bees and fish, “Admire”, which is used for cultivating the soil to destroy root aphids.
Thanks to the development of the chemical industry, the choice of products is huge. You just need to be very careful about their use - plants need to be treated with them before or at the very beginning of bud break, after harvesting. It happens that we save bushes at the risk of harming not only beneficial insects, but even for those who will eat the berries, this is when the treatment is carried out during flowering or immediately after it.
Experts warn that last use chemistry should occur no later than a month before harvesting the fruits. Experienced gardeners It is recommended to use chemicals in early spring and autumn, and in the summer to use one (or more) of folk recipes, although it will take more effort and time.
If aphids have occupied not only currants, but also settled on gooseberries and roses, then you will have to use insecticides, and it is better not to waste time on doubts.
Folk methods of struggle
The chemical industry has been developing for a couple of centuries, but currants have been grown a little longer, and aphids were not born in the last century - all this time people have been saving their harvests. Traditional methods can still be used today. For example, as soon as you notice traces of aphids on your bushes, you should wash them, especially young shoots, the undersides of all leaves, with a strong stream of water to get rid of the bulk of the pests. After this, you need to treat the plants thoroughly, without missing a single leaf or shoot with one of the infusions.
The use of onion or garlic infusions shows good results; in addition to repelling aphids, they also strengthen the immunity of plants and help them resist many diseases. An infusion of tomato tops is made in the summer when tomatoes are planting, and by collecting the flowers of fragrant marigolds, pouring them with water, after a couple of days you get the same fragrant infusion. Both of these infusions protect not only from aphids, but also from other pests. From herbal remedies, for infusions they also use celandine, wormwood, and hot pepper.
You can leave it for several days wood ash or soda ash, tobacco or shag. The technology for preparing infusions is that a certain amount of the substance is poured with water, infused for several hours to five days, then filtered. So, take 0.5 kg of tobacco for 10 liters of water, and after filtering, dilute it with another ten liters of water. Marigold flowers are collected in half a bucket, filled with water to the very edge of the bucket, infused, and after straining, no more water is added.
- From hot pepper prepare a concentrate (1 kg of pepper + 10 liters of water, boil for 1 hour), then dilute each glass in 10 liters of water.
- 4 kg of tomato tops are boiled for 0.5 hours in 10 liters of water, then diluted five times before spraying.
- There is no need to dilute the garlic infusion with water. Simply chop half a kilogram of garlic heads, add five liters of water and leave for a day.
- Onion infusion is prepared from green feathers - one kilogram of chopped greens is poured with 10 liters of water and left for 6 hours, after which it is filtered and used. Or maybe 0.5 kg onion peel pour 10 liters of water and leave for 4 – 5 days.
- An infusion of wood ash with wormwood has proven itself well. Take 0.5 kg of wormwood, a glass of ash, add 5 liters of water, leave for 5 hours, dilute the strained solution twice.
- You don’t even need to infuse soda ash; just take 1 tablespoon, add 1 liter of water and stir well.
- If you use celandine herb to control pests, you need to protect yourself with personal protective equipment, since its juice is very poisonous. Take 4 kg of fresh grass, chop it, add 10 liters of water, leave for at least a day, then filter and process the currants. All this must be done with gloves.
It is better to spray the plants on a fine evening on a windless day; you need to spray each leaf on both sides, each twig, and the ground under the bush. Young shoots need to be processed most carefully; their flexibility will help - you can simply dip the shoot in a bowl with liquid. In order for the active substance to remain on the leaves longer, laundry soap is added to any of the listed infusions and solutions.
Prevention
Everyone already knows how to deal with harmful aphids on currants, but the important question is how to prevent aphids from entering your bushes. There are a number of activities, the regular implementation of which will reduce the possibility of infection. When pruning annually, you need to remove all affected shoots; it’s definitely better to be safe than sorry. Be sure to pull out the weeds around the bushes and thoroughly dig up the soil under and around the bushes in the fall and spring.
Ladybugs and lacewings do an excellent job of ridding the garden of aphids. If they live in the garden, then aphids will never disturb your plants, but the widespread use of broad-spectrum chemicals has reduced them to a minimum in summer cottages. To attract them, you can sow marigolds, yarrow, tansy, allisum, dill, and parsley between the currant bushes. Ladybugs often live on buckwheat. But you need to get rid of the ants, otherwise, no matter what you do, the ants will always bring aphids into the garden.
The bushes can be periodically dusted with wood ash or tobacco crushed into dust. It is advisable to do this after rain, so that the dust lingers longer on the leaves, process carefully bottom side leaves and all young shoots.
Preventive methods usually take a lot of time, but they can really rid currants of aphids, and owners will not have to deal with pests, risking the harvest or even their health.
Video “Fighting aphids on currants”
From this video you will learn how to get rid of aphids on currants.
And other cultures. Aphids spread rapidly, especially in hot weather without precipitation. And although aphids cannot destroy a large tree or mature bushes, they can damage a decent part of the crop. Let's consider How fight aphids on currants.
How to identify a pest
In total there are about 4 thousand species of aphids:
- and affects the leaf gall aphid, which is why something like growths, swellings of yellow and dark red flowers appear on the leaves and sometimes on the branches.
- The gooseberry shoot aphid most often settles on it. Due to its reproduction, leaves and buds wither, and young shoots become deformed, as a result of which their growth stops.
The danger of aphids is not only in the deformation of the shoots, but in the fact that they make the plant weak and vulnerable. Thus, currants may be susceptible to other dangerous diseases. Because of this, the entire garden is at risk.
Aphids cannot process all the juice, so they secrete a substance called honeydew or honeydew. Other diseases and fungus often develop on this substance. Black sooty mildew affects white and red currants precisely because of aphids.
Important! Aphids are often attracted to ants. They feed on aphid secretions, protect them and carry them around the territory. Therefore, the fight against aphids also includes the destruction of anthills nearby.
Folk remedies
There are several ways to combat aphids on currant bushes. The main thing in choosing a method is to assess the scale of the damage. When the aphid colony is still very small and has not had time to grow, you can resort to to folk remedies, recipes that are made from available materials and are not harmful to animals and plants.
Wood ash solution
The solution is prepared as follows:
- 3 liters of hot water;
- 2 cups of ash;
- 1 tbsp liquid or ground laundry soap.
The mixture must be left for a day, then filtered and sprayed on the bushes. This will help get rid of aphids and satiate useful substances plant.
Liquid soap
You can use a liquid soap solution:
- 1 glass of water;
- 2 tbsp. l soap;
- The solution is used immediately.
They spray the areas affected by aphids every day until they disappear completely. This mixture clogs the respiratory organs of aphids, causing their death.
Makhorka
The mixture is made like this:
- 1 liter of water;
- 100 grams of tobacco dust;
- simmer the composition over low heat for 1 hour;
- After straining the cooled infusion, use in a proportion of 300 grams tobacco solution for 1 bucket of water.
I treat the currant bushes with the resulting liquid. If necessary, you can repeat the procedure after 2 days. To make the effect even greater, add wood ash. Then you need 400 grams of each substance per bucket of water.
Soda
The aphid repellent is made from a mixture of soda ash. To prepare you need:
- 1 tbsp. l soda;
- 1 liter of water;
- Add 1 tablespoon of liquid soap to the solution.
You can repel aphids with some herbal infusions or the plants themselves.
Celandine
- fresh tops (4 kg) or dried (1 kg);
- fill with 10 liters of water;
- insist for one and a half days;
- After filtering, the bushes are sprayed.
Dandelion
Onion
- 200 g onion peel;
- 10 liters of water;
- infused for 5 days.
You can use green shoots, only then you will need about 3 kg of raw materials.
Hot pepper
- 100g crushed hot pepper pods;
- fill 10 liters of passages;
- The mixture is boiled for 30 minutes and then left for 2 days.
- The composition must be filtered.
- In order to treat the bushes, you should dilute 100 ml of infusion in a liter of water.
Potato tops
- Finely chopped potato tops are poured with boiling water in a 1:1 ratio and left for 2 days.
- After which the mixture is filtered and currant bushes are sprayed with it.
Advice! Marigolds or tomatoes are also used in a similar way.
You can prepare a composition from orange peels, lemon peels, wormwood, yarrow or tansy. Use one part of the substance and ten parts of water, after boiling, leave for 2 days.
Fighting aphids is not an easy task. Many insects live below the leaves, so you should spray the bushes correctly to evenly distribute the poison. It is best to use a spray bottle. Don't neglect safety rules. You should wear gloves, thick clothing and a mask to protect the mucous membranes from harmful substances.
Preventive measures include treating currant bushes with dry celandine or a mixture of tobacco shag and ash. After it has rained or the bushes have been watered, the lower parts of the plants should be powdered. Sometimes you can simply pour ash directly under the bushes.
Watch the video! Aphids on currants
Biological and mechanical methods
When the infection has just begun and is not yet widespread, or when the berries have begun to set, chemicals should not be used.
There are methods for removing aphids manually:
- To do this, the affected areas are carefully cut off and burned.
- Aphids can be washed off the bush with water pressure.
- Destruction of aphids with gloved hands.
In the spring, infected buds are destroyed even before they begin to bloom. You can simply distinguish infected kidneys from normal ones by comparing them. Those in which pests live in the fall are round in shape and larger than usual.
Such mechanical methods effective, but they have a number of disadvantages:
- This labor-intensive process which will need to be repeated regularly;
- currant bushes will need to be regularly inspected and the fight continued;
- If you do not destroy the infected buds in time, the fight against aphids will begin again.
A good way to protect yourself would be to attract garden plot natural enemies of aphids. These include small birds, earwigs, and ladybugs. You can lure small birds, titmice and sparrows to the site by installing feeders and drinkers.
They will repel aphids with their smell and attract beetles that will destroy them, planted next to currant bushes: 
- cosmos;
- calendula;
- nasturtium;
- beds with;
You should not grow corn in your neighborhood because aphids really like the juicy corn leaves. After their destruction, the pest will happily migrate to the currant bushes.
Experts advise, if necessary, to specifically introduce insects that prey on aphids. They can be bought at special markets where they sell things necessary for agriculture.
Weeds can be beneficial in this fight. Colonies of quinoa aphids are especially fond of it. If you leave it under the currant bushes, the aphids will move to the weed. When the pest moves on, the grass is removed from under the bushes to destroy it.
Chemicals
They resort to the use of chemicals when the affected area is already huge. Then use special insecticidal agents:
- Aktara;
- Wofatox;
- Inta-Virom;
- Kimnix;
- Fury;
- Karbofos;
- Rovikurt;
- Confidor.
Advice! These substances are toxic, so you should not neglect basic safety measures when processing plants. You must wear a special protective mask and rubber gloves.
Processing occurs in three stages:
- the first time when the buds have just swelled, but have not yet blossomed;
- the second time when young leaves appeared;
- and the third time - in the middle of summer, a month before the berries ripen.
To ensure that the use of drugs is safe, you must strictly follow the instructions and recommendations of the manufacturer. You should also pay attention to how quickly the product begins to act. If it is effective for 14 days, and the fruits have already begun to set, chemicals should not be used. Then you can use biological drugs, like Fitoverm.
For those who constantly suffer from aphids on their currant plot, chemical preparations will bring good benefits. After treatment as indicated in the instructions, the pests will not return. But it is better to alternate the drugs annually, because aphids can develop immunity.
Prevention measures
Preventative measures that should be taken to get rid of aphids:
- remove dry and affected bushes in a timely manner;
- feed with substances that have a low nitrogen content;
- mulch the soil in time;
- remove bark that peels off so that aphid eggs do not accumulate there;
- remove weeds;
- destroy anthills that are located near the bushes.
To destroy anthills, you should pour boiling water over them. If you make a small trench around the currant bushes and fill it with a sticky substance, the ants will not be able to get to it.
Plants that emit strong aroma, will also repel aphids from currants. This can be planted next to:
- mint;
- coriander.
In the fall, before wintering, the ground under the bushes should be loosened, and in the spring the trunks of the bushes should be whitened.
Conclusion
Fighting aphids is not an easy task. In order for the result to be better, you should approach this issue comprehensively. It is necessary to use prevention methods, correctly observe the basic principles of agricultural technology, attract animals and birds, enemies of aphids, and also plant useful plants near the currant bushes. All this will help avoid infection.
If infection has already occurred, it is worth starting the fight using gentle methods - physical or folk. If they do not provide sufficient effectiveness, then you can move on to chemicals.
Watch the video! Aphids on Currant, what to do?