The best means of protecting plants from diseases

Methods for protecting plants from diseases

There are several reliable ways to help you save your harvest.

1. Trimming

Many plants tend to grow many shoots. Their crowns thicken greatly, moist air stagnates inside and an ideal environment is created for the development of diseases. Therefore, it is important to trim on time. This can be done in the summer, so we take a saw, pruner and go to the garden.

Apple trees and pears. In order for the crown of these trees to be well ventilated, it must be formed in the shape of a bowl.

To do this, the first step is to cut out the central conductor at a height of about 2 m. The cut of the trunk is made just above the skeletal branch. Then – remove all the shoots that grow inside the crown – they thicken it greatly. We leave only those that “look” outward. And the last stage is the pruning of too long skeletal branches – their length should not exceed 2,5 m.

After the formative pruning, tops will begin to actively grow on the trees – they also need to be cut.

All saw cuts should be immediately covered with oil paint based on natural drying oil, and small cuts should be covered with plasticine. It is impossible to leave wounds for a long time – spores of fungal pathogens can get into them.

Cherry. All the skeletal branches that cross and rub against each other are cut out from her – this is how they injure each other, and the infection penetrates into the wounds. And be sure to remove all dried shoots (1) – as a rule, they are sick with moniliosis.

Of course, it is necessary to remove the shoots in a timely manner – it is also often a breeding ground for infection.

Plum and cherry plum. They cannot be cut radically – this causes gum disease, which weakens the trees. But tops and dry branches must be removed so that they do not thicken the crown.

2. Garter

Most gardeners grow cucumbers in spreading – lashes spread along the ground. And some grow tomatoes this way. And these are very bad choices. The fact is that spores of fungal pathogens live in the soil, and they fall on the leaves with splashes during rains and irrigation. And the closer the leaves are to the ground, the more likely the infection is to settle on plants. And if they lie on the ground, the infection will be global.

That is why cucumbers and tomatoes need to be tied up. The easiest option is to drive stakes or thin metal pipes along the edges of the beds (and if they are long, then also in the center) and pull the wire and tie ropes to it. And tie their lower end around the base of the stem. And then, as you grow, twist the ropes around the shoot.

The lower leaves of tomatoes and cucumbers need to be cut off – to the first flower brush. In this case, the spray will not fall on the plants, and infection, if any, is minimal.

3. Mulching with hay

We have repeatedly talked about the unique properties of this bacterium, we will repeat it again. In the course of its life, it produces a natural antibiotic – subtillin, which inhibits the growth of pathogenic fungi. And very many and the most dangerous, for example, phytophthora, which affects tomatoes and potatoes, powdery mildew and downy mildew, which harm cucumbers.

Hay stick lives and actively reproduces in broken hay. It is not easy to get it, and it is not necessary. It is enough to mulch the beds with fresh grass – in a couple of days it will turn into hay, and it decomposes very quickly. And the hay stick will begin to multiply in it.

4. Treatment of plants with Trichoderma infusion

Another useful microorganism, this time a fungus. In nature, it often settles on tinder fungi: a green coating on them is Trichoderma (2). And it is precisely the tinder fungi that will come in handy for us. You just need to go to the nearest forest and collect more of them.

At home, tinder fungi need to be thoroughly sprayed with a spray bottle, put into bags, tied up and put away somewhere where they will not interfere. After 3 weeks, tree fungi will be covered with a green coating – this is Trichoderma.

If necessary, tinder fungi can be taken out, grind through a meat grinder without a knife and mesh, and then the resulting mass is stirred in water: 1 tinder fungus per bucket. After that, the water must be filtered and sprinkled on the plants. Consumption rate – 5 liters per 1 sq. m.

Trichoderma in the process of its development produces natural antibiotics: gliotoxin, satsukkalin, trichodermin, viridin, which kill pathogens of many diseases. It easily deals with late blight, powdery mildew, downy mildew, gray mold, brown spot, rhizoctoniosis. Moreover, its effect is very powerful – for example, it reduces the infection of cucumbers with white rot by as much as 3 times, and their yield increases by 34,5%.

Preparations for plant protection against diseases

There are 2 popular stimulants for the growth and development of plants – summer residents are well aware. Both of them are immunomodulators and adaptogens – they increase the resistance of plants to stress, adverse weather conditions and diseases. In addition, there are drugs that directly protect plants from infection.

1. Zircon

It is useful for the formation of roots, stimulation of flowering, protection against viruses. It must be used strictly according to the instructions, an overdose is unacceptable. It is completely absorbed by plants in 18 hours, but acts gradually. And in order for the drug to be beneficial, it is important to moisten all the leaves with it completely. And they can also water the soil – Zircon (3) is absorbed, including by the roots.

2. Epin-extra

This drug increases resistance to diseases and adverse conditions. Overdose of plants is not terrible. It is completely absorbed by the leaves in 2 weeks, but it starts to act much faster, because it easily moves through the vessels. But you can use Epin-extra (3) only on the leaves, it is not absorbed by the roots.

3. Copper sulfate

This drug is also known to summer residents – they usually process fruit trees in early spring, before bud break. This is an excellent prevention of fungal diseases. But few people know that copper sulfate can also be used in summer. If you have not processed them in the spring, you can do it now.

For the treatment of fruit crops, 100 g of the drug should be diluted in 0,5 l of warm water (50 – 60 ° C), stir well, and then, while stirring, add water to a volume of 10 l. You can breed copper sulfate only in a plastic bucket. In the metal, the oxidation process will begin.

For vegetable plants (except tomatoes), 10 g of the drug is taken per 50 liters of water. For tomatoes – 20 g per 10 liters.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about disease prevention in the garden and garden with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Lavrik P.I., Rybitsky N.A., Gavrilov I.S. Gardener’s desk book // L.: Lenizdat, 1972 – 568 p.
2. Alimova F.K. Modern Trichoderma/Hypocrea system // Uchenye zapiski Kazanskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Series: Natural Sciences, Vol. 147, No. 2, 2005
3. State catalog of pesticides and agrochemicals permitted for use on the territory of the Federation as of July 6, 2021 // Ministry of Agriculture of the Federation

   https://mcx.gov.ru/ministry/departments/departament-rastenievodstva-mekhanizatsii-khimizatsii-i-zashchity-rasteniy/industry-information/info-gosudarstvennaya-usluga-po-gosudarstvennoy-registratsii-pestitsidov-i-agrokhimikatov/