Ways to deal with pests:
Every gardener should take care of the he alth of his plants. Protection against pests and diseases is as important as fertilizing or weeding. Only beets, celery, pumpkins, zucchini and green beans grow for me without any problems and do not require additional effort. I have my own methods for the remaining plants.
1. The first stage of eliminating potential diseases
and immunization of plants is to buy properly treated seeds. In addition, I soak some of them in a chamomile bath before sowing, which disinfects them.
2. Another element that helps me to chase away pests and prevent diseases is the appropriate selection of plants adjacent to each other on the plot. And like this:
- Carrots and onionschase away the onion cream and carrot sirloin;
- Parsley, also attacked by the carrot shedding, is protected by sowing watercress between the rows;
- Cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflowerplanted with thyme are protected from invasion by the white-tailed butterfly, and chamomile discourages these insects from laying eggs on their leaves. In the period of particularly intense flights, I spread strips of white paper between the mentioned vegetables. Apparently, the butterfly, recognizing the white color, recognizes such a place as already occupied by the competition and flies away into the unknown;
- Radish and cruciferous vegetablesare free from peanuts thanks to several lettuce heads planted nearby;
- All crops do very wellnext to nasturtium . This flower attracts aphids so effectively that other plants are free from them;
- The beds around which growmarigolds and marigoldsno nematodes harmful to the roots;
- All plants grown within the aroma range of various herb species are protected against pests, bacteria, viruses and fungi;
3. In addition, I also use additional protective measures:
- Leeks and onionsI defend the onion cream against the invasion of onion cream with powdered charcoal (such as for the grill). However, I leave a few bulbs unsuspended so that the pests lay their eggs there, giving the rest of the plants peace;
- Carrots that do not grow next to the onion , I water the onion slurry once every two weeks (50 g of husks per 10 l of water);
- If the summer is wet and hot, I spraythe crops with garlic extract alternately with a decoction of horsetail and nettles. This increases the natural resistance of plants;
- I remember not to get wet while wateringthe leaves of cucumbers, melons and tomatoes . This causes the fungus spores to spread.
Jadwiga Antonowicz-Osiecka
