grubs are beetle larvae that feed in the soil.The grubs in strawberriesdamage the roots of plants, leading to withering of strawberries and weaker fruiting, and in extreme cases, even to the destruction of the entire crop. Seehow to identify grubs in strawberries , how to prevent their occurrence and howcombating grubs in strawberrieswhen growing in a plot. Here's an effectiveway to get grubs in strawberries !
grubs in strawberries
How to spot grubs in strawberries
The grubs are the larvae of beetles such as the May beetle (Melolontha melolontha), the chestnut beetle (Melolontha hippocastani), the red beetle (Rhizotrogus solstitialis) and the horticulture (Phyllopertha horticola). The May bug larvae are the most dangerous for strawberries. They are easy to recognize because they are white, quite large (approx. 3-4 cm long), have a brown head and a black abdomen.
The grubs live in the soil and feed on the roots, causing plants to wilt and dry out.The grubs in strawberriesare able to destroy the entire root system of strawberries, making it very easy to pull the plant out of the ground. Strawberries in light soils, in particular, are most prone to drying out due to grub damage.
To make sure you havegrubs in strawberriestake the drying plant out of the ground and check its roots. If they are weak, heavily damaged, and in the ground we find white larvae bent into a horseshoe, we can be sure that they are grubs.
Fighting grubs in strawberries
The control of grubs in strawberriesshould be started before the planting, as it may turn out to be much more difficult later. We start by determining whether grubs are present in our soil. In the place where you want to set up strawberry beds, randomly dig one spade of soil in several places, driving the spade to a depth of 30 cm. The soil is then inspected or screened, and grubs found are counted. In strawberry cultivation, the risk threshold at which to start controlling grubs is one grub per 2 m² of bed.
If we have found so many or more pests, dig the soil or plow it with sharp tools (a tiller may be helpful) in order to get the beetle larvae to the surface of the soil, where they will die from the drying sun or be eaten by birds.
It is also worth it as sow buckwheat in the forecrop, which contains tannins harmful to the grubs.When buckwheat grows, we dig it with soil as green fertilizer. Then againcheck the number of grubs in the soilIf there are still too many larvae, use one of the availablenatural preparations for controlling the grubs in strawberriesPreparations that I am listing below, can be used both before planting strawberries and later during their cultivation.
The firstway to get grubs in strawberriesis tansy manure, which you need to prepare yourself. For this, 1 kg of cut tansy leaves are poured over with 10 liters of water and allowed to ferment, which may take 2 to 4 weeks. The solution should be mixed once a day. When the liquid stops foaming and becomes clear, it will be ready for use.Against grubs, the ground is poured with tansy manureundiluted. After watering with tansy slurry, the grubs emerge from the ground and are eaten by the birds. This method is perfect for clearing the ground of grubs before planting strawberries.
People who are not able to prepare tansy slurry on their own can buy a ready-made preparation Wrotycz BroBio Ogród, which contains fermented tansy extract (i.e. slurry) enriched with beneficial microorganisms. This preparation is very efficient. Forwatering strawberries against grubsit is diluted with water in the ratio 1:50 (20 ml of the preparation per 1 liter of water). The preparation can be used both before planting strawberries and during their growth.
If you noticefeeding symptoms of grubs in strawberriesalready growing in our beds, it is also worth using a natural remedy for grubs and nematodes called P-DRAKOL. It contains beneficial bacteria that create an environment unfavorable for the development of grubs. As a result of the use of this preparation, the number of grubs is very limited, usually to such an extent that their harmfulness ceases to be noticeable.P-Drakol, as a biological preparation, can be safely used in the cultivation of vegetables and fruit intended for consumption. High efficiency combined with an affordable price makeP-Drakol the best choice for gardeners fighting with grubs
Katarzyna Matuszak
