Plant Protection By Biological Methods. Start

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Every gardener wants to protect their plants by not applying chemicals or limiting their use on the site. With modern biological agents, this option is possible. First, you need to familiarize yourself with the basic principles of introducing biological products

The harm of the chemical method

Many chemical remedies have been developed at the present time. Store shelves are teeming with these items. The quick effect of killing pathogens attracts buyers. This method has a lot of negative factors:

• destroys all useful and harmful organisms indiscriminately;

• remains in a residual amount after the waiting period recommended on the package;

• accumulate in the body of animals, humans, when using processed plants;

• the half-life of individual drugs is more than a dozen years (old generation);

• causes allergic reactions in certain groups of the population;

• getting into the soil, waste water, contaminates the environment.

Biological products do not have such side effects. All of them act selectively on a certain type of pest or disease.

Situation assessment

Before using biological agents, it is necessary to realistically assess the situation on the site. Understand what disease or pest is on the plants. It will not be superfluous to interrogate neighbors for contamination of nearby gardens. The spores of most fungal diseases are easily and quickly carried by the wind for hundreds of meters, with rain clouds - for several thousand kilometers.

Start of treatments

Pathogens attack all plants without choice. On weakened crops, symptoms appear earlier. They should be closely monitored. After 2-3 days, visible lesions will appear on all plantings.

For the first time, strong specimens struggle with pathogens on their own. There is a confrontation invisible to our eyesight. Plants donate their cells to stop the infection. The tissues around the sore spot die off so that the infection does not go deeper. At this moment, it is necessary to take drastic measures to help our "pets". When the infection is on the surface, it is much easier to destroy it without resorting to chemicals.

Preventive measures

To increase the immunity of plants, it is necessary to provide adequate nutrition, maintain a healthy lifestyle of the culture. Along with the main macronutrients, micro-substances (manganese, zinc, copper, boron and others) should be added.

Each region has its own lack of certain minerals. To get started, consult a local agrochemical station. If this is not possible, then apply foliar dressing with a maximum set of trace elements.

In recent years, many modern complex fertilizers have been supplemented with such a set: Aquarin, Kemira, Solution, Kristalon, Zdraven.

Destruction of weeds, which are the place of wintering and reproduction of pathogens. When pruning trees, treat the wounds with garden pitch, closing the places for the spread of infections.

Preventive treatments with 1% solution of pure copper sulfate on dormant buds in early spring of all trees, adjacent soil around. The acidic reaction of the drug helps to reach the spores hidden deep in the crevices under the bark. Copper ions have an additional disinfecting effect. In this case, you should be careful, use protective equipment for the whole body. Carry out activities in calm weather, using long tree rods.

Autumn digging of soil in the garden, burning of infected plant debris, destroys most of the wintering pathogens.

We will consider how biological preparations work, prolonging the period of active work of microorganisms in the next article.