Many gardeners love to grow grapes in their plots. It is appreciated for its beneficial properties and unsurpassed taste.
However, the crop of this crop may be at risk if the plant is affected by pests. Most often, grapes are attacked by an itch, better known as the grape mite.
When infected, you can lose up to 30% of the crop, and if you do not carry out timely treatment, you can lose up to 50%.
In this article we will talk about the measures to combat grape pruritus.
- Grape itch: getting to know the enemy
- Grape Mite Harm
- Agrotechnical methods of struggle
- Preparations against grape mite
Grape itch: getting to know the enemy
Grape felt pruritus is a type of mite. His body is slightly elongated, cylindrical, up to 0.15 mm in length. Usually mite is located on the underside of the leaves.
When it pierces and injects saliva, in this place, a white leaf is formed first on the grape leaf, and after the brown color fluff is in the funnel, and on the other side of the leaf is a tubercle.
Each grape bush degree of infection may be different. If the invasion of ticks is strong enough, then the spots on the leaves merge, then they hang down and curl.
Tick infestation is concentrated on the lower leaves with good growth of vines. The second invasion of ticks can infect the upper leaves of the vine in the middle of summer.
If the air humidity is high, felt mites can hit clusters of grapes, after which they are shrouded in felt and become unsuitable.
Dry and hot weather also contributes to the rapid development of ticks.
They reduce the photosynthetic tone of the leaves, while reducing the yield and quality of the grapes. Places where grape pruritus overwinter may be as follows: cracks in the vine, under the scales of the kidneys or under the bark, which has exfoliated. In the spring, when eyes and leaves bloom, itching begins its activity.
Grape Mite Harm
This grape pest feeds on plant sap. At this time, it releases enzymes, and therefore leaves are deformed. On the upper side of the leaf tissue form concave galls, tubercles. A fluffy and white bloom appears below, where a grape mite grows and develops. Hitting a vine of a grape, at a plant productivity considerably decreases, the root system is surprised.
Agrotechnical methods of struggle
If grape pruritus appears on your plants, then the following agrotechnical measures to combat it are recommended:
- Do not allow the vine to be on the ground, it increases the risk of injury and complicates treatment.
- Without fail, dig the soil around the grapes.This should be done in spring and autumn.
- Burn all distant parts of the plant: bark, last year’s foliage, cut plots of vine.
Preparations against grape mite
Although agrotechnical methods are effective, it is not easy to completely get rid of the pest. HTo get rid of pests use the following treatments:
- The drug "Dnok" is used for spraying grapes in early spring, until the buds have blossomed.
- In the autumn, after leaf fall, the bush is completely sprayed with a 5% solution of lime broth.
- In the summer, acaricides and insectoacaricides are used to kill pests. Especially effective in the mass appearance of ticks.
- During the growing season, drugs are used to combat the grape pruritus "Apollo", "Omayt", "Fozalon", "Talstar", "Pliktran", "Mitak", "Fosfamid", "Ortus", etc.
- At the initial stage of growth, when the shoots reach 5 cm, colloidal sulfur is used.
Quite often in the literature it is advised to protect the grapes from itching with the help of organophosphorus toxic chemicals. But it should be borne in mind that today many ticks have already developed immunity to this kind of chemicals, so their effectiveness is much lower. Increasing the dosage adversely affects the suitability of the crop and the plant as a whole.
In order to reduce the risk of tick infestation, good results show preventive treatments. To this end, the following measures are taken:
- The drug "Neoron" is well suited against itching. Processing is carried out in hot time. As a substitute, you can use the drug "Akarin."
- Watch out for dosages. Too little concentration will not have the desired effect, and excessive concentration will harm.
- For convenience, make a calendar to know exactly the time of these or other procedures.This will take some time, but in return the plant will thank you for a generous harvest.