Pepper is a heat-loving crop. But Russian gardeners have long been successfully growing this plant in their garden plots not only in the southern regions, but also in the middle zone and even in Siberia. Pepper is very beneficial for the body; it is a vitamin bomb that also affects taste buds. The taste of ordinary dishes changes, piquancy and spiciness appear. Sweet pepper slices decorate main courses and salads and are an integral part of many winter preparations.
It is not surprising that every self-respecting gardener strives to grow peppers. The process will be easier if you arm yourself with knowledge and apply it in practice. It often happens that young plants are attacked by pests. The main thing is to recognize the enemy in time and take urgent measures to save the pepper seedlings and not be left without a harvest. In total, about 20 pests are known that attack peppers. Here we will look at the most common ones.
Aphids
Aphids gather in colonies and settle on almost all indoor and garden plants. Aphids are parasitic, sucking juices from young plants and transmitting viruses to pepper seedlings.
Description
Aphids can look different, and there are approximately 3,500 known species of aphids. It usually has an oblong body, measuring from 0.3 to 0.8 mm, which does not have a chitinous layer, it is soft and transparent. The aphid pierces the top layer of the plant with its proboscis and sucks out the juices.
Insects prefer to parasitize on the underside of the leaves of pepper seedlings. The coarse foliage of adult plants is too much for aphids. If control measures are not taken, aphids will not only weaken the pepper seedlings, but also lead to their death.
Ways to fight
There are a lot of methods to combat aphids. One treatment of pepper seedlings is not enough; 2-3 times are necessary.
- For preventive purposes, you can plant aromatic plants next to young pepper seedlings. Aphids will be scared away: marigold, garlic, parsley, lavender, onion, mint, basil, mustard;
- The simplest method of control is to wash off the aphids with water from the pepper seedlings;
- Apply a soap solution: dissolve a bar of soap in a bucket of water. Use laundry soap, tar soap, or any liquid soap. Spray the pepper seedlings;
- Chop 1 medium onion, add 1 liter of water. The solution should sit for 6 hours. Before treating plants, add 1 tsp. grated soap;
- Infuse 100 g of crushed garlic in 0.5 liters of water for 1 to 5 days. Dilute the infusion with 1 tbsp water. l. for 5 liters of water, here you can add 1 tsp. liquid soap and 2 tsp. vegetable oil;
- Infuse 100 g of pharmaceutical chamomile in 1 liter of water for a day, use the calculation of 1 part infusion to 3 parts water;
- Infuse 200 g of tobacco for 24 hours in 5 liters of water, then strain, add 10 liters of clean water;
- Pour 1 kg of tops or tomato shoots into 2 liters of water, simmer over low heat for half an hour, dilute 1:3, sprinkle pepper seedlings.
Folk methods of fighting are varied and unusual. The imagination of our gardeners is inexhaustible; in everyone’s arsenal there is a fail-safe method of pest control that protects pepper seedlings. How to fight aphids, watch the video:
Chemical means of combating aphids are represented by the following drugs: “Aktellik”, “Fury”, “Fufanon”, “Karbofos”, “Keltan”. Follow the instructions when using these preparations to treat pepper seedlings.
Wireworm
The wireworm is the larval stage of the click beetle.
Description
The larvae have a hard body, this is the main feature by which they can be distinguished. They reach a length of 1 to 4 cm. The body is yellow or brown.
The larva develops very slowly, growing by 7 mm per year, the total larval stage lasts more than 4 years. In the winter, wireworms burrow into the soil to a depth of 60 cm. By colonizing the soil, they damage agricultural plantings. They love potatoes very much, they damage the seeds of sown plants, they do not disdain pepper seedlings, they bite into the roots and underground part of the stem. As a result, the plant dies.
Ways to fight
The pest is difficult to control. But if you are focused on results, then in 2-3 seasons you can significantly reduce the number of larvae.
- A good method of controlling wireworms is to dig up the soil in the fall shortly before frost. The wireworm, once on the surface, dies from the cold;
- A method that gives good results is when digging the soil, carefully select the wheatgrass roots, even very small ones. So, you will deprive the wireworm of food;
- Make traps.To do this, in the spring, in April-May, place moistened bundles of hay, rotted grass or straw in small holes. Cover them with boards. In search of food and warmth, the wireworm will willingly move here. After 2 days, collect the traps and burn them at the stake. Repeat the procedure several times;
- You can sow mustard near the pepper, which repels wireworms;
- Before planting pepper seedlings, you can treat the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate: 5 g per 10 liters of water;
- When planting pepper seedlings, gardeners pour mustard powder and even ground hot pepper into the holes. The mixture will not cause any harm to the plants, the wireworm will not get close to the roots of the pepper seedlings;
- Adding ash and lime will make life difficult for the wireworm, as it loves acidic soils.
Chemical methods of pest control include the following drugs: “Bazudin”, “Prestige”, “Provotox”, “Metarizin”. To successfully protect pepper seedlings, you must follow the instructions exactly.
Medvedka
The insect is a pest of agricultural plants.
Description
A large burrowing insect, reaching a length of 8 cm. The elongated soft abdomen is 3 times larger than the cephalo-shell. The mole cricket hides its head under its shell when threatened. The structure of the body looks like a crayfish. The forelimbs are modified and adapted for digging the ground. The color of an adult insect is dark brown or brown.
With the onset of spring warmth, the mole cricket becomes more active, begins to dig tunnels in the soil and feed on underground parts of plants. Pepper seedlings are no exception. Plants wither and then die. Signs of the presence of a mole cricket are paths and holes in the soil.
Fighting methods
Knowing the characteristics of behavior and eating habits, you can fight mole crickets.
- Digging the ground in spring and late autumn leads to the destruction of passages and egg-laying;
- The mole cricket loves fresh manure very much. In late autumn, dig a hole, fill it with manure, in such places insects settle down for the winter. When negative temperatures set in, spread manure over the surface of the soil; the individuals will freeze, as they are in hibernation. In the spring, you can also set up small dung traps, in which the mole cricket lays eggs;
- Next to the pepper seedlings you can plant marigolds, garlic, and onions. Or add crushed plant parts, onion peels or egg shells when planting in the holes;
- River sand with the addition of kerosene repels insects.
If simple methods of pest control do not bring results, then start using chemical means to protect pepper seedlings.
Preparations in the form of poisoned granules that the mole cricket eats: “Medvetox”, “Medvegon”, “Grizzly”, “Bankol”. Place the granules near manure heaps and near holes in the soil, and cover them with soil to prevent them from being pecked by birds or eaten by pets.
There are drugs that are classified as biological. Once in the body, mole crickets destroy it and the insect dies. Other insects and plants are not at risk. “Nemabakt”, “Boverin” are examples of drugs of the biological group.
Whitefly
The whitefly is a very small insect, but this does not cease to be dangerous for pepper seedlings.
Description
The insect resembles a miniature butterfly, measuring no more than 3 mm. The wings are covered with a white coating, so the Latin name whitefly comes from the word flour. The whitefly is popularly called the “seedling moth.”
Insects and their larvae feed on the plant juices of seedlings.But the appearance of whiteflies also brings with it the danger of infecting plants with various viruses that insects carry. During the feeding process, the whitefly secretes sticky enzymes, which provide a favorable environment for the development of fungus. The surface of the leaves of pepper seedlings turns first white and then black. These are signs of fungal infection of seedlings.
Fighting methods
Whiteflies love high humidity and warmth. Do not allow plantings to thicken, follow the watering schedule for pepper seedlings, and ventilate the room where you grow the plants. Simple preventive measures will protect peppers from the appearance of a colony of whiteflies.
- For whiteflies, you can hang ready-made sticky fly tapes near the pepper seedlings or make your own traps. To do this, coat pieces of plywood, preferably bright yellow in color, with honey, Vaseline or castor oil. One trap is enough for 1 windowsill on which plant seedlings are grown. Mechanical control methods are good at the initial stage, when the whitefly has just taken a fancy to your pepper seedlings;
- Plants can be sprayed with garlic infusion. Chop 2-3 heads of garlic, add water, leave under a tight lid for a week. You will get a concentrate; before spraying, take 1 tsp of it and dilute with 1 liter of water. The product will help if there are few pests;
- Chemical methods of control: the drug "Aktara" is applied under the root of pepper seedlings in the form of a solution, the whitefly feeds on the poisoned sap of the plants and dies. "Aktara" protects pepper seedlings for 5 weeks. You can use other means: “Inta-Vir”, “Zeta”, “Iskra”, “Fitoverm”, “Aktellik”, “Fufanon”, “Zeta” and others.
Slugs
They do not have a shell and, at first glance, look defenseless. However, they can cause irreparable damage to cultivated plantings.
Appearance
Naked slugs are cephalopods, the closest relatives of which are the well-known snails. Slugs have a soft body covered in mucus. Having no methods of defense, they hide during the day and crawl out at night. They actively eat berries and young foliage of seedlings, including peppers. The most favorable conditions for the life and reproduction of slugs are warmth and moisture.
Fighting methods
You can fight slugs by using traditional methods that are quite effective and do not harm pepper seedlings.
- Preventive methods are weeding and loosening, mulching the soil. Straw, ash, sawdust, pine needles, and broken bricks are not at all suitable for moving slugs. Pepper seedlings can be protected by mulching the soil;
- Use a variety of traps, both self-made and ready-made. Slugs are attracted to beer containers that need to be buried in the ground so that the edges are level with the soil. Watch the video:
- Plant plants next to the pepper seedlings that will repel slugs: basil, onions, garlic, mustard, watercress, geranium;
- Sprinkle baking soda or soda ash over clams. You can prepare a solution of soda and water: 100 g per 10 liters and spray the plants, add laundry soap to the solution;
- A solution of vinegar, mustard powder, and ammonia will also help deal with slugs.
All these methods are good if there are few slugs in your area. But if the problem has become widespread, then move on to serious means of pest control.“Ulitsid”, “Groza”, “Meta”, “Metaldehyde” are available in various forms. Carefully read the instructions for use of the drugs.
Spider mite
Spider mites are ubiquitous. Despite its small size, it can lead to the death of the plant. Both indoor and garden plants suffer from it. These are serious pests of pepper seedlings.
Description
Spider mites have a small body, no more than 0.5 mm in size. Its color ranges from light green to brown, depending on the stage of development of the individual. Under favorable conditions, ticks live for about a month. Under unfavorable conditions, the development of eggs stops; they can remain in the soil for up to 5 years.
It appears when there are a lot of individuals. If you look closely, you can see pinpoint punctures, which will later merge and form dried islands on the plant. Pepper leaves curl and fall off.
If you do not take measures to protect pepper seedlings from pests, they will soon die, since mites damage plant cells, the process of photosynthesis stops or is significantly reduced, and young plants do not receive proper nutrition. In addition, ticks are carriers of viruses and fungi.
Fighting methods
Use home remedies to combat it.
- Make a solution of laundry soap: a piece of soap in a bucket of water, spray the pepper seedlings. Spraying with a solution of tar or sulfur soap helps effectively;
- Garlic infusion helps fight mites. You don’t have to insist, grate about 200 g of garlic, stir in a bucket of water and immediately spray the plants;
- Infusion of onion peels: 200 g infused for 24 hours in 10 liters of water;
- A decoction of yarrow or wormwood: pour 100 g of herb into 2 liters of water, simmer over low heat, strain, add to a bucket of water.
Switch to chemicals if gentle pest control methods do not help you. Effective drugs: Apollo, Antiklesch, Neoron, Fufanon.
Thrips
Small, inconspicuous insects, but as pests they can cause significant harm to seedlings and are considered one of the very dangerous pests not only of peppers, but also of indoor and garden plants.
Description
The elongated body of thrips ranges in size from 0.5 to 2 mm. The color is varied: from gray to brown. Thrips suck out the vital juices of plants, transmit viruses and fungal diseases, and pollute plants with their waste products.
External manifestations on plants at the initial stage of colonization boil down to the fact that yellow or discolored spots appear on the leaves of pepper seedlings, then they die. Thrips larvae or adults can be seen on the underside of plants.
Fighting methods
Thrips reproduce very quickly. At room temperature, their number doubles within a week.
Immediately begin chemical control methods. Such drugs as Intavir, Karate, Confidor, Agravertin, Actellik will help you.
Conclusion
The main problem for those who grow pepper seedlings on their own, both in an apartment and in a greenhouse, is the attack of pests on young plants.
If you are for environmentally friendly products, then use traditional methods of control, they are gentle and will not harm plants and the environment. For mass extermination of pests, chemical and biological preparations are suitable, which are available in different forms for ease of use. Be sure to read the instructions for use; some products cannot be used in apartment conditions due to high toxicity.
