Taboo: processing potatoes before planting

Content

1 Description of the drug
2 Pros and cons of the drug Tabu
3 Use of the drug Tabu to protect potatoes
4 Reviews

Pre-sowing treatment of potato tubers is a very important procedure that allows you to reliably protect young plants from various pests, which include the annoying Colorado potato beetles and wireworms. Previously, many processed potatoes the old fashioned way, using various folk remedies. But with the advent of effective chemicals, such treatment faded into the background.

Many effective means have been created for pre-sowing treatment of potatoes. In this article we will talk about the popular Russian drug Tabu.

Description of the drug

Tabu is a modern potato disinfectant from the large Russian company "August", which is a leader in the production of pesticides for agriculture. The main purpose of Taboo is to fight against all kinds of potato pests, which include:

Colorado potato beetle and its larvae;
wireworm;
bread ground beetle;
flea beetles;
leafhoppers;
cereal aphid;
winter armyworm and others.

Moreover, to protect against all these insects, potatoes need to be treated with this preparation only once.Such a one-time treatment is more than enough to protect potato bushes during the initial, most sensitive stage of growth.

Chemical composition

In its chemical composition, Tabu is very similar to another popular disinfectant - the foreign drug Prestige. Despite the similarity of compositions, these disinfectants are not analogues, but can be used together. The main active ingredient of these drugs for protecting potato tubers is imidacloprid. It is part of the neonicotinoid class of insecticides.

In Tabu, the concentration of imidacloprid will be 500 grams per liter. This concentration of the active substance is moderately toxic for humans, but it will be destructive for insects. Once in the body of an insect, imidacloprid blocks its nerve receptors, causing severe paralysis and further death.

Important! Imidacloprid may have negative effects on children. The children's nervous system has not yet reached full maturity, so imidacloprid can negatively affect it, reducing neuronal activity.

In order to avoid such an effect, processing potatoes with this or other products containing imidacloprid should be carried out without the participation of children.

In addition to imidacloprid, the Tabu disinfectant contains the following substances:

antifreeze;
dispersants;
adhesive;
thickener;
wetting agent;
dye.

Mechanism of action

The taboo begins to act within 24 hours from the moment of treatment. Moreover, its activity period lasts 45–50 days. During the treatment of tubers, the insecticides included in its composition are absorbed into the potatoes. Moreover, due to the presence of a dye in the preparation, the treated tubers turn pink.

After the potatoes are planted and germinate, the active substances penetrate the young shoots of the tubers through the vegetative system. When insects attack these shoots or their underground part, insecticides enter their body. There they have a neurotropic effect on the insect’s nervous system. 24 hours after this, paralysis of the main organs of the pest occurs, causing its death.

Release form and packaging volumes

The insecticidal disinfectant Tabu is available in the form of a water-suspension concentrate. This greatly simplifies its use. After all, such a solution mixes extremely quickly with water.

As for the volume of packaging of the drug, you can choose from two options:

bottle with a capacity of 1 liter;
canister with a capacity of 10 liters.

Pros and cons of the drug Tabu

Using Taboo as an insecticidal disinfectant has a number of advantages:

Ease of use. Due to the convenient release form in the form of a water-suspension concentrate, preparing a working solution is not difficult. Moreover, unlike bulk products, this disinfectant will not form dust and settle at the bottom of the container in the form of sediment.
Uniform application. The substances included in its composition allow the working solution to be evenly distributed between the tubers without draining.
Coloring processed potatoes pink.
Highly effective against potato pests, especially the Colorado potato beetle and wireworm.

Of the negative properties of this Taboo, only its toxicity can be noted.

Important! According to the manufacturer's data, as well as a number of studies, this disinfectant completely disappears from potatoes within 60 days from the date of treatment.

Use of the drug Tabu to protect potatoes

Treating potato tubers against pests using Taboo can be done in two ways:

Processing potato tubers before planting;
Treatment of potato tubers during planting along with the planting furrow.

Both methods are equally effective; they will differ only in the concentration of the working solution.

Personal safety measures

Taboo refers to chemicals with toxic effects, so before using it you need to pay attention to personal safety measures. Without this, its use is strictly prohibited.

Personal safety measures include:

Protective clothing such as a face mask and gloves;
Carrying out treatments either in the fresh air or in technical rooms where there is no access to food and water;
Refusal to eat and eat while treating tubers with the drug.

Processing potato tubers before planting

This is a classic way of using Taboo and similar disinfectants. It is distinguished by its simplicity, safety and effectiveness.

For pre-sowing treatment of potatoes, you need to prepare a working solution. Considering the water-suspension form of the drug, preparing a working solution will not be difficult. The instructions indicate that to treat 100 kg of potatoes, you need to dilute 8 ml of the drug in a liter of water. In this case, first the drug must be diluted in a glass of water, stirred thoroughly, and only after that the remaining water must be added.

Important! These proportions must be reduced or increased depending on the available number of tubers.

Before processing, the tubers must be laid out on a tarpaulin or film in one row. After this, the working solution must be shaken thoroughly again and sprayed onto the spread out tubers.To ensure that the tubers are evenly covered with the solution, it is recommended to turn them over during processing. At the same time, due to the dye in the preparation, you can immediately see which tubers have not been processed.

After processing, the potatoes should dry out a little. Only after this can it be planted in the ground.

Processing potato tubers during planting

The possibility of spraying potatoes already planted in holes is an innovative solution by the manufacturers of Tabu. This method of processing significantly saves time and is as effective as pre-sowing treatment.

For this method, the working solution is prepared in a lighter concentration. To treat one hundred square meters of land, you need 4 ml of the drug mixed with 10 liters of water. In this case, the drug must first be diluted in a glass of water, and then mixed with the remaining water.

Important! If it is necessary to treat a larger area, the proportions recommended by the manufacturer must be increased.

Now all that remains is to spray the potato tubers placed in the holes or furrows.

The company "August", which is the manufacturer of the drug Tabu, has prepared a special video about its product. Before using the drug, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with it:

We will also give reviews from people who have already used this disinfectant in their gardens.

Reviews

Roman, 39 years old, Nizhny Novgorod

I really liked this drug. Before that I tried Prestige, the effectiveness was worse. This is probably due to the fact that Taboo is only against pests, and therefore hits them harder. Many people are afraid to use it because of possible toxicity. But if you do not exceed the dose, then everything will be fine. The instructions also indicate that you can spray the drug when planting directly on the ground and on the potatoes.But this seemed doubtful to us, so we only processed potatoes. As a result, for the entire season there was not a single beetle and the potatoes were without wireworms. Although the neighbors devoured everything. I recommend.

Svetlana, 52 years old, Abinsk

We tried this disinfectant last season. Showed himself quite well. There were almost no beetles. A good drug at a reasonable price.

Elena, 34 years old, Aprelevka

Bought instead Prestige to try Taboo. Processing potatoes before planting is carried out according to the same principle, but different dosages are used. As a result, the potatoes, which had been planted for 6 years in a row, grew and bloomed poorly. The beetle was only missing for the first 3 weeks, then it crawled away from the neighbors and began to eat the already frail bushes. Let's return to the proven Prestige.

Taboo when planting potatoes: reviews