Previously, when there were no various chemicals for pest control, our ancestors managed to grow an excellent harvest of all kinds of agricultural crops. How did they do it? The fact is that previously only traditional methods of pest control were used. For example, many used tar to kill most insects. Below we will see how to use birch tar in the garden against wireworms and other pests.
Properties of birch tar
In fact, there are 2 types of tar. Both of them are prepared from birch, but in completely different ways. To prepare birch bark tar, dry distillation of young birch bark is carried out. This process takes quite a lot of time, but is completely worth it. Birch bark tar product has a pleasant smell. It is often used to treat skin diseases and is also taken orally.
Birch tar is valued for its excellent healing properties. It is used to treat fungal diseases. It is also used as an antimicrobial and antiseptic. It is widely used not only in medicine, but also in gardening and cosmetology. But now we will talk about the use of this substance in the garden.
Pest Control
Birch tar can completely replace chemical pest control products. It helps fight the following pests:
- Colorado beetle. The tar product will help remove the Colorado potato beetle from potato beds, as well as eggplant and pepper bushes. To prepare the drug, you need to prepare 10 liters of water, 10 grams of birch tar and 50 grams of ordinary laundry soap.
- Onion fly. Tar is used to prevent onion flies. To do this, half an hour before planting, place the onion in a bag along with tar and mix thoroughly. For 1 kg of onion you will need one tablespoon of the substance. You can also water already planted onions with tar. To prepare the solution in one container, combine a fly in the ointment, 30 grams of laundry soap and 10 liters of cold water. After a few weeks, the procedure is repeated.
- Cabbage butterfly. Butterflies can greatly damage the cabbage crop. To protect the beds, you can place pegs around the area with cabbage. Then they are wrapped in unnecessary rags, which were previously soaked in a tar product. This method will scare away cabbage weeds.
- Cabbage fly. To repel insects, you should prepare a special mulch. Sawdust is moistened with tar solution and sprinkled on the soil around the heads of cabbage. The solution is prepared at the rate of 10 liters of liquid per 1 fly in the ointment.
Fighting wireworm
Most often, the wireworm attacks potato beds, although it also likes to eat other root crops. Even the strongest chemicals are unable to completely destroy the pest. However, with the help of birch tar this is easy to do.
The fight should begin even before planting potatoes in the holes.The planting material is treated with a solution based on a tar product. To do this, mix water and one fly in the ointment in one 10-liter container. The solution is mixed thoroughly and then applied to the potato tubers using a sprayer.
For those who grow potatoes by seed, the following method is suitable:
- it is necessary to prepare a tar solution from 10 liters of water and 2 teaspoons of the substance;
- the mixture is left for an hour to infuse;
- then dig holes for sowing seeds;
- using a sprayer, spray all prepared wells with the solution;
- start sowing seeds.
If the area has never been treated, you can carry out shock prevention against wireworms. To do this, first treat the potato tubers, and then the holes using a tar solution. Then you can use only one of the listed methods.
If you grow potatoes as tubers, you can carry out additional prevention against wireworms. To do this, the tubers themselves are first prepared. They are generously sprayed or dipped in a tar solution. Then the potatoes are placed in the dug holes, but there is no rush to bury them.
Next, we will need sawdust and again the same solution of birch tar. The first step is to prepare the solution according to the recipe described above. You just need to significantly reduce the amount of ingredients. The volume of the solution depends on the size of the area and the amount of sawdust.
Lightly moisten the sawdust with the prepared mixture and lightly sprinkle it on the potatoes placed in the holes. This will serve as additional protection for the crop. Remember that you can use the above methods either individually or in combination.Below you can watch a video that clearly shows how this can be done.
Conclusion
From this article we can conclude that you should not neglect traditional methods for pest control. As you can see, such methods have worked well in practice. In addition, the tar product is a completely ecological substance that will not harm human life and health in any way. Of course, you will have to spend a little more time preparing than usual. But the efforts spent will definitely be rewarded.
The above describes ways to combat other common insects that destroy part of our crops every year. Let's not allow any pests to settle in our garden!
