Web on tomatoes - how to save tomato beds from a dangerous pest?

Owners of summer cottages often face such a problem as a web on tomatoes. This suggests that the culture is attacked by a spider mite - a pest that can infect plants and open ground, and growing in a greenhouse, and even indoor. And if there are a lot of insects, then such a colony can destroy almost the entire crop.

Causes and signs of infection

The appearance of a spider mite is reported precisely by a spider web on tomato leaves, and it is very difficult to detect the pest itself. This is due to its small size, which are not more than 0.6 mm. Good to see this tick is possible only under a microscope. His body has an oval shape and soft integument. The color of adults can be bright red or reddish-brown, the larvae can be light green or brown-green with clearly visible dark spots on the sides.
The spider mite is omnivorous and is able to infect more than two hundred plant species. It prefers low humidity - not more than 50% and high air temperature - about +28 ... 30 ° C. These parasites hibernate under fallen leaves or simply go into the soil. With the onset of spring, they creep to the surface and develop throughout the warm season.

The spider mite can penetrate tomato beds in several ways:

• if last year after harvesting you did not bother to destroy the weed grass and the remains of cultivated plants, the pest could survive the winter under them, and in the spring with renewed vigor to attack young seedlings;
• if wild flowers grow in close proximity to tomatoes, then the spider mite could migrate from them;
• the substrate in a new area or in a nearby bed can also be infected by a pest.

In fact, there are a lot of ways of infection and at the same time the fact that the parasite due to its small size is not immediately apparent complicates the situation.

The spider mite is fixed, as a rule, in that part of the bush, which is very close to the ground, or on the lower surface of the leaves!

Eating plant juices, the tick draws out all the nutrients from them, which immediately affects the state of culture. The foliage is damaged first - white and yellow dots appear on it, which are the places of punctures. After that, a spider web appears on the leaves of the tomato and with a strong infection, it can spread further along the plant: to the stem, flowers, fruits. And if you do not take steps to eliminate the problem, then the foliage will soon completely fall off, and the culture will perish.

Methods of struggle

In order to get rid of the spider mite on tomato beds, you can use folk remedies, apply some agricultural techniques or treat the area with chemicals.

Chemicals in the fight against spider mites are used, as a rule, in cases where gentle methods did not bring the desired result!

Folk remedies

Of the folk remedies for spider mite on tomatoes, the following show good efficiency:

• Solution of laundry soap.The bar of soap must be crushed, for example, grated, and diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5. With a ready-made solution, the aerial parts of infected plants are wiped or the beds are sprayed with a spray bottle. For greater confidence in a positive outcome, it is advisable to repeat the treatment one or two more times at weekly intervals.
• Medical alcohol. This tool works quite well in a small area. Medical alcohol is poured into a sprayer and the culture affected by the parasite is treated. After 7-10 days, the procedure is repeated.
• The infusion is bleached. To prepare this product, it is necessary to fill a kilogram of dry raw materials with a bucket of water and insist for 12 hours. After that, a little soapy solution is added to the infusion and used to spray plants. The treatment is repeated two to three times every 5-7 days.
• Infusion of dandelion. 400 g of dandelion leaves are poured with a bucket of water and left overnight. In the morning we filter and use on infected landings. Repeat twice.
  

  Even delicate tomato seedlings can be sprayed with dandelion infusion if it shows signs of infection with a spider mite!

• Horseradish infusion. For this tincture you will need only the aboveground part of the plant. Finely chopped stems and leaves fill the bucket by about 1/3 and add water to the top. Leave for an hour and a half, after which we filter, pour into the spray bottle and process the damaged tomato bushes. Repeat spraying again after 12 days.
• The infusion of tobacco. To combat the spider mite, tobacco or shag is often used - 400 g of raw materials must be poured with a bucket of water and insisted for a day. Water should be used warm. The infusion is filtered, a small portion of a soap solution is added to it and the plants are sprayed.
• Garlic infusion. Finely chop 200 g of garlic and fill it with a bucket of warm water. Leave for 4-5 hours, after which we filter and apply on infected beds, carefully spraying the plants from all sides.

Chemicals

But what if, after using folk remedies, the web on tomatoes has not disappeared? In such a situation, it is logical to seek the help of chemicals. To date, the most popular are the following:

• Plant Pin and Etisso. These drugs are in the form of sticks, which must be immersed in the soil near the affected plant. The active substance provides reliable protection for a fairly long time - about 6-8 weeks. It is mainly used for purification from pest seedlings in pots.
• “Karbofos” and “Agrovertin” are insecticides that process crops during the growing season. Depending on the degree of infection, one or two treatments are carried out. Repeated spraying is recommended after 20 days.
• "Actellik" is a concentrated emulsion based on pyrimiphosmethyl. In order to prepare a working solution, it is necessary to dilute the contents of one ampoule (5 ml) in a bucket of water and mix thoroughly. We spray the culture with the finished product, after which I thoroughly wash my hands and face.
  

  When working with chemists, we always use personal protective equipment: we protect the skin with gloves, and the airways with a cotton-gauze bandage or a respirator. Spraying plants should not take more than 3 hours of time. The working solution must be used immediately after preparation, since it cannot be stored!

Agrotechnical events

Knowing the conditions preferable for the existence and development of the spider mite, it is quite simple to prevent it from entering your garden. Since he does not like high humidity, it is advisable to spray plantings with ordinary water from time to time. This will not only save the culture, but also significantly increase its productivity.

It is advisable to warm the soil that you take for seedlings from your garden for several minutes in the oven and only after that use it for growing tomatoes.Another preventive measure for seedlings will be the use of an ultraviolet lamp. With its help, you can prevent the invasion of pests and positively affect the growth of a young culture. To do this, it is enough to use a UV lamp 3-4 times a week.

When transplanting seedlings in open ground or in a greenhouse, it is necessary to provide them with proper watering and be sure to fertilize them with acaricides. At the same time during the first three days you can withstand shoots under plastic bags.

And of course, after harvesting, it is imperative to dig all the beds and destroy the remains of plants, fallen leaves and weed grass, since this is where the spider mite likes to winter. And if it was still not possible to prevent the invasion of the parasite, the main thing is not to give up and in time to engage in its destruction. Timely measures taken will prevent the growth of the population and save the crop.