How to get rid of diseases and pests of carrots?

A rich and healthy harvest depends largely on the quality of the cultivation of the land, the treatment of the beds, the correctness of the harvest of vegetables.Among other things, a significant role is played by the protection of crops from various pests and diseases. Carrots, like other garden plants, are prone to ailments and often suffer from insect attacks. Therefore, its cultivation is recommended to approach with all rigor. About the most common diseases, insects and measures to combat them talk in our article.

Often carrots are affected by putrefactive processes, resulting from a high level of moisture in the soil and frequent temperature changes. There are several types of fungal diseases.

• Dry rot (fomoz). Most often, this fungus manifests itself in the final stage of carrot cultivation. It is characterized by dark brown spots of elongated shape, which are formed on the leaves. As the plant grows, the root crop becomes infected. Dry rot is dangerous and at the end of the harvest. Its appearance is characteristic of warm storages, where the temperature of the room reaches + 5 ° C. If you do not notice in time, the roots can become completely unusable.

• White rot. This type of fungus appears due to non-compliance with the rules of storage, excessive soil moisture, or weed beds. It happens that contamination occurs when fertilizing the soil with manure. The first signs of white rot are slippery bloom on the roots, while the vegetables themselves lose their elasticity and become softened.

• Gray rot. This fungus often appears in the storage areas of the root. The disease is manifested in the softening of carrots, on it, over time, spots of wet gray bloom appear.

• Felt rot (rhizoctoniosis). This fungus can occur at any time during the growth of carrots, and even after harvesting vegetables from the beds. It is easily recognizable by brownish dents with a “felt” patina of brown color. The fungus can penetrate to the core of the carrot, as a result of which the vegetable completely rot in a short time. The process of decay is accelerated in conditions of high humidity and frequent temperature changes.

• Black rot (Alternaria). The fungus of this species can also appear at any stage of ripening of the root. In young crops, the stems first turn black, and over time the leaves begin to curl, turn yellow, and eventually dry out completely.

Petioles lose their power. On the root are formed pustules. It is worth noting that black rot can be transmitted in two ways: through the soil and seeds.

• Wet rot (bacteriosis). Another one of the most common fungi that every gardener has probably encountered. When the disease is the first symptoms - yellow spots - appear on the lower leaves of plants. As the leaves grow, they darken, but the yellowish outlines still remain noticeable. On green "tops" of carrots yellowish or whitish dots are formed. Stems are covered with spots or stripes of brown. On the roots appear ulcers or depressed brown spots. With a massive defeat of the beds, a characteristic festering odor will appear.

• Brown spotting. The fungus of this species affects mainly the tops. On young shoots it is shown by stripes of a dark brown shade. On the grown leaves, at first, light spots are visible, which then turn brown. Purulent process can be provoked by moisture in the soil and air. As a result - the death of the leaves and the inhibition of growth of root crops.

• Cercospora Like many other purulent processes, provoked by a high level of humidity. The first stage of the disease is characterized by the appearance of brown formations with a bright center and dark edges. Over time, the formations grow, while the edges of the leaves lose their elasticity, curl and die. Cercosporosis also affects root vegetables.Carrots infected bush grows poorly, becomes wrinkled.

• Mealy dew. Often, the fungus settles on plants that have a lack of food or those that are grown in high temperatures. Infected stems lose strength and resilience. A progressive disease leads to the death of the leaves.

This is a serious problem novice gardeners. There can be several reasons:

• Densely sown seeds. The problem can be solved by ordinary thinning, which should be done after the first leaves appear on the shoots. Otherwise, the root crop will be limited in growth, and the curvature of the root crops will begin. Of course, her taste is not lost from this, but it is almost impossible to peel a vegetable for cooking.
• Insufficiently deep plowing. In this case, the roots simply do not have enough strength to break into the unplowed soil, and the deformation begins.

Huge damage is caused by pests eating carrots leaves and root crops. In our latitudes, the following types of insects are considered the most harmful.

• Carrot fly It is the most frequent pest of garden beds. Its small body, casting a metallic sheen, is easy to see against the background of leaves. Larvae have time to appear immediately after the first leaflets have been proklyututsya.

• Carrot leafblock. This insect has a small light green body (up to 2 mm in length) with transparent wings, reddish eyes and long whiskers of threadlike form. It feeds on carrot juice, as a result - the growth of the root crop slows down, its taste changes. Infection of the culture is easy to determine by the appearance of the leaves: if they are twisted and “terry” like parsley, then the plant suffers from a leaflet.

• Carrot aphid. Aphids like to settle on the back of the leaves, feeding on their juices. Over time, the leaves curl, stop growing, which undoubtedly reduces the crop yield. Aphids can be with or without wings, and it is easy to recognize it by its green belly, black chest and head.

• Carrot moth. It is a bright butterfly with wings of a dark brown and a grayish-pink color. Adult butterflies lay eggs, of which caterpillars are produced around mid-July. Caterpillars actively secrete a cobweb, which entangles umbrellas and inflorescences of plants. This leads to damage, decay and death of the leaves.

• Gallic nematode. Another insect that causes irreparable damage to the root. These bright worms live in the soil and feed on the pulp of the root. They settle at the root, after which it can not be eaten.

• Medvedka. Large insect with compacted shell and strong anterior jaws. His place of residence is the ground, where he actively harms the stems and roots of the plant. The beds in which Medvedka loves to arrange underground tunnels suffer from it.

• Wireworm. Another active worm pest is the larva of the click beetle. He gnaws a vegetable, arranging small moves in it. The huge minus of the defeat of the root by the wireworm is the quick process of decaying vegetables.

• Naked slug. Another common pest, a fan of wet beds and compost heaps. Both young and mature individuals are dangerous. They gnaw holes in the leaves and roots, can destroy even not ascended seeds. They are easy to find in the ground, under rotted leaves or under stones.

• Winter scoops. Caterpillars of brown color can be a big problem for the harvest. They do not disdain the leaves and their petioles, and especially love the vegetable flesh. As a result of their raids, carrots dry out and die, and the root crop becomes tasteless.

Despite the variety of diseases and insects, today there are many tools that can save carrot beds in the shortest possible time. A wide range of chemicals is on sale, just some of the most popular.

• Corado. Differs in long action, destroys a carrot midge and its larvae. Resistant to sunlight and rain. Ampoule of solution is diluted in a bucket of water and sprayed the beds.

• "Actellic". This drug belongs to the insectoacaricides, it helps to get rid not only of insects, but also from ticks. It is widely used for gardening. Differs in that it is able to eliminate insects that live even in remote places. Spraying carrots is recommended only 2 times per season.

• "Decis". This drug is effective in the fight against midges, ants, bedbugs, cockroaches, and even mice. It affects the nervous system of insects and begins to act within an hour after spraying. Dilute the granules according to the recommended standards of the manufacturer, thoroughly mixed before application.

• "Basudin". Remedy for wireworm, bear and other insects found in the soil. Presented in the form of a granulated powder, 1 sachet is sufficient for spraying 20 square meters. m. Has a strong paralytic effect on insects.

• "Falcon". The drug to combat powdery mildew and other fungal diseases. It has a triple effect: therapeutic, prophylactic and directing. It is harmless to other garden crops, bees and the whole environment.

It is better to start the fight against fungus and insects before sowing. Experienced gardeners prefer to use more practical methods. For example, you can mulch the beds with freshly cut grass or a mixture of herbs with sawdust. Mulching will not only protect against uninvited insects, but also retain moisture in the ground, which is especially important in the dry summer.

Well help and folk remedies. Periodically, you can treat the beds with a decoction of tomato tops, infusion on orange peels or sprinkle them with tobacco dust. It will not be superfluous to pour carrot rows with an infusion of herbs: chamomile, burdock, yarrow.

In the fight against slugs, you can use a 10% solution of table salt. Some gardeners are satisfied with this hunt for slugs, luring them with sweet compote or jam in small plastic containers. During the night, several large individuals run into such a tank at once.

It is better to take care of the harvest in advance. It is important not only to grow healthy carrots, but also to take care of their proper storage. Several preventive measures will help protect the carrots from insect raids and various diseases.

• It is necessary to carry out timely processing of crops with insecticide solutions.
• For carrot beds it is best to use organic fertilizers. The mineral contains sugars and amino acids that attract pests.
• During weeding, carefully inspect the leaves for defects and damage.
• It is better to dig carrots in dry, windless weather, without overexposure in direct sunlight. The leaves are cut off, leaving a small tail at the root.
• All harvested tops and diseased roots burn.
• Conduct regular disinfection of basements and cellars for the winter storage of vegetables. To do this, the room is dried and fumigated with sulfur, the walls are whitened with quicklime.
• It is better to store carrots in a dry form, peppered with sand or pollinating with chalk.
• Planting carrots in the same place for several years is not recommended.
• After harvesting the soil must dig up the soil.

Ways to combat carrot pests are shown in the following video.