How to fight aphids on beets using folk remedies

There are many ways to deal with aphids on beets. The vegetable is easy to grow, it does not have any special requirements for conditions and gives a good, numerous harvest. But when aphids colonize the tops and leaves, the quality and quantity of root crops deteriorates significantly, so it is necessary to carry out timely processing of beets.

Until the second half of July, danger comes from wingless aphids, then insects with wings appear, which can already fly to neighboring crops. Eggs are laid on neighboring bushes and trees. In spring, pests move back to vegetable beds.

Methods for controlling aphids

Beetroot can be treated for preventive and therapeutic purposes with various insecticides, which are sold in special stores or with compositions made according to folk recipes.

Popular insecticides include: Aktara, Iskra, Marshall, Commander. The active substances of the compositions are absorbed by the green part of the plants and continue to act for almost 3-4 weeks.

Aphids begin to actively spread in early April. A massive attack of pests can be observed at any time during the development of a vegetable crop. If the root crops have already formed, then it is better to use biological products or folk recipes. You can eat root vegetables after using these remedies after 6 days.

Biological drugs do not begin to act as quickly, but they are safe. The active ingredients disappear within two weeks. For preventive purposes, solutions are used once a month; for therapeutic purposes, they can be used every two weeks. Products based on biologically active components include: Iskra Bio, Jaguar, Envidor, Strela.

The effectiveness of the drugs depends on the degree of pest spread, weather conditions, and compliance with the rules for preparing solutions. Aphids affect not only beets, but also legumes, greens, potatoes and carrots. To destroy them, vegetable growers attract ladybugs to the site, which feed on these insects.

For preventive purposes, they treat the planting material, follow the rules of crop rotation, and after harvesting, dig the area deeply and apply fertilizers. You should not plant a vegetable in the same place for several years in a row.

Aphids live on the inner leaf plate. It feeds on the sap of the plant, as a result the leaves curl, turn yellow, dry out and fall off. Pest reproduction stops during heavy rains and cold weather. In warm summer conditions, aphids reproduce at high speed.

Fighting aphids with folk remedies

Aphids are capable of sucking juices only from young leaves and stems. It is easier for insects to pierce their skin with their proboscis. When using chemicals, the risk of crop damage increases, so folk remedies are used.

Water

The greatest infestation of pests is usually observed where there are a lot of weeds in the garden. Weeds interfere with the normal growth and development of vegetable crops, reduce their immunity, promote the development of diseases, which, in turn, causes the appearance of pests.

Plain water will help fight parasites, since aphids stop reproducing in a humid environment. It is better to use a hose and clean the leaves under pressure. Aphids washed away by a stream of water are eaten by ants. These methods should be used regularly.

Soap solution for aphids

Folk remedies based on soap are the most effective measures to combat aphids. Dissolve 110 ml of liquid soap in a bucket of water. If the soap has a smell, it will attract the attention of insects even more.

You can use laundry or tar soap. To do this, dissolve 100 g of crushed product in a bucket of water.The soap solution can be used alone or mixed with other beneficial ingredients, such as wood ash or onion peels.

Soap and soda mixture for aphids

A proven method of combating aphids is baking soda, but the treatment must be carried out in a timely manner, when the aphids have just appeared in the beds. Vegetables and fruits cannot be treated with soda ash, as it contributes to the death of green mass.

Add 80 g of soda to 10 liters of water. To ensure that the solution protects the plant from pests for a long time and is not washed away by rain, 50 g of laundry soap is added to the composition. Solid soap must first be crushed.

Spraying is carried out only in the evening, after sunset. On a cloudy day, treatment can be carried out at any time. Direct sunlight can cause burns on the green part of the plant. You should not overuse soda compounds, as they change the composition of the soil and lead to poor development of vegetable crops.

Infusion of ash to combat aphids

A well-known and accessible folk remedy for treating soil against aphids in open ground is ash infusion. In addition to getting rid of the pest, ash can enrich the soil with microelements (calcium, boron, potassium, sulfur). Heavy soils in summer cottages become lighter, and the acidity level decreases.

Wood ash (300 g) is sifted, poured with water and brought to a boil. After the liquid boils, cook for another 20 minutes. The finished solution is left to infuse, after 3 hours it is filtered and diluted with water (total volume is 10 l).

Tobacco infusion against aphids on plants

Another option for getting rid of aphids on beets is a tobacco-based composition.When growing a vegetable, you can plant tobacco nearby, then it will repel all pests with its smell.

You can use homemade preparations. For infusion, you can take 55 g of tobacco dust or 95 g of shag. The selected component is poured with one liter of warm water for three days. The finished infusion must be filtered and diluted with water. Spray the vegetable three times with an interval of three days.

Infusion of zest

There is another proven composition that can be used to treat beets against aphids. The citrus smell is unpleasant for pests and repels them, so solutions are prepared based on citrus fruit zest.

You need to take 550 g of dried orange peel, add a liter of water and leave to brew for a day. Then the infusion is brought to a boil and cooked for another 12 minutes. The finished solution is filtered and diluted with water. To make the solution stay longer on the green part of the plant, add 25 g of soap.

Spicy herbal infusions against aphids

Aphids cannot tolerate the smell and taste of spicy foods. Therefore, formulations are often prepared with the addition of garlic, horseradish, and hot pepper. You can prepare compositions from any of the listed components with your own hands. A master class on preparing the composition can be found on the pages of the site:

• Crushed leaves and roots of horseradish are poured with warm water and left to infuse for one day.
• Two pods of hot pepper are cut into rings, poured with a liter of boiling water and left for 4 hours.
• To make an infusion of garlic, you need to cut a few cloves of the spicy vegetable into small slices and pour a liter of boiling water. After the liquid has cooled, add 10 ml of liquid soap.

An infusion of celandine is considered no less useful. The stems, leaves, flowers and roots of the plant can be useful.The collected parts of the plant are chopped into small pieces and filled with water (you need to take 3.5 kg of plant per bucket of water). The composition is infused for three hours, moving to a warm, dark place.

Infusion of tomato or potato tops

Spraying vegetable beds with an infusion of potato or tomato tops is effective. These infusions are recommended to repel many parasites.

For infusion, tops, shoots and leaves of tomatoes or potatoes can be useful. You will need about 2 kg of greens, which are poured with boiling water and left for 4 hours. You can add warm water and bring the liquid to a boil, then leave to cook for another 25 minutes. The resulting mixture is cooled and 25 ml of liquid soap is added.

Onion infusion against aphids

Onion infusion is considered a useful fertilizer and an excellent remedy for aphids on beet leaves. Folk recipes describe several options for preparing the infusion.

It is necessary to pour onion peels with hot water for two days, then strain. It is advisable to add soap to the prepared onion solution so that the product is not washed off by rain. Before use, the composition is diluted again with water.

In the evening, pour 250 g of onion peels into a bucket of warm water and leave overnight. In the morning, filter the mixture and spray the beet beds undiluted.

To prepare the following solution you will need a lot of onion heads (about 25 pieces), which are finely chopped, poured with a liter of water and left for 5 hours. Before use, add a few grams of soap. The finished solution must be filtered and diluted with water.

Pine infusion

If black dots (aphids) appear on the inside of a beet leaf or stem, it is recommended to use pine infusions. The smell of pine needles repels not only aphids, but also other pests.

For a week in a dark place you need to infuse 2 kg of pine needles in 10 liters of water. The composition must be stirred periodically. After this, the solution is filtered and diluted with water before use.

Sorrel against aphids

Pests from beets can be washed off with infusion of horse sorrel. You will need to pour 350 g of sorrel into a bucket of hot water and leave to infuse for 4 hours. After which you can start spraying the vegetable beds.

Flower infusions against aphids

Seedlings of some flowers can repel aphids and other pests. Next to beets, it is useful to plant flowers such as chamomile, lavender, tansy, nasturtium, petunia, and marigolds.

To prepare a chamomile solution, you need to pour 120 g of any part of the plant with boiled water in the amount of one liter. Leave to infuse for 11 hours. Then add 10 g of soap shavings. Before use, dilute with water.

Dandelion roots will also help cope with aphids. You will need to take 350 g of leaves and 180 g of roots of a flowering plant, add 10 liters of water and leave to infuse for 3.5 hours.

Essential oils against aphids

Red beets treated against aphids with solutions based on essential oils will be protected from pest attacks for a long time.

12 drops of essential oils are dissolved in 110 g of cream. You can choose lavender, thyme, tea tree and cedar. The resulting mixture is diluted with 500 ml of water. It is recommended to spray beets with the resulting composition in the morning and evening hours for three days.