Eggplant, due to the large number of microelements and vitamins, is one of the important food products. In a temperate climate, plants are mainly grown in greenhouses from pre-prepared seedlings. Heat-loving culture requires special attention, as pests love to feast on it and are able to destroy the entire crop. Gardeners are concerned about the question - how to deal with aphids on eggplant, because it very often occupies juicy shoots. Timely measures taken will save the plants and get good results with proper care.
Interesting!
In ancient times, eggplant was considered poisonous because of the specific bitterness. The fruits were ground into powder and poured into the worst enemies.
Types of Aphids on Eggplant
Eggplant has many "enemies", but most often the plant attracts aphids. Gluttonous insects suck the juice of young plantations, which impedes their normal development and growth. Eggplant aphids are found in two varieties:
- Peach green. Mostly insects of a pale green color, but some representatives may have pinkish shades, depending on the pigment of the plant being destroyed. Coloring varies with environmental conditions. Depending on the stages of development aphid it can be winged or wingless, its “horns” on the abdomen are clearly distinguishable.
- Cotton or melon. The insect develops in conditions of increased temperature background, so this aphid appears on the eggplant closer to mid-summer. Insects differ significantly in body size and color, which varies from yellow-green to almost black. Different representatives of this type of pest have different activity in plant damage. The small yellow aphid slowly develops and does not produce much offspring, so the harm from it is not significant. Large dark individuals rapidly develop and multiply. They are able to destroy in a couple of days a row of eggplant.
Given this information, gardeners who want to preserve the crop, at the first sign of pests, should remove the aphids by any available means.
Important!
Timely detection of insects and proper processing of seedlings, adult plants will save the eggplant crop.
Pest Management Methods
Outwardly harmless insect, aphids can cause great harm. It settles on the leaves, stems and flowers of crops. The pest does not eat juicy fruits, so the aphid on eggplant seedlings is most dangerous.
On a note!
Due to the toxins secreted by insects during the absorption of juice, the tissues of young shoots are deformed and dry. Plants infected with aphids slow down their growth, and the fruits that form on them become almost unusable due to a pronounced bitter aftertaste.
An eggplant pest can help save eggplants. Gardeners successfully use proven methods, among which are the following techniques:
- mechanical or physical;
- biological;
- folk methods;
- chemical.
All of them allow one way or another to cope with dangerous pests.
Mechanical destruction
You can remove aphids from eggplant manually. Insects are not able to move quickly, they have very soft bodies, so plucking pests from a few bushes is not difficult. Sometimes gardeners leave dead aphids on plants, considering this a precautionary measure for the emergence of new individuals.
In addition to crushing, aphid colonies are washed off with a strong stream of water. To do this, it is enough to arm yourself with a spray gun and sprinkle the eggplant abundantly with room temperature water.
On a note!
The method is quite effective, but when carrying out such processing it is necessary to ensure that the jet does not carry pests to neighboring plants.
Biological techniques
Absolutely safe, useful and environmentally friendly methods can get rid of aphids on eggplant. Their essence consists in attracting insects exterminating parasites to the site. These include some types of wasps, creepers, lacewings, ground beetles, ladybugsfeeding on aphid larvae.
To lure them, it is advisable to plant dill, garlic, lavender, carrots, fennel, mint, coriander, and marigolds in the vicinity of eggplant. The smells of these plants also repel aphids and prevent them from taking root. This method allows you to fight in the open ground, as well as greenhouses.
Feedback
I do not know if there are plants that do not suffer from aphids. We grow eggplants in the greenhouse. We plant garlic and mint next to them. But we additionally process a solution of ammonia. It turns out 2 in 1 - processing and top dressing. Good remedy.
Victor, Saratov
People's recommendations
Opponents of radical measures in practice apply gentle recipes. They are based on the use of decoctions, infusions of plants and other components. Soap and ash-soap spraying or washing have proven themselves well. For the preparation of compounds used laundry or tar soap, and wood ash.
Feedback
I have been growing eggplants for a long time. Ash and soap spraying helps me cope with aphids. I process plants at the first suspicion of the presence of parasites. The main thing is to do everything on time.
Olga, Vladimir
Before using folk remedies, it is necessary to check their effect on a small site. The treatment of affected plants is allowed after flowering, but no later than 2 weeks before the collection of vegetables. The most effective are compounds made from such components:
- garlic;
- onion peel;
- tobacco leaf;
- chamomile pharmacy;
- wormwood, tansy, yarrow, pepper and other odorous plants.
On a note!
In a greenhouse, it is good to use fumigation with tobacco smoke.
Popular components for the preparation of folk remedies are also:
- ammonia;
- soda;
- milk and iodine;
- Coca Cola;
- vinegar;
- celandine;
- mustard;
- vodka;
- Green soap;
- Birch tar;
- boric acid.
Chemicals
Aphids can start on eggplants not only in open ground, but also indoors. Therefore, the owners of these structures should know how to deal with dangerous pests in the greenhouse. In specialized stores there are a large number of safe for humans insecticides.
Important!
When using chemical preparations, it is necessary to do the treatment in such a way that the agent gets directly to the aphid colony. It is forbidden to use poisonous substances during the flowering and fruiting period.
Work with poisons is carried out only in dry weather, if the eggplant grows on open ground. Chemicals that do not accumulate in plants are very popular among consumers. Among them are:
- Karbofos;
- Fitoverm;
- Spark;
- Actellik;
- Decis Profi;
- Actara drug;
- Arrow;
- The drug is 30 plus;
- effective remedy Tanrek and other insecticides.
The rules for using each of them are detailed in the instructions. Knowing how and how to process eggplant from aphids can save the crop.
Feedback
They did not notice how the aphid appeared on the eggplant. To save the crop, I had to resort to chemistry. The store advised the drug 30 plus. It is safe, as it is made on the basis of an oil emulsion. After processing, the insects disappeared.
Inga, Serpukhov