Insects and diseases in the vegetable garden
Observation and tolerance are two essential qualities for growing your vegetable garden naturally. Careful observation allows you to act preventively, and therefore less "heavy-handedly" than curatively. However, in the event of an attack, here are some solutions.
Mites:
Bites causing diseases, often on rose bushes.
Means of control: Black soap.
Flea beetle:
Leaf perforations. Seedlings eaten at emergence.
Affected vegetables: Brassicaceae
Period: Dry and hot weather: late spring, summer, early autumn.
Means of control: Mechanical protection (veils, nets) and drenching.
Botrytis or gray mold:
Grey felting, then reddish-brown spots before rotting of the affected parts
Affected vegetables: Squash, strawberries, onions, salads
Period: Generally when the temperature range is marked and the soil is humid
Means of control: Dusting with calcareous algae and rock powder
Cabbage midge:
Atrophy of the apple core. The sprouts are "one-eyed"
Affected vegetables: Cabbage
Period: At the young plant stage
Control methods: Cover young plants or the nursery with an insect net.
Doyphore:
Devoured foliage
Affected vegetables: Eggplants, nightshades, potatoes
Period: Summer
Control methods: Manual collection; encourage the presence of birds; as a last resort, a solution based on Bacillus thuringiensis
Gastropod:
Leaves and even young plants completely devoured
Affected vegetables: All or almost all
Period: From spring to autumn, with a slowdown in dry and warm weather
Control methods: Ash cords and other elements to prevent it from crawling; beer traps; organic slug repellents in case of infestation
Large cabbage fly:
Larvae developing in the root
Affected vegetables: Cabbage, turnips, radishes
Period: from mid-July to mid-September
Means of control: Anti-insect net
Mildew:
White-yellow spots on the upper part of the leaves, then gray-white felting on the lower part and finally rotting
Affected vegetables: Cabbage, spinach, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, basil.
Period: From spring to autumn, during humid and warm periods. Especially in July and August.
Control methods: Space crops; baking soda, sage infusion, copper as a last resort, do not water the foliage, remove affected leaves.
Carrot fly:
Larvae developing in the root
Affected vegetables: Carrots, parsnips (rare), parsley
Period: From April to July and especially from August to October for the second generation
Control methods: Insect netting; sow late, place leeks nearby, pheromones.
Leafminer:
Reddish-brown galleries in the barrels
Affected vegetables: leeks
Period: throughout the culture
Control methods: permanent insect netting, carrot crops nearby, do not grow leeks two years in a row on the same plot.
Cutworm (cutworm)
Devoured roots
Affected vegetables: young plants
Period: from the end of May to the end of October
Control methods: Hoe regularly; keep the soil moist; manually capture within a 20cm perimeter around the plants at a depth of 1 or 2cm, encourage the presence of birds and auxiliaries such as lacewings).
Powdery mildew or white
White spots then felting covering the lower and upper parts of the leaves and finally drying out
Affected vegetables: cucurbits
Period: in dry weather, with strong temperature variations. Often at the end of the growing season of plants
Control methods: good exposure; spaced crops; sulfur as a last resort, removal of affected leaves.
Pieris:
Leaves eaten down to the veins
Affected vegetables: cabbage
Period: from mid-July to the end of August
Control methods: manual collection; treatment with bacillus thuringiensis
Aphid:
Multiple bites with sometimes transmission of viral diseases
Affected vegetables: all
Period: all season
Control methods: Soak the harvest in slightly vinegared water; encourage the presence of auxiliaries; treatments based on black soap or natural pyrethrum
Rodent:
Harvest Devoured
Affected vegetables: squash, root vegetables, tubers
Period: autumn - winter
Means of control: having a cat, trap (drawnet, mousetrap, etc.), protective netting around crops.
Rust:
Reddish spots on the foliage
Affected vegetables: Mainly Liliaceae
Period: all year round
Control methods: Spaced crops; copper as a last resort
Mole:
Eaten plant roots. Holes in root vegetables.
Affected vegetables: Carrots, chicory, spinach, lettuce, potatoes
Period: all season
Control methods: Regular tillage of the soil; bait with buried potatoes to be removed when wireworms come to lodge there
Leek moth:
Larvae developing in the barrel
Affected vegetables: leeks
Period: from July to October
Control methods: Insect netting; application of pyrethrum in the event of infestation, manual removal of pupae (cocoons) attached to the upper part of the leaves.
Thrips
Multiple bites with possible disease transmission.
Affected vegetables: all or almost all.
Period: during summer (dry and hot weather)
Control methods: auxiliaries (hoverflies), wet the foliage.
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