Potato processing: what and how to spray before planting?

Colorado potato beetle is the main problem of potatoes. This beetle will destroy plantings cleanly if they are not processed. And this applies not only to an adult insect, but also to their larvae. Damaged plants cannot recover and give good germination. The result is losses. Farmers and gardeners have long been trying to find a way to protect themselves from the Colorado potato beetle. And processing potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle before planting is an effective method. To date, there are effective drugs that make growing potatoes before germination less risky.

Colorado potato beetle is the cause of the fall in yields

The Colorado potato beetle is a voracious insect. Not only worms, but also adults are able to eat a large number of potato tubers. In principle, these insects eat any plant of the nightshade family. But the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle are most active in eating food.

One larva requires about 80 milligrams of green mass. She eats 750 milligrams in her lifetime.

The entire growing season has to deal with this pest. All means are used. But potato shoots can be secured. To do this, it is required to subject the processing of potato tubers that are going to be planted. The fact is that adults spend the winter in the ground at a depth of up to 50 centimeters, so nothing prevents them from attacking the seed material.

Means for protecting potato tubers

To get the harvest, farmers will have to process potato tubers from the Colorado potato beetle. Seeds are processed before they are planted in the ground and it is required to wait until they are absorbed into the potatoes. So the processing will not be afraid of rain. There are professional remedies, and there are folk remedies.

Industrial professional protection

Processing potatoes before planting from the Colorado potato beetle at a qualitative level is carried out using pesticides, which are offered in a wide range by manufacturers. There are foreign high-quality drugs, but the domestic industrial one produces no less effective drugs. If you want to check the quality, then there is no better tool than consumer reviews.

Pay attention! Domestic and foreign drugs have the same effectiveness. But the cost of the former is much lower.

Below are domestic remedies that answer the question of how to process potatoes:

Prestige. Reliable tool. To prepare a working solution, you need 50 milliliters of poison per 3 liters of water. This volume of solution is enough to process 50 kilograms of tubers.
Max. Often used together with Prestige. The peculiarity of the preparation is that it protects not only potatoes before planting, but also the soil around them after planting.
Cruiser. The drug affects not only the Colorado potato beetle, but also the viral diseases of potatoes. The protection lasts a month and a half. Potato processing by experienced farmers has proven to be effective.
Taboo. The drug affects any insects that live in the soil and may affect potatoes. Potato tubers are protected for a month and a half, while precipitation does not reduce the effect of the drug.

Pay attention! The protective effect is easily enhanced if the drugs are used in combination.

Folk methods

At the beginning of the 19th century, the Colorado potato beetle came to domestic open spaces. Among the birds, the insect has no enemies, so it feels safe. To save their crops, farmers had to come up with effective pest control measures. Some of them are still used by people in their personal plots.

Folk potato treatment products are less effective than industrial pesticides, however, they are environmentally friendly and harmless to potatoes. Their list:

Ash. Previously, it was used as a fertilizer. However, it later turned out that the solution of furnace ash protects the tubers. To do this, you need to dilute the ash and water in a ratio of 1 to 10 and dip the tubers in the solution before planting. Do not spray the ash through the sprayer - this is its disadvantage.
Potassium permanganate. A common tool among farmers. For 10 liters of water, you will need to add 1 gram of potassium permanganate. The result is an effective solution in which the seed potatoes need to be dipped or sprayed and sprayed liberally.
Boric acid. Some gardeners use for lack of potassium permanganate. It will take 15 grams per 10 liters of water. The tubers are also rinsed or sprayed with a sprayer.
Copper vitriol. Also used by dipping tubers. A liter of water will require 1 gram of copper sulfate.

Folk substances do not have a negative impact on human he alth. This means that protective agents can be omitted when processing tubers. Is it possible to spray with homemade solutions? Yes, but less efficient.

How to spray potatoes - pesticides or folk remedies? What is more accessible. With a small amount of landings, it is advisable to use folk remedies.

Safety when using pesticides

Industrial chemicals in the form of pesticides are dangerous not only for the Colorado potato beetle, but also because of the high concentration have a negative impact on human he alth. Therefore, it will be necessary to observe safety precautions when processing tubers:

Protection of exposed parts of the body. To do this, you will need to cover all open areas of the skin with clothes before processing. You will need gloves, a jacket, a scarf or a mask.
Etching in an open area. Processing of tubers must be done in a room that is well ventilated. Otherwise, the human respiratory organs may be affected. A balcony is suitable for spraying, in urban conditions. It is easier for the villagers in this regard, but the operation must be carried out during calm weather. Otherwise, the atomizers must be set to low power.

Pay attention! Before processing, it is required to study the instructions for use of the drug and act according to the prescription. Prepare the solution exactly according to the instructions.

Tips and rules for processing

For the effectiveness of the event, it is important to know how to properly spray potatoes. Tubers are processed before planting. To do this, you need to send a tarpaulin to the surface of the earth or floor on the balcony, you can use cellophane. In open areas, the edges of the underlying material are pressed with stones to avoid wind exposure.

You should not rush to unfold the seed material, as the sprouts can be damaged. Therefore, it is required not to pour it out of bags or boxes, but to carefully lay it out by hand. It is required to dilute the drug, taking into account the dosage and the appropriate proportion.That is, if a 2-fold smaller volume of the finished solution is required for processing potatoes, then both parts must be cut by 2 when diluting the parts. The single-use preparation after dilution cannot be stored.

If the sprouting of potatoes took place in plastic boxes, then it can also be processed there. But this can only be done on the condition that the tubers lie in one layer. This will make the treatment as efficient as possible through the sprayer. Place a sheet or tarp under the boxes.

Helpers should not be in the processing room. Or in open areas they need to retire to a safe distance. It is desirable to stand on the windward side.

To speed up the process, it is advisable to use a special apparatus. An ordinary sprayer will do. And also for these functions, a bottle from under the glass cleaner is suitable.It is required to carefully and slowly carry out the work so that there are no skips of tubers. Otherwise, the processing may not bear fruit. A defenseless potato will be eaten by the Colorado potato beetle or its larvae. Planting of tubers begins after it dries completely.

Pay attention! Do not take processed potato tubers with bare hands. They need to be protected with gloves. They should be discarded after work.

In the absence of a sprayer, the treatment is carried out by dipping the tubers into the solution. Tubers should be kept in the pesticide for no more than 3 seconds. Otherwise, damage may occur.

It takes up to 2 hours for treated seed to dry. When processing outside the city, the seeds can be wrapped in cellophane to prevent the chemicals from completely evaporating before they arrive in the field.

Processed potatoes after drying can be safely planted in the ground in accordance with all the rules of agricultural technology. The Colorado potato beetle is not afraid of it until germination, and then the seed tubers dissolve. Those who processed it correctly will get he althy seedlings.