Diseases and pests of seedlings

Healthy and strong seedlings are the key to a future harvest. When to plant seedlings, tell you. But at the very beginning of their development, immature seedlings can become victims of various diseases and pests.

There are many of them in nature, but they can and should be dealt with, including with the help of preventive measures. We will talk about diseases and pests of seedlings in today's article.

Seedling diseases

Both beginners and experienced gardeners often encounter such a phenomenon as blackleg. This is a fungal infection that is found in the soil. Infectious pathogens of the black leg get to the seedlings precisely with which we are preparing for growing seedlings.

A decrease in temperature or an excess of moisture provoke an “offensive” of infection on young seedlings. To prevent its appearance and development, a small amount should be applied to the soil intended for growing seedlings.

In addition, it is important to monitor the temperature regime and watering, trying to grow seedlings in optimal conditions for this. Excessive dampness is dangerous for both young and adult plants, therefore, for safety net, systematically pour a small amount of river sand to the seedlings.

If the black leg still managed to hit part of the seedlings, do not rush to give up. The fungus begins to capture the root neck of plants, while blocking their nutrition through the vascular system of the stem. As a result, seedlings no longer receive enough nutrients and moisture from the soil. Gradually, the seedlings begin to die. If you find that the stems of plants at the root collar have darkened and become unusually thinner, we are talking about black leg.

Black leg at the seedling

Cope with disease a temporary cessation of watering, removal of weak and seriously affected senets with their subsequent destruction, transplantation of more or less healthy seedlings into other containers with soil disinfected with potassium permanganate solution will help. Only in this way can the surviving plants be saved. After transplanting, it is better to water them with water with the addition of Energen and lime water.

It happens that the infection managed to destroy the entire population of young seedlings. In this case, you do not need to replant anything, it is important to destroy all the plants along with the clod of earth in which they were grown. Thus, you will destroy the infection and prevent its spread to neighboring containers with seedlings.

fomoz

Another fungal disease - phomosis. Most often affects young cabbage seedlings. And if the infectious pathogen of the black leg lives in the soil, then the phomosis infection is found in the seeds. For this reason, dealing with this fungus is much easier and more productive than with the insidious black leg.

To prevent the development of phomosis, you just need to soak the seeds in a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate for about an hour before sowing the seeds. Otherwise, the infection can affect the seedlings. In this case, you will see spots with black patches on the stems and leaves of the growing seedlings.

It is almost impossible to save plants affected by phomosis . It remains either to destroy the seedlings and grow a new one, or to wait what will happen to the plants next. As a rule, in open ground, seedlings affected by phomosis begin to develop very slowly, its lower row of leaves acquires a blue or red tint, and the stem begins to thin and break, by analogy with the defeat of plants with a black leg.

If you do not see the disease on time and plant diseased seedlings in your summer cottage, then after that it will not be possible to plant crops from the cruciferous family on these beds for 5 years. Be carefull!

White leaf spot

And again we will talk about fungal infection. In most cases white leaf spot infects tomatoes. Initially, signs of the disease are found on the underside of the seedling leaves in the form of whitish spots with dark patches and a dark rim. Soon the disease moves to the whole plant, the spots begin to merge with each other, covering the leaves and stems of the seedlings completely. Gradually affected by the disease, the leaves begin to crumble.

The infectious agent remains in plant debris of affected plants. If they are not destroyed, the disease remains active in the soil, the reuse of which will infect a new group of seedlings.

To prevent the development of the disease , do not bring it into the soil in your summer cottage, it is necessary to destroy all plants at the first sign of white leaf spot.

And again this fungal infection mainly affects tomato seedlings. As with the previous disease, the fungus first captures the lower row of leaves, on the surface of which blurry yellow spots can be found. At the same time, an olive coating forms on the lower part of the leaves. Very quickly, the spots capture the entire plant, acquire a brown color. The leaves are starting to fall off. The disease spreads at lightning speed under conditions of high humidity and temperature.

It is important to destroy diseased plants as quickly as possible so that plant residues do not get into the soil, especially if the seedlings are already planted in open ground. To prevent the disease, it is important to remember that tomatoes love dry air and cannot tolerate excess moisture.

All activated due to high humidity. Therefore, if you grow seedlings in dry air, near central heating radiators and heaters, try to ventilate the room more often. When the opportunity arises, take the grown seedlings to fresh air under the rays of the spring sun.

The death of the root system in seedlings

Sometimes vegetable seedlings stop growing, stop growing, become lethargic, and eventually die. This happens more often in inexperienced gardeners. They begin to look for spots, a black leg, pests on the seedlings, but nothing of the kind is found, and the plants continue to die. What's the matter? Only in improper care of seedlings!

If you watered the seedlings with cold water, then the root system will inevitably die. If you put the seedlings on the windowsill, closer to the glass, trying to give them more sunlight, then you might not take into account that even in April it can be quite cool on the windowsill, especially for freshly watered plants. Cold destroys seedlings, remember this.

quila

Kila infects cruciferous plants and flower crops. The infectious agent in the form of spores continues to live in the soil for a long time, getting into it with the plant remains of diseased plants. When favorable conditions arise, keel spores begin to actively multiply and infect the root system of plants.

Roots affected by the disease look ugly - growths-tumors appear on them. A damaged root system is not able to fully nourish the plant, as a result of which it will soon die. In most cases, clubroot is found in heavy acidic soils.

How to deal with kila? First of all, this is the liming of acidic soil, a moderate watering regime, the destruction of diseased seedlings along with a clod of earth. The holes that remained after the seedlings were removed must be treated with charcoal, lime or.

Fusarium

Most often this fungal infection affects flower crops, in particular asters. The infectious agent lives both in the seeds and in the soil. Initially, the disease begins to affect the roots of the plant, and then, in an ascending way, it rises along the stems of the seedlings and captures all the organs of the seedlings.

As a result, the root system begins to rot, and diseased plants are effortlessly pulled out of the ground, as if they had no root at all. Following the roots, the root neck and stem begin to rot. The leaves begin to turn pale and crumble. The disease more often affects seedlings, which hardly endured the picking process, during which they suffered damage to the root system.

As a fight the selection of seed material is used exclusively from healthy plants, the disinfection of seeds and soil before sowing, the destruction of diseased seedlings and the complete replacement of the soil in the focus of the disease.

seedling pests

Aphid control consists in the treatment of plants with infusions of garlic and wormwood, special insecticides.

This the pest affects mainly vegetable crops, petunias and fragrant tobacco. The whitefly can be seen in incident light - this insect reaches a length of 1 mm, pale yellow in color with two pairs of wings. The main harm to plants is delivered by larvae that feed on the juice of the plant, which leads to its withering and complete drying. Larvae can be found on the underside of the leaves. The insect is also dangerous because it can infect seedlings with other viral diseases, as it is their carrier.

To combat the greenhouse whitefly should apply Phosbecid or Karbofos by spraying the plant with these preparations during the growing season. You can also wash the bottom of the seedlings with cool water, and then carefully loosen the soil to bury the pests that have fallen during washing. On warm sunny days, the greenhouse whitefly can accumulate on window panes, at which time it can be destroyed with Dichlorvos.

Often settles on young seedlings sprout fly, which fell into the soil along with humus. In warm conditions, it begins active life, laying eggs on the surface of the soil and damaging the first seedlings of plants. In size, the germ fly reaches 3 mm, so it can be seen with the naked eye.

To destroy the sprout fly , it is important to steam the soil immediately before growing seedlings and before picking. It is also important to avoid overwatering.

Almost invisible to the naked eye, but far from a safe pest that affects almost all seedlings -. The disease becomes noticeable with an abundance of ticks - the leaves of the seedlings begin to turn pale, turn yellow and crumble. The spider mite is destroyed by using Aktellika And Fitoverma.

How to deal with seedling pests?

In fact, chemicals are practically powerless in the fight against pests, since the latter quickly restore the size of their population. In addition, chemicals are not safe for the structure of the soil and the plant itself, since they contain pesticides. For this reason, the most relevant are preventive measures, not a chemical attack.

The basic rule in the prevention of diseases and the appearance of pests on seedlings is maintaining optimal humidity and temperature conditions as well as seed material. If the soil intended for growing seedlings is steamed ahead of time, then harmful insects and microorganisms can begin their development again, for example, an excess of nitrogenous compounds improves the conditions for the development of aphids and spider mites.

Pest control should begin either immediately after their discovery, or focusing on the coming dates - he will tell you the most successful day. Preference should be given to biological plant protection products, which you can read about in. From what you can buy, Fitoverm, Agrovertin and CE (low-toxic means of microbiological synthesis) will help. Before using any drug, be sure to read the instructions that come with it.