Sharing the experience of agronomist and gardener Alexander Khorobrovets.
- After you clean the strawberries, pay attention to the health of the remaining plants and get rid of pests.
You have probably noticed a foamy, saliva-like liquid on the underside or top side of the leaves, as well as at the base of the flower clusters or on the ovaries. It looks as if someone has spat on the area. Gently part this foam, and you will see a yellowish larva of the froghopper jump out like a flea. It feeds on the sap of the leaves, flower stalks, or ovaries, which certainly does not contribute to increased yields.
The harvested berries should be immediately placed in the cold.
Moreover, the raspberry-strawberry weevil can completely destroy your harvest. One female, if conditions are favorable, lays eggs in fifty buds and nibbles on the flower stalks. Each bud contains a larva. The beetle hibernates under plant debris and resumes its destructive activities in spring.
To combat the weevil, it is recommended to carry out two treatments with carbophos (10% concentrate of emulsion or 10% wettable powder at a rate of 10-15 g per 10 liters of water) — one week before flowering and immediately after harvesting. However, to avoid the use of chemical agents, you can loosen the soil in the fall: the pupae will end up deeper in the ground and die.
