Problems in growing grapes arise not only in beginning summer residents, but also in more experienced gardeners.
How to determine the disease, how to treat, what preventive measures to apply? These questions torment every grower.
Grapes are often affected by diseases and pests that reduce its yield and nutritional value.
Pests of grapes: how to determine and how to treat
Insects often cause a lack of berries. There are so many pests in the bushes that the vineyard quickly loses its productivity. Among all insects, the most dangerous for grapes are highlighted:
• grape motley;
• aphids;
• mealy worm;
• ticks;
• wasps.
Pests of grapes affect not only leaves, but also inflorescences, bark and buds. Illiterate care leads to a loss of 50% of the crop. In some cases, insects can completely destroy the plantation.
Grape Tick: Control Methods
Strongly weaken the vineyard variety of ticks that feed on the green parts of the plant, causing great harm. If measures to destroy ticks are not applied in time, the number of insects will grow, which leads to poor ripening of the vine, the number of crops is reduced, and the quality of the fruit suffers. In addition, ticks transmit diseases such as mildew and powdery mildew.
Pests overwinter on weeds and inside damaged buds. They begin their activities in early spring, but the peak of their activity occurs in the summer. The tick affects the buds and buds of the plant, they turn red and crumble.
It is difficult to notice a tick, but external signs appear on the leaves of the grapes. On the reverse side of the leaf, tubercles that are covered with a spider nap can be found. The stronger the lesion, the weaker the plant becomes, the processes of photosynthesis are disrupted, the leaves gradually dry out and curl up, fall off.
Arid weather contributes to the spread of insects in the summer, strong gusts of wind. In the fight against pests and diseases of grapes, modern drugs are used that help get rid of the invasion in a short time. Plant prevention begins in spring. Before budding, the vine is treated with a 2% DNOC solution. Then apply a solution of nitrophene.
Important! Since the pest settles on the back of the leaves, it is sprayed more thoroughly.
For chemical treatment of the bush, drugs are used that are not harmful to bees and humans:
• Actellik;
• Fufanon;
• Tevit;
• Neoron.
Achieve a positive result is possible after two treatments. The interval between procedures should be up to 14 days.
Grape aphids: how to identify and defeat an insect
Grape aphids are a dangerous pest of shrubs. Because of its activities, not only productivity, but also the bush itself suffers. The affected plant becomes weak, its root system stops developing and in several seasons the bush completely dies. With this form of infection, grapes have to be uprooted. If only the leaves of the plant are damaged, then on the reverse side you can find galls, in which aphid eggs are located.
The main task of the gardener is to prevent the spread of aphids. For this, chemical preparations are used:
• Dealer;
• Ethaphos;
• Confidor Maxi.
The first treatment is carried out after mass blooming of the buds, and the second after a few weeks, when there are 10-12 blossoming leaves on the bush.
Mealybugs, scale insects
These pests are sedentary, they stick to the vine, eating its juices. This leads to drying out of the shoots and a decrease in yield. In addition, fungi develop in the places where insects live, which lead to dangerous diseases of grapes.
Scabies settle on annual shoots. Insects winter under the bark, and in spring they come to the surface. Treatment for diseases and pests of grapes is carried out using spraying, which is done under high pressure. This will help the drug penetrate deep into the layering of the bark, which will destroy even wintering forms of pests. Spray the shrub in the spring, before budding.
Grape motley
Speckled butterfly is a dangerous pest that lays eggs on the leaves of a plant. Hatched caterpillars eat the green parts of the shoots, harm the kidneys, which die, without blooming. The pest lives for about a month, but the degree of development of the colony depends on the weather. At temperatures below +15 degrees, butterfly larvae die.
Vineyard spraying is carried out in several stages with an interval of 7-10 days. Use modern insecticides.
How to protect grapes from wasps
Wasps reduce crop yields and adversely affect brush quality. The primary task of the gardener is to protect the bush from wasps.
In the fight against pests only comprehensive measures help. For this, special baits are laid out near the vineyard, which are cleaned as they accumulate. In addition, when the brushes mature, they are covered with non-woven material. But the shelter is made spacious so as not to provoke the development of rot.
Common grape diseases: diagnosis and control methods
Among a large number of diseases of grapes, the most dangerous are identified, which lead to a decrease in yield and death of the bush:
• mildew;
• oidium;
• gray rot.
Mildew (downy mildew of grapes)
Mildew is the most common grape disease among existing ones. It affects all parts of the plant, the spread of the disease contributes to increased humidity, cold ambient temperature. Also, mildew can begin with severe damage to the bush by pests.
A sign of the disease is the presence of a characteristic oil coating on the leaves, the reverse side of which is covered with powdery white spots. With the development of the disease at the site of the lesion, necrosis of leaf tissues increases, which leads to subsidence of the cover.
As a prevention of pests and diseases of grapes, phosphorus-potassium top dressing is carried out, which enhances the plant's immunity. In addition, varieties resistant to mildew are grown on the site. At the first signs of the disease, spraying with drugs is carried out:
• gates;
• Chorus;
• Thanos;
• Ridomil.
Processing takes place in three stages:
the first time the bush is treated before buds open;
the second - before flowering;
the third is when fruit sets.
Oidium
Affected plants noticeably lag behind in growth, their foliage is covered with a whitish bloom, slightly curly. In mid-summer, apical shoots are affected, the ovaries crumble, and the inflorescences die.
As a disease prevention experienced gardeners advise to planting a plant, harvesting weeds under a bush and garter shoots. In addition, spraying with drugs is done:
• gates;
• Topaz;
• Tiovit.
Gray rot
The disease occurs and spreads with high humidity in the cold summer. As a rule, already ripening grapes are affected. Affected berries acquire an uncharacteristic hue, crack. A grayish coating appears at the site of the outbreak.
Unfortunately, this disease is practically not treated. As a preventive measure, crop rationing, pinching and removing excess foliage are used. These methods increase the ventilation of the bushes, which reduces the risk of disease. At the first sign, the affected hands are cut off, and the bush is treated with a solution of baking soda.
Only high-quality care and timely treatment of grape bushes from diseases and pests will help maintain the health of the garden.
