The cultivation of tomatoes is associated with the protection of plants from pests. The most insidious of them are thrips. These inconspicuous small ticks suck out nutritious juices from the leaves, and tomato productivity decreases. The plant gradually withers.
Insects actively breed throughout the growing season of the culture. Biological, chemical methods are used to combat. In the initial stages of lesions, when single thrips appear on the bushes, folk remedies based on plant materials can help.
How to recognize thrips on tomatoes
Small insects are masters of disguise. They hide in buds, on the inside of the leaves. Invisible color, small size (adult grows up to 2 mm) help thrips go unnoticed. Pests can be detected by the state of tomatoes. The main signs of their presence:
- the sheet brightens, an openwork grid of thickenings appears on it;
- yellow spots, pigmentation intensifies over time, spreads throughout the leaf plate;
- subtle black dots appear on the green - these are the excrement of ticks, fungal pests can develop on them.
Seedlings begin to fade. If the shoots droop, yellowness is barely noticeable on them, it is better to carry out preventive treatment.
Pests prefer to settle and lay eggs on the underside of the leaf plate. It is difficult to recognize the thrips itself due to species diversity. Insects can be brown, pale yellow. But more common are light or dark gray variegated thrips. They have a long needle body, a small head with antennae.
The reasons for the appearance of thrips on tomatoes
The larvae of sucking ticks are very small. They can be brought into the greenhouse with dirty containers, contaminated soil, along with purchased seedlings. With independent cultivation of tomatoes, young shoots are affected by insects present on indoor plants. Variegated species of pests often live in apartments.
Thrips actively reproduce at high humidity, the optimum temperature for them is + 20 ... +25 ° C. The risk of damage increases if crop rotation is not observed. When growing tomatoes or other nightshade in the same greenhouse, crops are affected more often.
Folk remedies for thrips on tomatoes
Experienced gardeners to fight sucking insects try to use harmless methods of protection. They are based on the biological properties of plants. Effective only in the initial stages of infection, when there are few pests. The formulation of infusions and decoctions is given in the table.
| Means | Cooking | Application |
| Marigold Buds Broth | 50 g of flowers are crushed, boiled. Liquid insist 3 days. | Perform preventive spraying once a week. |
| Garlic infusion | 1 tsp pour garlic pulp in a glass of water, insist a day. | Wet affected sheets. |
| Mustard is dry | 1 tsp powder is diluted in a liter of water. | Water the soil around the plant against pupated larvae. |
| Hot pepper | Preparation of the concentrate: 30 g of the powder is boiled in a glass of water for an hour, the broth is left for a day. To prepare the working solution, 10 ml (2 tsp) of concentrate are taken per liter of water. | Processing is carried out once every two weeks. |
| Tobacco or shag | 80 g of powder is poured with a liter of water, insisted for a day, then filtered. | Watering planting once a week. |
When growing tomatoes in sheltered soil, preventive wetting of the frame, glass or film with soapy water is carried out weekly. Use a green or tar soap with a strong odor.
Chemicals for thrips on tomatoes
Plant treatment begins at the first sign of damage. Sucking insects are resistant to many pesticides. Modern insecticides effective against larvae and adult ticks are shown in the table.
Poisons accumulate in leaves and fruits; therefore, before processing the plants during the ripening period, it is necessary to first harvest. The next harvest of tomatoes is made only after two weeks.
| Drug name | The rate of the drug for the preparation of working solution per liter of water | Application |
| Actellik - an organophosphorus compound based on pyrimifos-methyl | 2 ml | After spraying, wrap the tomato with a film for a day. |
| Agravertine, Acarin contain avertin | 10 ml | The bush is irrigated, isolated from healthy plantings for 24 hours. |
| Vertimek, active substance abamectin | 2.5 g | The affected bushes are poured over, a protective dome is made of the film. |
| Karbofos - a powder or emulsion of organophosphorus compounds | 7 g | Spend three sprays per season with a weekly interval. |
| Confidor - wettable powder, analogue of Actelik | 2 ml of the mixture diluted according to the instructions | Wet the bushes with traces of damage on the leaves and soil. |
| Intavir (Inta-Vir) contains cypermethrin, available in tablets | 1 tablet | Repeated (after 1.5-2 weeks) irrigation of the plant, followed by wrapping with a film. |
The preparation Marathon in the form of dry granules is used for tillage. It is introduced before watering. Dry insecticide dissolves gradually, destroys the larvae that fell into the soil. Poisons from thrips are harmful to pets, bees. During the preparation of working solutions, when processing plants with pesticides, safety precautions must be observed, it is advisable to wear gloves, glasses, and a respirator.
Biological remedies for thrips on tomatoes
Vertimek, Fitoverm are drugs of the group of insectoacaricides of biological origin. They have a minimal effect on animals, beneficial insects. Absorbed by cells for two hours, easily tolerated by the plant. Biological agents can be used when thrips appear on seedlings. Drugs have an effect of up to three weeks.
During spraying, the solution should be on tomatoes only. It is useless to process the soil. To keep insecticides on the leaves after dousing, the bush is wrapped in polyethylene, the film is removed in a day. Insects by this time become inactive. They die in two to three days. The solutions retain their reactivity for two hours, after which they are destroyed. The toxic concentration in the fruit persists for the first three days after treatment. Then the tomatoes can be harvested.
Spraying is done only with freshly prepared solutions.
Mr. Dachnik recommends: preventive measures against thrips on tomatoes
Getting rid of a population of sucking insects is difficult. Larvae calmly winter in moderate latitudes, awaken in the spring, attack young bushes of tomatoes. Thrips are very tenacious, so measures to combat them are not always effective.
So that the insect population does not increase, it is important not to create favorable conditions for them. Preventive actions:
- regular weeding of landings;
- harvesting plant residues after harvesting, deep autumn digging of the earth;
- crop rotation, it is undesirable to grow other nightshade and vegetable crops affected by thrips before tomatoes;
- regular sulfuric fumigation of greenhouses, hotbeds, film shelters, sanitary processing of equipment, garter material, containers for seedlings;
- replacement of the top of the soil after harvesting;
- disinfection of the soil with a solution of manganese;
- acquisition of high-quality planting material.
To repel sucking insects, it is recommended to plant spicy herbs, onions, garlic, marigold, marigolds near tomatoes. This harmless method for plant protection is effective for bees and animals.
Thrips are able to reproduce all season. When growing tomatoes, it is important to constantly inspect the bushes, check the leaves on both sides. It is necessary to carry out the treatment when the first symptoms of the lesion appear.
