Any farmer knows how hard it is to see crops get sick or lose their harvests due to any unforeseen event. Whether it is an adverse and unexpected weather situation such as extreme drought, hail, frost or more extreme phenomena, such as hurricanes and strong storms. Or simply because the plants have been invaded by terrible pests. The latter is much more common than we could imagine, although the good news is that, with maximum precautions and a lot of vigilance, the plantation can often be saved. We teach you how to protect your tomatoes from red spider: preventive and curative methods to solve the problem.
We know that it is not easy to provide a crop with care every day. It involves a lot of time and expense in acquiring good land, fertilizers, and giving everything the best to the garden. Months and months of cultivating so that in the blink of an eye a little bug ruins all your efforts. A bug, for example, the size of the red spider, which has caused quite a few headaches lately. It is not the only pest that can devastate tomato fields, but what we like is that it can be prevented and treated.
Take good note if you dedicate yourself to grow tomatoes or other vegetables, because our guide will be very useful to you. You never know when this red spider may appear. Maybe there are some hidden among your tomato plants right now.
What is the red spider
La Red spider It is nothing more than a mite, that is, a tiny being, which even takes effort to spot but which appears on plants and destroys them. Small but ferocious, this mite or red spider feeds on the sap of plants and, consequently, weakens them. The plants lose their nutrients and stop producing fruits or produce much smaller and lower quality fruits.
It is really sometimes difficult to spot the presence of the spider until there is a significant cluster of these little bugs, because they barely measure 0.5 millimeters. Only if it is very high or when the plant is already showing symptoms that something is not right, is that the alarms about the presence of these mites go off.
When does the red spider appear?
La red spider infestation is more common in summer, because the heat and dry land is a breeding ground for these bugs. However, any time of year we can be surprised to have this mite in our crop if the temperatures are high and the environment is dry.
It also usually appears when crops are poorly ventilated. For this reason, knowing these data, you can now take action to prevent the right conditions from occurring for the red spider to feel comfortable on your tomatoes.
What symptoms does the presence of red spider give on tomato plants?
You may suspect that the red spider is doing its thing because it manifests itself through symptoms on the plants. The plant looks discolored, yellowish or with yellow spots and, sometimes, we can see a kind of very fine cobwebs. However, these cobwebs are seen when the mite invasion is numerous.
It can also cause foliage to fall and a lower than usual tomato harvest. This is because the bugs feed on the plant and photosynthesis is reduced. If we do not take curative measures in time, the plant can die.
How to prevent the appearance of red spider on your tomatoes
As they always say in the garden, prevention is better than cure, because the cure will be more difficult and expensive than the prevention. So let's start with the guidelines to follow for the spider spider prevention on tomatoes.
Maintain sufficient humidity
We know that we generally say that excessive humidity must be avoided because fungi and diseases can appear. Well, in the case of the red spider, it is just the opposite, they appear with dry ground. Therefore, when summer arrives and it is hot, you must provide sufficient humidity to the plants. Without exaggeration or puddles, but preventing dryness from settling in the ground.
Water properly and, if the crops are in greenhouses, even consider installing a humidifier system.
Check your tomato plant
The more often you check your plants, the sooner you will be able to detect problems and remedy them in time. Inspect several times a week and, at the slightest sign, act.
The technique of rotating crops
Rotate crops It is a good technique that allows us to achieve three benefits: on the one hand, alternating varied crops taking advantage of the same land. In addition, doing this enriches the soil and the crops appreciate it.
Finally, alternating crops prevents a plant's own pests from settling permanently in the soil and allows the soil to heal.
In the case of the red spider, what is advisable is to alternate tomato crops with others that are not sunny, in order to break the life cycle of this mite and others that proliferate in the same conditions.
The benefits of biological control
There are natural predators that benefit crops because prevent pests. Did you know that the ladybugs and chrysopods What do mite eggs and larvae eat? It is a good idea to attract these types of beneficial insects to your land.
Curative methods for red spider infestation on your tomatoes
If you have already seen that red spider mites are indeed present on your tomatoes, it is time to take action. Apply natural insecticides how are the neem oil, potassium soap or homemade spray based on garlic and chili extract. You just have to crush the chili and garlic, add it to the water and strain the liquid to spray the affected areas.
If none of this works, it may be time to turn to less natural methods. Although this would be the last cartridge if all else failed. In this case, go to your trusted expert store and let yourself be advised by professionals, knowing that the more natural, the better.
We hope that this guide about how to protect your tomatoes from red spider and the preventive and curative methods are useful to you. Have you already faced the red spider? Tell us how you beat her.