How to deal with slugs on peppers in a greenhouse: the most effective methods of protecting crops from pests

If you find that holes of different sizes have appeared on the leaves of bell pepper, it means that an uninvited guest has wound up in the greenhouse. It is not easy to meet him during the day, as it is a nocturnal pest. The sun's rays and temperatures above 25 degrees are destructive for him, and therefore he looks for wet shelters in greenhouses, in the shade of weeds and compost heaps. His name is a slug.

How to protect your crop and get rid of the pest - find out right now.

How to tell if peppers in a greenhouse are affected by slugs

Not everyone sees this as a problem. A clumsy mollusk does not inspire much fear. However, soon a slug will show what he is capable of: although his jaws are weak, but his appetite is excellent, and he eats everything that comes his way... It is difficult to detect pests during the day: they hide in dark and humid places, and at night they go out in search of food.

By the nature of the damage on the leaves (holes) and traces of mucus next to plants you will understand that the pepper is in danger.

Harm done

What terrible will happen to landings if slugs gnaw a little foliage? This is what inexperienced gardeners usually think. Let's hasten to dispel their delusions:

1. Shellfish eat more than leaves. When fruits appear, they will go to them.
2. Devouring greens, they inhibit the growth and development of pepper.
3. Moving from plant to plant, they spread plant viruses and fungi. This is much more dangerous than all the vigorous activity of slugs. By spreading diseases, they are able to destroy all greenhouse plants.

Slug physiology

This mollusk from the class of gastropods is the brother of a snail, only without a shell... His body is long - up to 10 cm - and, as they say, "fat". Due to muscle contraction, it can significantly change in size.

There are two pairs of tentacles on the head: optical and tactile... Optical, or eye, tentacles are located at the very top of the head and help the slug to distinguish light from darkness. Below are the tactile tentacles - the organs of smell and touch. The tentacles have the ability to regenerate, that is, to grow back if the slug suddenly loses them. There are only three openings on the body: the mouth, the pulmonary opening (on the side of the back) and the anal.

These creatures are hermaphrodites, so they fertilize each other regardless of gender.... The eggs are laid in moist pits in the soil. Each individual can lay up to 30 eggs, of which new offspring will appear in two weeks. In the summer months, one slug lays an average of 500 eggs. The last autumn clutch hibernates in the soil until spring.

It is interesting. They secrete mucus to protect against enemies and to move more glidingly. Their natural enemies are moles, hedgehogs, shrews, lizards, snakes, frogs and some species of birds.

However, birds and moles cannot be put into the greenhouse, which means that other methods must be used. to neutralize slugs. What to do if slugs appear on peppers in a greenhouse, and how to deal with them - we'll talk below.

Control methods

Choose the method of dealing with slugs depending on the size of the threat... Of course, it is better to do this using methods that do not disturb the ecosystem, but on the other hand, gentle means are not always effective if there are too many slugs.

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Chemicals

If the shellfish attacked the greenhouse and are already behaving like a business, you should think about the use of chemicals... Manufacturers of modern chemicals face a double task: while maintaining the effectiveness of the drug, to reduce the risk of harm to the environment. Many drugs are safe for human and domestic animal health and do not affect populations of beneficial insects.

The following products are recommended for use:

1. "Slizneed" - an affordable preparation in granules... Processing is carried out in the evening, when the mollusks are active. It works by penetrating the skin and digestive system, causing dehydration and killing slugs. Granules, getting into the body of the slug, swell, absorbing all the moisture.
2. Pesticide "Thunderstorm Meta" (active ingredient - metaldehyde). Getting into the digestive organs of slugs, it destroys them. Available in granules. The action lasts 2-3 weeks. Usually enough three times a season to exterminate pests.
3. Biological product "Ferramol" safe for animals, has an unpleasant smell and taste for them. Does not harm beneficial insects. It is produced in granules and acts in the same way as the "Slime Eater".

Attention! Use chemicals to protect greenhouses from slugs strictly according to the instructions. Uncontrolled use is harmful to human and animal health.

Folk remedies

Folk methods include all the tricks, skills and abilities that farmers use to destroy slugs. They are based on observations of the habits of mollusks and have been used throughout the history of man's struggle for the harvest.

Slugs are midnight creatures: they sleep during the day and feed at night... They cannot stand heat and dryness, so they look for dark and humid places to hide. Since there is always high humidity in the greenhouse, slugs are more comfortable here than in beds under the scorching sun.

They usually hide and lay their eggs in crevices in the soil. (pictured below), therefore, in order to get rid of the offspring of slugs, it is recommended to use 25% ammonia diluted with 10 liters of water. The solution is poured into the crevices and cracks in the soil, but do not allow it to get on the leaves of the plants, since ammonia causes burns.

There are other methods of exterminating slugs in the beds.:

1. Simplest - sprinkle the beds with pepper with wood ash, slaked lime, mustard powder, hot ground pepper. Substances will cause fatal burns if they come into contact with slugs or enter the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Using mustard in powder and solution... To do this, dilute half a pack of dry mustard in a bucket of water and leave for 2-3 hours. Sprinkle or pour over the pepper foliage from a garden watering can.
3. As farming experience shows, effective treatment of plants with coffee solution... The coffee grounds are scattered over the beds. Caffeine has a detrimental effect on slugs: strong coffee kills them, and weak coffee scares them away. It should be remembered that the concentrated coffee solution burns the foliage, and also destroys beneficial insects.
4. Using traps... Plastic cups or other containers, for example, small cans, are dug in "up to the neck" next to the plantings. The bait in the form of beer, juice or liquid jam is poured into containers by one third. Slugs, attracted by the smell, will fall into such traps, and in the morning you can collect "captives". It is better to throw the collected slugs into a bucket with a salt solution that is destructive for them.

Important! Traditional methods of dealing with slugs are carried out regularly, preferably in combination with other methods. This is the only way to achieve a sustainable result.

Biomethods

The methods of biological control over slugs include the participation of representatives of flora and fauna... Let's take a closer look at methods suitable for use in greenhouses:

1. Distracting plants... Planting plants to which slugs can "switch". For example, molluscs love seed rape. If you make a rapeseed lawn in front of the greenhouse entrance, this plant will attract the attention of slugs.
2. Slug repellent plants... Planting such spicy plants as parsley, dill, sage, rosemary, thyme inside the greenhouse will discourage slugs from being in the greenhouse, they will find more comfortable conditions for themselves.
3. Biological preparation for imported slugs Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodit (Nemaslug)containing a parasitic nematode, that is, a microworm that will destroy an entire generation of slugs in the greenhouse. The nematoda is sown in the soil, from there it goes to the body of the slug and kills it. The condition for the development of nematodes is high soil moisture. Microworms are not dangerous for humans, animals, plants and beneficial insects, they are only "interested" in slugs. The effect of such a struggle is long lasting, it lasts for a whole season.
4. Toads, frogs and lizards - assistants in the fight against slugs in the greenhouse. These amphibians do not touch plants, but they will not refuse to eat with slugs. How many frogs to start depends on the size of the greenhouse and the number of slugs.

Mechanical removal

The most popular technique among summer residents is the manual collection of slugs.... They are collected directly from the leaves using tweezers so as not to injure the plant, or they are placed in the greenhouse with objects that the mollusks will take for good shelter. As such items, they use everything that is at hand: boards, rags, plywood sheets, linoleum, brooms. In the evening, spread the tools at hand in the greenhouse and moisturize.

Slugs will be attracted to new hiding places, and they will flock to traps... In the morning, lifting up a broom or plank, you will see piles of slugs underneath. Put the found pests in a bucket and destroy in an acceptable way - burn or treat with saline.

Mechanical methods also include physical obstacles.that prevent slugs from crawling from plant to plant:

1. Plastic gutters, filled with water, with which they enclose the beds around the perimeter. Such gutters can be filled with coffee grounds, which will repel pests.
2. Dry porous material, which are sprinkled with inter-row rows: crushed eggshell, fine gravel. Such material should not be watered, it should always remain dry to prevent the slug from slipping.
3. Specialty granules Slug Stoppa Granulesthat absorb moisture and mucus also impede the movement of slugs. They are scattered on the ground around the plants.

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Preventive measures

Experienced farmers know the problems they will face in the next season, so they carry out a set of activities to protect peppers from slugs, increasing plant immunity and reducing the level of favorable conditions for the reproduction of pests.

The following agrotechnical measures against slugs are used both in the open field and in greenhouses.:

1. Digging and loosening the soil... Clutches of eggs and adult slugs hibernate in the ground. Frequent loosening and autumn digging will prepare the soil for spring planting - it will already be without pest larvae.
2. Alternating crops in one area... This approach prevents slugs from breeding in the soil.
3. Careful approach to seed selectionplanting disease-resistant plants.
4. Removal during germination of the weak and underdeveloped plants.
5. Regular ventilation of the greenhouse, keeping them clean: all debris, foreign objects, plant and leaf residues are promptly removed. Clean the tubs, pots, racks for seedlings from rotten parts of plants, rinse.
6. Weeding the beds, removal of decaying lower leaves and stems, improving air circulation between plantings.
7. Immediate deletion soil infected by larvae.
8. Keep the soil for planting outside the greenhouse., preferably in direct sunlight, so as not to infect the larvae.

Conclusion

Agrotechnical approach to greenhouse cultivation of pepper is a laborious but effective process to prevent slugs from attacking plantings.After all, fighting slugs is not a task of one day. It should include a strategic plan for the prevention of greenhouses from pests and a set of measures for their extermination.

It must be remembered that all folk and mechanical methods against shellfish work only with their regular use. Do not exclude the possibility of adding toads, frogs and lizards in greenhouses - they will help to cope with the task.