The theme of the use of coniferous plants in everyday life. In the second part, we will talk about the use of needles on garden plot. True, one Christmas tree or pine tree is hardly enough for such purposes, but you can always go to the nearest forest and pick up needles there. And yet, many grow coniferous trees right on the site and you can get additional benefits from this.
As a mulching material
As a mulch, it is best to use pine needles, spruce has too high acidity, so it is better not to take it for these purposes. Pine needles, although slightly increasing the acidity of the soil, are suitable for mulching many plants.
Onions will especially like this shelter, pine needles will not only help retain moisture in the soil, but will also protect plants from fungal diseases and some pests, and it will be difficult for weeds to break through such a coniferous pillow.
It is very good to fill the beds with needles with garden strawberries, the berries will not come into contact with the ground, which will protect them from rotting and slugs. Needles can cover trunk circles fruit trees and berry bushes.
But the flowers, for the most part, do not like acidic soil, so you should not mulch them with pine needles. The exceptions are, perhaps, hydrangea, rhododendrons and heather. Here they will like coniferous shelter.
Important! Do not use fresh needles! But rotted or already crumbling dry needles are quite suitable. And, of course, the needles from the already defended New Year's pine are also quite suitable.
As a covering material
Spruce spruce has long been used as a covering material. The needles will also help protect plants from the winter cold. It can cover the roots of trees and shrubs. Moreover, such a shelter will protect the plants not only from the cold, but also from small rodents. Few of them like to make their way to the cherished bark along sharp thorns.
Beds with and garden strawberries can also be covered with coniferous needles. Such a shelter will protect plants no worse than expensive covering materials. On the one hand, it will protect plants from frost and wind, and on the other hand, it will allow oxygen to freely penetrate the soil, preventing it from suffocating.
As a fertilizer
Pine needles, along with other organic residues, can be placed in compost heap. Pereprev, they will give a very valuable natural fertilizer, which is suitable for any plants and helps to improve soil structure.
If your entire green economy is limited to only a few pots with, pine and Christmas tree needles can come in handy in this case too. From needles, you can prepare an infusion for watering indoor flowers. Such an infusion will not only be a vitamin supplement for green pets, but also, thanks to the disinfectant and bactericidal properties of pine needles, it will be suitable for the prevention of fungal diseases.
To prepare coniferous infusion, you need to take twigs with needles, chop them finely and put them into a three-liter bottle, filling it by about 1/3. Pour boiling water into a jar and let it brew for 3-4 days. Before use, this infusion must be diluted with water. Such coniferous water can be watered not only indoor flowers, but also plants in the garden and vegetable garden.
For pest control
Needles are also effective for pest control. It will help protect potatoes from wireworms and bears. To do this, when planting potatoes, it is enough to put a handful of needles and half a glass of wood ash in each hole.
Snails and slugs do not like needles. To protect the plant from them, simply surround it with a “coat” of needles.
No plant can produce as much oxygen as evergreen trees. It is not for nothing that people choose forests where spruce, pine, and fir grow for the treatment of respiratory organs. Sanatoriums, which are located in pine forests, have amazing properties heal the body thanks to the phytoncides found in the resin of these plants.You can recreate a piece of the forest on your own suburban area by planting your favorite tree species. Before that, you need to familiarize yourself with the growing method and the nutrition system of conifers.
It is necessary to feed spruce, thuja and other tree species with needles carefully. These breeds are unpretentious in nutrition and extra feeding can only harm them.When growing on a beauty plot, you need to knowhow to feed coniferswhen is the best time to do so. Professionals advise not to be too zealous with mineral supplements, it is better not to use anything at all than to use it incorrectly.
What is the difference between the nutrition of conifers and ordinary trees
Top dressing for conifers plants different from that usually used for fruit trees, berries and vegetables. They do not need nitrogen in such concentrations as for hardwoods, so complex mixtures - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium - will not work.
The necessary elements are potassium and magnesium, as well as small amounts of phosphorus. This is due to the fact that the necessary chlorophyll, which is always present in the modified foliage, is obtained by plants through photosynthesis. The role of roots in this process is secondary.
Video: What kind of fertilizer for conifers is better to use
The process of photosynthesis depends on magnesium. This trace element is part of chlorophyll, which is very abundant in needles, and its amount during all year round stays on the same level. In fact, magnesium is needed in small quantities for the growth of new branches that are located on the tops of trees.
Why top dressing for coniferous trees not needed in large quantities
- evergreens do not shed their leaves, so they do not need construction material for restoration in the spring;
- do not produce a crop, therefore do not consume many nutrients;
- plants can get the nitrogen they need from the air.
Given the type of nutrition, growth characteristics and the shape of the “foliage”, you don’t have to worry too muchhow to fertilize coniferous plants.
Why nitrogen is dangerous for evergreens
Fertilizers for coniferous treesmust not contain nitrogen. Plants need it, but in comparison with deciduous trees- in tiny amounts. Specialconiferous fertilizersplants contain in their composition a small amount of phosphates, potassium and magnesium. Thesenutrientsenough trees.
First, nitrogen can burn root system and destroy the plant. Secondly, a large amount of nitrogen causes rapid growth, which does not have time to become woody before the onset of cold weather and the tops freeze. Moreover, evergreen trees are considered the most frost-resistant on the planet. In the Siberian forests, the temperature often drops to -65 degrees, but this does not harm pines and spruces. All because in the natural environmentno one applies.
For this reason, it cannot be used as fertilizer for conifersmanure. Not in any form, even divorced. Manure is a good source of nitrogen for deciduous plants but it will destroy the evergreen tree
Mineral top dressing for evergreens in autumn
Considering that soil fertilization is carried out in early May and in the middle of summer, it is worth considering whatautumn fertilizers for coniferswon't hurt. You can use mulching around the root zone - this will protect the roots from freezing. Tree bark, hay, fallen needles, humus, crushed stone, stones are used as mulch.
top dressing coniferous autumn includes superphosphates. Dry fertilizers are scattered around the perimeter of the plants and watered. You can bring in for digging and also water. During the winter, phosphorus transforms and becomes available to the root system in spring.Autumn top dressing coniferous plants superphosphate is not dangerous, since the effect of it will be noticeable only after 4 to 6 months.
Video: How to properly fertilize conifers
Feeding conifers in August and Septembernot carried out because the growth cycle is completed and new shoots ripen for wintering. Growth stimulants are not needed during this period.
Organics for evergreen trees
Organic mixes that are suitable for evergreens:
- biohumus;
- compost (necessarily rotted), which consists of green grass and kitchen waste.
Organic mixtures are laid around the trunk and lightly mixed with the topsoil. Organic supplements are applied in the spring.
The main value of such dressings is the presence of potassium and trace elements.
Special additives for conifers
To facilitate the calculations of fertilizers for conifers, special mixtures were created:
- "Fertika-Lux";
- "Health turbo for conifers";
- "Aquarin";
- "Hvoinka";
- "Green Needle";
- "Fertile universal for conifers".
"Fertika Lux" is recommended by some amateurs as a fertilizer for conifers, but it does not contain magnesium and a lot of nitrogen (16%). This mixture can be used in dilute concentration once every five years.
“Hello turbo for conifers” is a more acceptable option for spring fertilizer. There are most of the necessary trace elements, among which there is magnesium. But the nitrogen content worries - 22%. It is not recommended to exceed the dosages of this mixture, and even more so to use it asautumn fertilizer for conifers.
"Aquarin" - a water-soluble mixture that can be usedfor liquid top dressing of conifers in autumn,but not later than the beginning of September.
"Hvoinka" - good supplement for dwarf evergreens. The main application is in spring and summer, since the nitrogen content is quite high. (13%) .
"Green Needle" - beautifulfertilizer for coniferous plants in autumn.A large percentage of magnesium and sulfur provide a bright green color of the needles all year round.Fertilizer for spruce and pinewill prevent yellowing of the needles. A small percentage of nitrogen (3.4%) makes it safe for all types of conifers.
"Fertile universal" - spring dressing for the growth of new shoots. Starting from August, it is not recommended to use it.
Of the traditional nutrient mixtures for conifers, Kalimagnesia is the most suitable.
conclusions
To support green view conifers, you can not use a large amount of nutrient mixtures, especially with a high nitrogen content. The emphasis in the care of needles is on the microelement magnesium and the macroelement potassium.
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For several years now, I have been using wonderful pine needle fertilizer on my site. And I start harvesting coniferous branches after new year holidays when people begin to throw out handfuls of Christmas trees that have served their purpose (although for some, a half-bald "beauty" is prescribed on the balcony until spring). If there is a forest belt with coniferous trees near your garden, then you can cut young shoots (candles) of spruce or pine in summer. Just keep in mind that freshly cut branches should not be put into action immediately, but it is recommended to keep them in the cellar for a week. This will improve the bioavailability of your pine needle fertilizer.
Next, the branches with needles must be finely chopped (in pieces about 1 centimeter long) and poured into any handy dish (for example, into a large saucepan), leaving 6-7 centimeters to the edge. The contents of the pan are poured with cool water and put on medium heat. After boiling water, the broth is allowed to boil for 5-10 minutes at a minimum, and then left for 5-6 hours on the stove with the lid open, so that the needles are properly steamed. The needles are rich in silicon, but it is extremely reluctant to go into the decoction. Therefore, it is advisable to let him brew in closed 2-3 more days. Then the broth is filtered, and the concentrated fertilizer from the needles is ready! Store it in sealed bottles in a dark, cool place (you can in the same cellar).
In season, plants are fed with fertilizer from needles as follows. A liter of coniferous broth is diluted in a bucket of water (that is, 9-10 liters) and garden crops are watered under the root, after which the soil is loosened superficially. The same composition can be used for. However, it should be borne in mind that the needles acidify the soil, and most plants do not like this. To neutralize the acidifying effect, it is enough to add a tablespoon of creamy lime to 10 liters of solution. Instead of lime, you can take eggshells. It is done like this. 10 tablespoons of crushed shells in a mortar are poured with 3 liters of water. A container with crushed shells is placed in dark place and insist for 10 days (if the room is hot, then 7 days is enough). After filtering, the solution is also stored in a dark place, since light contributes to the destruction of calcium. In 10 liters coniferous fertilizer pour a glass of infusion on crushed eggshell. The effect of feeding will increase many times if you add to the mixture.
I have noticed that turnips, cabbage plants, peppers, eggplants, daikon, cucumbers and carrots respond best to needle fertilizer. Zucchini, tomatoes and radishes also respond well to coniferous treats. Other cultures are generally indifferent to such top dressing (again, according to my observations). At the same time, the healing effect of needles on the soil is beyond doubt, therefore I urge all avid vegetable growers not to be lazy and properly stock up on pine and spruce twigs after the end of the New Year holidays.
Potatoes, as a second bread, clearly dominate among cultivated crops, and in the diet of amateur gardeners. And this is despite the abundance of vegetables and fruits, which begins at the end of July.
In an effort to achieve good harvests healthy potatoes, gardeners have successfully created an original nutrient mixture and mastered two new ways of growing it.
The composition of the nutrient mixture
A fertilizer mixture for potatoes is a compost substrate with the addition of ammophos, ash, sawdust or shavings and needles at a ratio of the first to the second 1:2.
When using such a complex mixture for planting potatoes with its consumption of 1 liter per hole, the first three components give the soil in the holes the necessary enrichment with all elements, and the last two - friability, moisture-air capacity and a healing effect.
Almost 5 years of experience in such cultivation of potatoes showed that when planting any of its varieties affected by scab, the latter as the main enemy absolutely disappears, although its sclerotia is very tenacious.
Suitable for planting any variety
Thanks to the innovation, you can completely abandon expensive elite varieties of planting tubers and safely purchase them even on the market, without fear of scab at all. At the same time, the potato yield, as a rule, is not lower than 4.0-4.5 kg/m2.
Spruce-pine needles as a protector of potatoes
If the potatoes are previously kept in spruce-pine sawdust with needles for a month, then the tubers with scab, after such an exposure before planting, will throw off their “shabby clothes”, and the harvest from only one bush will reach 30 weighty potatoes.
Coniferous sawdust, bark and needles, added to the soil or covered on top of the tubers, relieve potato plantings from the attacks of the worst pest - colorado potato beetle.
The richness in these components of physiologically active substances and, above all, the resin contained in them, has an extremely beneficial effect on the condition of the potato.
Mulching grass plantings
For inexperienced gardeners and gardeners who are just starting to develop plots, the method of growing potatoes with mulching of its plantings with freshly cut grass or hay is of undoubted interest.
Plant the tubers directly into the ground, making only very small mounds of earth above them. Then, as the tops grow, just cover it with grass. At the same time, the grass will compact and settle, the tops will penetrate through it again and again, and you will immediately fall asleep with more and more portions of mulch.
Only by the end of July, such grass additions can be stopped, since it doesn’t matter whether the stems stand or lie, intertwined with their neighbors on the grass litter.
The yield of potatoes with this cultivation reaches 1-1.5 kg per bush. This method of growing in developed areas is suitable for any soil, including clay, waterlogged, and even with debris (stones, iron, glass, etc.).
Advantages of the method
Planting potatoes in this case does not require hilling and does not need weeding, as weeds self-destruct under layers of grass. In addition, when harvesting potatoes, you can use not a shovel, but a pitchfork. Neither pests nor diseases were observed in the plantings.
Double row method
The second method of growing potatoes is based on the double row method. First, in the middle of the bed, along the cord, a collar was made of soil, and at its sole there were two slightly inclined planes for double rows of tubers planted in holes in these planes in a checkerboard pattern with a step of 30 cm, and between rows of 25 cm. mixture described above.
When the tubers began to germinate, the stems that appeared were repeatedly covered with soil from the pile, and this was done until a furrow with a bottom at the level of the roots formed in place of the pile, and the double rows did not take the form of a ridge. Part of the soil for its addition to the extreme rows was taken from the passages between adjacent beds.
Moisture supply in the root zone was regulated both by creating (with a lack of moisture) and eliminating (with an excess of moisture) small grooves in the middle of the ridges, and by closing or opening earthen ledges made at the ends of the main furrow. In the absence of rain, water was supplied from a hose into the main furrow, and from a watering can into the minor furrows.
Results
As a result of the implementation of this method of growing potatoes in a bed, it was possible to ensure continuous hilling, significantly increase the volume of ridges and provide stable favorable moisture to the soil in the zone of roots and stolons.
In combination with the above complex nutrient mixture, all this made it possible to increase the potato yield by almost 1.7 times and harvest it from 1 m2 of area in the amount of 6.5-7 kg instead of 3.9 kg. As before, the potatoes did not have any diseases and had very good taste.
In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that all of the above applies to seed potatoes purchased on the market, varieties Elizaveta and Nevsky. If we take into account that today there are stronger elite varieties of potatoes on sale, then the yield on the site under the specified conditions may be even higher.
Quick weeding of potatoes from weeds in the garden
Quick weeding potato weeds in the vegetable garden
I have about 4-5 acres of land under potatoes. I plow the entire area in autumn with a horse or an electric plow. If I use manure with a high content of straw, I plow it in for the winter, at the same time I plow in the leaves collected on the site, sometimes I bring rotten straw from the collective farm field to the site.
If I use compost or liquid manure, I plow them in in the spring. During this time, the birds (I have about 60 bird houses on the site and sparrows and tits live in many of them) carefully “process” the site and select weed seeds (there are especially a lot of them in liquid manure, so it can not be plowed for the winter). The site after the bird processing turns out to be as if harrowed (like a rake).
In the spring, after plowing the entire area, I mark it out, trying not to plant the same crops in the same place (for this I have a magazine with planting patterns).
On the potato plot I try to make furrows from north to south. As noted, in this case, the yield of potatoes is higher. I plant potatoes under the cord (for this I have prepared two pegs, on which the cord is wound). I make the distance between the rows at 60 cm. I plant potatoes under a shovel, a bayonet deep.
I plant part of the potato in the same hole with the bean. In addition to the fact that with it the potato yield is higher (the bean accumulates nitrogen), the bean sprouts earlier than the potato and outlines the direction of the furrows well. After planting potatoes, the plot is not harrowed, because. less weeds appear on clods of earth.
When the first shoots appear, the site must be sprouted to knock down the crust and weeds. I do this work early in the morning with a special rake (I made them myself: the length of the tooth in them is 70 mm, the pitch is 30 mm, the width of the captured strip is 60 cm, the tooth is turned with ribs in the direction of the rake during work).
The weeds dry out in a day. Considering that the planting is shallow (when planting under a plow, the planting depth is one and a half times more), seedlings appear quite quickly, and I spend the first hilling with a hoe, which I also did myself. In shape, it is an equilateral trapezoid, in which the sides and bottom sides are sharpened.
With the first movements, I “shave off” the weeds, rake them up to the potato bush (this is an additional fertilizer) and then turn one or the other corner to the ground and rake it to the potato bush.
I fall asleep potatoes so that the tips of the leaves are visible on the surface of the earth. Two weeks later I spend a second hilling in the same way, but I rake up more land for potatoes. This completes the mechanical processing of the potato section. In summer, potatoes and beans provide a dense shade, and there is practically no grass.
Digging potatoes with a shovel. After 5-6 meters I make heaps of potato tops and grass. If the roots of wheatgrass or thistle come across, in this place I loosen the earth more carefully and select them.
After harvesting potatoes, heaps of grass with tops remain on the site, which lie here for two or three weeks, then I bring them to compost pit. In the place where there was a pile of grass, there are a lot of weed seeds. At this time, the birds begin to work hard.
I noticed that sparrows have one “habit”: when there is an abundance of food, they do not eat alone, but call their brothers from other sites.
As a result, the plot turns out to be all finely "plowed" and all weed seeds are collected. Only after that I lay out manure or straw for the winter and plow the entire plot. This is how I grow potatoes, practically without weeding them.
THE RANGE OF PRODUCTS IN MODERN GARDENING STORES IS AMAZING: HERE IS NUMEROUS TYPES OF COVERING AND MULCHING MATERIAL, A VARIETY OF FERTILIZERS, INSECTICIDES, FUNGICIDES ... BUT ALL OF US CAN ALLOW, WE WANT TO ALLOW? I THINK NOT EVERYTHING. THAT'S WHY I DECIDED TO TELL ABOUT THE COMMON PINE NEEDLE, WHICH WILL BE BIG BENEFITS ON ANY HOUSEHOLD PLOT AND WILL HELP YOU REFUSE TO PURCHASE THESE NECESSARY, BUT EXPENSIVE GOODS
PINE NEEDLE AS MULCH
A huge pine tree grows close to our common fence in the neighbor's summer cottage. She annually dropped a large amount of needles, which I did not always have time to clean. And when one day I got around to this event, I found damp soil under a thick layer of coniferous litter, while the rest of my garden was suffocating from the scorching summer heat.
This observation gave me the brilliant idea of using coniferous litter as mulch. It was not difficult to get a large amount of needles: our SNT borders on a vast pine forest. For half an hour, I filled the car to the top with bags of this free material, which was enough for me to mulch all vegetable beds, a flower garden and tree trunks of garden plantings.
ON A NOTE
To protect my hands FROM PITCHING NEEDLE, when gardening with needles, I use not ordinary cotton gloves, but denser ones designed for pruning thorny bushes. And in the cellar, where my harvest is also stored with needles, I specially leave strong gloves: I put them on every time I take out another batch of vegetables for eating.
Under a layer of mulch 3-5 cm thick, the earth remained wet much longer after watering, so I stopped worrying about my green pets, leaving them unattended until the next weekend. In addition, the mulch choked out weeds and prevented the formation of a crust on the soil surface, eliminating the need for me to loosen the aisles and weed out unwanted vegetation.
I use coniferous litter as a mulch to this day - and I never cease to rejoice at this economical find, which saved me from having to buy special mulching materials in the store.
Prickly beds and trunk circles
In the spring, after germination or transplanting of seedlings, I mulch with needles beds with vegetables. And the thick layer of mulch under the trees, shrubs and garden strawberries I have to update only occasionally: the needles on the soil surface rot very slowly. For the same reason, in the fall, after harvesting vegetables, I rake the needles from the surface of the beds and send them to the compost heap for “ripening”.
I dig up the beds with the addition mineral fertilizers and organics, and also bring in wood ash for digging at the rate of 1 half-liter jar per 1 m2, since coniferous litter, with its regular use, tends to acidify the soil. If there is no ash at hand, I use fluffy lime, chalk or dolomite flour according to instructions. With horticultural crops, I act differently: I move the layer of needles to the side, add fertilizers and deoxidizers to the near-stem circle, planting them with a chopper into the soil, and then return the mulch to its place.
I tried coniferous mulch into the soil after harvesting, but I didn’t like it: in the spring it is very difficult to work with “prickly” soil. Therefore, now I use coniferous litter, which I collect in autumn in a large amount, to prepare humus.
Cooking coniferous humus
The needles rot for a very long time, from 3 to 5 years, so for the sake of speeding up the process I use little tricks. To do this, I put needles, fresh mullein (for every 1 m 3 of needles I take about 100 kg of manure), tops of vegetables, weeds, kitchen waste into the compost bin, layering them with small portions of garden soil, and then I pour the contents abundantly with the thief of any microbiological fertilizer according to the instructions and cover a bunch thick film. I use similar solutions 2-3 more times in the next season, and also periodically ventilate and moisten the ripening humus from the hose. With this approach, coniferous litter rots 2 times faster, and after 1.5 years, by the next spring, I get the most valuable fertilizer.
If there is no mullein available, then I fill the compost bin with needles and plant residues mixed with garden soil and each layer is abundantly moistened with a strong solution of urea (200 g per 10 liters of water). In the future, I also use solutions of microbiological preparations - and in the same time frame I get a loose homogeneous mass, which, thanks to the rich chemical composition coniferous needles is saturated with a mass of useful macro- and microelements.
And the presence in pine needles of a large amount essential oils and phytoncides completely frees such humus from pathogenic microflora and insect pests, often choosing “normal” humus for wintering or permanent residence.
Coniferous humus has a slightly acid reaction, therefore, before applying it under the plants, I add a glass of wood ash to each bucket of such fertilizer. But if it seems tedious to someone, you can pour layers of ingredients at the stage of laying humus wood ash or purchased deoxidizer according to the instructions.
Let the garden wake up early!
slowly decomposing pine needles - great material for construction warm beds . I prepare such beds in the fall so that next season I can harvest an ultra-early crop of vegetables from them.
To do this, on the planned site, I dig a trench with a depth of two bayonets of a shovel. I cover its bottom with a thick layer of needles sprinkled with wood ash, spread a layer of manure on top, and then fill the pit to the top with soft-stemmed plants - weeds without seeds and roots and tops of vegetables, layering them with small portions of soil. Upper layer - fertile soil 15 - 20 cm thick. I use "fillings" so much that at the end of work such a bed rises 25 - 30 cm above the ground. I spill the contents abundantly with a solution of microbiological fertilizer and cover with a dense black film.
By spring, the garden bed settles, and with the advent of the first thaw, the processes of decomposition of organic matter are actively launched in it, due to which heat is released, and the soil in the garden warms up at the very early dates. This allows you to plant seedlings a month earlier than usual. To do this, I make cruciform cuts in the film and plant plants in them, after which I install arcs over the bed and cover them with spanbond to protect the plantings from spring frosts. The contents of such a bed change for a long time and allow you to use it for several years.
Alternative to spruce branches
On this beneficial features coniferous litter does not end - I successfully use it for warming plants for the winter. Scourge of covering grapes, actinidia, clematis and other heat-loving vines I remove from the trellis, tie and lay on the ground. I bend the branches of “tender” shrubs (rhododendron, azaleas, roses, heat-loving varieties of berries, etc.) to the ground and fix metal studs. After that, I take out bags with needles previously dried in the sun from the bins and fall asleep with it. ground part plants to the top. Then I cover the coniferous rollers with a thick film and fix its ends with stones or sprinkle with a layer of earth.
In the same way, I insulate bulbous flowers and beds with vegetables planted before winter - I fall asleep with dry needles and cover with foil. I use the film in order to protect plants from damping out during the winter thaw, the risk of which increases many times under such a dense layer of wet mulch. And I insulate the root system of young seedlings of trees and shrubs in a different way: for this, I lay them out in their trunk circles dense garbage bags stuffed with dry pine needles.
A dry shelter based on needles perfectly protects plants from winter frosts. And if, when using other materials, such as straw or sawdust, such shelters became cozy place wintering for rodents, now such a problem does not arise: prickly needles do not allow voles to come close to such “houses”.
Pine needles as an insecticide
In early spring, a variety of pests wake up in the garden. fruit trees and berry bushes, which immediately start laying eggs. In order to protect against them, I spend spraying plants with coniferous infusion. To prepare it, first I finely chop 1 - 1.5 kg of young pine twigs with a hatchet, put them in a bucket and fill the container to the top hot water. I keep the contents in a warm place under the lid for 3-4 days, stirring it periodically.
Then I filter the infusion, dilute it by half clean water I add a couple of spoons liquid soap and I treat trees and shrubs with a solution from a sprayer. I repeat spraying several times: during the swelling of the buds on the plants, in the phase of the rose bud, and also immediately after flowering. Such an economical tool replaces expensive insecticides and allows you to rid the garden of the codling moth, flower beetle, weevil, sucker and leafworm.
Also noticed that coniferous infusion is an excellent remedy for various kinds aphids who likes to settle not only on gardens, but also on horticultural crops such as cucumbers and tomatoes. To protect against aphids, I spray horticultural crops with the infusion described above, diluted 1: 1 with water, and for processing vegetables I prepare a weaker solution - 1 part of the infusion and 2 parts of water.
In one of the seasons, with the help of two sprays, carried out with an interval of 2 days, I completely rid my cabbage of white caterpillars - and took this tool into service. However, in the new season, I decided that it was better to prevent the appearance of these voracious pests on the plants at all, and immediately after planting the seedlings in the ground, I began to spray the cabbage bed with coniferous decoction every 10-12 days, which scared away the white butterflies and did not give them the opportunity to lay eggs on the plants . I now carry out such procedures in every season, and my cabbage is always clean.
To prepare a decoction, 1.5 - 2 kg of chopped pine branches are placed in a large enamel pan, pour 6 liters of water and put on fire. I boil the contents under the lid over low heat for 15-20 minutes, and after cooling, I filter. I prepare a working solution for spraying from 2 liters of broth and 8 liters pure water and add a couple of tablespoons of liquid soap there so that the fragrant drug settles on the leaves.
Coniferous solution - effective remedy against cruciferous flea . Therefore, to protect against this pest, for the purpose of prevention, I regularly spray not only cabbage, but also radish, radish, daikon and other crops of the cabbage family.
But to protect against the Colorado potato beetle, which, as it turned out, also does not tolerate the smell of pine, I prepare a more concentrated solution - 4 liters of broth per 6 liters of water.
By the way, in order to protect potatoes from wireworm, you do not need to prepare infusions or decoctions, but you can use coniferous litter from the forest.
To do this, in the spring, when tubers are planted, a handful of pine needles must be added to each hole, and the enemy will be defeated: the smell of rotting needles will disorient the pest.
Fortunately, there are no slugs on my garden plot, but my friend, having suffered with these voracious pests, found salvation in coniferous litter. Now, along the perimeter of each bed, she pours rollers of coniferous needles, and the slugs are unable to get to the leaves and fruits of vegetables. She does the same in the case of trees and shrubs, the young leaves of which slugs love to feast on: she makes rounded sides of needles in their near-trunk circles.