How is aphid control on fruit trees carried out? Effective remedies and drugs
Content:
If a pest such as aphids has appeared on your trees, you should not breed panic and run to buy all possible drugs to combat it. The first step is to understand the reason why aphids started on fruit trees. After all, it is by understanding the reason that you can choose the right method of dealing with it. Also, folk remedies cope wonderfully with this scourge. The main thing is to start the fight on time.
You can get rid of the insect pest as much as possible only if you act on it in a complex. By itself, the processing of trees from this insect takes place in several stages.
Aphids on fruit trees: where does it come from
The first step to help in the fight against insects is mechanical extermination. Of course, this is a rather laborious process, because all insects must be collected by hand. The maximum you can make the process a little easier is if you knock insects off a tree with a powerful jet of water.
But still, if the branches or the top of the tree is badly damaged, it is better to cut them off with a sharp pruner and burn them. And the very place of the cut must be coated with garden varnish. You can also plant plants near the trees that will scare away insects.
For this, spicy herbs with a strong smell, as well as nettles, are suitable. The smell of these plants will flock other insects that will eat the aphids. And also on a tree you can hang an ordinary feeder to which birds will flock and simply peck at all harmful insects.
It is also easy to secure your tree with folk remedies.
And also chemicals can be used. But it is necessary to carry out the treatment carefully, only in the spring when the ovary has not yet appeared, and the dosage of the drugs must be followed strictly according to the instructions.
To know exactly how to get rid of aphids, you first need to understand where it comes from. Aphids appear on fruit trees by several reasons:
- This is the appearance of aphids from a neighboring area. Fighting neighbors who stubbornly refuse to heal their trees is useless. Therefore, the only way out for you in this case will be only the prevention of plants in your area. Regular processing of your garden, or the settling of such predatory insects as a ladybug and lacewing on your site. They will feed on insect pests.
- It's about picking the right amount of fertilizer. After all, when there are too many of them, then for aphids it is only a joy.
How to deal with aphids on fruit trees: folk methods of struggle
When you remove aphids from a fruit tree, never forget that the means for control must be safe for the fruit, and in the future for humans. If you endlessly use chemistry, then finally this will not save you from the problem of pests, but this will significantly harm the future harvest, and the tree itself.
When aphids have just appeared on fruit trees, and you paid attention to this in time, folk methods will perfectly cope with insects, and this will not harm the tree, nor the fruit, nor in the future to your body.
Strong and pungent smell will scare away insects ammonia alcohol. It will absolutely not harm your plant. On the contrary, the ammonia itself will enrich the tree itself and the soil around it with vitamins. Solutions using ammonia can be made in different ways.
- For a 10 liter bucket of water, you need to grate ¼ of laundry soap and add 55 grams of ammonia. Mix everything well so that the soap is completely dissolved. And completely process all young shoots from a spray bottle.
- You can also use laundry detergent. For 10 liters of water, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of detergent and 2 tbsp. spoons of ammonia. The solution must be mixed well so that the powder is completely dissolved in the water, and the entire tree must be sprayed with a spray bottle.
- If you decide to protect your garden with ammonia, then remember that the treatment is carried out at least 4-5 times, but 2 days should pass between spraying. And the processing itself is carried out only in the evenings, when beneficial insects no longer fly.
Another great folk method of aphid treatment is soda... This solution is also completely safe and very effective.
¼ laundry soap must be completely dissolved in a bucket of hot water and after the water has cooled down, add soda to the bucket. For effectiveness in 1 liter of water, you need to add 2 tbsp. tablespoons of soda. But be sure to keep in mind that if you have soda ash, then it needs half as much.
You can process the tree with such a solution immediately after you have prepared it. But this can be done only in early spring, while the trunk is bare, and young foliage has not yet appeared. The entire tree must be processed completely.
In addition to protecting you from aphid infestation, it will also help prevent fungal diseases and infections.
A simple one will also help you get rid of aphids. table vinegar... After all, its pungent smell will easily scare away absolutely all pests and instantly solve the problem with aphids. Moreover, vinegar can be any: both table and apple cider.
But when using vinegar, it is imperative to observe the dosage. Otherwise, you can simply burn all the young greens.
1 teaspoon of vinegar is needed per liter of water. If apple cider vinegar then 1 tbsp. a spoon. And also you need to add a little liquid soap to the solution. This is done so that the solution adheres better. With this solution, it is necessary to process the wood from a spray bottle, mainly from the lower side of the sheet.
If there is an excess of nitrogen in the ground. That plant resists pests worse. And for this, ash treatment... For this solution, take 3 kg of sifted, clean wood ash. Pour 10 liters of hot water and leave for 2 days.
After the solution is infused, you need to add 3 tbsp. spoons of any soap. And treat the tree with this solution.
You can immediately take 1.5 kg of wood ash and mix with 50 grams of soap, pour a bucket of hot water and insist for a day.
You can take 300 grams of wood ash and pour 1 liter of hot water over it and boil for half an hour. Then pour the solution into a bucket of water and dissolve a piece of laundry soap in it.
You can also add makhorka to the ash solution. You need to take an equal amount of ash and dry makhorka, pour a bucket of water and leave for a day in a dark place. After that, the solution must be drained and treated with a spray bottle.
Another simple and budgetary option for dealing with aphids is celandine... This plant grows in almost every area. Also, in addition to aphids, it easily helps to get rid of many other pests.
And in dried form, it fertilizes the earth remarkably. But for infusion, it is suitable only fresh. Although celandine is poisonous, it will not do any harm to the tree.
4 kg of crushed celandine, together with the roots, are poured with a bucket of warm water and left to infuse for only 3 hours. This time is quite enough for the solution to be infused. Then the infusion must be filtered and all the lower leaves, branches and the trunk of the tree must be sprayed with a spray bottle.
Remedies for aphids on fruit trees: preparations for control
Aphids on fruit trees are removed using chemicals. There are 4 groups of chemicals for getting rid of insect pests.But before you grab onto chemistry, you need to think carefully. After all, each group has its own recommendations for its application.
1. Systemic drugs
To combat such a pest as aphids on fruit trees, they easily penetrate the plant, and its sap becomes poison. Inside, this poison lasts for a very long time, you can get rid of all insects in just two weeks.
But you need to use drugs in this group strictly at a certain time. In the spring, when there is still no hint of flowering, and even more so the ovary of fruits, or in the fall after the entire harvest has been collected.
2. Contact drugs
Preparations of this group destroy pests only by getting on them. So during spraying, it is imperative to find the lesion and treat it well with the drug.
3. This is a group of drugs for intestinal effects
These chemicals are capable of killing an insect within a few hours after the poison enters the body.
4. These are biological drugs
They are able to safely deal with the insect problem. But they must be properly stored and used strictly following the instructions. Otherwise, there will simply be no effect.
"Aktara" Is a broad-spectrum insecticide. It infects aphids, and they, in turn, stop eating foliage just an hour after treatment. And after a week, you will need to re-process, and only then you will completely get rid of the aphids.
This drug belongs to the intestinal drugs. Chemicals penetrate plant tissues, killing hidden parasites as well. But in the case of using this drug, it is imperative to observe the dosage and processing time. All the necessary information is written in the instructions for the drug.
"Karbaphos" - this drug has a very pungent odor, thanks to which it acts on insects very quickly. With its help, you can get rid of all pests in just a week. The main thing is that this drug is absolutely harmless to the human body.
Its smell will disappear after a while, but the effect remains. But this drug has one drawback. It acts only on adult insects, because it affects them through the intestines. But for getting rid of the larvae, it is absolutely useless.
If you nevertheless decide to use this drug, then you need to do this several times at regular intervals in order to poison all adult insects. And there was no one to lay the larvae.
The first treatment with "Carbaphos" should be carried out at the time of bud break, and the second at the moment when the buds begin to turn pink.
"Commander" Is one of the systemic chemicals. This drug helps to get rid not only of the insects themselves, but also of their larvae. For treatment with this drug, neither heat nor rain is terrible. And among gardeners, it is very popular due to its effectiveness, low consumption of the drug and low price.
Fitoverm - it is necessary to use this drug in accordance with the instructions for its use. But its main advantage is that it is absolutely harmless to humans. And for a fruit tree, it is completely safe at any stage of fruiting.
So you can harvest in just a week after processing. If you have chosen this biological preparation to get rid of aphids, then you must follow all the rules for its storage. The result of getting rid of insects directly depends on this.
You can also use the drug "Aktofit" or "Arrow". It is also necessary to dilute these drugs in accordance with the instructions written on the package. And they need to be processed twice a season with an interval of 14 days.
You can use these drugs immediately after you notice the first signs of insect pests.
How to deal with aphids on fruit trees: reducing the risk of aphid infestation
With the onset of spring and the first warmth, the first juicy, young, green foliage appears on fruit trees, on which very small multi-colored larvae can appear - this is a garden aphid.
This insect grows only 5 mm long, but it does great harm to the tree. If you do not get rid of it in time, you can lose not only the harvest of this year, but also the entire next one.
Basically, aphids on fruit trees appear immediately after warm weather sets in and the buds on the tree are just beginning to bloom. Most often, aphids infect trees such as apple, plum, cherry, apricot and peach.
Aphids on fruit trees easily suck out all the juices from the leaves, which is why they begin to dry out. And thanks to the excellent nutrition, the aphid develops very quickly and in a short time easily infects the entire tree.
For the entire season, aphids on fruit trees can produce offspring up to 20 times. And since after the defeat of a whole tree, food already becomes insufficient for it, insects appear that are able to fly to other trees and plants, already infecting them.
Isolation of the waste products of aphids is an excellent environment for the development of the fungus. So in addition to the fact that the aphids themselves on fruit trees can simply destroy your crop, so also the fungus can simply kill your fruit tree.
The most effective way to combat aphids is prevention... After all, it is always easier to prevent than to get rid of pests later.
In the autumn after the harvest has been harvested, and then in early spring, immediately after the snow has melted, layers of old bark must be removed from the tree. After all, they serve as an excellent shelter for aphids for the winter, and they remarkably lay their larvae there.
The cleaned trunk must be disinfected with a solution of copper sulfate. The main thing is to observe the dosage: 600 grams of vitriol must be diluted into 10 liters of warm water. And after processing, it is advisable to whiten the trunk with ordinary lime.
Regular treatment must be carried out during the swelling of the kidneys.
It is also necessary feed and all the nutrients the tree needs in the right proportion. And weakened or damaged branches must be cut out, because they will be the very first to be affected by aphids.
Ants are considered carriers of aphids.... That is why you need to get rid of them by any means.
It is also best to create all the conditions in the garden for attracting ladybirds... This predator will easily rid you of many pests. And plants such as dill, dandelions, yarrow and daisies planted next to the tree can attract a ladybug. The scent of these plants quickly attracts predators.
The choice of exactly how to get rid of aphids always remains with the gardener. BUT ways to fight total 4. This:
- Chemicals.
- Mechanical method.
- Biological method.
- Folk remedies.
Any of the ways to carry out the processing of the garden should be at least twice a season. The first time during bud break, and the second during flowering and ovary. And the rest of the processing should take place depending on your specific situation and weather conditions in your region.
Chemicals there are just a huge amount in stores, they do an excellent job with aphids. But the main task of every gardener is the correct choice of the drug. Basically, chemicals are used when other means are already powerless.
"Confidor" Is a systemic drug that is simply absorbed into the plant. To process wood, you need to take 1 ml of the drug and dilute it in 8 liters of warm water. After a month, you can re-process.
"Fas" - This drug is available in tablets. The solution requires only 1 tablet per 10 liters of water. Re-processing should be done after two weeks.
"Karate" - for the solution of this drug, rainwater is needed. To process wood, you need to take 2 ml of the drug and dilute it in 10 liters of warm water. Re-processing is carried out after 2-3 weeks, the amount of the drug must be taken in the same amount as in the first time.
For mechanical processing there are only two tricks.Of course, this is a very troublesome activity, but effective and does absolutely no harm to either the tree itself or its fruits.
- 1 way... This is the removal from the tree of all affected foliage immediately after the appearance of the first insects. It is important to do this right away, until the pest has completely affected all the foliage.
- 2 way... This is washing the whole tree with a strong jet of cold water. It is because of the cold water that the insect is paralyzed and soon dies. It is best to wash the wood several times at regular intervals. For example, once every two weeks.
Biological the method of getting rid of insects is divided into two types.
- This is the protection of plants with the help of living organisms.
- The use of biologicals.
For example, to protect against insects, plants with strong odors such as dill, carrots, parsley, etc. can be planted next to the tree. These plants will attract beneficial predatory insects such as ladybugs or lacewings.
Also, aphids are deterred by the smell of lavender, thyme and legumes. Gardeners also recommend growing nasturtium next to cherries.
Preparations "Akarin", "Fitoverm" do an excellent job with aphids due to the fact that they are made on the waste products of the microorganism - aversectin.
Many gardeners try to use folk remedies... First, these funds are very cheap. And secondly, which is a priority for many, is that these methods are completely harmless to the plant, as well as to the fruit of the tree. And, accordingly, for the human body.
Aphids on fruit trees are also displayed in the following ways:
Soap solution - solutions for getting rid of aphids are prepared on the basis of soap. After all, soap has a detrimental effect on the pest, which is why it is very popular among gardeners.
To prepare the solution, take 2 tbsp. tablespoons of grated soap and dilute it in 1 liter of water, and you also need to add 2 cups of sunflower oil there. You need to process a tree 2 times a week. In the future, with a new appearance of the pest, the treatment can be repeated.
Garlic solution - due to the pungent smell and liquid that is inside the garlic, it simply corrodes the body of the parasite. For this solution, you need to take half a liter of water and dilute in it 5 teaspoons of crushed garlic and 2 teaspoons of sunflower oil and 1 teaspoon of liquid soap.
The solution must be mixed well and treated with wood.
Hot pepper decoction - this solution simply burns insects. After combustion, the pests simply turn black and fall off the leaves. For this broth, you need to pour 300 grams of hot pepper with 3 liters of water and boil for 1 hour.
Then infuse the broth for 2 days, after which it must be filtered and diluted in 7 liters of water. And immediately after that, processing can be carried out.
Infusion of celandine - thanks to this solution, aphids die almost instantly. To do this, you need to take 400 grams of crushed celandine and pour 1 liter of water. This solution is infused during the day, and then boiled for an hour.
After that, the solution is diluted in 5 liters of water. Then you can carry out the processing.
Tobacco tincture - for this infusion, you need to pour 1 liter of water and 40 grams of dry tobacco. This solution must be infused for two days, after which it must be filtered. Then another 1 liter of water is added to the infusion.
In the future, this solution must be diluted before use in the ratio of 2 liters of infusion to 5 liters of water.
Since this pest is very small in size, it can develop on absolutely any plants. If aphids still start in your garden, despite all the preventive actions, then plant protection should be immediately carried out in a complex and combine several drugs with each other.
What is the danger of aphid infection
Aphids on fruit trees are very harmful.And so many gardeners are faced with a choice, which will be better: effective pesticides or folk remedies? The gardener has to fight for the harvest from the very beginning of spring.
After all, pests can appear on any shrubs and trees. But it is precisely the aphid that is the smallest and most harmful insect. Aphids feel best on young leaves and shoots. And then in a short time it spreads throughout the plant.
Experienced gardeners already know how to get rid of aphids. After all, they have clearly already faced this misfortune. But for beginners in gardening this is a whole problem, but having chosen the right method of struggle, they still successfully cope with this scourge.
If aphids appear on fruit trees, then you will immediately notice it, because the leaves immediately turn yellow and begin to curl. On such sheets, you can easily see insects on the back of the sheet. And also this pest develops very quickly on the trunk of a tree, on its shoots and buds, feeding on its sap.
With the same success, aphids can appear not only on fruit trees, but even on birch, poplar and other forest trees.
If pest control is not started immediately, then the consequences can be the most dire for the plant.
When aphids appear on young shoots, they will eat all the foliage on them. Accordingly, the tree will not develop correctly, which will significantly affect the future harvest.
Also, attacking plants, aphids easily suck out all the juices from the plant and naturally destroy it.
Aphids promote the development of fungus and carry various infectious diseases. But if the infection is not immediately overcome, then the fruit tree will simply die.
If aphid appears, then it must be destroyed immediately, otherwise it will spread to the entire garden, and quickly destroy all plants.
When leaves appear in an insect during its development, it easily travels long distances. And accordingly, even more plants will become infected not only in their own area, but also in neighboring ones.
By the way, it is very useful to know that if aphids appear on a tree, then most likely ants will also settle there.
And they appear there and feel great thanks to the excretion of waste products. This liquid that insects secrete is sweet, which is why ants love it very much.
Aphids must be fought immediately, and different means must be chosen for this purpose. Moreover, these funds must be regularly alternated with each other.
Mechanical means - effective when the aphid has just started up, and there are still few insects. Insects are collected from trees by hand or by force of water. If the branches of the tree are already badly damaged by aphids, then it is best to remove them with a pruner.
Biological agents - in this case, plants that repel insects are planted around the tree. Moreover, herbs with a strong smell attract beneficial predatory insects. And also some birds like to eat harmful insects.
So it is recommended to install birdhouses in your garden. And hang feeders on the trees to attract more birds. Also, plants can be planted in the garden whose smell cannot be tolerated by pests, such as onions, garlic and the like.
Folk ways insect control is also very effective. These methods include treating trees with various substances and liquids that are harmless to plants and humans, which are simply destructive to aphids.
If you started to fight aphids already summer, then you need to use folk methods, because the fruits at this time have already begun to form, which means that chemicals cannot be used. preparing a liquid to combat aphids will not be difficult at all:
A solution of ammonia - for this solution you need to take 55 ml of ammonia, 2 tbsp. spoons of liquid, and best of all tar, soap and dilute it all in 10 liters of water. Trees are treated with this solution several times per season.
By the way, it is worth remembering that ammonia will not only destroy aphids, but also will be a kind of plant nutrition.
Great for getting rid of insects ordinary baking soda... 1 tbsp. a spoonful of soda should be diluted in 1 liter of water. It is advisable to treat trees with this solution every five days.
If you take soda ash instead of regular baking soda, then the dosage changes. You need 2 sl. tablespoons of soda, 1 tbsp. spoon of liquid soap and dilute it with 1 liter of water. Treatment with a soda solution can be carried out at any stage of tree development.
It is also great to get rid of pests will help iodine and serum... In 10 liters of water, you need to dilute 1 liter of milk whey and 1 teaspoon of iodine.
Aphids are also effectively used infusion of celandine... This infusion also needs potato and tomato tops. This greens filled with water is insisted for three days, then filtered.
Before using, you need to add ¼ a piece of laundry soap to the solution and after it is completely dissolved, spray the tree from a spray bottle.
Also, a reliable remedy for getting rid of aphids is garlic infusion.
Experienced gardeners recommend onion infusion, or an infusion of onion peels. With the same success, you can prepare an infusion of pine tops.
Aphids can also be poisoned mustard powder, or a mustard solution. You can get rid of the nest with dry powder by simply sprinkling it on it. And for the solution, you need to dissolve 100 grams of powder in a bucket of water and spray the trees.
Due to its smell, the usual table vinegar. Only the dosage must be strictly observed, otherwise you risk simply burning your plant. You need to take 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vinegar in 10 liters of water.
You can fight aphids using the usual vodka... Moreover, you do not need to dilute vodka with water, you just need to add a little liquid soap to it.
But if you decide to get rid of aphids using hydrogen peroxide, then this must be done very carefully. It is necessary to spray the plant with a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. This is done both for getting rid of the insect and for prophylaxis.
In general, there are a lot of folk recipes for getting rid of aphids. You can also get rid of insects with the help of ash, birch tar, boric acid, etc. The most important plus in folk methods is that they kill insects, but for fruits and humans they are absolutely harmless.
But to get the result, the garden will have to be processed several times. And the interval between treatments should be several days. The plus is that processing can be carried out at any stage of plant development.
Experienced gardeners provide many tips for getting rid of aphids, which are very useful especially for beginners. The main rule of processing is regularity. Because after the first treatment, only part of the insects is destroyed, which is why the treatment is carried out several times.
In the summer, you need to carry out processing constantly, because insects release their wings and infect all plants in the area. Due to the fact that they easily fly long distances, many gardens in the area suffer from one unscrupulous gardener.
That is why it is necessary to carry out prevention, because you never know from which side and when exactly this attack can be expected.
Some gardeners do not pay attention to aphids, believing that these small bugs are simply not serious. Although it is precisely they who are capable of completely destroying your plants and fruit trees. Due to the fact that the aphid itself is very small, this insect grows only 5 mm in length, then some simply do not notice it.
Especially if the gardener is a beginner and does not even know what this pest looks like.And the aphid at this time develops and feeds on the sap of the plant, and actively dries the foliage of the tree.
Moreover, the most difficult thing in the initial detection of aphids, while it has not yet spoiled your plant, is that it can be of different colors, both green and black, yellow, etc.
And the presence of aphids on a fruit tree, in turn, has a very strong effect on the future harvest. There are several reasons why aphids can grow in your garden:
- The fruit tree is overly fertilized.
- Aphids got into your garden by transferring wind from a neighboring site.
The neighbors did not bring out the aphids on their site in time, they managed to develop and spread their wings. And then she can infect plants anywhere.
You can understand that your tree is infected with aphids by several signs: a liquid, sticky layer appears on the plants where aphids have appeared.
Clusters of small insects can be seen on the leaves.
Those leaves that have been affected by aphids begin to dry out and curl. At the same time, it changes color and over time it simply falls off. If this insect is not removed immediately, as soon as it appears, then the consequences for your garden will be quite serious.
If a fruit tree has suffered from an insect, then this threatens: not only by the fact that the pest will drink all the juices from the foliage, but also by the fact that it will easily transfer to young shoots and will suck the juice out of them.
Accordingly, the tree will no longer develop and grow correctly. And the amount of the harvest will be much less than expected.
Also, aphids very easily transfer infections and fungal diseases. This often simply kills the plants.
If aphids start up on young seedlings and shoots, then it will simply not destroy them.
It is very important to start fighting aphids immediately after they appear, because in a short time you will have more than one pest on your tree, but also black ants. That is why it is necessary to fight not only with aphids, but also with ants.
There is no need to wait until the second stage of insect development begins, and they will have wings. Because then not only your garden will suffer, but all the gardens around you.
Chemicals, as a rule, used in several stages, and strictly in a certain dosage. The first treatment should be carried out in early spring, immediately after the snow melts. This treatment is carried out as a preventive measure.
In this case, drugs such as "Urea", copper sulfate and Bordeaux liquid are best suited.
The next treatment is carried out at a time when the kidneys are swelling. Also, when planting a seedling in spring, it is imperative to carry out its preventive treatment. The main thing is that processing in no case should be carried out during the ripening of the crop.
In total, there are 4 groups of drug separation:
Systemic - these are the drugs that penetrate the inside of the plant. After treating a plant with such preparations, plant sap becomes simply a deadly poison for pests.
Contact means - they kill insects at the moment when they get on them during the processing of wood. The most popular among contact drugs are: "Fufan", "Arrivo", "Fury" and some others.
Intestinal preparations - these drugs enter the insect's body and kill it through the intestines. All of these drugs work very quickly. In this case, such means as Bi-58 and Confidor have proven themselves well.
Biological preparations - they are most effective and safe, but they are effective only when stored properly. In this case, very effective and popular drugs are:
Fitoferm - this tool must be used, strictly observing the dosage, and it can be used no later than a week before harvesting.
Aktara - This drug is available in powder. The floor of such a bag must be diluted in a bucket of water and the plant must be treated during flowering. But the dosage should never be increased.
Confidor - this drug just kills insects through the intestines.It is simply absorbed into the tree and, accordingly, its foliage. This tool also needs to be used only according to the instructions and be sure to take into account the dosage.
For 8 liters of water, only 1 ml of the drug is needed. The finished solution is sprayed onto the wood using a spray bottle.
Fufan - this is also an intestinal contact agent, and that for him it mainly kills not only aphids, but also other harmful insects. The dosage for this drug is 2 ml diluted in 1.5 liters of water.
They need to be used carefully, because this tool still poses, albeit small, but a danger to the human body. The main thing is to store this drug correctly, because it may lose its effectiveness.
Aktofit - this preparation is biological and saves the garden not only from aphids, but also from many harmful insects. For a solution of this drug, you need to dilute 7 ml per 1 liter of water. Trees and plants are processed in two stages, the interval between which should be 14 days.
The dosage of the drug is always the same, but nevertheless, before using it, you should look at the instructions for its use.
Of course, there are many ways to combat such an insect pest as aphids, both folk and chemical preparations. Moreover, the drugs must be used carefully, carefully observe the dosage, which is always written in the instructions.
Also, do not forget about proper storage. It directly contributes to efficiency in use. Traditional methods, of course, are completely safe for both plants and humans, they are very cheap, but still require effort.
So it is better and easier for the gardener and for the harvest, this is prevention. After all, it is always easier to prevent diseases and insect infestations than to treat them later and try to get rid of them.