Copper wire for tomatoes - a reliable protection against crop diseases
Tomato is one of the most appetizing and popular garden crops, a favorite of housewives and the object of their culinary creativity. But obtaining large yields of tomatoes is hindered by diseases of garden plants. One of the most common of them - late blight.
Phytophthora and how to deal with it
Phytophthora is a fungal disease of plants, which affects mainly nightshade crops. Until the 70s of last century, only one strain of this disease was known, and he perished in the winter. To date, there are two strains, which when crossed with each other give resistant winter conditions to the dispute. They overwinter safely in infected tubers not removed from the fields, in heaps of unburned tops. With precipitation, spores fall into the ground, infecting healthy tubers, and wind spores are transferred to the aboveground part of plants.
All parts of the tomato plant are susceptible to infection. Brown spots, which merge during growth, also appear on stems, and on petioles. On the leaves the disease manifests itself in the form of grayish-brown spots of irregular shape. In the period of high humidity spots on the leaves are covered with white velvety and oily to the touch plaque. If the fruit has not yet developed, then the inflorescences suffer, sepals and peduncles, they dry up and turn black. Brown spots appear on the formed fruit under the skin, increasing over time. Seeds can also be infected.
Phytophthora develops in periods of high humidity, large fluctuations in day and night temperatures. Usually, this coincides with the period of fruiting and harvesting. Very important, that the plant was properly developed and formed, and metabolic processes proceeded normally.
Video "Description"
From the video you will learn a description of tomato disease.
The effect of copper on plants
WITH 1931 year, scientists are studying the effects of copper on plants. In the course of research it became known, that the copper content greatly affects the development of tomatoes, enhancing their growth and improving their formation. Installed, that copper is an extremely important element for all plants without exception, which cannot be replaced by any other. In tomato plants, who do not get enough copper salts, poorly developed root system, twisted leaves, flowers may be absent or a bluish-green dark color may appear.
Copper is involved in such important processes, as protein synthesis and nucleic metabolism. Copper ions form stable complexes with amino acids, which are stronger, than similar compounds of other metals. Copper ions stimulate the initial stages of assimilation of ammonia by plants, play an important role in nitrogen metabolism of plants. Lack of copper compounds causes various disorders of nitrogen metabolism.
Thanks to copper, contained in enzymes, there is an active formation of organic matter (organic acids). And the accumulation of organic matter leads to improved plant nutrition, as well as to increase yields. Copper ions affect the process of photosynthesis and more than half of them are contained in chloroplasts, located in the leaves of plants. Copper has a stabilizing effect on chlorophyll.
Intensity of respiration and protein synthesis under the action of copper ions leads to plant resistance to adverse conditions and diseases, including fungal. Therefore, copper is widely used as a prevention and control of late blight.
Use of copper wire
One of the ways to use copper is copper wire from late blight on tomatoes. Copper wire can be used in several ways. For each of them the wire must be carefully cleaned of plastic residues and treated with sandpaper.
- Before planting in the soil the roots of seedlings wrapped in copper wire. This requires a piece of wire length 50 cm and diameter 0.5 mm.
- You can put a piece of copper plate or wire under each bush. Then with each watering the soil will be enriched with copper ions.
- The most effective way is to pierce the stems of tomatoes with a piece of copper wire. When the sap moves inside the stem, copper ions are naturally distributed in all parts of the bush, having a beneficial effect on the plant, including, and resistance to late blight. This method has certain performance conditions. Protykanie should be carried out two weeks before planting seedlings in the soil or two weeks after it. During this time, the plant is fully adapted to change and will not feel stress during the next manipulation.
If the puncture is carried out on seedlings, not yet planted in the ground, then the wire is inserted at a distance 1 see below the first true leaf. If the procedure is carried out with already planted and adapted seedlings, then the wire should be inserted into the stem at a distance 4-5 cm from the ground wrapped around the tomato, and if the summer is rainy, then at a distance 9-10 cm.
Video "Ways to fight"
You will learn from the video, how to deal with the scourge of tomatoes.
