Tomato cultivation needs to be done carefully for a high-yielding result. For growing tomatoes successfully, the biological factors must be favorable. It needs rich and fertile soil and sunny and sheltered spots. Besides these factors, you must be careful of the enemies that spoil it. Whiteflies are the biggest enemies which restrict plant growth. It will spread all over the tomato plants quickly in no time.
Hence, you need a high-potash fertilizer once you notice the flower popping from the plant. The best insecticide for whiteflies is available, which kills them without harming the plants. But, you must know different ways to control whiteflies in tomatoes, including the application of insecticide.
Ways To Control The Whiteflies
Inspection Of The Plants
You need to inspect once the plant grows to its medium size. The underside of the leaves is home to whiteflies or their nymphs. If the plant is infected, you can identify the small white pods. Also, you can check the presence of whiteflies on it. When you find this, it's time to bring the whitefly control insecticide. You can get insecticides and fertilizers specially formulated to kill whiteflies.
Remove The Plant Debris
Dead plants and debris can attract insects easily. It can become whiteflies' breeding ground. Some weed species around the plant bed will reduce insect attacks on tomato plants. The weeds will become the alternative food for the whiteflies. Remove the plant debris as quickly as possible from the surrounding.
Silver Plastic Mulch
Cover the tomato plant bed with silver plastic mulch. It repels the whiteflies; this process must be done before starting the tomato plantation; this mulch will protect the young plants for several weeks. It will act as a protective layer until the foliage forms lush and blocks mulch.
Choose The Right Insecticide
Before you choose the insecticide, you must know about the whiteflies and which chemical ingredients can kill them easily. It should not be too highly concentrated, which can adversely affect the growing plant. Check the label of the insecticide to know the ingredients. Imidacloprid is the best to kill whiteflies. After choosing the insecticide NZ, check out the treatment area. Also, learn about the required safety equipment to spray the product.
Find Out The Infected Plants
Spray the insecticides on the infected tomato plants. You can concentrate the spray on the highly infected parts, especially on the underside of the leaves where whiteflies breed. You can repeat the insecticide application every three days. Continue this until you see no whiteflies on it.
You can spray it in the morning and late evening to minimize contact with other beneficial insects. The insecticidal spray will work while wet. Hence, before application, rinse the infected tomato plants with clear water a day after applying the insecticide for the removal of residue.
Remove Yellow Whitefly Traps
Remove the sticky traps surrounding the tomato plants' base. This will restrict the adult population and control the whitefly's breeding. You can replace the traps after losing their stickiness. Hence, you can successfully proceed in the cultivation process.
Release The Bugs
You can get bugs from a nursery to release into your cultivating area or garden. The bugs will feed on the flies and eliminate from the tomato plants. The predator insects may become harmful to the plants too. Hence, you need to release the bugs in conjunction with essential control methods.
Check Out For Organically Acceptable Methods
There are organically accepted methods that are accepted to control insects. Spraying oil plus azadirachtin and insecticidal soaps are also. Check out the list of organically certified insecticides before purchasing them.
Proper Monitoring and Treatment Decisions
Routine check-up is necessary on the field. The marginal areas have a chance of high infection. So, you must always stay alert to check the rapid migration of whiteflies. During the migration period, you have to check the fields twice every week. Proper monitoring will lead you to restrict the breeding of whiteflies at the initial stage. The sticky traps, which are yellow in color, are helpful in detecting whitefly migrations into the plants.
Wise Treatment Process
The treatment process should be undertaken smartly. This will allow the controlling of whitefly infestations effectively. When you notice higher breeding of whiteflies at the field margins than the centers, apply the insecticides only on field margins. It will lead to cost-effective treatment by wisely using insecticides. You can also consult an expert with the infected leaf samples for an effective treatment process.
Final Words
Once you understand the right ways to control whiteflies, it will lead to higher yielding. Ensure not to disturb the infested plant and handle it carefully. Both the adults and nymphs will damage the tomato plant ultimately. The initial symptoms will be leaf yellowing and stunted growth. Delaying the treatment process can lead to extreme loss of crops. Hence, you need to choose a suitable insecticide to kill them.