Carrots are one of the most popular vegetables to grow in your own garden. However, they must be checked regularly during the season in order to be able to detect an infestation with pests or diseases in good time.

Carrots are particularly vulnerable to pest infestation when many are grown in a small space

threat of many kinds

As with all plants, the occurrence of diseases and pests in carrots is particularly favorable when large quantities of carrots are grown in a small area. Then there are optimal spreading conditions for an infestation of any kind. The most important pests in carrot cultivation in this country are:

  • carrot fly
  • butterfly caterpillars
  • aphids
  • bugs

The carrot fly and its effects

The carrot fly is attracted by the smell of the carrot roots, which is why carrots should only be isolated and thinned out when there is no wind. Fertilization with fresh manure should also be avoided in the carrot bed, as this would encourage the development of fly larvae. The carrot fly lays its eggs around the root neck of the carrot. When the fly larvae hatch after about a week, they eat their feeding tunnels right through the carrots.

Control the carrot fly and other pests

Even if you want to do without chemical antidotes in your own garden, you can take measures against an infestation with carrot flies and other pests. Carrots should only be grown in the same place in the bed every three years. In addition, various intermediate plants can have a deterrent effect on various pests.

Recognize the infestation in good time

The most important thing when combating pests in the vegetable patch is timely detection of the infestation. You can easily check this yourself with a white sheet of paper. Hold this flat next to the green shoots of the moors and gently tap them off. If harmful insects fall onto the paper, they can be seen more easily than on the ground. Be sure to always check your plants at different points in the bed, as an infestation is usually concentrated at one point like a nest.

Using biological weapons to protect against pests

An infestation with harmful insects can be prevented relatively easily if attention is paid to interim planting with certain types of vegetables when sowing the carrots. Some types of vegetables have a repellent effect on the carrot fly and other feeding pests with their smell, these are for example:

  • leek
  • onions
  • calendula
  • tagetes

tips and tricks

If you notice an infestation with pests, you should not dispose of the removed carrots right next to your bed. Let the removed carrots compost in a distant place in the garden or, even better, bury them at least 50 centimeters deep.

WK

Category:

Vegetable garden