Ammonia for Colorado potato beetles

Ammonia is considered an effective remedy for Colorado potato beetles on potatoes, as well as other pests. It's one of the few folk remedies that truly helps get rid of insects that ruin your garden.Many gardeners appreciate ammonia as a remedy for Colorado potato beetles due to its affordability—it can be purchased at any pharmacy for a small fee—and the ease of preparing solutions.

Description and characteristics of ammonia against the Colorado potato beetle

Ammonia's pungent, unpleasant odor helps it combat pests. It can quickly bring even humans to their senses, making it easy to kill insects. Pests are especially wary of ammonia, which contains 9% of the compound. The two main ways to use ammonia against Colorado potato beetles are by fertilizing and spraying plants. We'll discuss these two methods in more detail below.

Rules for fertilizing potatoes with ammonia

Ammonia has a positive effect on potatoes only if the correct solution is prepared. Adding too much ammonia to the water during preparation can harm not only the potatoes but also yourself if you subsequently eat the tubers.

When fertilizing vegetable crops, add no more than 3 tablespoons of 25% ammonia. The maximum permissible dosage is 1 teaspoon of ammonia per liter of water. This should only be used if the plant shows obvious signs of nitrogen deficiency; ammonia will replenish the missing component.

When fertilizing potatoes with ammonia, it's crucial to water the plants correctly. Ammonia is a highly volatile substance, and if watered incorrectly, it can disappear.

Fertilize potatoes with ammonia at sunset, after you've watered the plants with regular water. This is the optimal time, but on cloudy days, fertilizing can also be done early in the morning after sunrise.

Ammonia and Coca-Cola: what is the effectiveness of the solution?

Ammonia can also be used for potatoes in combination with the popular drink Coca-Cola. Few people haven't heard of the benefits of this drink at home, but far fewer know about its use in gardens. The power of this ammonia-Coca-Cola solution lies in the combination of ammonia, found in ammonia, and phosphoric acid, found in Coca-Cola. Phosphorus is found in many pest control products and is quite effective against Colorado potato beetles.

Despite Coca-Cola's usefulness in agriculture, using it undiluted is not recommended, as the drink's sweet aroma can attract insects. Not only will you fail to get rid of Colorado potato beetles, but you'll also introduce new pests to your garden.

How to prepare a solution

To prepare a spray solution for plants, you'll need ammonia, water, and Coca-Cola. In this case, you'll only need a few drops of ammonia, while the Coca-Cola and water should be mixed in a 1:1 ratio. Due to the high concentration of cola, and therefore phosphorus, the solution will work faster. However, don't rush to pour in liters of the solution, as even a weak solution will be noticeable within 24 hours. Incidentally, the solution begins to control insects as soon as it hits the potato leaves.

If your garden doesn't have many Colorado potato beetles, you can mix 2 liters of Coca-Cola, 7 liters of water, and a few drops of ammonia. This solution will be less concentrated, but will still have the desired effect.

Spraying potatoes with this solution should only be done on clear days when rain is clearly not expected. Otherwise, raindrops will wash away the solution, making your efforts useless.

When using ammonia to treat Colorado potato beetles, pay special attention to the undersides of the leaves, as this is where you're most likely to encounter Colorado potato beetle larvae.

Reviews

• A good remedy for Colorado potato beetles. I've been using it for a long time and have never been disappointed. And the main advantage is the price – it's as effective as more expensive products, but it costs pennies.
• Last year, I sprayed my potatoes with an ammonia solution and had no problems with Colorado potato beetles the entire season. This year, I decided to try making a solution with Coca-Cola and was pleasantly surprised by the results: I noticed the effect the very next morning.

As you can tell from the reviews, most gardeners are absolutely delighted with solutions containing ammonia and Coca-Cola. Try this method of fighting Colorado potato beetles in your garden!