Tobacco dust as a means of controlling cucumber pests

Natural pest control products for the garden inspire confidence among gardeners. Cucumbers are treated with tobacco dust throughout the season, saving the harvest. Whiteflies, aphids, and thrips reproduce quickly. If infested plants aren't treated, you could be left without cucumbers.

Description of the drug

Tobacco is a plant grown on an industrial scale. Dust is a byproduct of its processing. It is packaged and sold as a pest control product for gardens and other gardens. The composition of tobacco dust:

• 5% nitrogen;
• 3% potassium;
• 2% phosphorus;
• 1% nicotine.

The product's insecticidal properties come from nicotine, which causes paralysis in cucumber pests. It's used in greenhouses, gardens, and vegetable patches to control several types of insects:

• aphids;
• ants;
• leaf rollers;
• copperhead.

There are various methods of application: dusting the above-ground part of the cucumber, adding it to the soil, spraying the bushes with an infusion or decoction of tobacco dust.

For the needs of gardeners, the industry produces several types of products containing tobacco production waste.

In addition, they produce tobacco dust plus mixtures:

• slaked lime;
• ash - Tabazol,
• shag dust;
• mustard - Tabagor.

There's a product that contains all the listed ingredients except mustard. It's an inexpensive Kazakh remedy called nasvay. It's used to maintain soil fertility during intensive land use.

Methods of protecting cucumbers from pests using tobacco dust

To treat cucumbers and other garden crops, you need a garden pollinator. You can buy one at a gardening store or make one yourself. Homemade devices produce a less powerful stream, so the spray is more economical.

In early summer, young cucumbers often suffer from aphid infestations. To combat them, prepare a decoction:

• take ½ cup of tobacco dust;
• fill it with 1 liter of water;
• boil for 30 minutes;
• leave to infuse for 24 hours;
• strain;
• dilute with water in a ratio of 1:2.

Add a small amount of liquid soap (10 ml) to the decoction; it will act as an adhesive. Spray the leaves on both sides. Repeat the treatment after a week. Cucumbers can be sprayed with the tobacco dust decoction three times during the season.

Tobacco infusion destroys all types of aphids It's better than a decoction, but it takes longer to prepare. The powder is taken in the same proportions, poured with boiling water, and steeped for three days. The liquid prepared this way has a higher concentration of active ingredients.

Greenhouses often struggle with aphids and whiteflies. Gardeners fumigate them with tobacco dust. A small amount of kindling is placed in a metal container and a low flame is started. Tobacco dust is added at a rate of 5 g/m³.

Greenhouses are fumigated 2-3 days before planting cucumbers (seeds or seedlings). The treatment lasts 2 hours. After 2 hours, open the doors, wait at least 3 hours, then enter the greenhouse wearing a respirator and open all vents.

From slugs

Tobacco dust is effective against all types of slugs. To protect cucumber beds from these garden pests, two treatments are carried out. After the first nicotine hit, the mollusks secrete a large amount of mucus and shed their mucous membranes. A second dose of nicotine kills them.

Destroy slugs in the following way:

• mix 1 part slaked lime and 1 part tobacco dust;
• the mixture is sprinkled around the perimeter of the bed;
• mixture consumption: 25 g/m²;
• After 2 days, repeat the treatment.

The treatment is carried out in the evening. Choose a warm, windless day.

From ants

Several species of ants inhabit gardens. Some herd aphids, others feed on fruit. The habitats and routes of shepherd ants are sprinkled with tobacco dust. The nests of fruit-eating ants are doused with mash.

It is mixed from the drug Tabagor or tobacco dust:

• powder (2 tbsp.) is poured with hot water (2 l);
• bring to a boil;
• boil for 30 minutes;
• insist for 24 hours;
• strain;
• add water, bring the volume to 5 l;
• add 2 tbsp of liquid soap.

From thrips

This pest infests various vegetables and can easily infest greenhouses where cucumbers are grown. By sucking the juices from the leaves, the parasite weakens the immune system. Bushes infested by it are more susceptible to fungal diseases than others.

To prepare the infusion, use a mixture of tobacco and shag. The latter has a higher nicotine concentration. This folk remedy is easy to prepare:

• tobacco dust – 1 part;
• water (hot) – 10 parts;
• leave for 3 days;
• strain.

From spider mites

A large colony spider mites It's difficult to eradicate. It's controlled with strong pesticides. Acaricides are used. In the early stages of infestation, tobacco dust is used.

The treatment is carried out twice. First, the bushes are sprayed with an infusion. A thrips control formula is used. After two days, the plants are fumigated. In the garden, the procedure lasts 1-1.5 hours. In the greenhouse, it takes 30 minutes. Personal protective equipment is worn.

Using the preparation as a fertilizer

A mixture of tobacco dust with mustard or ash is added during soil preparation for planting. It prevents pests and activates soil bacteria. The mixture contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential for cucumbers at all stages of growth.

Dry powder is applied to the soil once every two years during bed preparation. When asked whether it can be applied more frequently, experts say no. 300 g of the product is required per 100 m², and 30 g per 10 m² bed. At the third leaf stage, cucumbers are fed once with a liquid solution:

• water – 10 l;
• tobacco dust – 2 tbsp.

From leafhoppers on apple and pear trees

The pest damages the leaves and bark of pear and apple trees. This weakens the fruit trees' immune system, slows their growth, and inhibits wood maturation, leading to reduced frost resistance. The excretions the pest leaves on the leaves attract insects.

Tobacco dust is a popular remedy for apple and pear psyllids. It is used in two ways:

• fumigation;
• spraying with infusion.

A small fire is lit in a tin can. The bottom is pierced in several places to allow airflow. Smoke envelops the tree's crown, killing insects upon contact. The process lasts 30 minutes.

The effect is more noticeable if you light a tobacco smoke bomb. It resembles a cigar. It's lit with a regular match and placed under a bush or tree. When burning, it produces thick, upward-rising smoke.

An infusion for leafhoppers is prepared as follows:

• boil 1 liter of water;
• pour ½ cup of tobacco dust into it;
• insist for 2 days;
• Before use, add water (2 l) and soap (10 g).

Precautionary measures

If the product comes into contact with human skin or mucous membranes, it can cause an allergic reaction; it has a certain degree of toxicity. This should be kept in mind when working with tobacco dust (dusting, adding to soil) and when preparing decoctions and infusions.

Gloves should be worn when working to protect the skin of your hands. The mucous membranes of the mouth and nose should be protected with a gauze bandage or a household disposable or reusable respirator. When working with solutions, it's best to protect your eyes from splashes with goggles. When fumigating fruit trees, protect your respiratory system with a gas mask; a respirator will not be sufficient.

Gardeners have long used tobacco dust. It's an inexpensive and effective folk remedy. It can be used to protect cucumbers and other vegetable and garden crops from pests.