Fitoverm for indoor plants - how to dilute and apply?

Fitoverm is a biological product that has established itself as an affordable and easy-to-use insect repellent. It is suitable for processing not only garden crops, but also for caring for house plants. The insecticide is used in home gardening to care for delicate flowers; it is mildly toxic and has a quickly manifested effect. Due to the fact that the dosage of Fitoverm varies for different indoor plants, gardeners often have the question of how to dilute the drug.

Who gnaws violet leaves?

Most pests eat the pulp of leaves, stems or roots of indoor flowers. The most common of them: mites, weevils, nematodes. Violets are affected by several species of mites (Acarina). Ticks are extremely small.

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Fitoverm

Description

Fitoverm is a contact preparation of natural origin. The active substance is represented by aversectin C, it contains a whole complex of natural substances with similar chemical structure - avermectins. All of them are a product of the vital activity of the microscopic soil fungus Streptomyces avermitilis and are characterized by an enteric contact effect on insects :

• cause the death of pests after eating treated leaves;
• the drug penetrates the body as a result of contact with the outer integument of the insect during spraying.

Fitoverm.

Important! Fitoverm suppresses most pests of indoor flowers.

Mechanism of action

The drug has a strong effect on the nervous system of the pest , causing nervous paralysis:

• 6-8 hours after spraying, the gnawing insects stop feeding, and after a few days they die completely;
• sucking pests and mites stop feeding 12 hours after processing the violet; within a week, final death occurs.

The effectiveness of the drug when spraying indoor plants is influenced by:

• quality of spraying, since this is a contact action drug;
• carrying out treatment in a vulnerable phase of insect development;
• pest sensitivity to the drug.

This has been confirmed in a number of scientific and practical tests.

Release form

The concentration of the active component in the insecticide is 2%. The packaging is convenient for dissolving the drug in small volumes necessary for pest control in the apartment.

Fitoverm goes on sale:

• in ampoules of 2, 4, 5 ml;
• bottles from 10 to 400 ml;
• in plastic containers of 5 liters.

Various release forms of Fitoverm.

The substance is a colorless liquid sealed in a transparent glass or plastic ampoule.

Advantages and disadvantages, toxicity

Treatment of violets with Fitoverm has a number of advantages , due to which it has gained wide popularity among gardeners:

• effective against most pests;
• fast acting drug;
• natural origin contributes to the rapid destruction of the drug in water and soil;
• used for processing most garden and indoor crops;
• due to its natural origin, the drug is safe for humans;
• does not cause resistance in pests;
• combined with natural and synthetic growth stimulants.

The disadvantages of the drug include:

• poor adhesion to the leaf surface;
• multiple treatments;
• impossibility of sharing with chemical insecticides;
• presence of an unpleasant pungent odor.

The drug does not inhibit plant growth and belongs to the third hazard class (moderately hazardous substance).

What pests is it effective against?

Fitoverm allows you to get rid of a number of insect pests that parasitize indoor plants:

• aphids;
• whiteflies;
• ticks;
• thrips.

Treatment with Fitoverm helps to cope with these pests.

The drug has an acaricidal effect against all types of ticks.

Period of protective action

Indoors, violets remain protected for one to three weeks after treatment . The protection time depends on the type of pest.

Analogs

To increase the activity of Fitoverm, a new form of the drug has been developed - Fitoverm M , effective against Western flower thrips. To avoid phytotoxic doses, the drug should be used in a concentration of no more than 0.5%. The required number of treatments is two to three procedures with an interval of 5-7 days.

If there is no effect, Fitoverm is alternated with the systemic insecticide Confidor.

Analogues of Fitoverm are represented by the following drugs:

• Avertin;
• Alatar;
• Ita-Vir;
• Aktofit et al.

Each of them is used according to its instructions.

Pros and cons of the drug

Advantages:

1. "Fitoverm" completely decomposes 24 hours after contact with a plant or soil.
2. Possibility of processing at the moment of fruit ripening.
3. Two days after treatment, the fruits can be eaten without the risk of poisoning.
4. It is extremely difficult for pests to adapt to the drug, so it is very effective in combating them.

Flaws:

1. If you use the drug outdoors, rain or dew may reduce its effectiveness.
2. In order to completely get rid of insects, many frequent treatments are necessary.
3. The product does not adhere well to the leaves or simply rolls off them, so together with the product you need to use additional products that will hold it on the plants, for example, laundry soap will do an excellent job with this task.
4. "Fitoverm" is poorly compatible with other poisons.
5. The cost of using the drug is quite high compared to chemical analogues.

What plants are they used for?

Fitoverm can be used to kill pests on any indoor plants: hibiscus, calathea, and so on, but there are some peculiarities.

For violets

To treat violets, dilute 1 ampoule per 1 liter of water. Next, add 3-4 drops of zoo shampoo containing Permethrin. First, treat with the violet mixture, then take a break for 3 days, and so on 4 times. This is necessary due to the fact that the substance affects adult insects, and not larvae and eggs.

All leaves need to be sprayed thoroughly. The room temperature should be approximately 20°C.

Fitoverm for orchids

To eliminate harmful insects that destroy orchids, you need to dilute 1 ampoule with 0.5 liters of clean water. It is also necessary to treat 4 times, since the larvae are not affected by the substance. In addition, you need to spill the product on the soil in the pots.

To get rid of mites, you need to remove the orchid from the pot, and rinse the pot thoroughly or destroy it. An orchid can easily lie without bark for a week. Because of this, its roots are washed with hot water, then treated with “Fitoverm”, dissolved 1 mg per 1 liter of water, and the orchid is placed in a plastic bag for 24 hours. Place the bag with the plant in a basin, let the sunlight fall on it. After 10 days, the treatment is repeated. Afterwards, the roots are washed under hot water and planted in the soil of a new pot. Water after 5 days.

For roses

To spray roses, it is necessary to mix Fitoverm and Silver Gold, since the leaves of roses are protected by a layer of wax, and pesticides penetrate the leaves with great difficulty. Also, the leaves of many plants are heavily pubescent, so this mixture must be used to kill pests on them.

On roses, Fitoverm can also be mixed with Rapsol, but Rapsol must have a small concentration of 0.3%, otherwise burns may appear on the surface of the rose leaves.

Precautionary measures

Fitoverm is a natural drug, but this does not mean that you can forget about precautions. There are several recommendations that must be followed:

• to dilute the product, choose a container that you will not use in the kitchen (wash dishes or vegetables in it);
• after completing the procedure, wash your hands thoroughly with soap or some detergent;
• Either throw away the poison container after treating the plants, or wash it and leave it in the pantry or some inaccessible place for the next treatment of indoor flowers.

Follow the key rules, and you will not only be able to achieve good results, but also not cause harm to yourself or your indoor flowers.

How do you know if there are spider mites on indoor plants?

• Ticks are so tiny that they can only be seen with a magnifying glass. In addition, they have learned to hide excellently on the backs of leaves or in the ground.
• Mimicry is also inherent in adult individuals - they know how to blend in with green leaves. In winter, the females become reddish in color, and at this time they can be seen.

Spider mites can be recognized by the following signs:

1. By the light single punctures on the leaves - they can be seen if the leaf affected by insects is brought to the window. At first single, every day they will grow more and more until, merging together, they turn into brown spots.
2. The leaves change color: from green it turns into yellow or gray, with bronze or reddish hues.
3. Leaves and buds are deformed.
4. The plant stops growing and developing. Due to impaired photosynthesis, it does not receive the required amount of nutrients, and those that do reach it are poorly absorbed by the flower.
5. If the parasites are not destroyed in time, then when the mite population grows even more, thin cobwebs will appear on the inside of the leaves. At the initial stage, this cobweb will stick between the veins of the leaves, and it will be impossible to see it with the naked eye. It will become visible when the leaves change color under the influence of the disease or begin to dry out.
6. Mature ticks molt, and at this time they change their skin. Against the background of black earth, they look like white dandruff, and these scales are easy to notice.

Instructions for use

Fitoverm must be applied at the first sign of pests.

Preparation of working solution

How to dilute Fitoverm for violets:

1. First, prepare a concentrated solution of the drug;
2. Then the remaining water is added with continuous stirring.

The contents of the ampoule are dissolved in water in the concentration necessary to destroy a specific harmful insect:

• spider or red mite – 2 ml per 1 liter of water;
• aphids – 4 ml per 0.5 l;
• if thrips - 5 ml per 0.5 l.

Instructions for preparing the working composition.

The drug mixes well with growth regulators and fertilizers. If a precipitate forms, then the drugs are not compatible.

Drug treatment technology

Spray violets only with fresh solution , wetting the leaves evenly.

Attention! The optimum temperature when applying Fitoverm to a sheet is 18-25°C.

The drug kills only adult insects without affecting eggs and larvae , so the flower is treated several times:

• at a temperature of 25-35 ºС, the interval between spraying is 5-6 days;
• at a temperature of 20 -25ºС, the treatment is repeated after 7-9 days;
• at 18ºС – after 10 days.

The leaves are sprayed on both sides until completely wetted; the number of treatments varies:

• for thrips and aphids - four to five times;
• for ticks – two procedures.

Fitoverm against mites on violets cannot be reused. If after treatment the tick is not completely dead, the drug should be changed, since it cannot be mixed with other insecticides.

The treatment is carried out with a sprayer with a fine spray, evenly wetting the leaves:

• treatment of plants outdoors cannot be carried out in conditions of high humidity , as this will reduce the effectiveness of the treatment, and rain will wash away the preparation;
• at high ambient temperatures (from +24°C to +32°C) Fitoverm increases activity against spider mites by almost 5 times;
• temperatures less than +18°C help to reduce the activity of Fitoverm by 7.5 times.

When spraying, it is necessary to control the quality of the treatment, since for many pests their favorite habitat is the underside of the leaf.

Why do spider mites appear? Prevention of spider mites on indoor plants

Every lover of indoor flowers from time to time encounters an invasion of parasitic mites. To prevent their occurrence and secondary infection, knowledgeable gardeners use preventive measures.

It is not possible to see the pest right away

Reasons why spider mites appear:

1. Purchasing a new plant, which was placed at home among all the others. But this cannot be done: he needs to be quarantined for two weeks. During this time, while the plant stands apart from all the others, it will become clear whether it is infected or not.
2. Because of the open space. Ticks can fly into open windows and unglazed loggias from trees. Ticks can also enter the house along with outdoor shoes.
3. Mites can be in purchased substrate or in soil taken for replanting in the yard.
4. If a tub, pot, or tray has not been used for a long time, and then, before planting the plant, it was treated poorly.
5. Awakening from hibernation of females during the heating season. Tick ​​eggs have a rather long diapause period – about 5 years. Both the females and the eggs that have already been laid are just waiting for the time when favorable conditions arise for their revival to life.

As a preventative measure, lovers of indoor flowers should inspect them every day, as low humidity coupled with high temperature leads to an increase in the population of spider mites . Females do not live long, but each of them is capable of laying from 150 to 200 eggs within 2-3 weeks, which mature in at most 3 days.

Reviews

Olga, Kemerovo. “I tested the effect of Fitoverm against spider mites, I liked the product, it is harmless, odorless, only one or two treatments against the mite are clearly not enough, especially if the plant is heavily infected. At first I was confused by the price, it was too cheap, but it turned out that this cannot be called a disadvantage. By the way, I treated it somehow against aphids, it worked very quickly and immediately all the insects disappeared. I applied another five days later just in case.”

Irina, Ulan-Ude. “I treated all the flowers in my apartment with Fitoverm after they were attacked by aphids. Now I plan to complete the entire course. The aphids have disappeared, only the leaves have taken on an untidy appearance, as if covered in dust and stains, and I really want to wash them. When I tried to remove the tick, it didn’t work, although I treated the violets four times with an interval of 2 days. They still sit and don’t go anywhere.”

Natalya, Fryazino. “I still got rid of the mites on the flowers, sprayed everything with Fitoverm, even the window sills. The flowers were covered with bags at night. By the way, the smell is not so strong, you can easily tolerate it. It’s good that you can spray plants with this product right in your apartment.”