Tobacco dust: use in gardening against pests

The alkaloid nicotine, which is found in large quantities in tobacco leaves and stems, is a poison for many insects, working within plants as their natural protector against pests. And gardeners have known this for a long time.

Back in the 17th century, nicotine extracted from tobacco was already used as an insecticide, and a century later, plants affected by insects began to be treated with tobacco smoke. Why don't you try using this cheap and effective remedy to combat garden and vegetable pests?

Moreover, tobacco is not only an effective insecticide, but also a real fertilizer - in addition to alkaloids, it contains many useful organic and mineral substances that can enrich the soil.

How to properly use tobacco in the garden? There are several methods.

Application of the product

Tobacco dust is industrial waste from relevant factories, having the appearance of dust and the color corresponding to the raw material. In addition to tobacco, its composition also includes: nitrogen (up to 5%), potassium (up to 3%), phosphorus (up to 2%).

Bait is sold in any specialized store, you can learn about its use from this article, and it is very simple to treat an area with it against a pest or to feed plantings. Storage conditions are simple: keep the dry mass covered.

Tobacco dust is industrial waste from relevant factories

To understand why this supplement is needed, you need to know only two things:

Adding it to the soil during digging will increase the yield by 40%, since it contains a considerable amount of useful substances.
As an insecticide, this product will expel most pests and protect vegetables, fruits, berry bushes, and flowering vegetation from copperheads, aphids, flea beetles, and thrips.

To understand what makes it special, you should know:

Tobacco dust can be used even during fruit ripening, when it is prohibited to spray them with most other means.
It is completely natural, safe for humans and plants.

Tobacco for plant protection - we fight garden pests

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Moreover, tobacco is not only an effective insecticide, but also a real fertilizer - in addition to alkaloids, it contains many useful organic and mineral substances that can enrich the soil.

How to properly use tobacco in the garden? There are several methods.

We fertilize plants with tobacco and ash

Tobacco is used in the garden as a fertilizer due to its components. They help increase the activity of microorganisms in the soil and have a positive effect on plants. For feeding, it is added to the soil twice a year (in spring and autumn before digging), and as a main fertilizer - once every three years (up to 40 g/sq. m).

As a fertilizer for cultivated plants, the product should be applied:

before each digging of the earth (disperse 2–4 g of dust per sq. m), combining with potassium and phosphorus preparations in the fall, and with nitrogen preparations in the spring;
before planting berry bushes, ornamental and fruit trees (0.5 kg of tobacco is placed at the bottom of the planting hole);
before starting to arrange the lawns - before sowing with lawn grass, scatter the substance throughout the site (30–40 g/sq. m), then loosen the top layer of soil and water generously;

Tobacco is used in the garden as a fertilizer due to its components

when growing potted flowers, mix the soil to fill them with sand and tobacco dust;
caring for spring and winter wheat varieties (4 kg per 10 sq. m of field).

Tobacco waste is rarely used in its pure form; most often it is added to mineral fertilizers (saltpeter).

Reviews from gardeners

Today, disputes between summer residents do not subside over the use of tobacco dust, whether chemical or organic fertilizers are more effective. Supporters of organic farming, their reviews indicate the need to resort to chemistry only in extreme cases, when the use of natural remedies has not given the desired effect.

Professional gardeners leave positive reviews about this product.

Oleg. With its help, you can safely destroy harmful insects (aphids, midges, slugs and flea beetles). They must be combated during the growing season. In their reviews, gardeners note that the result of the action of infusions of tobacco powder becomes obvious within 2-3 days. During this time, aphids and all kinds of worms that eat the leaves die. It is recommended for preventive measures in the garden and treatment. In this case, there is a minimum of harm and benefit to plants. Tobacco dust has a positive effect against the raspberry beetle. It must be added in spring or autumn under raspberries when loosening the soil.

Yuri. According to farmers, the drug can be used as an organic fertilizer. Under its influence, the functioning of soil microorganisms is activated. This improves plant nutrition. This allows for good harvests. The undeniable advantages of the fertilizer are its chemical purity and biological activity. As a result, the gardener receives environmentally friendly products.

Maria. The drug is also effective in the fight against slugs. Gardeners have learned from their own experience that when sprayed three times with an interval of 7 days, they can completely get rid of pests. A positive aspect is the acceleration of growth and fruiting of berry bushes.

More details about this tool here:

Spraying with infusions and decoctions of tobacco dust

The use of tobacco in the garden to combat moths, caterpillars, and ticks is also carried out using specially prepared liquids. Spraying is carried out 2 times in the interval from 7 to 15 days.

Fruit trees are treated at least two weeks before harvesting.

Tobacco dust is an effective remedy for garden pests

Let's consider special conditions and recipes for preparing products:

0.4 kg of tobacco dust per bucket of warm (up to thirty degrees) water. Leave for 24–48 hours, stir occasionally. Then strain, removing sediment, dilute with water 1:2. Add soap rubbed with fine shavings (5 g/l) so that the solution sticks better to the leaves and twigs of the plantings. The resulting product should be used immediately after preparation.
Wood ash (you can also add lime, the same amount as the main component) and tobacco dust, take 1 cup (300 g) each and add a liter of hot water. After insisting, strain, add water and 2 tbsp. l. liquid soap. Stir well and immediately begin caring for the vegetation.
To prepare the decoction, take tobacco dust and water in a ratio of 1:10. Boil for half an hour, adding the evaporated part of the water. Leave for 24 hours, filter to remove sediment. When spraying, dilute (decoction and water - 1:3), adding soap grated with fine shavings (4 g/l).

ATTENTION! Do not use kitchen utensils during cooking!

Why are aphids afraid of tobacco?

Tobacco against aphids is quite effective. It is an excellent alternative to store-bought pesticides. Tobacco contains nicotine alkaloid.

Tobacco

This substance is highly toxic. Having penetrated the insect's body, nicotine can block acetylcholine receptors. This leads to the death of the pest.

Its waste contains phosphorus, mineral, nitrogen and potassium elements. They are urgently needed by plants.

How is tobacco used?

Today, aphid tobacco is used for spraying and fumigation.

How is tobacco used?

You can prepare both a decoction and an infusion from it. According to gardeners, both methods are very effective.

See also: How to get rid of aphids on trees: the most effective methods

How to prepare the decoction

To prepare the decoction you need:

pour 800 grams of dried raw materials with 20 liters of liquid just removed from the stove;
stand for 48 hours;
boil for 120 minutes;
filter, dilute with the same amount of liquid;
add 80 grams of laundry soap.

Sprayer

The decoction is used for spraying. If the area is small, then the amount of ingredients can be halved.

Security measures

Before processing, be sure to protect your eyes, hands and respiratory organs. You must wear rubber gloves and safety glasses.

Protective glasses

You should also use a special mask or gauze bandage. Otherwise, nicotine will be absorbed into the skin and health problems will arise.

Fumigation of plants

Smoke disinfection with burning tobacco is recommended.

How to fumigate trees

This product protects the crop not only from aphids, but also from:

Medyanitsy.
Whiteflies.
Fruit moth.

To carry out this procedure, you need to place branches, dry grass or garbage between the beds. Then you need to pour 2000 mg of raw tobacco on top and set it on fire. The effect occurs within 30-120 minutes.

It is advisable that the air temperature is not lower than +20 degrees. The procedure is carried out after the fruit flowers have flowered. It is not recommended to fumigate plants earlier.

There is another way of fumigation. It will be necessary to cover the plant with a thin cloth or film. Place burning coals in a deep, high-temperature container.

You will need to pour 1/2 kilogram of shag on top. The procedure time is 20-25 minutes. The effect occurs within 5-7 minutes. Any insects present are poisoned and die. New aphids are in no hurry to appear. Unfortunately, the preventive effect is not very long-term.

Fumigation with tobacco dust from a pest

For this type of work on the site, the phase is chosen when the fruit-bearing plants have flowered (so as not to interfere with the process of pollination by bees). Method:

Open area. Wood chips, garbage, bark, small logs, and shavings are lit in a bucket. Pour tobacco dust onto a lit fire. Place the vessel near tree trunks, taking into account the direction of the wind. The processing of plantings lasts 0.5–2 hours. Consumes 10 g/sq.m. m.
Closed area (greenhouse). Fumigate, counting up to 10 g per cubic meter. Treatment is carried out at least several days before sowing.

Fumigation with tobacco dust from a pest

How to properly use the drug in your garden

If you want to use tobacco dust in your garden to repel pests , then it is best to use smoke.

To do this, you need to place straw under the tree. It should be a little damp. Sprinkle tobacco dust on top and set it on fire. The burning should last about a couple of hours. If there are crops in the garden that are in bloom at the time of smoke treatment, then this method of pest control is temporarily contraindicated.

This is due to the fact that such smoke also has a repellent effect on pollinating insects. There is another way you can treat your garden crops using smoke. For this you will need some old container, such as a bucket, or a barbecue will also work.

You need to put firewood in the selected container. Wood shavings or bark are suitable for these purposes. The flame should flare up a little, and then pour tobacco dust on top. This procedure takes from half an hour to two hours.

Do not forget that tobacco dust is a good soil fertilizer . Another advantage is the fact that such feeding is natural and absolutely safe. Tobacco dust contains many useful elements that play a very important role in the growth and development of any garden crop.

Tobacco dust contains a sufficient amount of potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. This product is often used to flavor the soil where flowers grow. This remedy has a beneficial effect on various shrubs, as well as vegetable crops.

As a rule, about one hundred grams of tobacco dust in the form of dry powder is used for these purposes. This amount will be enough for one square meter of area. For those who like to grow plants at home. Also, fertilizer based on tobacco dust can be a good help.

This remedy is especially good when replanting a houseplant. To do this, during watering, use a solution of tobacco dust powder in a ratio of one to ten.

What pests are best used against?

Tobacco dust acts against a number of parasites:

Aphids - spray leaves with infusion or decoction. After a week and a half, the process is repeated.
Codling moth. Prepare an infusion for spraying green mass. To do this, pour 0.15 kg of tobacco with hot water and leave for 24 hours. Then filter and bring to a volume of 10 liters.
Ants, cabbage and onion flies, moths, midges. The soil within a radius of about five centimeters around green spaces is sprinkled with tobacco dust, combined in equal amounts with ash or lime (mixture consumption - 20–25 g/sq. m). Another method is to pollinate the root collars of plants twice during the summer season. Consumption rate – 10 g of product per square meter;
Medyanitsa. The pest is destroyed by spraying the plants in the bud formation phase or by fumigation after flowering. The procedure is performed in the evening when there is no wind.
Spider mites on indoor flowers. The procedure is carried out with a decoction after the first infected lesions are detected. After 7–10 days, the process is performed a second time, a third time if necessary.
Whitefly, thrips, leaf roller caterpillars, ringed silkworms, slugs. The treatment is carried out by spraying a mixture of the drug and lime (in equal proportions). Consumption rate – 20–30 g/sq.m. m. The procedure is performed early in the morning or late evening in calm, calm weather.
Gooseberry moths, raspberry beetle - treatment with infusion during bud break.
Cruciferous flea beetles. To destroy them, pollination (20 g/sq. m) is carried out once every 40 days. The mixture is made combined with a share of lime or phosphate rock.

Between treatments of some crops you need to take a break of at least 15 days (cabbage, fruit-bearing crops, tobacco). Some flowers (carnations, gladioli, irises, dahlias, peonies) are treated against parasites with tobacco dust only before and after flowering.

Release forms

Tobacco dust is waste generated during the production of tobacco; in appearance it resembles a brown powder. The product is an effective fertilizer for plants, which is why it is widely chosen by supporters of safe farming.

Tobacco dust does not contain pathogenic microflora, but has a large supply of microelements.

The use of such fertilizer can increase the fruitfulness of flower and vegetable crops, as well as improve the quality of the harvest. In addition, tobacco dust has a detrimental effect on garden pests and reliably protects the garden from parasites. The drug is a real storehouse of useful microelements, it includes:

from 2 to 7% nitrogen;
1–3% potassium;
2% phosphorus;
magnesium.

You can buy tobacco dust at any gardening store. Most often it is sold in powder form. Dry application is most effective when digging up soil. The powder is also used to make decoctions and infusions, which provide effective protection for plantings from insects. You can also buy tobacco dust in the form of crumbs; this form is optimal for application in the autumn. Before wintering, it is used to fumigate greenhouses and hothouses where crops are grown.

Some stores offer dust in liquid form. In other words, this is an infusion based on a powder in concentrated form; before use, it must be additionally diluted with water. Smoke bombs are offered a little less frequently - this form is optimal for fumigating open plantings, as well as greenhouses and greenhouse farms. You can also buy complex formulations:

a mixture of tobacco and shag powders;
“Tabazol” is a complex preparation based on tobacco dust, wood ash and lime;
“Tabagor” is an analogue of “Tabazol”, includes mustard powder;
"Aktellik" and "Fitoverm" are complex products.

You can prepare tobacco dust with your own hands at home. To do this, add ash or lime to it, all components are taken in equal proportions. However, ready-made store-bought products include more micronutrients, and therefore provide the greatest effectiveness when treating plantings.

Precautionary measures

When using tobacco dust, remember safety precautions:

When working with the drug, wear rubber gloves, a mask of cotton wool and gauze (respirator).
When preparing an infusion or decoction, do not use kitchen utensils or utensils.
When processing a greenhouse, go outside while it is fumigating.

If tobacco dust gets on your skin or mucous membranes, rinse thoroughly and generously with clean running water. This will help you avoid allergies and even minor burns.

Types of aphids, and what harm they cause to currants

Aphids belong to the order Homoptera and have piercing-sucking mouthparts. There are many varieties of small and voracious insects in the garden, but two types of aphids live on currants:

gooseberry (shoot) - affects shrubs with black berries;
gall (leaf) - prefers white and red currants.

The peak time for aphid settlement is from May to June; the colony parasitizes berry bushes all summer. The lifespan of an individual is short, but due to lightning-fast reproduction, the aphid manages to change 10-15 generations per season.

Insects cause a lot of trouble for gardeners. With severe damage, pests are able to drain all the strength from the bushes. Dry, hot weather is especially favorable for them, and if the summer is dry, the fight against aphids on currants continues throughout the season.

Gall aphid

The full name of the pest is red gall apple aphid (Rhopalosiphum insertum). The population contains winged and wingless forms. Biological description of gall aphids:

the average size of an insect without wings is 2-2.6 mm, a flying aphid is smaller - 1.5-2.1 mm, the shape of the body is oval;
color range includes green, yellow-green and dark green base color with a brownish stripe along the back;
on the back of the abdomen there are two cylindrical tubes-siphuncles, the head is equipped with 5-6-segment antennae.

At the end of autumn, the female lays eggs in the bark of apple trees (less commonly, other garden trees), and already in April, sexually mature individuals with wings appear. The pest quickly flies to green bushes. Gall aphids are first discovered on currants in May, and here it is necessary to treat the berry garden as quickly as possible.

Gooseberry (shoot) aphid

Gooseberry aphid (Aphis grossulariae) is one of the most dangerous types of currant pests. The name speaks for itself: the insect attacks both currants and gooseberries. If shrubs are adjacent, the likelihood of each being affected increases.

Morphology of shoot aphids:

reaches a length of only 1.5-2.2 mm (asexual virgin individuals appearing in the spring do not reach even a millimeter), the body shape is a wide ellipse;
the slightly transparent yellow-green or green color of gooseberry aphids makes the insects almost invisible: on the foliage of the currant bush they look like jelly balls;
six-segmented antennae are equal to ½ of the pest’s body, abdominal siphuncles are comparable to the tail, adult specimens are covered with microscopic hairs.

Gooseberry aphids come in two types: wingless or winged. The first is busy with the propagation of the generation, the second with the colonization of fruit and berry plantations and changing the host plant. On currants, gooseberry aphids begin to cause damage during flowering.

How to get rid of ants using traditional methods

If you start fighting ants using folk remedies, you need to immediately prepare for the fact that the result will not be immediate, patience will be required. There is no point in completely destroying colonies; resettlement or the use of other methods, which we suggest familiarizing yourself with, will be much more effective.

Digging

This option is considered radical, but it helps eliminate insects 100%. The idea is to completely remove the nest with ants and then move it outside the garden or other area. During work, it is recommended to use protective equipment, as well as dig the anthill to the maximum depth.

After digging, the nest is placed on a wheelbarrow; if the size is small, then in a bucket. And it goes away from the summer cottage to any other place. It is better to remove ants using this method as a last resort, if other options do not produce results.

After the procedures have been carried out, it is better to dig up the earth and the adjacent area, and use ash for fertilizer.

Kerosene

Kerosene against ants turns out to be a very effective remedy, because insects cannot stand the smell of such a substance. If they smell it, they immediately begin searching for a new habitat. The step-by-step liquidation procedure is very simple:

It is strictly forbidden to water plants with gasoline or kerosene, otherwise not only ants will leave the area. This can harm fruit crops.

Sunflower oil and boiling water

The oil can be used to fight ants in the country house, in the apartment, when ants appear in cabinets, bread bins or other places. To eliminate the problem at home, coat the edges of dishes, cabinets, and doors with liquid. This will prove to be a serious obstacle to movement for the ants.

The second option using oil is adding boiling water or warm water. The method is recommended for summer cottages and vegetable gardens. You need to add vegetable oil to the liquid and pour the mixture inside the anthill. To enhance the effect, experts suggest adding camphor, bay leaf, pepper or fennel.

You can also get rid of ants using simple boiling water. To do this, you do not need to use chemicals; it is enough to pour water on the nest several times a day, after stirring it up. This causes a lot of inconvenience for the ants, so the effect will appear quickly.

Soap solution

This option is considered the simplest, cheapest and safest for people. To prepare a soap solution you will need 100 ml of liquid soap and a bucket of water. You can use detergents, such as Fairy. Thoroughly dilute the mixture and spray the anthill, nearby plants, and trails. Aphids breathe through the skin, and soap foam will help block the airways and oxygen supply. After drying, a crust appears, preventing the ant from breathing normally.

Defenders

Ageratum, nasturtium, daisies, marigolds, petunias, poppies - these plants are capable of luring insects that feed on aphids. You can also build bark houses for lacewings, ladybugs, earwigs and some other predators. Combine business with pleasure: place bird feeders on your property. Passerines love to feast on plant pests.

Everyone knows that prevention is better than cure. Therefore, preventive work to combat aphids must be carried out. Both “folk remedies” and chemical industry products will help here.

Fitoverm

Fitoverm is a very effective protection against aphids, since the drug is based on organic compounds. The active component in it is aversectin C, a substance produced by bacteria. That is why Fmitoverm can be used to treat plants in open ground, growing in greenhouses and even indoor flowers.

Fitoverm is a concentrated composition, packaged in dosed ampoules or bottles. To use it, prepare a working solution, the concentration of which depends on the level of contamination of garden crops. The optimal concentration of the solution is the ratio of 5 ml of product per 600 ml of liquid.

The price range of Fitoverm varies between 170-200 rubles.

Fitoverm for killing aphids