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Ward off pests and diseases

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Summer is in full swing and unfortunat­ely it is prime time for pests and disease too. Both can wreak havoc in a productive veggie garden. Keep your plants healthy – and safe for your family to eat – by using products that are friendly to beneficial insects and work alongside natural predators to help control unwanted pests. Follow this programme:

1 Build and maintain plant health Plants that are healthy are more resistant to disease and are better able to survive insect infestatio­ns. To stimulate growth and plant wellness, apply the “all-in-one” plant tonic, EcoBuz MultiGro, a nutrition blend that includes macro- and micro-nutrients. Apply as a drench or foliar feed at the beginning of December, and monthly thereafter.

2 Protect against fungal disease Where there is a high likelihood of rain in December and January, protect veggies by spraying with Disease Pro, a preventati­ve bio-fungicide. It is compatible with MultiGro so the two can be used together as part of a monthly programme during the rainy season. 3 Early detection to prevent uncontroll­able

infestatio­ns If you’re going away, make sure that pests such as white fly and red spider are eradicated before you leave. If there is an infestatio­n, use

Pest Pro, a biological contact insecticid­e containing beneficial fungi (Beauveria bassiana) that occurs naturally in soils. The fungi penetrate the pest cuticle, growing and feeding until it dies.

4 Check for larvae Fruiting veggies like tomatoes, peppers, brinjal, sweetcorn and potatoes can get infested with African bollworm. Should you see tiny pinholes on the fruit, spray with Larvae Pro; this biological larvicide includes beneficial bacteria that stop the larvae from eating and they perish.

CONTACT ecobuz.co.za

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Red spider infestatio­n
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Powdery mildew

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