wireworm

john mayo 10

After not growing potatoes or any veg in my plot for 3 years i planted potatoes again this year. Homeguards and roosters. Started digging them 3 weeks ago and the first few were grand but now i noticed my old friends are attacking. Wireworm is the reason i stopped 3 years ago. Any suggestions to get řiď.

The Garden Shop

Hello John

Unfortunately there is no chemical control available for wireworms
Only through good gardening practices can the pests be kept at bay.

One thing to note is that wireworms are found in soils covered with grass.
So new vegetable plots (that were once grass / lawns) would have high levels of wireworms
Their larvae life cycle lasts 5 years. So after 5 years at vegetable plot wil have less wireworms in the soil

The only way to control the numbers in your soil is through ground cultivation
Digging over the soil and exposing the worms to the dry sun and also picking out the worms as you see them

Avoid having grassy areas or patches of grass on or around your vegetable plot.
You can put wireworm traps in the ground prior to sowing in spring - place 1/2 cuts of potatoes in the soil (2ft deep) cover over - after 2 or 3 days lift the potatoes out and dispose of wireworms


Early harvest of potato crops will also reduce damage to crops - wireworm attacks increase during August and they can then lead to slug attacks


Hope this helps

Happy Gardening from The Garden Shop!

Gerobrien25

I found the Supermemos very good for controlling them this year, applied a few days before planting and haven't had a problem. The area that I planted with the potatoes was grass last year.

I've also heard that when you plant if you cut up an old maincrop potatoe and place it in the ground remove it after 2 weeks this draws them out

john mayo 10

Gerobrien25 wrote: »

I found the Supermemos very good for controlling them this year, applied a few days before planting and haven't had a problem. The area that I planted with the potatoes was grass last year.

I've also heard that when you plant if you cut up an old maincrop potatoe and place it in the ground remove it after 2 weeks this draws them out

i tried to research these supermenos but to no avail. Could u explain please

Gerobrien25

Sorry John

I mispelt it, SuperNemos is the name of the product. I got it in Horkans in Castlebar. There is a website for the company, but because I don't have enough posts, I can't put up the website link. I had the same problem as you had, veg were always been ate, there has been a dramatic reduction this year and I have much better crops. I'll be getting it for next year again.

Keeks

Link to info from An teagasc on the issue, but it is pretty much what TGS said

http://www.teagasc.ie/publications/2004/20040226/paper1.asp