These signs, treatment & prevention will help you get rid of the Tomato Hornworm in your garden because they will devour your tomatoes. These days buying fresh veggies and fruits in your local grocery store has gotten extremely expensive. This has driven more and more people to look for alternatives.
One of those ways is to grow some of your own fruits and vegetables in your own garden. Depending on how much room you have to plant a garden will determine what kind of veggies and fruits you would be able to plant.
One of the most popular home garden crops is the tomato and one of the reasons for this is because they are so easy to grow. Another reason is because they bare and unbelievably large amount of fruit. Yes, if you thought that a tomato is a vegetable, you would not be alone. It is actually a fruit, much like a berry.
One of the hardest parts of growing your own garden fresh fruits and veggies has to be keeping away the pests (insects). Part of this has to do with the fact that organic growing (without pesticides) has become very popular. One of the those typical home garden pests is the Tomato Hornworm. This little pest can easily destroy one or more of your tomato plants if you not treat them properly.
Tomato Hornworm Pest
The Tomato Hornworm Pest can do a whole lot of damage if let to have the run of your garden. Despite its small size, it has a ferocious appetite for your tomato plants. This little caterpillar feasts on the leaves of Solanaceae family of plants which includes the; tobacco plant, eggplant, tomato, pepper, potato and moonflower plant.
The Tomato Hornworm is actually the larvae stage of large Five-spotted Hawkmoth and it is found throughout the United States, Mexico and parts of Southern Canada. This tiny little pest often hides on the underside of the stems and near the base of the plant. It’s mostly light green in color which makes it hard pick it out.
Treating and preventing infestation
There are several ways to treat your tomato plants to rid them of the Tomato Hornworm; Pick the Tomato Hornworm by hand, Apply an insecticide directly on the plant and plant a variety of plant that repels the tomato hornworm.
Pick the Tomato Hornworm by hand – Visually check each plant and pick any of the caterpillars of the plant and place them into a container of soapy water.
Apply an insecticide directly on the plants – The best insecticide that can be safely applied to all tomato plants is called Bacillus Thuringiensis, commonly sold under the names Dipel or even Thuricide. Each of them are considered to organic, which these days is a definite plus.
Plant a variety of plant that repels the tomato hornworm – A more harmless way to ward off the Tomato Hornworm is to plant some basil or even marigolds close to your tomato plants. The strong odor of either one or both of these plants will be too much for the caterpillar.
Click here to read about how to get rid of the Tomato Hornworm in your garden:
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