Spray your garden to enhance its performance

By spraying your crops with some chemicals, you will be able to get rid of pests and diseases that affect their performance. photo by Faiswal Kasirye

What you need to know:

You can boost the produce from your plants by using chemicals

Pests and diseases are the number one problem in any garden. That is why every gardener should think of getting rid of them.
Below, Brighton Onyango, a landscaper and gardener with Plants for Africa in Buziga, suggests the use of chemicals as a way of enhancing the performance of your garden.
“East Africa is hot, which is favourable for most insects to lay and hatch their eggs. So, we use chemicals because of the weather conditions here.”

Urea
Some chemicals add enzymes to plants thus giving them enough nutrients, which help plants develop. An example is Urea, it helps plants resistant to pests and diseases. Spray it mostly in the evening, when the plant is mature.
We spray it in the evenings because Urea is a sticky substance that remains on the leaves for some time. Because evenings are cool, the plants will absorb the enzymes that will help them develop resistance to fungal diseases. Mix it with water and use it as a spray.

NPK
NPK is a type of fertiliser you can also use as a spray. Mix it with water and apply it in the evening, to give the plant time to absorb and retain it. During the day, when there is sunshine, evaporation is high, so the plants will not absorb it fully.

Methomex
Another chemical you can apply against insects is Methomex. Spray it when there are many insects. Most plants have scents, which attract insects, especially when they are flowering. Pests will stop by the flower, and suck nectar and that’s where they will lay their eggs.
So for you to stop the eggs from hatching, you have to use this type of chemical. When you spray it in the evening, there is a layer which is going to cover the eggs and they will die.

Pirinex
You can also use Pirinex, which fights fungi. Fungi normally affect plants during cold weather. So when the rainy season is approaching, it is better to prevent its effects by spraying early, so that the plants are healthy enough to resist fungi.

The numbers

Shs78,000
The price of a litre of Pirinex at Balton (U) Ltd.

Shs150,000
The price of a 50 Kilo gram bag of Urea at Balton (U) Ltd.