One of the most popular house plants is geranium. On the windowsills you can see lushly flowering specimens that are planted in the garden in summer and bloom there during the entire warm season. To maintain planting, you need to know the diseases of geraniums and how to treat them.
Diseases and pests of pelargonium
Geranium can bloom for a long time. Both street and home conditions are good for her. Sometimes the plant not only stops blooming, but the foliage begins to curl, dry, blacken and fall off. This means that the flower is affected by pests or one of the inherent diseases of the species. You should be wary if small light spots, traces of rust, swelling appeared on the leaves of the geranium, or she simply dropped flower buds sharply.
Blooming geranium
Gardeners constantly research plants to prevent pelargonium diseases and pest infestations. Most often, geranium is affected by the following types of diseases:
- bacterial;
- fungal;
- root rot;
- viral infections.
A weekly inspection of leaves, flowers and stems will help to identify the problem in a timely manner and begin to fight it. Pelargonium leaf disease is not the only cause of death of flowers. The threat may also come from:
- black legs;
- affection of late blight spores.
Errors in flower care lead to the following problems:
- Chlorosis. It is provoked by a lack or excess of iron, as well as other minerals and vitamins.
- Etiolations. It is associated with a lack of lighting.
- Eden. It is caused by constant waterlogging of the soil.
You should know! With an increased content of phosphorus in fertilizers, the leaves may dry out and the plant die. The plant should be transplanted to another soil with a reduced nutrient content.
There are many pests of geraniums that can quickly destroy it. The main ones are:
- root worm;
- mealybug;
- spider mite;
- aphid;
- whitefly;
- caterpillar.
Effectively fight with these pests help modern drugs, which you can buy at any garden store.
Improper plant care and its consequences
A flower has been familiar to our gardeners for a long time, but many mistakes are made when caring for it in the garden and at home. This provokes the development of diseases and other problems. Most often this is a lack of lighting, frequent watering and overfeeding with fertilizers. Effects:
- lack of flowering;
- the appearance on the leaves of yellowness;
- the development of fungal spores;
- drying of the leaves, as well as their twisting and spotting.
Most often, diseases can be prevented by installing additional sources of illumination, reducing the level of watering, and treating them from possible pests. All these preventative measures will prevent the negative consequences of improper care.
The main diseases of geraniums
Many people know pelargonium as a home flower, constantly blooming on the windowsills, but there is also a garden view of these plants, which differs in the shape of the leaves and the size of the flowers. The home look is called condylar or ampelous. They decorate balconies, verandas and windows of houses. It has a pleasant smell, which is barely visible in the fresh air. The number of varieties of zonal pelargonium is large.
On a note! In the garden, you can often find a variegated variety of geraniums. It is more resistant to frost and, in addition to the beauty of flowers, pleases with a colorful coloring of foliage.
Because of the specific aroma, it is widely used in the cosmetic industry. Aromatic oil is produced from the leaves. Plants require constant attention at any time of the year. Indeed, even in a period of rest, the possibility of infection by pathogenic microbes and various pests is quite large.
Yellowness on the leaves
This comes from a lack of oxygen in the room, the presence of constant drafts, overdrying or waterlogging of the soil, lack of nutrients and nitrogen. Of great importance is the size of the container in which pelargonium grows. If it is narrow, then the root system does not develop enough and this does not allow normal growth upwards of the terrestrial part of the plant. But if not only leaves, but also other parts of geranium. But if spots appeared on the leaves on geraniums for no apparent reason, you can be sure that the roots are infected with rot, or a mealybug has appeared in it.
Important! If the lower tier of leaves turned yellow in a recently transplanted geranium - this is not a sign of illness. They can simply be removed and the plant will develop further.
Lack of flowering
The reasons for this may be a lack of lighting, low temperature, improper top dressing, too much pot volume, thickened plantings. But sometimes this happens as a result of damage to the root rot or worm.
Dried leaves
These signs of pelargonium disease indicate that the earth is too wet, not enough nutrients or the development of fungal spores.
Fungal infection
The disease is detected when a brown or gray coating is visible on the foliage. Subsequently, such plants fade, since the trunk can not hold dense branches.
Note! It is better to water in the morning, as the soil manages to dry in the morning.
Root rot
With such a lesion, the leaves of the plant begin to turn yellow and over time, white spots appear on them, which after a while can turn black if the flower is not cured.
Rust sheet
The redness on the leaves, including ugly stains of a rusty color, indicates that the plant is infected with fungal spores, and only by treating the affected area with special drugs in a timely manner can it be saved from death.
Bacterial lesions
As a result of the life of microbes, the surface of the leaves becomes covered with specific spots, blocking the access of sunlight. As a result, the leaves are taken out.
Viral diseases
The development of the stem stops and brown-violet plaque begins to appear on the foliage in the form of large stains.
Spotting and swelling
Symptoms appear as vesicles and spots on the foliage. First, a point forms on the surface, and then bubbles with liquid form.
Root Rot Damage
Parasites and plant pests
Mistakes in the care of geraniums weaken its protection from various pests.
Root worm
It appears in constantly moist soil and feeds on the roots of the plant. The condition for getting rid of this pest is to remove the infected part of the roots and treat the remaining segment with hot water. After drying, the rhizomes are sprinkled with wood ash and planted in another container.
Leaf spotting
Important! The knife is kept over the fire or wiped with a sterilizing composition immediately before the procedure.
Mealybug
Leaves with sticky white mucus appear to be infected by this pest. The parasite is removed manually, after which spraying with a soap solution with a small amount of alcohol is done several times. Significant damage is treated with insecticidal compounds (Actellic, Fufanon and others).
Spider mite
If a spider mite appeared on geraniums, it will suck all the juices out of the plant. The parasite is a carrier of gray rot and viruses. To get rid of the tick, the plant is taken out of the soil and thoroughly washed with warm water or a strong tea decoction is made. Wipe with a soft sponge. Then grease with a thick solution of soap and, replanting in a new pot, without washing off the protective layer, close the bag. For prevention, all flower pots are disinfected as much as possible, as well as pallets, window sills and even cracks in them.
Aphid
After the appearance of this pest, the leaves begin to curl, losing shape and density. All of them are cut and burned.
Whitefly
Insects can be located on the back of the leaf. From this, the leaves can be twisted into a tube. They are easy to remove with Actra.
Caterpillar larvae
They literally make holes in the foliage, gnawing through hundreds of holes in it. Senpai and Lipidocide preparations will get rid of parasites.
What to do in case of flower damage, how to treat
Diseases of room geranium and their treatment are exactly the same as that of outdoor plants of this species. Help in case of infection is the same.
Aphids, whiteflies and spider mites appear on leaves when the air is too dry. Treatment consists of two stages:
- washing the plant under running water;
- insecticide treatment.
To understand why geranium leaves are curled, you need to examine the plant. If the aphid is the cause, immediately begin treatment with special preparations (Phytomer or Mospilan). Parasites multiply rapidly and literally in a couple of days completely cover its entire terrestrial part.
Whiteflies typically select varietal plants. They are removed along with the leaves on which the larvae are deposited. The rest is wetted with Aktar. Processing is carried out several times in two weeks.
Additional Information! The spider mite is dangerous because it carries the larvae of other parasites. With its appearance, the leaves begin to curl, bending inward.
Fight them with special drugs. Infected foliage is torn off and burned. Against termites use a solution of aspirin. Spray should be daily until complete destruction of the pest. The smallest worms of maladom penetrate the horses and completely destroy them. It is impossible to save such a plant. To protect the rest of the plantations, it is destroyed. Caterpillars are most often bothered by street views, especially if there is a branching tree nearby. The pest eats almost all the leaves and it destroys the plant. Parasites can be harvested by hand and then treated with leaves with Senpai.
Drying geranium leaves
Fight against geranium diseases should be when spots and yellow plaque form on the leaves. The method of treatment depends on the type of disease. It may be a black leg. At the same time, the stem darkens and begins to rot. To save the plant, a healthy stalk is nipped off and rooted in another pot. Gray rot is excreted with Fundazole solution. All diseased parts are pre-cut and removed.
Note! During the treatment of gray rot, the plant can not be watered and fed.
Late blight is the problem of many tuberous plants, but it is no less dangerous for flowers. In case of a disease, treatment with Profit Gold or other disinfecting agents is necessary. Instrument and pots are sterilized.
Flower Care Tips
Pelargonium care is simple. In order for the plants to please the eye with lush flowering, it is necessary:
- maintain optimal indoor temperature;
- ensure that lighting is adequate;
- control soil moisture;
- timely feed;
- regularly inspect the stands;
- if necessary, treat and remove affected parts of the plant;
- cleaning the soil where weed flowers grow.
Refreshing watering
Geranium bushes should be planted at a certain distance in order to ensure air access and ventilation of the soil.
Additional Information! In cold weather, watering should be minimal so that the soil has time to ventilate.
Pelargonium from the Geraniev family is considered to be the most beautiful houseplant. It grows well in the garden. The flower is susceptible to diseases and pests. It is required to conduct an inspection of the ground part of the bushes for spots and other defects indicating an illness. If problems are found, the fight begins immediately.
