Indoor lemon sticky leaves what to do. indoor lemon diseases sticky leaves

Indoor lemon is especially popular among amateur flower growers, but in order to grow a beautiful and healthy plant, you will have to spend a lot of effort. So, a room lemon is very often invaded by various pests, as a result of which the plant is seriously harmed, and sometimes even it dies.

Today we will talk about what to do if the leaves of a room lemon suddenly become sticky, as if poured with sugar syrup, what can this condition indicate and what can it be caused by?

When is there nothing to worry about?

The leaves of a room lemon can be covered with sugar syrup if the plant is often and very plentifully watered. A sticky coating in this case is a completely natural reaction of a lemon to an excess of moisture. In its homeland, a lemon in this way attracts ants, which collect all available pests from the plant. In order to get rid of such a plaque, it is enough just to normalize the amount of moisture entering the lemon.

Invasion of scale insects

Shchitovka is one of the most insidious lemon pests, which is sometimes very difficult to see with the naked eye. The first sign that a scale insect has settled on a room lemon is the presence of a transparent sticky coating on the leaves of the plant. Gradually affected lemon, exhausted, dries up and dies.

To combat this pest, modern chemicals are used, such as Fitoverm, Aktara. When sprayed with these means of protection, the juice of a room lemon, having absorbed the poison, becomes poisonous itself. Sucking out such juice, the scale insect inevitably dies. After such processing, it is important to remove the old top layer of the earth and replace it with a new one. As a rule, to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to carry out from three to five treatments, with an interval of two weeks between them. However, it should be borne in mind that after such a manipulation to save the plant, its fruits will be unsuitable for consumption.

There are other, more harmless methods of dealing with sticky deposits on lemon leaves. So, for example, you can wash the leaves with an infusion of tobacco, for the preparation of which it is necessary to dissolve 50 g of tobacco in 1 liter of water, mix everything carefully and insist for two days. Processing should be carried out 3-4 times a day.

Aphid tricks

A small light green insect called aphids, rapidly multiplying, infects the leaves, trunk and shoots of indoor lemons and sucks all the juices from the plant, as a result of which it dies. Aphids can be detected with the naked eye, as they are clearly visible on the vegetative parts of the plant. After an aphid attack, indoor lemon leaves become sticky, curl and dry out.

To combat this pest, every 7 days, the areas of the affected areas are washed with a solution of laundry soap. Garlic water also helps, for the preparation of which it is necessary to chop the head of garlic and pour it hot water(200 ml), then leave to infuse for 2 days. Such water should be treated with affected areas of the plant every 5 days.

The scale insect or shield aphid is the most common pest on citrus plants. The sucking insect, depending on the species, has dimensions from 1 to 5 mm. To protect against external influences, their body is covered with a wax shield. In insects belonging to the coccid suborder, male and female individuals differ significantly. Males are smaller than females, they have one pair of wings and normally developed limbs. Their scutes are flat and elongated, and their mouthparts are poorly developed.

Shchitovka: adults and larvae

Females are noticeably larger, but completely devoid of limbs (in some cases even vision). The scab on a lemon sticks to the plant and leads a motionless lifestyle. The purpose of the female is to continue the genus; to protect her and her offspring, the scale insect is endowed with a powerful rounded shell. The male finds a mating partner by moving around the plant. After fertilization of the female, they die.

Pests reproduce by eggs, less common are viviparous species. Insects are very prolific and quickly populate the plant. Active larvae emerge from the eggs. They move around the lemon tree until they find a good place to suckle. The females remain motionless forever. Females live for several months, during which time they lay up to 100 eggs. After several molts, a shell of skins and a wax segment appears on the back of the insects.

Information. A false shield settles on plants - a pest that is very similar to a shield. They differ in several ways: a larger size (up to 7 mm), the shell is easily separated from the insect, false scales do not secrete a sweet secret.

leaf pest

Why are scale insects dangerous?

Shield aphid spreads throughout the plant:

• the lower and upper parts of the leaves;
• trunk;
• young shoots.

Adults and larvae suck cell sap from the plant. They do not hibernate seasonally, being active all year round. The tree damaged by them slows down growth, its leaves turn yellow and fall off. The trunk begins to dry behind the leaves, because it also serves as food for an ever-increasing population of pests. Having noticed the listed symptoms, it is necessary to immediately begin to treat the lemon from the scab. In addition to the harm caused by insects personally. They become the cause of fungal infection of the plant. Scale insects secrete a sticky substance on the leaves, this substance is a favorable environment for the development of soot fungus.

Information. Soot fungus infects plants with weakened immune systems, it clogs cells, preventing respiration, and interferes with photosynthesis. The leaves of the affected plant die off completely.

Signs of defeat

The cause of plant disease can be various pests, in order to determine their type, it is necessary to examine the leaves and trunk of a lemon. At the initial stage of the lesion, a small insect manages to hide well from human eyes. Small larvae are difficult to see, but adults are clearly visible. They are brown or brown tubercles along the veins of the leaves, on the trunks. These accumulations look like a brown wax coating. Also noticeable is the sticky secret that the shield aphid leaves on the leaves.

Information. Infection of a room lemon with a scale insect occurs through the soil with larvae, it is possible to buy a diseased tree. The source of the appearance of the pest can be purchased bouquets, fruits, and other indoor flowers.

Pest control methods

Destroying a scale insect on a room lemon is quite difficult because of the strong shell. It serves as a shield for the pest against chemicals and other harmful substances. But with perseverance and using various means, you can achieve the complete destruction of insects.

mechanical method

The shell of an adult does not allow insecticides to penetrate the insect's body. To remove them from the lemon, you should use a mechanical method. This will require:

• alcohol or an alcohol-containing agent;
• cotton swab or toothbrush.

A cotton swab is moistened with alcohol, and then all the places where the accumulation of scale insects is noticed are wiped. If insects are poorly removed, you can use a toothbrush. You should carefully examine the leaves on both sides, ovaries and stems. The scale on the lemon, as seen in the photo, settles in large numbers, so do the work carefully.

Chemicals

With a pest that breeds quickly like a scale insect, it is impossible to cope without chemicals.

Information. Chemical agents destroy the scale insect only at the larval stage. Processing is carried out twice, with an interval of 10 days.

Among the effective means:

Folk remedies

Chemicals are often used with caution, especially for indoor plants. A lot of positive feedback from flower growers and gardeners received the use of a composition of soap and kerosene. A soap film covers the plant, excluding air access to the insect, and kerosene, flowing under the shell, poisons the scale insect. To prepare the composition, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 liter of water;
• 50 g of laundry soap;
• 50 ml of kerosene.

Advice. Before mixing, the soap is rubbed on a fine grater, so it will dissolve faster in water.

Preparing the spray solution

All components are combined in one container and thoroughly mixed until the soap dissolves. Ready composition process the whole lemon from the scab. The solution is left on the plant for 2-3 hours, then washed off clean water. A pot of indoor lemon can be brought into the bathroom and washed well in the shower.

For processing, tinctures of garlic, onion and pepper are used. They are prepared according to a similar recipe: 50 g of a vegetable (onion with peel, pepper or garlic) is crushed and 0.5 l of water is poured. Infused 14-15 hours. Leaves and branches are wiped with the composition. Folk recipes effective in combination with mechanical insect removal.

Preventive measures

In order for the lemon not to suffer from pests, you should follow simple preventive measures:

• cut off damaged branches and weak shoots in a timely manner. attracting pests;
• send newly purchased plants to quarantine;
• monitor the cleanliness of the soil in the pot;
• regularly ventilate the room, monitor the sufficient level of humidity;
• Every week, wipe the leaves of the plant on both sides with a damp cloth, this will get rid of dust and pests.

The fight against scale insects should be comprehensive, the only way to completely get rid of insects on a homemade lemon. Compliance with preventive rules will prevent infection of the plant with dangerous pests.

All amateur flower growers are faced with the fact that their indoor plants suddenly begin to lose leaves, bloom worse, and sometimes die. This happens even with proper care, because pests or infections often come from outside. There is only one way out - you need to quickly make the correct diagnosis and start treating the plant.

whitefly

It is very easy to bring a whitefly into the house, it is much more difficult to remove it. It happens that an insect gets with a purchased plant. So, once I was “lucky” to buy (pelargonium) in a flower shop, packed in bright foil. When I took off the packaging at home, a white cloud of small insects rose into the air. They instantly scattered around the rooms and, to my horror, chose hibiscus, cyphomandra, pelargonium, pachistachis, balsam and many other plants. The whitefly overwintered safely in the house and became noticeably more active in the spring, settling on seedlings of tomatoes and eggplants. The whitefly is often brought on clothes and with a bouquet of flowers. In autumn, the whitefly enters the dwelling with garden flowers and vegetables, which are transplanted into flower pots. Most often with petunia, fuchsia and low-growing nightshade varieties.

The greenhouse whitefly is a small (up to 1.5 mm long) white butterfly. It sucks the juice from plants and carries dangerous viruses. In addition, the insect secretes a sweetish honeydew, on which the sooty fungus settles. The whitefly breeds quickly. She lays her eggs more often on the underside of the leaf. With a small number of butterflies, they can be destroyed manually. It is easier to do this with wet fingers. Whitefly numbers are kept in check by strips of bright yellow sticky paper. Packages with such Velcro are sold in many stores. The whitefly joyfully flies towards the yellow color and instantly becomes firmly stuck to the plates. Any spraying is effective only with repeated treatments with an interval of 5 to 14 days, since new pests regularly “hatch” from the laid eggs. Insecticides such as Actellik, Confidor Extra and Zitkor also help. It saves spraying with a three-day infusion of flowers and yarrow herbs, which are poured with boiling water. Green or laundry soap is added to the solution. Any chemical and biological preparations indoors should be used with caution.

Spider mite (mite)

In spider mites, not only adults are dangerous, but also larvae. Often the leaves of indoor roses, palms, lemons, oleanders, hydrangeas and many other indoor plants are covered with cobwebs with tiny moving dots. Affected leaves quickly dry out and fall off. This suggests that a spider mite has appeared on the plant. In warm, dry air, it multiplies rapidly. Even some cacti suffer from this pest. Ticks and their larvae are always hungry, and they feed on plant sap. The insect is difficult to spot due to its microscopic size (0.3 - 0.4 mm long). Usually the mite settles on the underside of a leaf or a fork between branches.

You can get rid of spider mites different ways. Sometimes it is enough to moisten the plant with water from a spray bottle or shower. There are more reliable way: the soil in the pot is covered with plastic wrap and the pest is thoroughly washed off with a sponge dipped in soapy water. Sometimes, for preventive purposes, garlic cloves are placed on the surface of the soil of the pot or the affected plant is sprayed with an infusion of chopped garlic. To do this, 100 g of chopped garlic is poured into 2 - 3 glasses of water and infused for several days in a warm, dark place, then the infusion is filtered. The concentrate is used only in diluted form (2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water). Soap is added for stickiness. The daily infusion of dope or infusion of potato tops also helps. Take 1 kg of green tops (or 500 g dry), 1 liter of water, insist, filter and spray the leaves of the plant. An alcohol solution of pyrethrum diluted in water is also effective. Before spraying, soap foam is added to it. Processing is carried out several times in a row until the pest is completely destroyed. I often use vodka diluted with water or a weak solution of dishwashing liquid to treat plants. I spray or wipe the twigs and leaves with cotton swabs moistened with these liquids. In case of mass damage, you can use specially designed tools: Acaricide, Fitoverm and Karbofos. They are best handled outdoors.

Shield and false shield

Shchitovka and false shield usually fall on uninfected plants with those on which they settled before. The pest can be seen on palm trees, lemons, ivy, oleander, ficus and many other indoor plants. More or less convex tubercles of different shades of brown, pale yellow or brown appear on the leaves and stems. These scutes belong to immobile adult insects. Those "nimble" larvae that have not yet attached to the plant and have not acquired a shield are called vagrants. Sweet sticky secretions accumulate on leaves and trunks, on which sooty fungus often settles.

The best prevention is frequent wetting of leaves and stems. With a small amount, the shield can be destroyed mechanically. For example, wipe the leaves with a wet cotton swab or sponge. In order to finally cope with the pest, it will take time and patience, as you will have to get rid of several generations of scale insects. Systemic preparations are sold: actara, arrivo, fufanon, etc. I managed to completely remove the scale insect by spraying the plants affected by it with a highly diluted universal remedy for cleaning surfaces (L.O.C., Amway). Some other household products intended for washing dishes are also effective (Fairy "Wild Berries"). Tar soap also helped. From these "non-traditional" means, the scale insect shell soon shrank and fell off. The plants tolerated all my experiments in the best possible way. Not bad preserves the pest (unfortunately, only for a while) shine for the leaves of indoor plants. It is sold in all stores.

Mealybugs

Mealybugs are easily identified by their cotton-like discharge. They can appear on a variety of plants: camellias, clivia, crassula, euphorbia, gasteria, cacti, etc. Sucking insects infect not only leaves, but also young shoots, buds and flowers. They clog in the axils of the leaves, in the cracks of the bark, settle even on the root neck and on the roots (root scale insects). The body of female mealybugs is covered with a white powdery coating. Damaged plants lag behind in growth, as insects suck juices out of them and release toxic substances. When a pest appears, it is important to destroy not only adult worms, but also their eggs. A few years ago I got rid of the mealybug a, which settled on the succulent, removing it with a cotton swab wrapped around a toothpick, which I moistened in diluted vodka.

Nematode

It is difficult to fight the nematode, which is why it is so important to disinfect the soil. Tiny white thread-like sucking worms start in the roots of plants. Soon, root growths appear, similar to nodules and bumps. Living tissues are reborn, rot and die. The plant is weakening, since the nutrients do not go to him, but to the nematode. In warm and humid conditions, the pest destroys the entire root system. Begonias, asparagus, fatsias, lilies, ficuses, philodendrons, and many other plants often suffer from the nematode.

The nematode should not get into the flower pot; for this, for the purpose of prevention, it is worth disinfecting the soil mixture before planting. Dying plants and contaminated soil from the flower pot must be destroyed, they must not be thrown into the humus heap, as this will contribute to the reproduction of the nematode throughout the area. The empty pots are thoroughly washed with soap or boiling water is poured over their bottom and walls. There are natural defenders against the nematode. These are calendula and marigolds. They can be grown in separate flower pots, which are placed next to houseplants. At the first suspicions, the surface of the soil is sprinkled with a crushed mixture of dried flowers and leaves of marigolds and calendula. This method is also recommended: hold a pot with infected soil in water heated to 50 ° C for an hour. But such a bold option is suitable for few plants (ficuses and philodendrons). It can be very harmful to other plants.

thrips

Thrips suck the juices from the leaves of palm trees, dracaena, citrus, indoor roses, ficuses, etc. This pest can be seen by a characteristic feature: the leaves become discolored or acquire a silvery tint, and numerous dots appear along their edges - traces from insect proboscis pricks. On the underside of the leaves of palm trees, anthuriums, cyclamens and orchids, you can see insect secretions - shiny black drops. On the underside of the leaves of saintpaulia (room violets) of thrips, brownish indentations give out.

Thrips are winged insects of a dark brown color, about 1 mm long, which are comfortable in the warm and dry air of rooms. They multiply rapidly. From the egg, the insect appears after 20 - 23 days. Thrips and their larvae not only suck the juice from flowers and leaves, but also carry viruses. These insects often get on houseplants with contaminated soil. Thrips can be dealt with in a variety of ways. From dense leaves, they are washed off with water with the addition of dishwashing detergent. A classic folk remedy is considered to be a daily infusion of tobacco (40 g of leaves per 1 liter of water) or a decoction of shag (400 g is infused for a day in 10 liters of water, then boiled for 2 hours, filtered, soap added and diluted with water). You can insist yarrow and celandine. In case of severe damage by thrips, the plants are sprayed with citcor or confidor. Thrips are scared away by naphthalene, a bag with which is placed next to a flower pot. All treatments must be repeated several times with an interval of 8 days. Modern systemic preparations help to cope with the pest. They are used in spring and summer, when they are actively transported with plant sap along stems and leaves. During the dormant period of plants, systemic preparations do not work.

Rust

Rust is a disease caused by a fungus that causes round yellow spots with bright brown dots. Spots grow rapidly and capture the entire surface of the leaf. Rust-yellow spore pads are visible on the underside of the leaf. At high humidity, the spores of the fungus infect neighboring plants. Pelargoniums, fuchsias, chrysanthemums, cineraria and other plants suffer. Before treating plants, you need to make sure that these are not traces of sunburn. When the first signs of rust appear, stop spraying with water. The affected leaves are cut off, placed in tight bags, and then burned. It helps spraying with Bordeaux mixture, copper sulphate, copper oxychloride (HOM), Topaz.

Powdery mildew (NMP)

Powdery mildew is caused by a fungus that produces a white, washable coating on leaves and stems. The affected plant is depressed, blooms poorly, its leaves dry up. True powdery mildew can kill the plant. The fungus spreads rapidly under a number of adverse conditions: insufficient lighting (especially in autumn and winter), high humidity and poor ventilation. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers in high concentrations also lead to the appearance of powdery mildew. During the disease, do not spray the plants with water. Houseplants (begonias, etc.) and garden flowers (petunias, fragrant tobacco, hydrangeas, etc.) brought into a warm room in autumn suffer from it.

To save plants from this powdery mildew, you need to start immediately when the first signs of the disease appear. There are many ways to treat. Sometimes spraying with an aqueous solution of soda helps (1 teaspoon of soda per 1 liter of water). Traditionally, the best "cure" is spraying slurry. In order to prepare the infusion, take well-rotted manure (or rotten leaves, rotten hay, hay, hay dust), fill them with water (1 part to 3 parts), leave for 3 days, dilute with water again and filter. A ready-made liquid manure concentrate, which is sold in bottles, is also suitable. It must first be diluted with water. Sprayed several times, the treatment is repeated after a week. Good results are obtained by spraying with a solution of pink potassium permanganate. A daily infusion of garlic is also advised (25 g of minced garlic per 1 liter of water). They say that a diluted daily infusion of horsetail (150 g of dry raw materials per 5 liters of water) also works well. Of the finished preparations, Topaz, Skor, Vectra, Cumulus, Strobi are suitable.

Downy mildew (PMR)

Downy mildew penetrates deep into the tissue of plants, where it grows into a mycelium. Its plaque cannot be wiped off the leaves. They have characteristic brown stripes. The plant usually dies. Particularly affected by downy mildew are cineraria, calceolaria and primrose. You can try to save the plant by treating it with copper-containing preparations, for example, a solution of copper sulfate. This must be done with all caution.

Gray rot

Gray rot is a disease caused by a fungus. It needs stagnant air, cool and humid conditions for its reproduction. The entire ground part of the plant is affected, especially the buds and flowers, which are covered with an ash-gray fluff. Begonias often suffer from this disease. When the disease appears, the affected flowers are immediately removed. Leaves and stems are treated with a Bordeaux mixture. It can be sprayed with Fundazol or a copper-soap solution (copper sulfate and green soap). Helps Speed. After 10 - 12 days, the treatment is repeated. Observe caution.

Stem and root rot

stem and root rot leads to the fact that in gloxinia, begonias, primroses, saintpaulia, cyclamen and other plants, the stem bases first become soft and then rot. This was done by fungi living in the soil. The roots lose their ability to nourish the plant, as its root system is affected. There are many reasons, among them low air temperature, high humidity and excess nitrogen in the soil. Sometimes it is possible to cure a plant from stem and root rot by drying the soil. Watering should be moderate and only warm water in a small amount. Mushrooms also die after watering with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Often, in order to save a variety, it is necessary to cut the cuttings from the living part and root them.

Aphid

Aphids live in colonies. It reproduces incredibly quickly, occupying young shoots, leaves (especially the underside), pedicels and buds. The aphid sucks the juice and causes deformation of the leaves, delaying flowering. From these insects, sugary secretions remain, on which the soot fungus develops. Aphids can be destroyed in many ways. I most often use a soapy solution, to which I add a little wood ash. Laundry soap foam works well. Effective poisonous infusion of pyrethrum (10 g per 1 liter), to which soap suds is added. The treatment should be repeated twice at weekly intervals. Some flower growers use an aqueous infusion of onion or garlic husks (200 g of husks are poured into 10 liters of warm water and insisted for a day). It needs to be processed several times. Hot pepper infusion has proven itself well. First, a concentrate is prepared from fresh or dried peppers. To do this, it is boiled over low heat for about an hour, then insisted for a day, filtered and poured into bottles that are tightly closed. For spraying, dilute 100 ml of concentrate in 10 liters of water, add soap suds. I read that citrus peel infusions work well. It is prepared as follows: 1 kg of crushed crusts is placed in a three-liter jar and poured with water. The jar is placed for a day in a dark warm place. After filtering, the infusion is ready. It is diluted with water, soap is added and the plant is sprayed. Other methods are also popular: decoction or water infusion of tobacco, mustard powder; infusion or decoction of potato and tomato tops. I know flower growers who make nicotine extract from ... cigarette butts. Processing is repeated several times. It is believed that aphids do not infect plants next to which there is a pot of fragrant geraniums (pelargonium). In addition, there are many ready-made preparations, but it is advisable not to use them in residential areas. Aphids on indoor plants can be dealt with without any "chemistry".

Earthworms, wood lice, centipedes, earwigs and caterpillars

Earthworms are very useful in the garden, but not in the flower pot, where the worms damage the roots when food is scarce. They are easy to catch if you water the ground heavily. So that water can no longer soak into the soil. Worms will soon be on the surface. Woodlice and centipedes that have fallen into a flower pot affect living roots. Nocturnal earwigs gather during the day in a damp cloth laid on the soil in a pot. This simple trap helps get rid of them.
Caterpillars can be brought into the house with a bouquet of wildflowers. It is possible to learn about the guests by the severely mutilated leaves of indoor plants.

Dropsy

Dropsy leads to ugly growths on the leaves of houseplants. I learned about this scourge when I saw such growths on the underside of several leaves of a new aglaonema. I had to cut them off and isolate the plant for a while. The new leaves were already healthy. The "cure" for dropsy is a bright and dry place, moderate watering.

These plants are doomed

Verticillium wilt can be cured only at the initial stage by spraying the plant with foundationazole. But the disease progresses so quickly that there is little chance of saving an indoor flower. The shoots wither first, then the whole plant dies. A brownish conductive tissue is visible on the cut of the shoot.

Viral diseases lead to "unplanned" streaks, specks, bleached spots, curl or other deformation of the leaves. Plants infected with the virus must be destroyed along with the soil. The containers in which they grew should be thoroughly washed and disinfected. Better to throw it away.

Bacterial cancer causes ugly growths with an uneven surface that gradually darkens. It grows, and all parts of the plant located above die off. The virus can cause twisting and deformation not only of the leaves, but of the entire plant.

An annular mosaic is identified by ring-shaped discolored spots on the leaves. Over time, the spots merge.

© A. Anashina. Blog, www.site

At home, indoor plants usually do not get sick.
But infection or pests can be introduced with new cuttings or plants, soil, or when the plant is taken out into the open air.

As a preventive measure, you can advise:
- Mandatory quarantine for new plants, preferably in a separate room, for a period of at least 7 days. If during this time no signs of pests and diseases are found, the plant can be placed among the rest.
- Mandatory washing with laundry soap of leaves and pots when bringing plants into the room after a summer stay on the balcony or in the garden.
- Keeping plants, window sills, coasters clean, careful examination of the condition of green pets in order to detect signs of damage as early as possible.
- Periodic disinfection of the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate, in addition, it is a good fertilizer that strengthens plants.
- Avoid excessive crowding of plants, plants get sick more often in crowded places, and the defeat of one of the plants by a pest turns into a mass epidemic.

Try to create the most favorable conditions for plant life. Plants that are kept in unfavorable conditions are often affected by pests, fungal and viral infections, as well as physiological diseases.

The development of pathogenic organisms is facilitated by:
- incorrect light and temperature conditions for keeping plants,
- too dry air,
- insufficient or excessive watering,
- lack of nutrition or, conversely, overfeeding,
- the wrong composition of the soil.

Some pests affect only a certain type of plant, such as cyclamen mites or palm scale insects. Others are capable of infecting a wide range of plants.
It is advisable not to bring the matter to the use of pesticides, as they are hazardous to health. It is very important to identify the causes of plant ill health at an early stage and take appropriate measures.
Sick and infected plants must be isolated, the most damaged leaves removed from them (if too few leaves are left, the plant will die) and conditions improved. Washing plants with laundry soap helps to significantly reduce the number of pests, and soap suds can be left on the leaves.
If the number of pests is small, you can deal with them using folk methods, using plant insecticides that are safe for humans and pets in the form of infusions and powders. Unlike chemical pesticides, herbal preparations are toxic only during processing, and when exposed to moisture and air, they decompose into harmless components. Insecticidal plants include: dope, chamomile, tansy, wormwood, onion, garlic, yarrow, tobacco, calendula, marigolds. If you have your own vegetable garden, you can use healthy potato and tomato tops. A solution of laundry soap should be added to the prepared infusions, which will ensure the composition adheres to the leaves. Safe methods of pest control include spraying with a soap-ash solution, dusting with ash and tobacco dust. More poisonous powder and pyrethrum solution.
In cases of severe damage, you will have to resort to chemical preparations. Before buying, we advise you to carefully read the attached instructions and choose the means suitable for combating a particular pest. If you fight spider mites with antifungal agents, there will be no sense. When choosing a drug, pay attention to its toxicity, especially if you have children or pets.
The use of sulfur preparations (colloidal sulfur and sulfaride) is relatively safe, but this is not always effective.
Organic phosphorus compounds (phosphothion, systox, ekatin, etc.) are potent poisons, even inhalation of vapors can cause poisoning. They cannot be used in an apartment.
On the packaging of imported drugs, toxicity is indicated by conditional images:
The symbol of the skull and the designation T + and T- indicate that the drug is poisonous. The sign of the cross and the designation Xn and Xi are respectively slightly poisonous and irritating.

Among the drugs allowed for use indoors, we can name the means of the 3rd hazard category:
actellik, arrivo, permethrin, karate (against sucking insects and ticks),
decis, inta-vir, fas, cypermethrin (against aphids),
Fitoverm, Agravertin, Nurell-D (against aphids, thrips, spider mites).

You will get the greatest effect if you simultaneously treat the plant with fast-acting and long-acting preparations, for example, Karate and Vertimek. Karate will destroy available pests, and Vertimek will provide long-term protection, since the maximum effect from its use will come 3-7 days after treatment.
When pollinating plants with pesticides, precautions must be taken: take food out of the room, send the children for a walk with the dog, open the window, put on a bathrobe, rubber gloves, and a gauze bandage. The utensils used for the preparation of solutions of pesticides must not be used for other purposes. After handling, wash your hands and face thoroughly.
Treated plants should not be placed in the sun until they are dry to avoid burning the leaves. After treatment, the plants should be looked after in the usual way: watering, spraying with water, washing off dust from the leaves, etc.
Next, we will present short description the main pests and diseases of houseplants, as well as measures to combat them.

PLIERS.

Dry air and high temperatures are favorable conditions for the development of mites. They reproduce very quickly, from laying eggs to the appearance of an adult takes only 7 days. Ticks damage many indoor plants throughout the year, but are especially common in early spring. Ticks bite into the skin of the stem, damage it, leaving uneven grayish or yellowish spots. As a result of damage, the skin of the stems and leaves dies and cracks. The plant develops poorly. Due to its small size, it is difficult to detect in a timely manner. In the later stages of the lesion, a web is noticeable on the plant, along which small dots move - these are mites. In addition to the described red and spider mites, other types of herbivorous mites can also attack plants. Measures to combat all types of ticks are similar.

Flat red tick
Do not confuse it with the non-web-forming red spider that eats the mite and its larvae.
A 0.25 mm brownish-reddish mite is the most dangerous pest of cacti. It also affects aucuba, citrus and other plants.

Spider mite.
One of the most difficult houseplant pests to eradicate. The tick is 0.3-0.5 mm in size, the body is oval, whitish-yellow in color. Keeps most often on the underside of the leaves, but with a strong infection, it also settles on the green parts of the stem, where it lays eggs. At the very beginning of the lesion, small yellowish, later turning brown spots appear on the leaves. The leaves damaged by it become like marble, covered with a thin cobweb, turn yellow and fall prematurely.
For prevention in the summer, you need to often spray the plants with water to prevent dry air.

Control measures:
To remove the pest, wash the surface of the leaves with warm water and laundry soap. This event greatly reduces the number of insects, although it does not completely destroy them. Often, the mite remains in the cracks and cracks of window frames, from where it can attack plants again, therefore, when processing plants, do not forget about the space around them.
if you have ultraviolet lamp, you can irradiate plants with it. Sessions of 1.5-2 minutes once a week greatly reduce the number of mites and increase the resistance of plants to many diseases. Try to have the rays illuminate the lower surface of the leaves, where the mite is most often located.
Then use one of the following methods.

After spraying the plants with water, dust them with pyrethrum powder or ground sulfur (colloidal sulfur and sulfaride), as well as washing or spraying with infusion of onion or garlic or infusion of onion peel.
Five-fold spraying of plants with an interval of 7 days with pyrethrum diluted in water (2-3 g per 1 liter of water).
Decoction of cyclamen tubers helps to cope with spider mites after 1-2 sprays.
Treatment of leaves with undiluted medical (96%) alcohol from a fine spray or wiping with a swab dipped in alcohol is a radical remedy, which, however, is more suitable for plants with dense leathery leaves (rose, monstera, palm trees). It is important to lightly dampen the entire surface of the leaves briefly so that the alcohol evaporates quickly without causing leaf scorching. The method is contraindicated for pubescent plants, since evaporation from them is slower than from smooth leaves, which causes burns. For plants with a waxy coating or waxy epidermis (cacti, succulents), alcohol treatment can only be done locally in small areas. In any case, it is first necessary to check on several leaves how the plant will survive the operation. Alcohol treatment is also easy to destroy mites that are in the cracks and cracks of the window.
Chemical preparations for combating ticks include metaldehyde, thiophos, Aktelik, Neoron, Nurell-D, Fitoverm. The latter is based on natural substances, therefore it is safer. Metaphos and phosphamide are toxic, so they are used only as a last resort. Ticks can adapt to chemicals, and therefore it is better to use different ones, alternating them.
Since ticks are very serious pests, they have to be dealt with regularly and by all available means. You can rejoice at the first victory, but not rest on your laurels. Carefully inspect the plants to see if the pest has reappeared. Even if after the first treatment it is not visible, spend another one in a week for prevention.
Cyclamen mite
affects cyclamens, balsams, pelargoniums and gloxinia. This is a monophagous pest; it does not attack other types of plants. It is impossible to see individual insects with the naked eye. A large accumulation of mites looks like a layer of dust on the underside of the leaf. Unlike spider mite, this pest prefers to live in humid conditions. Symptoms of damage to the above plants are slow growth, wilting of buds, curling of the edges of the leaves, twisting of the stems.
Control measures: Remove damaged leaves. Apply chemical acaricides.

Prevention
Care, consisting in timely ventilation and in choosing a place that is not too warm and bright enough, contributes to the development of healthy shoots that are less susceptible to attack by aphids and do not favor their rapid development. Overfed and underfed fresh air plants form weak shoots - the soil for the rapid development of aphids. Keeping clean, removing all dried leaves, on which young insects often sit.

Control measures
Aphids are unpleasant, but eradicable pests. It is difficult to notice several small insects flying into the room, but if you are attentive to your pets, you should find the first brood. In this case, it is enough just to crush them with your fingers and wash all the plants with laundry soap for prevention.
When the aphid is already hanging on the plant in clusters, you will have to fight it. Isolate affected plants from healthy ones, wash them with soapy water or brush them to remove most of the pests. When cleaning, it is necessary to remove all the ties, scrape off the pegs to which the plants were tied, because a lot of eggs are hidden in all cracks and corners.
If young stems and leaves are completely covered with aphids, then it is best to cut them off completely and destroy them along with insects, especially since branches that are especially badly affected, no matter how carefully you clean them, usually dry out.
After that, treat them with one of the following preparations 3-4 times with an interval of 5-6 days.

Spraying with infusion of tobacco, wormwood, dandelion, onion, yarrow, sophora, tansy or marigold.
Spraying with a soap-ash solution.
Washing infected plants with a solution of green potassium soap (20 g per 1 liter of water), after covering the ground with a plastic bag.
Treatment with pyrethrum diluted in water (2 g per 1 liter of water).
Dusting with pyrethrum, wood ash, tobacco dust or sulfur.
The use of chemicals based on pyrethroids: Inta-vir, Cypermethrin, Karate, Fas, Decis, Hostaquik, etc. in accordance with the instructions. These preparations are not volatile and have low toxicity.
Aphids are sensitive to most poisons that are used to protect plants from insects, for example, Actellik or Fitoverm.
In the most extreme case, pyrimor (a very strong aphicide) can be used, since it is highly toxic.
Aphids get used to the chemicals used against it, so each remedy can be used 3-4 times during the spring-summer season.

WORMS, TICKETS.

Mealybug (hairy aphid)
Sucking insect 3.5-5 mm in size. This is one of the most dangerous aphids for our indoor and greenhouse plants. Settles mainly in the leaf axils, forms clusters on young shoots, and with a more serious lesion - on the leaves of plants.
The body of a wingless female is flesh-colored, elongated-oval, with outgrowths and long bristles along the edges, covered with a white powdery coating. A winged insect has one pair of wings. Female mealybugs lay up to 2000 eggs in white, cotton-like fluffy secretions on the underside and in the axils of the leaves, along the veins. They can secrete a sticky liquid - pad, on which a soot fungus develops, polluting plants. Down-protected eggs are not afraid of water. The larvae settle throughout the plant, can settle at the root collar and even on the roots. Insects remain mobile throughout their lives.
Damaged plants are covered with white cobwebs. By sucking out the juices of young shoots, leaves, buds, mealybugs greatly retard the growth of plants.
Amaryllis, azaleas, asparagus, cacti, lemons, palms, fuchsias and some other plants are affected.

Prevention:
Keeping clean, removing all dried leaves. Plants that regularly wash their leaves are rarely affected by a mealybug.

Control measures:
Mild injury is easy to deal with. With a soft brush or a cotton swab dipped in soapy water, clean the plant from the worms and the white cotton-like secretions they form, and then spray three times with an interval of 7-10 days with a solution of green soap (10-15 g per 1 liter of water), tobacco infusion , infusion of garlic or decoction of cyclamen.
Alcohol treatment (see spider mites) or treatment with calendula pharmacy tincture gives a good effect.
In case of severe damage, in addition to manual destruction, spray with an interval of 7 days with one of the following drugs: thiophos, Aktelik, Vertimek, Nurell-D, Fozalon, Fitoverm, phosphamide, metaphos (highly toxic).
You may have to try several different drugs and choose the most effective.

Prevention:
In spring and autumn, 3-4 waterings with an interval of two weeks with insecticide solutions.

Control measures:
At an early stage of damage, the plant can still be saved. If a root aphid attack is suspected, the plant must be removed from the pot and the roots examined. If a pest is found, it is necessary to wash the roots and cut off the damaged roots. If there are many, prune the crown of the plant to compensate for the loss of roots. Destroy the earth, disinfect the pot or throw it away. The washed roots
Immerse for 10 minutes in an insecticide solution, dry and plant in fresh soil.

Tick ​​or earwig
This well-known insect of the leatheropteran order with a dark brown body, stands close to grasshoppers, but differs from true grasshoppers in that it has three equal pairs of legs. At the end of the back of the body, the tick has movable pincers (pincer cerci). It is called an earwig because of the belief that the tick crawls into the ears of the sleeping ones.
During the day, the insect hides, and at night it eats leaves and flower petals, leaving holes on them.

Control measures:
Insects are caught by hand, looking under the leaves and shaking off the flowers, or with the help of thinly rolled tubes of strong paper, hollowed out sticks, etc., which are placed on pots. The tick hides in such shelters in the morning and can be destroyed.

SHIELDERS AND FALSE SHIELDERS.

Brown or light rounded scales sometimes appear on the leaves of plants, which are difficult to separate from the leaf. This is the adult stage of a dangerous pest of indoor plants - scale insects.
shield aphid- an insect 1.5-4 mm in size. The body is dense, covered with a shield - a wax shell, which makes it invulnerable to chemicals. Winged males have one pair of wings.
False scale insects differ from real scale insects in that they do not have a wax shell, and the drying skin of a dying female protects eggs and larvae.

The types of scale insects are very diverse, they differ in color and size:

ivy scale insect- body separated from the scutellum, ovoid, yellow, scutellum greyish-white, about 3 mm, round.
Oleander scale insect- the body is pale yellow, the scutellum is flat, rounded, at first it is whitish, then yellow and grows simultaneously with the insect until it reaches a diameter of 2.5 mm. The male is brown-yellow, covered with a thin white coating.
Pink scale insect- male pale red, covered. The female is egg-shaped, flat, yellow, with a round, flat, convex shield only in the middle.
cactus shield- orange male. The female is pale yellow, the scutellum is rounded, yellow, about 2 mm.
Laurel scab- the male is pale cherry. The female is white or pale cherry, with a rounded brown shell-shaped shield with a red-yellow elevation in front and concentric rings and ledges.
palm shield- the male is pale yellow. The larva is linear, white-fluffy. The female is pale yellow, with a round, flat, white shield, no more than 2.5 mm.
Soft false shield- the body is broadly oval, asymmetrical, brownish-brown in color, with indistinct punctures on the back.
Most species of scale insects reproduce by laying eggs, but there are also viviparous species.
Pests are kept on the lower and upper side of the leaves, shoots and trunks of plants. Only young larvae settle, sticking to various parts of the plant, adult insects are immobile.
With a strong infection, the leaves along the veins and the trunks of plants are covered with a coating, as it were, formed from a large accumulation of scale insects. In damaged plants, growth and development are delayed, the leaves turn yellow and fall prematurely.
Scale insects and false scale insects secrete a sticky liquid - a pad on which a sooty fungus settles, which further impairs the development of plants.
Scale insects and false scales damage many indoor plants: palm trees, citrus fruits, oleander, ivy, cyperus, asparagus, aucuba and others.
Prevention:
Regular inspection of plant leaves, especially from below.

Control measures:
If detected at an early stage, it is better to remove the damaged leaf or shoot.
With a stronger damage to pests, it is necessary to remove from the plant with a soft brush or a cotton swab moistened with soapy water or a solution of anabazine sulfate, and even better with alcohol (for alcohol treatment, see the article Ticks). The remains of the shields and dust must be washed off with a brush or swab with a weak solution of vinegar.
To destroy the remaining larvae, you can apply three times
(within 2 weeks) spraying with a solution of green potassium soap
(20-30 g per 1 liter of water) or spraying with infusion of garlic.
There are no specialized chemical insecticides for controlling scale insects, so choose an insecticide with the widest spectrum of action, for example, Actellik, Arrivo, Fitoverm, permethrin, fufanon.

TRIPS, WHITEFLY, SCIARID.

Greenhouse thrips (vesicle)
Insect size 1-2.5 mm. The body is oblong, black or dark brown with two pairs of wings with ciliated hairs. The larvae are white at first, and when the wings are shown, they are light yellow, and have a transparent bubble on the back of the body. Outwardly mobile larvae are similar to adult insects. Full development of insects occurs in 25-30 days.
Thrips are kept in groups on the underside of leaves, especially along the veins. Eggs are laid in leaf tissue. On damaged leaves, brown-brown spots appear on the underside, and whitish spots on the upper side. With a strong infection, the leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off. It causes the greatest harm in summer, in hot weather.
Thrips is a polyphage, it damages palm trees, dracaena, cordilina, aspidistra, azaleas, cacti, ficuses, roses, begonias, citrus fruits and many other indoor plants.

Prevention:
In summer, you need to often spray the plants with water to prevent dry air.

Control measures:
To remove the pest, wash the surface of the leaves with warm water and laundry soap. This event greatly reduces the number of insects, although it does not completely destroy them.
Then one of the following is applied.

Herbal preparations:
- double spraying of plants after 7-10 days with pyrethrum diluted in water (2 g per 1 liter of water),
- spraying with infusion of yarrow and tobacco,
- spraying with infusion of Persian chamomile and green soap,
- spraying with a decoction of cyclamen tubers.

Chemicals:
- after spraying the plants with water, dust them with pyrethrum powder or ground sulfur (colloidal sulfur, sulfarid),
- spraying three times with the following mixture: 2 g of nicotine sulfate or anabasine sulfate and 4 g of soap per 1 liter of water, then spray with pyrethrum,
- Vertimek, Nurell-D (weakly toxic)

whitefly
These small flying insects up to 3mm in size look like small white moths. The body is yellowish, 2 pairs of wings are covered with a white dust-like coating. They are usually held on the underside of the leaf. The larvae are oblong-oval in shape, pale green in color. Pest eggs can be found in the form of small grayish grains on the leaves.
Larvae and adult insects suck the juice from the leaves and leave a sugary secretion, on which a sooty fungus develops, polluting the plants. Damaged leaves become covered with whitish spots, turn yellow and fall off. The defeat of the whitefly has a depressing effect on the plant. In addition, the whitefly is a carrier of viral diseases. Reproduces quickly. Fortunately for hobbyists, the insect is more common in greenhouses and greenhouses than in rooms.
Strongly harms fuchsias, pelergoniums, begonias, balsams, it also affects other indoor plants with soft leaves, especially in summer.

Control measures:
It is difficult to fight the whitefly, but it is possible. Adult butterflies can be reduced by hanging flypaper or other yellow sticky tape around the plants. Eggs and larvae should be washed off the leaves regularly.
You can spray the underside of the leaves 3-5 times with an interval of 6-7 days with a solution of green soap (10-15 g per 1 liter of water).
From herbal remedies, an infusion of garlic helps.
If this does not help, spray the leaves every three days with permethrin-containing preparations.
You may need to try a few things.

Sciarids (fruit gnats)
Black insects 3-5 mm long, similar to small flies, laying eggs in humus or decomposed organic matter. Usually these insects penetrate the house along with the soil, where they develop in the form of larvae, similar to white worms 6-7 mm long. Their appearance is associated with excessive soil moisture and the use of a substrate rich in organic matter.
Do not harm healthy adult plants. Sciarid larvae eat seedlings, tender roots of seedlings, thin roots of weakened plants. Places of damage can become a focus of rot.

Prevention:
Proper watering of plants, avoid unnecessary waterlogging of the soil.
Careful use of organic fertilizers. For crops, use a peat-sand substrate that does not contain humus.
Control measures:
Adult insects can be caught with flypaper or other yellow-colored sticky tape.
Water the soil with an insecticide solution, such as Inta-vira. The roots of some plants do not respond well to the fillers contained in the preparations. In these cases, you need to limit yourself to spraying plants and the soil surface. Spraying the soil will help get rid of adult insects.

WORMS, NEMATODES, PODUR.

earthworms
They do not harm the plants themselves, but, making moves, compact the soil in the lower part of the pot and often clog drain holes, which causes water stagnation, acidification of the soil and rotting of the roots of the plant. The presence of worms in a pot can be detected by the appearance of small earthen lumps on the surface of the soil.

Control measures:
Lower the pot into water heated to a temperature of 50 ° and hold for 15-20 minutes. You can also water the plants with a weak, pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. Collect and destroy worms crawling to the surface.

Gall nematodes penetrate the roots, causing thickenings on the roots with their secretions - galls in which the worms live and multiply. When the galls are destroyed, the eggs fall into the soil, from where the larvae spread further.
Nematodes with free formation of cysts are introduced into the roots and destroy their shell. After fertilization, the body of the female turns into a brown cyst (reservoir with eggs) hanging from the outside of the root. The cyst can remain in the soil for years, waiting for favorable conditions.
Free nematodes do not attach to the roots in one place, but crawl from place to place.
Affected plants wither and die from a lack of nutrients as a result of the death of damaged roots. The rapid reproduction of nematodes is facilitated by heat and dampness.
They damage many species of tropical and subtropical plants.
Prevention:
Quarantine for new plants. Disinfection of dishes, tools (the simplest measure is scalding with boiling water). Sterilization of the substrate in a water bath at a temperature of +50-55C for at least 10 minutes.
You can neutralize the soil with chloropicrin (20-40 ml per 1 sq. M), formalin or carbon disulfide.
Control measures:
Radical measures to combat the nematode do not exist. Severely infected plants are destroyed along with the soil. If the lesion is detected at an early stage, the plant can be saved primarily by mechanical means.
When transplanting, remove all damaged roots. If there are a lot of them, it is better to remove everything and re-root the plant in a fresh substrate. After cutting the roots, treat the root neck with hot water (not higher than + 70C).
Since nematodes are sensitive to heat, a water bath during
20 minutes at a temperature of +45-50C, which can be tolerated by the roots of many plants.
Anthelmintic drugs, such as Decaris, can also be used against the nematode. 1 tablet is dissolved in 1 liter of water and the plant is well shed several times.

Springtails, or podura
Small jumping wingless insects of white color, 1-2 mm in size. They appear and multiply in large numbers with frequent excessive watering. They develop in the soil, feed on plant debris, small plant roots. With strong reproduction, they can appear on the bottom of the pot at the drain hole or on the surface of the soil in the form of a white mass.
They do not cause much harm, but their appearance indicates that it is urgent to reduce watering to prevent acidification of the soil and rotting of the roots.

Prevention:
Moderate watering is necessary to prevent the appearance of podur.
Control measures:
When pests appear, it is necessary to carefully remove the top layer of soil by 2-3 cm and sprinkle the soil with dry sand. Sprinkling the soil with tobacco dust helps.

It is considered a capricious plant, prone to various. They are often affected, the most common of which is the mealybug.

Spots on the leaves may speak of not proper care, and about the defeat of flowers by various diseases and pests.

In contact with

For example, an orchid disease has not been isolated in which sticky leaves appear, they appear when damaged by pests or improper care.

How to determine by appearance what hurts the plant and what methods of treatment can be used?

Why do orchid leaves turn white and sticky drops appear? A common cause of sticky plaque and white spots on orchid leaves is mealybug damage.

This insect is 3.5-5 mm in size and has a white or beige-pink color.

The body of the insect is covered with a powdery coating, which is why it got its name. On orchids, citrus and bristle scale insects are commonly found.

citrus mealybug lives 90 days, becoming capable of reproduction on 15-26 days. Each individual lays up to 400 eggs.

+24°C is considered the most optimal temperature for development. Male citrus mealybugs can fly and look like a small yellowish or pink fly. This species of mealybug lays especially a lot of honeydew - a sweet substrate.

bristly bug more different bright color- it can be red or orange. He has long hairs on his body. The insect develops best at + 25-27 ° C. The bristly bug is a viviparous insect.

Mealybugs do not need males to lay eggs. Females of this species are capable of partogenesis - laying eggs without fertilization.

The worms feed on the juice of the plant, which is why sticky drops appear on the leaves of the orchid. The substances injected by them are poisonous to orchids and cause them to weaken, slow down growth,. Therefore, if sticky drops appear on the leaves of an orchid, then this is a sign that the flower is damaged by a mealybug.

Plants attacked by mealybugs have a number of characteristic features:

• reddening of the leaves;
• the appearance of sticky drops on the leaves and sticky spots;
• white coating, similar to cotton wool;
• deformation of leaves and buds;
• marble color of leaves;
• yellowish or reddish spots on the leaves, tending to get wet.

In the course of their life, the worms form wax balls around themselves, similar to cotton wool. Under them are the eggs. You can also suspect the presence of worms by dirty gray dust on the leaves, similar to powder.

The cause of the appearance of worms is most often errors in the care of plants. Healthy orchids produce substances that protect them from mealybugs.

Improper feeding, excess dry air weaken plants and make them vulnerable to pests. An excess of nitrogenous fertilizers is especially dangerous, because of which the metabolism is disturbed in orchids, which negatively affects the ability to produce protective substances.

In winter, plants are more susceptible to attack by mealybugs.. This is due to short daylight hours and too dry air in the room. All this creates suitable conditions for the reproduction of pests.

In order to prevent sticky drops from appearing on orchids, you need to know a few secrets.

The mealybug enters the house with other plants. Therefore, when buying a new orchid, it must be carefully examined.

From time to time, all plants should be inspected so as not to miss the appearance of pests.

For preventive purposes, orchids can be treated with preparations containing oil. Regular hot showers help prevent the development of worms - and spraying flowers with water at a temperature of +40 -52 ° C.

The worms cannot tolerate temperatures above +35°C and die quickly.

How to treat plants?

How to cure an orchid from a mealybug? The first thing to do if the orchid leaves become sticky is to isolate the diseased orchid from healthy plants. After that, it is cleaned of pests. To make it easier to clean the plants, it is necessary to lure the worms to the surface.

To do this, just put the flowers for a while in a hot and humid place. The mealybugs will crawl out of their hiding places onto the surface of the leaves and can be easily seen and removed.

Most often, worms settle on leaves, peduncles, sprouts, buds and the flowers themselves. Flowers and buds must be cut, and the leaves wiped with a damp cotton swab.

If the pseudobulbs are covered with scales, then they must be removed and wiped off. Leaves are removed only in the presence of a very severe lesion and damage.. Don't try to keep the aesthetic appearance flower - it is better to ruthlessly remove all damaged leaves than to fight the mealybug again in a month.

How to get rid of a mealybug on an orchid? If insects have settled in the core of monopodial orchids, the largest individuals should be removed with tweezers. In sympodial flowers, you can remove part of the top. In this case, future leaves will be slightly deformed, but this will save pests from re-propagating on the plant.

At the same time, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse the pots, windows and window sills. To catch and destroy male flying individuals, it is necessary to place a light source and sticky tape for catching flies nearby.

The most effective include:

• Spruzit-AF Schädlingsfrei;
• Fozalon;
• Actellik;
• Aktar;
• Nurell-D;
• B 58;
• Phosphamide;
• Promanal AF Neu

Spruzit-AF Schädlingsfrei and Phosalon belong to contact poisons. They are effective if there are not so many worms. A single treatment is enough, after which it is impossible for the plants to get bright sunlight. Otherwise, the leaves turn yellow.

Actellik, Aktara, Nurell-D belong to intestinal poisons and are similar in action to contact poisons.
Bi 58 and Phosphamide are systemic poisons. They are absorbed by plants and enter the sap stream. Insects are poisoned by eating juice.

Promanal AF Neu created on the basis of oils and effectively destroys worms during the day. Plants treated with this preparation should also not be left in direct sunlight.

Successfully used to treat orchids folk remedies.

You can spray the flowers with a tincture of horsetail, garlic, olive oil diluted in water, a solution of soap and alcohol.

If it's not a mealybug, then why are orchid leaves sticky? A sticky coating on the leaves of an orchid can appear not only when it is affected by a mealybug.

A number of flower growers note that in a small amount sticky is completely normal for plants and may appear, if the plant is excessively moistened, because the orchid may have sticky leaves from below.

So it gets rid of unnecessary moisture. Waterlogging is indicated by the fact that, in addition to this, the leaves begin to wither and die off at the edges.

It is urgent to change the irrigation regime, otherwise fungal and bacterial diseases may develop.

This feature may also indicate that Orchids get too much sunlight.

An indirect sign of this will be the purple hue of the leaves. Or sudden changes in temperature.

They may be a sign that the orchid the scale insect settled. This pest feeds on the sap of the plant and deprives it of vitality.

In this case, in addition to sticky spots appear:

• plaque on leaves with yellowish or reddish spots;
• yellowing and falling of young leaves.

To combat the scab, the leaves are wiped with soapy water and treated with Actellik.

Watch the helpful video below for one of the reasons why sticky drops appear on orchid leaves:

spots on orchid leaves

Florists often face a problem when dark spots begin to appear on orchid leaves. They can have a different color and configuration, be in the form of uneven spots, rings, rhombuses.

Sometimes the spots merge with each other. By the appearance of the damage, you can understand what disease struck the flower.

Brown

The appearance of brownish spots on the leaves of orchids may indicate bacterial leaf spot. The disease develops quickly and manifests itself with the following symptoms:

• spots change color from green to yellow and then to brown:
• spots become soft;
• liquid is released from the damaged areas

To stop the disease, it is necessary to remove all damaged areas of the leaves. Sprinkle the cut sites with crushed activated charcoal or smear with iodine solution.

Antarioz manifested by the appearance of brown spots with clear boundaries.

The main signs of the disease:

• the spots are small, rounded;
• merge as the disease progresses;
• the leaves of the orchid turn black;
• pink-yellow bloom stands out on blackness.

Antarioz most often cause errors in the course. High humidity in the room, improper watering, as a result of which water accumulates on the leaves and in the pseudobulbs can provoke it.

In order to prevent anthariosis, it is necessary to remove extra droplets on orchid leaves. The disease is treated as bacterial spot.

Below is a photo in which you can see the brown spots in more detail:

white color

Are there white spots on orchid leaves? What is it? This problem can be caused by a fungal infection of the leaves - powdery mildew.

The disease can lead to the death of the plant.

Symptoms:

• spots appear on the leaves, similar to spilled flour;
• places in the area of ​​​​stains begin to dry out.

Powdery mildew develops due to excess moisture and elevated air temperature.

deal with powdery mildew possible with the help of phytosporin treatment.

Photo of white spots on orchid leaves:

Black color

black spots on orchid cause sooty fungi. Sooty flexible develops on leaves already damaged by pests.

Such pests include aphids, scale insects, mealybugs. The fungus feeds on sweet sticky secretions of pests.

Outwardly, the damage looks like a black coating. As a result, the leaves stop functioning properly, which leads to the weakening of the orchid and death.

Helps to cope with the problem of treatment with Mikosan, Skor.

Photo of black spots on orchid leaves:

Yellow color

The appearance of yellow spots in orchids can cause:

• hypothermia of the plant;
• errors in watering - too plentiful or insufficient;
• lack of lighting;
• sunburn

Especially dangerous if the flower is in the sun and watered abundantly. This leads to the development of the greenhouse effect, overheating of the plant and its diseases. First of all, you need to eliminate flaws in care.

Yellowish and reddish spots may appear in plants, affected by rust. This is a fungal disease that affects the leaves. In this case, spots appear on the underside of the leaves. Then red loose formations are formed on them - spores of fungi.

To combat rust, the affected areas must first be removed. In advanced cases, it is necessary to cut off the entire sheet. The cut sites are treated with activated carbon or alcohol solution (20%) and sprayed with Mikosan, Skor.

Below, see a few photos of yellow leaves on orchids:

The appearance of dots

Florists may notice black or brown-brown dots on the leaves and flowers of orchids. Dots on flowers are a harmless phenomenon.

Most often, they appear as a result of drops of water falling on the buds during irrigation or preparations.

If, after watering, the plant is in the bright sun, then after the evaporation of water drops, a sunburn remains in their place, which looks like a dot.

White dots on orchid leaves have exactly the same origin.

Most often from this Oncidium, Odontioda Zygopetalum, Odontoglossum, Burrageara species suffer.

Black dots could be thrips- pests that settle on the undersides of the leaves. Thrips infect orchids when care rules are violated.

Favorable conditions for their development are low humidity and high air temperature.

You can distinguish ordinary spots caused by sunburn from thrips infection by the following signs:

• dots from thrips appear only on the undersides of the leaves;
• thrips cause leaves to turn brown and die.

Red leaf color

Reddening of the leaves always scares flower growers. This phenomenon has various reasons:

• an excess of copper;
• phosphorus deficiency;
• leaf spot;
• defeat by mealybug.

For preventive purposes, to eliminate possible cause an excess of copper, you should change the earth in a pot and apply organophosphorus fertilizer.

Leaf spot may be suspected if, in addition to discoloration, there are other symptoms - a weeping surface, softening of the leaves.

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Indoor lemon diseases can be of fungal, viral and bacterial origin. They spread through insects, water drops during irrigation and spraying. It is important to remember: a healthy plant is less susceptible to disease than a weakened one. That is why at home it is simply necessary to provide the flower with proper care and microclimate. The main thing in the treatment of a flower is the correct and timely diagnosis, adequate actions to eliminate the disease. So, indoor lemon diseases, their description with a photo, effective treatment from experts.

Typical indoor lemon diseases and their treatment

Why do lemon leaves turn yellow and curl? Why does a plant drop leaves? Why do lemon leaves turn black? The reason may be improper care, lack of trace elements or flower diseases. If the leaves fall, then the homemade lemon may lack lighting, it was poured. Lemon leaves fall if the air is dry in the room where it is located, or the horse system is broken.

Most often, lemon leaves fall in autumn winter period, but leaf fall can be observed at any other time of the year. Main reason: adverse conditions. For example, a recently purchased plant may shed its leaves. The explanation is simple: in the greenhouses where it is grown, the conditions of detention differ from the microclimate in the apartment. Leaf fall is a reaction to a change in the microclimate of growth. After buying a lemon, it must acclimatize in new conditions, it is undesirable to transplant it, it is provided with proper care. At this time, it is important not to pour the flower, because without leaves, the process of evaporation of moisture is disrupted. Experts recommend spraying more than watering; epin can be added to the solution.

Why does a lemon shed its leaves if its place of growth has not changed? Reason: lack of light. This plant belongs to the category of photophilous, that is, it needs a 12-hour light day. In the autumn-winter period, when the length of daylight hours decreases, the plant must be illuminated with a fluorescent lamp. It is better to place the pot on the western or eastern side of the house, it is possible from the south, but with obligatory shading.

The lemon shed its leaves if a transplant was performed with a complete or partial replacement of the soil. In this case, the root system is disturbed, which is necessarily reflected in the crown. She crumbles. What to do? It is necessary to help the flower restore the root system. To do this, watering is reduced, the flower is placed under a greenhouse (plastic film), which should not touch the leaves and branches of the flower. Spraying is carried out to maintain a high level of humidity in the greenhouse. Every day, the greenhouse is ventilated for 15 minutes to prevent condensation. Epin is added to the spray solution once a week, and root can be added to the irrigation solution. The greenhouse does not need to be abruptly removed. To adapt the flower every day increase the airing time. The greenhouse is completely removed when new leaves appear on the lemon.

Lemon sheds leaves when cancer strikes, viral mosaic. All of these diseases are viral in nature. In most cases in indoor cultivation diseases cannot be treated, and the plant is completely discarded in order to prevent infection of other flowers.

Cancer on lemon leaves looks like irregular brown spots that dry out and crumble inside. With prolonged illness, young lemon leaves develop deformed and small. The disease is not subject to treatment, it can be prevented by spraying the flower with fungicides in the spring.

Leaves fall if homemade lemon hits leaf mosaic. On the leaves, it looks like light spots of irregular shape, sometimes it spreads over the plate in the form of strokes. The mosaic is not treatable, the plant is removed in most cases.

Lemon leaves curl if the watering regime is violated. This is overdrying or waterlogging of the soil. In the first case, it is necessary to water the flower with small portions of water, but do not allow the soil in the pot to become waterlogged. In both cases, the plant is placed under a greenhouse, where it is regularly sprayed. Waterlogging the soil in a pot leads to rotten roots. Damaged roots can no longer “drink” water, and therefore the plant suffers from a moisture deficit even in waterlogged soil. In this case, watering is stopped. The lemon is taken out of the pot, while the integrity of the earthy coma must not be broken, and wrapped in paper. The latter will draw excess moisture out of the soil. Drying in this way is carried out for 3 days, the plant needs to be shaded. Then the flower is returned to the pot and a greenhouse is organized for it. Watering is not carried out, much attention is paid to spraying.

Lemon leaves dry around the edges if the room temperature is high and humidity is low.. The optimal temperature regime for a lemon is +20 ... +23 degrees, humidity - not lower than 70%. Otherwise, the plant is sick. Very often, the leaves of a room lemon turn yellow if it is placed close to heating appliances in winter. The plant does not like dry air, and even in winter it may suffer from a lack of light. It is illuminated with a fluorescent lamp.

Leaves turn yellow and fall off if a lemon infects a spider mite. In this case, there will be a white coating on the back of the leaf plate, and a light, whitish cobweb on the branches. The leaves are covered with small spots. How to treat? It is necessary to wash the plant under a shower with warm water, then treat it with one of the preparations Fitoverm, Vertimer (three times with an interval of 10 days) or Akarin, Neoron (4 times with an interval of 7-10 days). It is better when the affected flower is isolated from the rest of the collection.

zhvetnik.ru

Why is lemon sick

This exotic plant is affected by diseases and pests in the following cases:

• in the process of grafting a diseased cutting;
• improper care: planting in contaminated soil, too frequent or infrequent watering, insufficient lighting, illiterate pruning or insufficient soil fertilization;
• the plant did not have time to get stronger after the previous disease;
• infection of healthy domestic specimens with street ones;
• the entry of bacteria, viruses and fungi into the room during ventilation;
• making mistakes in the process of reproduction, planting and transplanting.

Classification of diseases

Indoor lemon diseases are divided into 2 groups:

• viral;
• fungal.

For each disease, a specific treatment regimen is used with the use of special drugs.

Viral

Diseases of indoor lemons caused by viruses lead to massive loss of leaves on a tree. After such sores, the plant becomes completely naked, often dies. It is advisable for beginner flower growers to familiarize themselves with their description and methods of struggle.

Mosaic sheet

Dark and light strokes appear on the leaves of the affected specimen, resembling a mosaic in appearance. Over time, they become pale or completely white, lose their shape. Young lemon leaves develop deformed. With a leaf mosaic, the tree stops growing.

If a lemon is sick with this disease, it is placed in quarantine, away from healthy specimens. It is impossible to completely get rid of the leaf mosaic, because at the moment there are no drugs for this sore. All you can do is to alleviate the symptoms of its course by providing proper care, and first of all - a balanced and regular top dressing. Severely affected specimens must be destroyed.

Cancer of citrus

This disease appears as brown spots on lemon leaves. It is also characterized by the appearance of brown spots on the fruits. With a long course of the disease, young lemon leaves are deformed and acquire an ugly shape. The fruits shrivel and do not develop. Over time, such an instance dies.

Treatment of this disease of domestic lemons is impossible, therefore, in order to prevent it, preventive measures are taken: treatment of liquid copper with fungicides in the spring.

Tristeza

The first sign that a tristeza has appeared on a houseplant is massive leaf fall. Further, the bark and shoots die, which are covered brown spots. A specimen infected with tristeza cannot be treated and quickly dies.

Most often, lemons suffer from viral infections under the condition of illiterate care and during a period of weakened immunity.

fungal and infectious

The defeat of lemons by a fungus or infection at home is not uncommon. The reasons are the same as for infection with viral diseases.

Gomoz

The presence of elongated brown spots on the branches and trunk are the first signs of homosis. The bark under such spots quickly dies and begins to crack. In places of cracks, a sticky golden-colored substance is formed, which quickly hardens.

The main reasons for the development of homemade lemon disease are mechanical damage to the bark (breaks, cracks), increased indoor air humidity, lack of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in the soil, an excess of nitrogen, planting in already contaminated soil or too deep deepening of the stem.

It is worth treating a sick specimen in the following way: remove the infected bark on the trunk, cut off severely affected shoots. Treat the places of stripping and pruning with any fungicide of 3% concentration and cover with garden pitch.

The duration of treatment will depend on the degree of damage to the tree. Processing is carried out until brown spots cease to form.

Anthracnose

Of all the diseases, indoor lemons are most often affected by anthracnose. It is determined that this sore appears on the lemon, by the leaves: they fall off en masse. But first, the leaf plate turns white or turns yellow. The flower buds are also falling. The fruits are covered with reddish spots.

Control measures - removal of dead branches and infected leaves. Three times treatment of the affected specimen with Fitosporin. Another option is to treat the tree with a 1% Bordeaux mixture solution.

Scab

They begin to treat the tree by spraying with a 1% Bordeaux mixture. All affected parts on the crown are preliminarily removed.

Melseco

When melseco is infected, the twigs of the tree at the tips begin to dry out, the leaves massively crumble. On cut branches acquire a reddish tint.

The reason is improper care, or rather, lack of light in winter. It makes no sense to fight this disease, because all methods are useless. The only thing that is required is a regular inspection of the tree for symptoms.

Affected specimens must be destroyed.

root rot

Often indoor lemons fall leaves. When 1-2 leaves fall off, you should not worry: this is a natural process. With massive leaf fall, it is worth digging up a tree and inspecting its root system.

If the roots become dark, moldy and soft to the touch, the tree is affected by root rot. All rotten parts are cut off with a sterile knife or secateurs. Places of cuts are powdered with crushed charcoal. Next, a transplant is carried out in a new flowerpot.

The transplanted lemon is placed in a well-lit place with protection from the scorching sun. Watering is allowed only a week after transplantation to prevent re-rotting of the root system.

Pests

In addition to fungal and viral diseases, there are various pests of indoor lemon.

Shchitovka

Homemade lemon diseases are treated with insecticides or soapy water. For 1 liter of water, 2 tbsp. l. any liquid soap. Process all parts that are bumpy.

After processing, the tree is washed under the shower. After 2-3 days, the treatment procedure is repeated.

Aphid ordinary

With a slight lesion, they cut off the affected parts along with insects. If the aphid has spread to the whole plant, the crown is treated with garlic infusion (4 peeled and chopped heads of garlic are infused in 5 liters of water for a day). Insecticides are also used to treat infected specimens.

Aphid root

To notice how this pest appears is obtained by the appearance of the plant. It becomes lethargic, stops growing, the leaves become drooping and turn yellow.

Such a tree is removed from the pot, its roots are sprayed with a contact insecticide or a weak garlic infusion, and then transplanted into a new container, having previously sterilized the planting soil.

spider mite

Often a spider mite appears on a lemon. These lemon pests appear in conditions of drought and low indoor humidity. They infect young leaves and twigs. The appearance of a small web on a lemon indicates the spread of a tick.

Destroy the tick at home using a four-fold treatment with a 1% solution of boric acid. The interval between treatments is 5 days.

If a lemon infects a spider mite, increase the level of humidity in the room and carry out frequent irrigation procedures of the above-ground part.

Preventive measures

To prevent the appearance of diseases and pests on this exotic plant, the gardener is required not only to comply with agrotechnical rules, but also to provide competent care. First of all, such measures should be aimed at increasing the immunity of the plant and its resistance to infection.

It is possible to prevent chlorosis (an imbalance in the distribution of chlorophyll), to activate the growth and development of the plant, by using the following composition in the nutrition of the indoor tree:

• ammonium nitrate - 15 g;
• iron vitriol - 3 g;
• boric acid - 5 g;
• potassium sulfate - 15 g.

The dry mixture is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Lemons are watered with a nutrient solution no more than once every 5 months.

This composition protects indoor citrus fruits from fungal, viral and infectious diseases. It gently stimulates the healthy development of plants.

In the process of growing a lemon, it is important:

Despite the fact that the citrus tree is prone to many diseases and pests, it is not difficult to prevent their occurrence. It is only necessary to observe preventive measures, show attention and care in relation to the plant, and then it will thank you with a healthy and decorative look.

fermoved.ru

without a plastic bag, scale insects die well from actelic ———————sticky and shiny from substances that are secreted by scale insects

it is safer for yourself with a bag, but keep the bag for a day - this is a long time the plant can die - a maximum of two hours, no more than a bag can be kept on the plant

Actellik
Perifosmethyl, 500g/l
(emulsion concentrate)

Not phytotoxic. Dangerous for bees and fish. Do not allow to enter watercourses. For high effectiveness of the drug, it is necessary to adjust the sprayer well, achieving a uniform production of very small drops. A high-quality treatment is one that ensures complete wetting of the plant without dripping. Spraying is recommended to be carried out in dry, calm weather in the morning or evening.

Processing should be carried out outside the living quarters, work with gloves!

Instructions for use
Actellik - emulsion concentrate (500g / l pyrimiphosmethyl). Means for combating insect pests of the garden and vegetable garden.

Mode of application
Pour 0.1 l of water into glass jar, pour out the contents of the ampoule and mix thoroughly, then bring the working solution to the required volume. Spray the plants with a freshly prepared solution in dry, calm weather, preferably in the morning (before 10 am) or in the evening (6-10 pm), evenly wetting the leaves, 4-6 hours before rain. Do not spray against the wind. Optimum temperature with treatments 12-25°C. The term of the last treatment is no later than 20 days before harvest. Hazard class - 2. Dangerous for bees, do not process during flowering, dangerous for fish, do not allow it to enter water bodies.

The rate of water consumption per 2 ml of the drug in l
Citrus fruits (mites, whiteflies, scale insects) - 0.4;
Ornamental crops, indoor flowers (complex of pests) -1;
Peas (pea aphid) - 1;
Potato (Colorado potato beetle) - 0.7;
Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants open ground(hothouse whitefly, mites, aphids, thrips) -0.7;
Cabbage (complex of pests), radish (fleas), celery (aphids), carrots (carrot fly, psyllids) - 0.7;
Strawberries (moths, moths, sawflies, leafworms), raspberries, currants, gooseberries (gall midges, aphids, beetles, mites) 1.3;
Grapes (leafworms, mealybug, mites) - 0.7;
Sea buckthorn (sea buckthorn fly, sea buckthorn aphid, sea buckthorn gall mite) - 2;
Melon (melon cow), currant (complex of pests) - 0.7.
Precautionary measures
To prepare the working solution, do not use food utensils; the working solution cannot be stored! Processing should be carried out in the absence of children and animals. It is advisable to work in clothing specially designed for this purpose, goggles, and a respirator. Do not smoke, drink or eat while working. Wash face and hands with soap after work. In case of skin irritation or contact with eyes, rinse large quantity water for 15 minutes. If the drug is ingested, give the victim to drink 1-2 glasses of water, induce vomiting, consult a doctor.

answer.mail.ru

Shchitovka - description of the insect

The scale insect or shield aphid is the most common pest on citrus plants. The sucking insect, depending on the species, has dimensions from 1 to 5 mm. To protect against external influences, their body is covered with a wax shield. In insects belonging to the coccid suborder, male and female individuals differ significantly. Males are smaller than females, they have one pair of wings and normally developed limbs. Their scutes are flat and elongated, and their mouthparts are poorly developed.

Females are noticeably larger, but completely devoid of limbs (in some cases even vision). The scab on a lemon sticks to the plant and leads a motionless lifestyle. The purpose of the female is to continue the genus; to protect her and her offspring, the scale insect is endowed with a powerful rounded shell. The male finds a mating partner by moving around the plant. After fertilization of the female, they die.

Pests reproduce by eggs, less common are viviparous species. Insects are very prolific and quickly populate the plant. Active larvae emerge from the eggs. They move around the lemon tree until they find a good place to suckle. The females remain motionless forever. Females live for several months, during which time they lay up to 100 eggs. After several molts, a shell of skins and a wax segment appears on the back of the insects.

Information. A false shield settles on plants - a pest that is very similar to a shield. They differ in several ways: a larger size (up to 7 mm), the shell is easily separated from the insect, false scales do not secrete a sweet secret.

Why are scale insects dangerous?

Shield aphid spreads throughout the plant:

• the lower and upper parts of the leaves;
• trunk;
• young shoots.

Adults and larvae suck cell sap from the plant. They do not hibernate seasonally, being active all year round. The tree damaged by them slows down growth, its leaves turn yellow and fall off. The trunk begins to dry behind the leaves, because it also serves as food for an ever-increasing population of pests. Having noticed the listed symptoms, it is necessary to immediately begin to treat the lemon from the scab. In addition to the harm caused by insects personally. They become the cause of fungal infection of the plant. Scale insects secrete a sticky substance on the leaves, this substance is a favorable environment for the development of soot fungus.

Information. Soot fungus infects plants with weakened immune systems, it clogs cells, preventing respiration, and interferes with photosynthesis. The leaves of the affected plant die off completely.

Signs of defeat

The cause of plant disease can be various pests, in order to determine their type, it is necessary to examine the leaves and trunk of a lemon. At the initial stage of the lesion, a small insect manages to hide well from human eyes. Small larvae are difficult to see, but adults are clearly visible. They are brown or brown tubercles along the veins of the leaves, on the trunks. These accumulations look like a brown wax coating. Also noticeable is the sticky secret that the shield aphid leaves on the leaves.

Information. Infection of a room lemon with a scale insect occurs through the soil with larvae, it is possible to buy a diseased tree. The source of the appearance of the pest can be purchased bouquets, fruits, and other indoor flowers.

Pest control methods

Destroying a scale insect on a room lemon is quite difficult because of the strong shell. It serves as a shield for the pest against chemicals and other harmful substances. But with perseverance and using various means, you can achieve the complete destruction of insects.

mechanical method

The shell of an adult does not allow insecticides to penetrate the insect's body. To remove them from the lemon, you should use a mechanical method. This will require:

• alcohol or an alcohol-containing agent;
• cotton swab or toothbrush.

A cotton swab is moistened with alcohol, and then all the places where the accumulation of scale insects is noticed are wiped. If insects are poorly removed, you can use a toothbrush. You should carefully examine the leaves on both sides, ovaries and stems. The scale on the lemon settles in large numbers, so do the work carefully.

Chemicals

With a pest that breeds quickly like a scale insect, it is impossible to cope without chemicals.

Information. Chemical agents destroy the scale insect only at the larval stage. Processing is carried out twice, with an interval of 10 days.

Among the effective means:

• Actellik is a broad-spectrum drug that destroys the body of insect pests. It is used to kill sucking insects. Home plant lovers who have used the drug on their lemons confirm its effectiveness. The disadvantage of "Aktellik" is a sharp specific smell, from which in a closed room appears headache. If possible, it is better to carry out the processing on the street. If the insecticide was applied in the apartment, the room should be well ventilated.
• "Aktara" - the tool is considered one of the best drugs from pests. The fight against the scale insect on a lemon will take only a day, after this period the insects die en masse. The action of "Aktara" is preserved when spraying up to 4 weeks. The drug can be poured under the root of a low tree, it will be absorbed into the juice of the plant and poison the pests. The substance is moderately hazardous. Therefore, its use for indoor plants does not cause negative consequences.
• "Fitoverm" - a biological type insectoacaricide has an intestinal-contact effect on pests. The drug does not pollute the soil, quickly decomposes. Lemon fruits can be eaten 2-3 days after processing the tree.

Folk remedies

Chemicals are often used with caution, especially for houseplants. A lot of positive feedback from flower growers and gardeners received the use of a composition of soap and kerosene. A soap film covers the plant, excluding air access to the insect, and kerosene, flowing under the shell, poisons the scale insect. To prepare the composition, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 liter of water;
• 50 g of laundry soap;
• 5 drops of kerosene.

Advice. Before mixing, the soap is rubbed on a fine grater, so it will dissolve faster in water.

All components are combined in one container and thoroughly mixed until the soap dissolves. With the finished composition, process the whole lemon from the scab. The solution is left on the plant for 2-3 hours, then washed off with clean water. A pot of indoor lemon can be brought into the bathroom and washed well in the shower.

For processing, tinctures of garlic, onion and pepper are used. They are prepared according to a similar recipe: 50 g of a vegetable (onion with peel, pepper or garlic) is crushed and 0.5 l of water is poured. Infused 14-15 hours. Leaves and branches are wiped with the composition. Folk recipes are effective in combination with mechanical removal of insects.

Preventive measures

In order for the lemon not to suffer from pests, you should follow simple preventive measures:

• cut off damaged branches and weak shoots in a timely manner. attracting pests;
• send newly purchased plants to quarantine;
• monitor the cleanliness of the soil in the pot;
• regularly ventilate the room, monitor the sufficient level of humidity;
• Every week, wipe the leaves of the plant on both sides with a damp cloth, this will get rid of dust and pests.

The fight against scale insects should be comprehensive, the only way to completely get rid of insects on a homemade lemon. Compliance with preventive rules will prevent infection of the plant with dangerous pests.

beetlestop.ru

The appearance of sticky leaves

If you take a lemon that grows in its natural environment, then with a sticky coating it attracts ants to itself, and they allow you to fight pests. If the leaves are covered with bloom, then this is not always a bad thing.

Appearances of scale insects

Symptoms that indicate a lesion with a scab:

• plaque appears on the lemon;
• spots may appear;
• the plant dries up.

After such processing, the fruits from this tree cannot be eaten, because they will also absorb the poison. After the destruction of the shield, it is necessary to remove the top layer of soil and pour a new one.

You can use other methods, after which the fruits will be usable. Solution recipe: take a liter of water and pour 50 grams of tobacco into it, mix, let it brew for 48 hours. Spray lemon with a ready-made solution 4 times a day.

Aphids as the cause of sticky leaves

To get rid of aphids at home, it is necessary to treat the plant daily for a week with a solution of laundry soap.

selomoe.ru

Why is lemon sick

Lemon is easily exposed to diseases and attacks by pests and viruses in the following cases:

• If he did not have time to get stronger after recovering from other diseases.
• If he is provided with poor care: contaminated soil, poor lighting, illiterate pruning, insufficient soil fertilization, improper watering, etc.
• If a virus or pathogenic bacteria brought insects or a diseased stalk when grafted.

Viruses and bacteria can get on the plant when the room is ventilated, but this happens quite rarely.

Most often, viruses, bacteria and pests infect indoor lemon leaves. However, if a lemon sheds fruits and leaves, the reason for this may be a lack of trace elements:

• If there is a pronounced network of green veins on light leaves, the lemon needs manganese, zinc or iron. Another reason is soil pH disturbances.
• If an adult leaf loses its gloss, dries at the ends and turns a reddish-brown color, the plant is deficient in phosphorus.

• If pale yellow speckles appear on the leaf, and it turns yellow and fades over time, this indicates a lack of nitrogen.
• If notches appear between the veins of the leaves, the lemon needs potassium top dressing.
• If the plant drops the ovaries, it urgently needs manganese.

Not useful to the plant and too frequent feeding. If leaves fall on a lemon, what to do in this case? Postpone feeding and evaluate the correctness of care: suddenly you are doing something wrong.

Viral diseases of indoor lemon

We learn about three viral diseases in which a lemon sheds leaves: why they often lead to the death of a plant, and whether they can be cured:

Leaf mosaic

Having become ill with it, the leaves become covered with dark or light strokes in the form of a mosaic, lose their shape. The growth of the tree is noticeably slowed down.

This disease is not treated by any means, but symptoms can be reduced by regularly fertilizing the soil and providing the plant with proper care. If you have other lemons, it is better to destroy the plant affected by the virus as soon as possible.

Cancer of citrus

When affected by this virus, brown spots appear on the foliage and fruits. When the form is started, the leaf falls off, the lemons take on an ugly shape, and a little later the tree dies.

It is impossible to cure citrus cancer: to prevent it in the spring, we treat the plant with liquid copper fungicide.

Tristeza

Having picked up the tristeza, the lemon loses its foliage, the bark or twigs die on it. The plant dies - it cannot be cured.

Most often, viruses infect weakened lemons that are poorly cared for.

Fungal and infectious diseases of indoor lemon

Consider the main diseases of lemons that are fungal and infectious in nature, their symptoms and methods of treatment.

Most often, indoor lemons are affected by the following fungi and infections:

Gomoz

With homosis, the branches and trunk of the plant are covered with elongated spots of a red-brown hue, under which the bark quickly dies and cracks. Cracks ooze a sticky golden substance that quickly hardens.

Causes of homosis: excessive humidity in the room, cuts or breaks in the bark, deficiency of phosphorus and potassium, excess nitrogen fertilizers, diseased soil or severe deepening of the trunk.

How to treat homosis? We cut off all the stains from the bark of the trunk, treat the sections with a three percent solution and use putty from garden pitch. We repeat the treatment until spots on the bark of the trunk cease to form. If the branches are covered with spots, cut them off entirely and destroy them.

Anthracnose

This is a fungal disease in which leaves fall from a lemon, and many do not know what to do about it. First, the leaf turns yellow, then flies around, as well as the buds. The branches of the plant gradually die off, and red spots appear on the lemons.

To get rid of the fungus, we destroy the dead branches and spray the lemon with Fitosporin or a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture. We spray three times.

Scab

Another fungal disease of indoor lemons is scab, in which young leaves are covered with transparent yellowish spots, gradually turning into pink-gray growths. Spreading over the leaf, these growths destroy it along with the shoots. Fruits with scab are covered with orange spots, eventually becoming red-brown. In this case, the lemon discards the fruits.

In order not to destroy the entire plant, we cut and destroy all the affected parts of the plant, and spray the crown with one percent Bordeaux liquid.

Melseco

With melseco, the shoots of the lemon dry up, the foliage falls off, starting from the tips of the branches, and the cut of the branch turns red.

Poor lighting is to blame for this lemon disease: in winter, the plant did not have enough light, and it was not illuminated.

Melseko treatment does not exist: we observe the plant, and if it continues to hurt, we destroy it.

root rot

If a lemon abruptly sheds a leaf, dig it up and inspect the roots. Having found rotten roots, we cut them off and transplant the lemon into a new disinfected soil.

We put the transplanted plant on a bright windowsill, and avoid watering for a week - we just wipe the leaves with damp gauze or a sponge.

In addition to infectious and viral diseases, indoor lemons are affected by harmful insects. We will find out which pests attack a home-grown lemon and how to deal with them.

Shchitovka

Scale insect larvae settle on the underside of the leaves and subsequently move to the outside. The plant withers, dries, quickly picks up viruses and infections.

To get rid of scale insects, we use a special insecticide or soapy solution, for which we dilute 2 tbsp in water (1 l). any liquid soap. Wet with soapy water all places affected by insects. We wait one hour, wash the plant in the shower and after a couple of days repeat the treatment.

Aphid ordinary

Colonies of light green aphids usually settle on young shoots that are not overgrown with bark. First, they attack the bottom of the leaf, then move up, sucking out the juices along the way. The leaves curl up and die.

If there are few aphids, we cut off the affected shoots and destroy them together with insects, after which we feed the plant with complex fertilizer. If the aphids have covered most of the indoor lemon, spray the tree with an insecticide or garlic infusion, for which we clean 4 heads of garlic and soak them in 5 liters for 24 hours. After we filter.

spider mite

Young twigs and leaves are often affected by this insect. The foliage curls up and a web appears around it. The appearance of spider mites is to blame for the lack of humidity.

To get rid of insects, we spray the tree with a one percent solution of boric acid, carrying out the procedure four times.

root aphid

Unlike the common aphid, the root aphid found in contaminated soil infects the roots.

To exterminate it, we transplant the lemon into disinfected soil, treating the roots with a contact insecticide or a weak garlic tincture.

In many sources, you can find advice on treating lemon with an alcohol solution - this is strictly prohibited. Lemon does not tolerate alcohol.

As you can see, lemon diseases are numerous and sometimes very serious: some lead to the death of the plant. To protect it from adversity, plant the plant only in disinfected soil, give it a regular shower and wipe the foliage and branches with wet gauze, treat the crown with soapy water once a month, and inspect the tree more often for disease or insect infestation.

All scale insects have a pronounced sexual dimorphism - males and females differ in structure, very often, when describing a new type of scale insects, scientists characterize only females, since it is the feeding females that are noticeable on the stems and leaves of plants, while males live very little, only before mating, then they die. In some species of scale insects, males are reflected very little - only 2-3%, it is difficult to detect them.

What does the shield look like

Females have neither legs, nor wings, nor eyes, nor antennae, but there are well-developed mouth organs of a piercing-sucking type. While the females are young, the shield is soft and insects can move around. When the shield is ripe, they become immobile. Outwardly, most scale insects common on indoor flowers are similar - the body is oval or rounded from 1.5 to 2 mm long. The body under the scutellum is white or pale brown, segmentation is not pronounced. The shield in mature individuals may cover the entire surface of the body, or partially, be strongly convex, hemispherical or flattened. The color of the shield is yellowish-brown, dark brown, consists of the secretory part and larval skins. In different phases of the larvae, the skins can be of different colors, so the shield is often of a non-uniform color, for example, the outer ring is golden brown, the central one is dark brown. Among the scale insects common in horticultural crops, there are more large species: with a pear-shaped or drop-shaped body up to 5 mm long.
In males, the mouth organs are reduced, but there are eyes, fully formed limbs and wings. The body is segmented into head, thorax and abdomen. The males are mostly white and fluffy. Sometimes reddish, red-gray, light orange. They also have a shield, only a very small one.

Scale eggs have oval shape in some species it is elongated oval, usually white or light gray in color, gradually darkening to light brown. The eggs are very small, about 0.1-0.3 mm, look like worms under a microscope.

The first instar larva is called a stray- it has a flattened oval body, up to 0.3 mm long, yellowish in color, three pairs of legs, antennae, eyes. In many species of scale insects, by the color of the larva, you can understand who it will be reborn into. So, at the mulberry scale insects, the tramps are white and red, females grow from whites, males from reds.
The second instar larva is larger. Her body is white or gray, the back of the calf is usually darker, the dimensions reach 0.5 mm. By this time, the female larva has no legs, antennae, or eyes. It differs from the adult only in the size and lighter coloration of the scutellum.
Among several thousand species there are scale insects of a slightly different appearance - in some females with an almost transparent body, the shield is invisible, they seem to be vitreous; others have very irregular bodies, like blots; still others have a rich black shield. Morphological stages of development in scale insects can also differ, for example, some tropical scale insects do not have an egg stage.
It makes no sense to describe a specific type of scale insects, once you see them in a photograph or live, you will not confuse them with anyone.

Scale development cycle.

Scale insects have a pronounced life cycle. But tropical scale insects and pest scale insects of temperate latitudes have differences. They are related to climatic conditions.
In nature, it looks like this: after mating, the female carries eggs for three months and feeds on plant sap. Three months after fertilization, she lays many eggs, according to various sources, from 250 to 500 pieces, after which she dies.

Scale insects living in temperate climates, for example, apple comma-shaped scale insects, have the following stages of development:
egg >> first instar larvae (tramps) >> second instar larvae >> males and females >> egg.

Females have an elongated and widely rounded end of the shield - under it is the entire clutch of fertilized eggs, the body of the female herself simply dries out, freeing the house for the children. Our winters are severe and all egg-laying is kept under the shield. By the end of May, when the average daily temperature is about + 8C, stray eggs hatch and begin to actively populate plants, mainly young, slightly lignified branches, young shoots.

The development cycle from a vagrant to a sexually mature female averages three months. Then mating takes place. The number of males in the population is approximately 20-35%. After fertilization, the males die. Egg laying begins in August. Thus, the development cycle is approximately 1 year: 9-10 months of egg maturation, 35-60 days of the larva, 3 months of the female. In southern latitudes, these species of scale insects can have time to form two generations per year.

In tropical species, this is, for example, the California scale insect, somewhat different stages of development:
first instar larvae (overwinter) >> female larva and male larva >> parthenogenesis* >> mating >> first instar larvae (vagrants) >> diapause larvae >> second instar male and female larvae >> adult males and females.
The shield of females is usually round - they do not need a house for oviposition, the females of many species of tropical scale insects lay larvae. Autumn birth larvae overwinter in shelters (under the bark, leaf axils). In spring, vagrants come out of hiding, quickly take a fancy to the juiciest places and develop into the next stage of the larvae, adults - males and females. By the time of mass maturation of females, the flight of males begins (it lasts several days). There are few males, their number of the total population is no more than 8-9%. Mating occurs, after which the male dies.

* Not so many males are reflected, because the phenomenon of parthenogenesis is observed in scale insects - this is virgin reproduction, when sexually mature females grow up without fertilization (mating with males).

The development cycle of the scale insect from the awakening of vagrants to a sexually mature female averages a week or two. Part of the vagrants in the middle of summer passes into a state of diapause - dormancy. This helps the scale insects survive adverse conditions, since in the summer vagrants die from a long drought or heavy rains. Diapause can last from several weeks to several months. Most of the larvae turn into females. And it takes about a month to develop them. In males of some species of scale insects, the development cycle includes an additional two stages: pronymphs and nymphs. Thus, the entire development cycle is approximately 60 days.

It must be said that there is no classification of scale insects according to climatic types, this is given here only for clarity, in order to see the difference and diversity in the development of individual pest species. Some scale insects, common in subtropical regions, for example, the pseudo-California scale insect, also have an egg stage, only then a larva. Usually egg-laying scale insects differ in the shape and size of the shield - it is wide enough, like a Vietnamese hat, rounded or pear-shaped. In addition, in some species of scale insects, it is not eggs that hibernate, but females in a state of diapause.
The number of molts can also be different: for example, females can have two stages of larvae, males - three.
From the point of view of indoor floriculture, the danger of scale insects is that due to parthenogenesis - the hatching of females without fertilization, scale insects can breed all year round, giving out about 5-6 generations, the process of generational change goes on continuously. At the same time, males are extremely rare among indoor scale insects, but if they appear, for some reason they are very frightening. Someone begins to think that this unknown terribly voracious creature. In fact, the life cycle of scale insects, with or without males, is no different. By themselves, males do not harm plants - they simply have nothing to eat. In fact, male scale insects hatch for the sole purpose of fertilization, therefore, all they have are eyes, wings and genitals.
Damage from scale insects
All scale insects cause great harm to plants, in gardens for 3-4 years they can completely destroy an entire fruit tree. In countries with a warm climate, in agrarian regions, when certain types of scale insects (for example, mulberries) are found, strict quarantine is introduced. During this period, the export of seedlings and seedlings is strictly prohibited. Fruit trees and shrubs, stone fruits and tea plantations are treated with pesticides.
AT room conditions scale insects, having settled on a plant, will also lead to its death in the shortest possible time. Scale insects come to our house with infected flowers from the store, planting material (soil), vagrants are carried by the wind.
Yellow spots appear on the leaves at the site of suction of the scale insects, they grow in size as the cell sap is sucked out, then the leaf turns completely yellow or turns brown, curls and falls off. The plant stops growing, the branches become bare, then the whole bush begins to dry out and the plant dies. In addition to the leaves, the scale insect damages the fruits of citrus fruits (tangerines, lemons and oranges), the ovaries fall prematurely, and the flowers dry out.
Another sign of the appearance of scale insects is sticky discharge on the leaves. . Scale insects produce a sweetish liquid - fall, it covers the stems, leaf petioles, leaves, buds and fruits. Soot fungus and dust stick to it.
Measures to combat scale insects
As soon as you find a scale insect, something like brown plaques on the stems, petioles, axils and the leaves themselves, immediately isolate the plant, and also check all the plants that were nearby. Adult scale insects are protected from insecticides by a shield, but they can be removed from the plant mechanically.
To do this, it is best to use a cotton pad and a sponge for tender leaves or an old toothbrush(with soft bristles) for denser leaves. Moisten in soapy water and thoroughly wipe each leaf on both sides, as well as the stems. Even if it seems to you that there is still no pest on some leaf, you need to process the entire plant, otherwise one surviving larva, and after a few weeks the whole plant will again be sprinkled with scale insects. For washing the leaves, any detergent for dishes (aos, fairies, etc.), laundry soap, tar soap, green soap. Beat a thick foam and leave it on the leaves for 30 minutes, then rinse with hot water (water temperature is allowed up to 50 degrees - the hand is hot). hot shower- 2-3 minutes. If the procedures for soap washing and hot showers are carried out once a week, then you can get rid of scale insects without chemicals. Without washing, plants that cannot tolerate such a procedure have to be sprayed with an insecticide. But a single treatment will not completely rid them of scale insects. Since the shield of the female protects her and the oviposition from contact insecticides, you need to soak the plant in a solution, lower the entire crown into a bucket of chemicals, or apply watering with systemic insecticides - Aktara or Confidor - these are the drugs of choice.

Of the contact preparations against scale insects, the following are effective:
Neonicotinoids:

• tanrec
• Colorado
• Iskra Golden
• Mospilan
  

Phosphorus organic compounds:

• Actellik,
• Karbofos and others.

Hormonal insecticides, juvenoids - regulators of insect growth and development, for example, Admiral (pyriproxyfen).

ATTENTION: Treatment with contact and enteric-contact insecticides must be repeated at least three times, with an interval of 7 days to ensure the destruction of the generation of pests newly hatched from the eggs of the larvae.

In addition, window frames and glass, the window sill where the infected plant stood, must be wiped with an alcohol-containing liquid or dishwashing solution.
If you live with small children, relatives, patients with asthma or allergic diseases, if you do not have the opportunity to thoroughly ventilate the apartment after using chemicals, or if you are pregnant, do not spray insecticides against scale insects, a high hazard class (karbofos, actellik), there less dangerous ways, read the following recommendation.

Means from fleas and ticks against scale insects.

In addition to the above insecticides, flea remedies are effective against scale insects, where the active ingredient is imidacloprid and / or fipronil and cypermethrin. These are remedies for fleas, and for lice, ixodid ticks from a veterinary pharmacy: Avanpost drops, Advantix and others.
If you only have one plant infected with scabies, buy the smallest dosage - drops for indoor dogs or cats. If you have a severe scab infestation, you need to treat several plants, buy drops for large dogs weighing more than 25 kg.

How to handle:

1. Dilute the contents of the pipette with drops with water, there will be no complete dissolution - an emulsion will be obtained.
2. Dilute a small pipette with 500 ml of water, a large pipette with 1 liter of warm water.
3. Then thoroughly moisten all the leaves of the plants on both sides with the resulting emulsion, try to get the solution into the sinuses, cover both the stems and petioles. Be sure to moisten the top layer of the earth.
4. Leave the solution on the plant to dry.
5. Wash window sills and glass with the same solution (or just soapy water).
6. When the plants dry, thoroughly ventilate the room.
7. It is not necessary to wash off flea and tick remedies, if the smell remains, then you can wash off the emulsion the next day.
   Usually one treatment with flea and tick products is enough. But if the lesion was very strong, you need to repeat the treatment after 7 days.

If it is not possible to repeat the spraying, if there are no oil drops, another option: put all the flower pots in large garbage bags (120 l), tie the bag so that it is inflated, but not completely - leave a gap. Spray the bag very carefully with a flea and tick spray, such as Bolfo spray. We do not recommend the use of dichlorvos - it has a very short-term effect and high initial toxicity. So, put the aerosol into the bag and press the sprayer for 4-5 seconds. We carefully tie the packages, leave it like that for a day. Pests die from suffocation.
It is best to carry out all procedures on the street (take out the plants in boxes, put them in a basin) or on the balcony.

The effectiveness of aktara against scale insects

Among flower growers, there was an opinion that aktara is not very effective against worms and scale insects. Where did it come from: one of the sites described the active substance of actara - thiamethoxam, then the quote: "the low biological effectiveness of thiamethoxam against scale insects is due to the fact that it quickly spreads through the phloem, but weakly penetrates into succulile cells, the contents of which are sucked out by scale insects."
In fact, a typo was made in the text, and everyone successfully quoted it. In this case, we mean sucuticular layers - i.e. layers of integumentary tissues of leaves, stems and fruits. Indeed, thiamethoxam, when watered with actara under the root, penetrates the phloem of the leaves, but only a very small part of it penetrates into the integumentary tissues. But when sprayed with an actara solution, approximately 60% of thiamethoxam absorbs the main tissues of the leaf (mesophyll), 10% - the epidermis and about 30% remains on the wax layer of the cuticle. Those. the concentration of the active substance in the epidermal layer is high enough to poison the pest.

Lemon, like other indoor plants, is subject to various diseases and pest attacks. Sticky leaves are a fairly common problem that occurs for several reasons.

That is why, before treating a tree, it is necessary to establish the factor that caused such a state of green mass, and only then resort to appropriate measures.

If sticky spots appear on the lemon leaves, you need to carefully examine the plant. Often, improper agricultural practices are to blame for such a situation, but infection with pests can also be the cause.

A sticky coating on lemon leaves is always a consequence of one of three negative factors:

• Prolonged excessive watering;
• Shield defeat;
• Aphid infestation.

To green mass lemon suffered the appearance of sticky spots with minimal loss, it is necessary to choose effective methods of treatment.

Overwatering

Leaves covered with a sticky coating are a completely natural reaction of a tree to excess moisture in the soil. Under natural conditions, this situation is not uncommon, because this representative of citrus fruits secretes a specific sugar liquid to lure ants.

They, in turn, protect the crop from pests, collecting them from all parts of the plant.

Take a close look at the earth in a pot - are you pouring it?

If the soil is excessively waterlogged, and the leaves are sticky and shiny, then the reason lies in the disturbed care.

What to do in such a situation:

1. Normalize watering by moistening the substrate as needed when the top layer (2-3 cm) dries out.
2. Check the quality of the drainage system (the presence of holes for removing excess moisture and the drainage layer) and, in its absence, transplant the plant into another pot with everything you need.
3. Use a suitable citrus substrate with sufficient looseness and water permeability.

If the lemon is heavily flooded, in addition to normalizing watering, it is necessary to completely replace the substrate with a fresh one in order to avoid rotting of the root system.

Shield defeat

The appearance of scale insects on a lemon is a much more serious problem than excessive watering, because in the absence of treatment and treatments, the plant dies.

The pest can be present both on a recently purchased flower, and then “move” to a room lemon, or get on a tree in other ways.

You can determine the presence of a shield by the following signs:

1. On the green mass, dry brown spots, brown pimples, as well as a sticky lemon on the trunk (a waste product of the pest) are visible.
2. The plant shows colonies of female scale insects (small black, transparent or other colored insects) and males (larger size, approximately 2-3 mm).
3. The leaves are covered with soot fungus.
4. Lemon gradually dries up due to exhaustion.

How to deal with the shield:

1. Carry out interval treatment (3-5 times) with insecticide preparations "Aktara", "Confidor", "Fitoverm" every 4 days.
2. Spray all parts of the plant, including hard-to-reach places (internodes, root zone, lower part of the plates and leaf axils).
3. Chemical methods of struggle can be alternated with effective folk remedies. It is advisable to use tobacco infusion (50 g of tobacco per 1 liter of water, leave for 2 days, spray 4 times every day). Or a soap-alcohol composition (dilute 10 ml of 70% alcohol and 15 ml of soap in 1 liter of water), preventing them from entering the soil.

Additionally, you can spill the lemon with the Aktara solution according to the instructions.

Sticky plaque when infested with aphids

Aphids are small light green insects that feed on plant sap and, if left untreated, lead to complete death.

It is easy to see the pest with the naked eye, because it settles on all vegetative parts of the lemon tree and provokes the appearance of a sticky coating, twisting, drying out of plates and whole shoots.

What to do with the defeat of aphids:

1. Wash the affected parts of the lemon with a solution of laundry soap - pour 300 g with two liters of warm water and let it brew, then add 8 liters of cold water. Processing is carried out every 7 days.
2. Use garlic water - chop 1 head of garlic, pour 200 ml of water and leave for 2 days, then use to spray or wipe the infected parts. Process lemon with an interval of 5 days.
3. Apply herbal infusion of nettle or wormwood (2 tbsp dry collection pour a glass of boiling water and leave for 12 hours, strain before use).
4. Spray with a solution of propolis (5 tablespoons of a pharmaceutical product diluted with 20 tablespoons of boiled water).

If folk remedies do not help get rid of aphids, it is advisable to use chemical insecticides (Aktofit, Aktellik, Fitoverm). The spray solution must be prepared according to the instructions on the package.

Prevention of sticky plaque: what to do to protect the lemon?

Mineral starvation - common cause depletion of a lemon, which, as a result of reduced immunity, is attacked by pests and covered with sticky spots.

As an effective preventive measure, the introduction of complex mineral supplements for citrus fruits on a regular basis is recommended.

Also, the composition of the following components shows good efficiency:

• Ammonium nitrate (10-15 g);
• Iron vitriol (3 g);
• Boric acid (5 ml);
• Potassium sulfate (1 tablespoon)

The mixture is diluted with 10 liters of water and applied once every 4-5 months. In addition to enriching the soil with mineral components, the solution has an antifungal and growth-stimulating effect.

When a sticky coating appears on lemon leaves, you should not delay treatment - the sooner you start processing, the faster the tree will recover and start growing.

Delicious home-grown lemons no longer surprise anyone. Before purchasing a plant, it is worthwhile to carefully study the homemade lemon disease causes and treatment of these delicate plants.

Causes of Homemade Lemon Diseases

Various diseases adversely affect the appearance of the plant and fruiting. Most often, lemons are affected by diseases and pests:

Viruses, bacteria or pests can appear:

• from poorly cultivated soil,
• from a diseased cutting when grafted,
• while airing the room (it happens extremely rarely),
• from diseased indoor plants nearby.

Many lemon diseases can be cured, but there are also diseases that are not amenable to any therapeutic effect, and the plant has to be disposed of.

Why do lemon leaves turn yellow

The leaves of a room lemon turn yellow, because:

Lemon leaf chlorosis

Plant chlorosis is a violation of the formation of chlorophyll in the leaves. The main symptom of the disease are yellowed leaf plates and green veins.

leaf chlorosis

The main cause of the disease is a lack of iron and magnesium.

Ways to combat chlorosis:

• Transplanting the plant into a new soil and a larger pot;
• Spraying the leaves with a solution of Ferovit (1.5 ml per 1 liter of water);
• Top dressing with magnesium sulfate;
• Washing the soil in a pot (for 30 minutes, water the lemon with warm water until a clear liquid flows from the drainage holes). This improves the structure of the soil and its breathability. 30 days after the procedure, the plant is fed.

Why do lemon leaves curl?

One of the common homemade lemon ailments is leaf curl.

Causes of the disease:

• 1) Violation of the rules of care (most often improper moistening of the soil and air).
• 2) Lack of mineral fertilizers (deficiency of calcium, boron or copper in the soil).
• 3) Lack of fresh air.
• 4) Damage to the plant by various pests (both on the crown of the tree and on the root system).

Important! Mineral fertilizers are applied very carefully, since their overdose adversely affects the plant.

Causes of Lemon Leaves Falling

The question "why does a lemon shed its leaves, what to do" worries many growers. A common cause of homemade lemon dropping leaves is any viral or fungal disease:

1. Leaf mosaic (leaves change their shape, dark or light strokes appear on them, resembling a mosaic, the plant stops growing). It is impossible to treat a diseased lemongrass, you can only prolong the life of the plant by regularly feeding and properly caring for it. Experts recommend destroying such a lemon so that the disease does not spread to other plants.
2. Cancer of citrus plants (in the initial stages, the leaves and fruits become covered with brown spots, later the lemons take on ugly forms, the leaves fall off, and the tree dies). It will not work to revive a diseased tree, but for the prevention of cancer, it is recommended to spray the lemon with liquid copper fungicides.
3. Tristeza (one of the reasons why a lemon sheds leaves, besides, branches, bark gradually die off, and the tree dies). The disease is incurable, often affects weakened plants.
4. Anthracnose (leaves turn yellow and fall off, thin branches die off, the tree can throw off the buds, red spots appear on the fruits). Treatment: dried branches are cut off, the plant is treated with Fitosporin three times, a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid is also suitable.
5. Malsecco (leaves fall off, shoots from the tops begin to dry out, branches on the cut turn red). The reason for the occurrence is the lack of lighting, from October to April the plant needs lighting to increase daylight hours. Drug treatment is not possible. If the normalization of the light regime does not help, then the plant should be disposed of.
6. When affected by root rot, a lemon can also shed its leaves. If for this reason the leaves fall off the lemon, then it is known what to do: dig up the plant, wash and inspect the root system, remove rotten roots. Lemon is planted in another pot in disinfected soil. For 12-14 days, do not water the plant, but only spray it with warm water and wipe the leaves with a damp sponge.

Sticky coating on lemon leaves

Sticky plaque not only spoils the appearance of the tree, but also inhibits its development.

Sticky spots on leaves

Reasons for the appearance of a sticky layer:

• inadequate care;
• excessive watering for a long time;
• the plant was struck by a scale insect;
• aphid appeared on the lemon.

The first 2 factors are easily eliminated after studying the relevant information about the proper care of the plant. Shchitovka and aphids are pests that are difficult to deal with, but quite possible.

Note! Sticky golden resin on reddish-brown spots and cracks on the trunk and branches of a tree is a sign of homosis, the causes of which lie in the lack of potassium and phosphorus, an overdose of nitrogen, or poor soil.

Fighting yellow spots on lemon leaves

Lack of lighting, low air humidity, defective watering, sudden temperature changes and improper nutrition can cause yellow spots on homemade lemon leaves. The same symptoms can be observed in some diseases:

• Scab or wart is a fungal infection of a plant, the main symptom of which is yellow spots on the leaves, gradually degenerating into pink-gray warts (growths). Orange spots appear on the fruits. Warts gradually spread throughout the plant, destroy the fruits, and can lead to the death of the tree. Treatment: treatment of the crown with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid, removal of affected branches, fruits and leaves.
• Infection with dark brown spotting (the appearance of irregularly shaped yellow spots on the leaves) is incurable. A diseased plant must be destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease to others.
• With phyllostictosis, brown specks with rims appear on the lower leaves.
• Late blight is characterized by swelling of the bark and oily spots on the foliage.

Phyllosticosis and late blight can be cured with fungicidal preparations.

Drying tips of leaves and white spots on them

The tips of the leaves may dry out when:

Lemon leaves covered with white bloom indicate the appearance of a whitefly butterfly.

whitefly butterfly

Insect control methods:

• a few butterflies are destroyed by washing the leaves with gauze dipped in soapy water;
• sticky tapes for flies are hung next to the tree;
• spray the plant several times with a sweet solution (2 tablespoons of sugar are dissolved in a glass of water);
• a large number of insects can be defeated only with the help of special chemicals.

Why Lemon Doesn't Fruit

Not all lemon trees produce fruits. For many owners, this is just a beautiful decorative decoration for the home. Why a lemon does not bear fruit, the main reasons:

What to do so that fruits appear on a lemon:

• Provide appropriate conditions for full growth and development.
• Fertilize regularly (in spring and summer 2 times a month, in autumn and winter - monthly).
• Properly graft the plant (graft a strong tree, in which the bark is well separated from the wood). For the operation, a clean and very sharp knife is used. To achieve the greatest alignment of the branch and petiole, the grafting site is tightly and tightly tied. The result is judged after 3 weeks.
• Cure diseases and get rid of pests.
• To form a crown so that by the age of three it consists of 7 main branches (at the same time, they try not to constantly shorten the tips of thin branches, since it is on them that flowers appear).
• Carry out the procedure of tightening the branches. To do this, in the spring they are pulled together with soft wire to concentrate nutrient reserves in them for next year.

Important! AT optimal conditions lemon will bloom 2-3 years after grafting.

Lemon pests at home

Lemons, like other house plants, are attacked by various pests.

Description of the signs of a spider mite infection:

• 1) yellow dots appear;
• 2) yellowing of the edge of the leaves begins,
• 3) the leaves are folded into tubules,
• 4) a web or web nests appear in the leaf tubes.

Spider mite damage

Signs of aphids:

• leaf plates and young shoots are deformed;
• a sticky coating appears;
• on the back side leaves, you can see colonies of small green pests (adults turn black).

Aphids on a lemon branch

From folk methods the treatment of the plant with an infusion of wood ash mixed with a strong soapy solution is effective.

Shchitovka is one of the hard-to-kill pests that infect indoor lemon. Signs of the appearance of a scale insect on a tree:

Shield on leaves

Thus, homemade lemons lie in wait for a large number of diseases and pests. Some indoor lemon diseases lead to the death of the plant, so experts recommend not neglecting the rules for caring for a tree and preventing the appearance of various ailments.

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