Why do violet leaves curl and what to do?

Why do hydrangea leaves curl

Has hydrangea lost its decorative appearance due to deformed leaves? First of all, exclude pest infestation and inspect the bushes for the presence of aphids and ticks. Like other plants, hydrangea may have suffered from viral infections, so do not delay treatment as it cannot be saved at a late stage.

If, in addition to twisting the leaves, the shoots dry and the buds are deformed, the hydrangea gets sick with chlorosis. This disease manifests itself when there is a lack of iron in the soil. Preparations, for example, Ferovit, will help to save the plant. You can also apply the folk method: dissolve 2 g of ferrous sulfate and 4 g of citric acid in 1 liter of water. Spray the bushes, and in especially severe cases, root top dressing.

Hydrangea is sensitive to herbicides, so if they were sprayed on the site, the plant could get poisoned, as a result of which the leaves curled. In this case, he will need time to restore immunity. No treatment is provided.

Mycoplasma diseases of lilac

Among mycoplasma diseases on lilacs, paniculate is noted, the main symptom of which is the formation of "witch's brooms". They arise due to the fact that the lateral shoots start to grow, and internodes do not develop, as a result, the branches become like small bushes, while the leaves become very shallow, and the plants as a whole acquire a dwarf appearance and soon die. Mycoplasma lesions can also be associated with signs of rosette, jaundice, chlorosis, small leaves, abnormal branching, premature budding and wilting. With the strong development of such diseases, the plants die.

Measures to combat viral diseases of lilacs are mainly reduced to prevention and prevention. First of all, it is necessary to use healthy, high-quality planting and grafting material, which should be purchased from specialized institutions with an appropriate quality certificate.

During the growing season, it is very important to remove dwarf bushes, as well as weeds that can accumulate viruses. To prevent infection when caring for plants, you must use clean working tools, disinfect them with a solution of potassium permanganate immediately after pruning and grafting.

It is also important to protect lilac plantations from mechanical damage and insects. It is necessary to carry out preventive treatments (drugs actellik, aktara, fitoverm, fufanon, kemifos, spark, etc.) from aphids, leafhoppers, thrips, which can be carriers of viruses. To increase the resistance of lilacs to viral diseases, phosphorus-potassium supplements are recommended. To increase the immunity of plants to diseases and unfavorable environmental conditions, you can spray lilacs in the first half of the growing season using agate 25 K preparations (1-3 g per 10 l of water) - 2 l per bush; athlete (1.5 ml / l) - 0.1–0.3 l per bush. Do 2 treatments (interval 5–7 days) during the period of formed, but still unpainted buds.

Frequent growing problems

Saintpaulia, as a native of the African continent and a typical representative of the tropical flora, requires conditions that are as close as possible to those characteristic of its historical homeland for full growth and development. In inappropriate conditions of detention, the outlet loses its visual appeal, begins to hurt and often dies. Let's look at examples of how this flower reacts to violation of certain rules of maintenance and care.

Spots on the leaves

The Uzambara violet likes bright, but diffused lighting, and being in direct sunlight is contraindicated for it. A deficiency or excess of light can cause discoloration of the leaves, which in healthy plants have a bright green color. Due to excessive lighting, they turn yellow, become covered with brown spots, which indicates a sunburn, and sometimes begin to fall off. Although the duration of daylight hours for violets should be at least 12 hours, the brightness of the light should be moderate. There are the following reasons for the formation of spots on the leaves:

• insufficient (excessive) air humidity;
• incorrect watering regime (underfilling, overflowing, watering with cold water);
• oversaturation of the soil with nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

Leaves stretched up

This is direct evidence of incorrect light or temperature conditions. When a flower pot is placed on a windowsill with windows facing the sunny side, the plant often suffers from an excess of light. To protect himself from the aggressive sun, he has to lift the leaves. A similar situation can be observed when organizing artificial lighting, when lamps with the wrong power and brightness are used.

A violet with leaves raised upward may experience discomfort from close proximity to heating devices and, by deforming the outlet, tries to protect itself from the heat flow. If it is too hot in the room, then the brightness of the color of the petals disappears.

Leaves dry and turn black at the edges

There are such reasons for this phenomenon as:

• waterlogging of the soil;
• insufficient content of micro- and macroelements in the soil substrate;
• poor soil: too dense, heavy or overly compacted near the roots; violets feel good in light peat soil with a baking powder (sphagnum, perlite, vermiculite);
• stay in a draft, which the outlets really do not like.

Leaves curl inward

If the leaves of a violet are curled, then this is usually due to excessive watering. A less common reason is growing a flower in nitrogen-saturated soil. It can also be a sign of phytophage damage.

Leaves become soft and wither

A healthy violet, properly cared for, is a plant with fleshy, shiny, well-pubescent leaves on straight petioles pointing slightly upward. Soft, drooping leaves in them may be the result of a violation of the irrigation and feeding regime (deficiency of potassium and nitrogen or abuse of fertilizer), insufficient illumination of the place in which the pot with the plant stands.

Viral and bacterial flower infections

Viral diseases of flowers have characteristic features by which they can be distinguished from others. Most often it is mosaic, curl and curling of leaves, variegation and overgrowth of flowers. Viruses get on healthy plants by cuttings, cut flowers and infect them. The main vectors of viral diseases are sucking insects (aphids, thrips, cicadas).

Bacterial diseases of flowers. Bacteria are the smallest unicellular organisms that, under favorable conditions, multiply extremely quickly, affecting the grown plants. Bacteria develop especially quickly at temperatures of + 20 ... + 30 ° C and high humidity.

Bacterial diseases are transmitted from diseased plants to healthy insects, wind, water droplets and humans. Bacteria remain on roots, seeds and affected plant debris without losing their viability for several years.

The most common bacterial diseases of summer plants include leaf spot, which differs from mushroom by the presence of an oily halo around the spot.

What to do if disease stains appear

Having determined the reason why the violet is covered with spots, you can begin to fight it.This process is easiest to implement when defects are caused by improper containment conditions:

1. In the case when spots are formed on the violet due to sunlight, it is enough to rearrange the pots with Saintpaulias in a darker place, curtain that section of the window near which the plant is located. Sometimes a tighter mosquito net can help. After such actions, the damaged leaves are removed from the flower and new ones are allowed to grow.
2. If rust appears on the leaves, treatment is carried out by raising the dew point, for which you should transplant the violet into a wider pot or change the irrigation method using the irrigation method not into the ground, but through the pallet.
3. The first reason why violet leaves turn yellow is drafts. Especially in the summer, when the windows are opened for ventilation. It is easy to eliminate the cause - rearrange the flowers or shield them with any available object in the form of a barrier.
4. If brown (rarely black) spots, dark brown dry areas have formed on the plate, this indicates that the soil has become alkaline and it is necessary to immediately transplant Saintpaulia. When changing the soil, it is imperative to remove the old substrate as much as possible, cut off the damaged elements and sprinkle the sections with charcoal.

It is much more difficult to deal with stains, which are symptoms of fungal diseases.

Here it is important to determine the exact reason in order to clearly develop a plan that will help Saintpaulia, what to do, you can find out by visiting specialized sites or forums of flower growers

The covering of the leaf blade with multi-colored spots of various shapes indicates infection with powdery mildew, rot, or another virus. The longer the plant is sick, the greater the radius of damage, which eventually passes to the buds.

Microorganisms weaken the flower so much that it can simply die. In this case, the primary action will be to isolate sick Saintpaulias from healthy ones and completely remove the affected areas. This is followed by the disinfection process - violets are treated with any suitable antiseptic, starting from copper sulfate and potassium permanganate.

In more complex cases, Topazo, Zircono, etc. are used. It is necessary to use drugs according to the instructions on the package.

With putrefactive infection, not only spots are clearly visible, but also the lethargy of the cutting, darkening of young processes. The ground part is covered with white mycelium filaments. The fight, as in the previous case, begins with isolating the flower and removing all damaged areas. Then the surviving leaves and buds are sprayed with fungicides and antiseptics. Be sure to treat the soil with Fitosporin.

In the warm season, especially during the flowering period, various insects may be interested in the plant, which gnaw through the leaves and cause the formation of dark spots of a round shape. To control parasites, insecticides of a wide or narrow focus are used. It is best to use the first type, since it can be quite difficult to determine which species of insects settled on Saintpaulia.

The worst picture for any grower is the darkening of the leaves and the appearance of dry brown spots on them, which quickly affect the entire plate, leading to its complete deformation. If brown spots appear, this indicates that the violet has become infected with viruses. At the same time, there are no effective methods of fighting. A sick flower will simply have to be thrown away, an empty pot must be treated with potassium permanganate and set aside for a while for complete disinfection.

With proper and constant care of violets, it is not difficult to identify and eliminate the problem, but it should be remembered that it is better not to treat the disease, but to prevent its occurrence. Experts say that any type of disease originates from an illiterate content. Therefore, the most important step to ensure beauty and lush year-round flowering is the recommended conditions of detention.

Causes of occurrence

Disease is a common occurrence among asters. Typically, a culture is affected by three types of diseases: viral, bacterial and fungal.

The viral ones are the most dangerous because there is often no cure for them in general.

Such types of ailments are transferred from flower to flower by pests, and they may well fly in from neighboring areas. Another reason for the appearance is contaminated seed. That is, the seeds that the gardener bought are already initially infected with viruses. In addition, there are situations when plants have already died once after a disease, and the land has not been properly cultivated. Then, with a high degree of probability, the virus will attack the culture again.

Bacterial diseases are not so common, but they are also difficult to treat. Bacteria can get into asters in several cases:

• through infected tools;
• in the absence of treatment and disinfection of the plant after pruning, as well as if the branches or stem are damaged.

The most common type of diseases is fungal, and this applies not only to asters, but also to all crops on the site as a whole.

Consider a number of reasons why such diseases appear.

• Failure to comply with the watering regime. Every gardener knows that any plant needs to provide its own watering regime. Astra needs a lot of water, but this does not mean that it needs to be filled. If there is an excess of water, this will be an excellent "starting point" for the development of the fungus.
• High air humidity. The fungus loves moisture and reproduces fastest in rainy summers.
• Too dense planting. When there are too many plants in one area, they begin to "compete" for nutrients in the soil. In addition, some parts of the culture will not have enough sun, as well as oxygen, since air circulation will be disturbed. In such conditions, the appearance of the fungus is very predictable.

It is worth noting that the above reasons do not always necessarily cause the appearance of the fungus.

However, it must be remembered that spores are most successful at attacking weak plants with poor immunity.

If you do not take good care of your pets, do not water properly, do not know what and how to feed, diseases in most cases cannot be avoided.

Pests

Thrips

This small arthropod insect, which is only 1-2 mm long, is almost impossible to see. These pests feed on plant sap. Spots of yellow or brown color appear on the leaves and stem, the leaves dry out and curl from edge to middle, traces of perforation from the sharp chewing apparatus of pests are visible on the dried leaves, and insect excrement is visible on the outer and inner parts of the leaf.

Fighting method:

1. if symptoms are detected during streptocarpus flowering, it is necessary first of all to remove all flowers and buds;
2. the regularity of insecticide treatment depends on the insect's life cycle: after a single treatment, adults and larvae die, but the nymphs remain intact, so the treatment should be carried out three times every 7 days (you need to prepare a solution by diluting 1 ampoule of Fitoverma in 1 glass of water).

Any solution loses its properties during storage, so you need to use it immediately.

Spider mite

If during inspection of the lower part of the leaf plate, between the veins, an oily sheen is found, the surface of the leaf has a brown tint, and the leaf itself is yellowish and dries, starting from the edges, these are signs of the presence of a spider mite.

Important! The tick carries infectious diseases.

In the fight against the pest, ordinary insecticides are powerless, so you need to use modern acaricides, such as "Sunmight", "Nissoran", "Apollo". Depending on the agent chosen, the methods of processing the plant and preparing the solution differ:

1. "Sunmight" - 1 gram of powder per 1 liter. water. The drug is moderately dangerous, it can be used only once a year.
2. "Nissoran" - 1 gram of the drug per 1 liter of water, shake the spray bottle with the solution and process the leaves from all sides. The remedy is effective before large populations of adults appear.
3. "Apollo" - dilute 4 ml of the drug in 10 liters of water.

When working with acaricides, it is necessary to use personal protective equipment, after processing, be sure to wash your face and hands with soap, rinse your mouth, burn the container in which the drug was, without inhaling combustion products.

Aphid

It is a small insect with a soft green or orange body. The insect travels long distances in air currents, and therefore it seems that it appears spontaneously on plants. Once the aphid has hit the flower, it multiplies quickly, and females can give birth to offspring at the age of 3-6 days.

Most often, plants that are regularly poured or dried out are susceptible to aphid attack. The insect can appear in the center of the plant, on flowers, buds and their stems. The pest feeds on plant sap, absorbing and passing it through the body, after which a sticky layer appears on the foliage and, as a result, dark mold forms, which disappears when the aphid disappears.

Signs of the presence of aphids are - a large number of white shells from larvae on the plant, curling of leaves and their acquisition of an unusual shape. To combat insects, you need to prepare a solution by diluting 10 ml of Iskra Bio in 1 liter of water. Spray all plants three times every 7 days.

Red-gall aphid

In the case of the red-gall aphid and the timing of its detection, it is far from always advisable to use chemicals (insecticides). For example, when a large number of entomophages, that is, beneficial insects, are observed in the garden, and with chemistry we will kill them too. Given this, it is possible to carry out a massive installation of glue belts in a garden or in a small area (especially at the end of April at a height of a meter or one and a half), these glue belts will be able to eliminate part of the aphid and a large number of ants that are its carriers, when irritated by the antennae of which the aphid releases sticky and sweet liquid - the span that the ants feed on.

Often, instead of slightly more expensive hunting belts, resourceful gardeners use ordinary adhesive tapes for flies, always greased with an adhesive composition on both sides - female aphid spreaders are glued to such tapes (usually by accident), which can dramatically reduce the number of pests.

In addition, using adhesive tapes, you can kill not even two, but a dozen "birds with one stone" at the same time: partially get rid of earwigs, cap moths, caterpillars of leaf rollers (which also twist the leaves of an apple tree, settling in them and pupating) and even an apple flower beetle, which gets into the sticky tape also accidentally, because it is slow.

In order to exclude or minimize the appearance of aphids on the site, it is imperative to monitor the apple trees, to remove the bark that begins to flake off, because the red-gall aphid settler throws eggs into such places, from which young, voracious individuals emerge very quickly.

Do not think that hanging the belts only once or hanging sticky tapes like garlands, you can breathe a sigh of relief. This is not true. Both trapping belts and sticky tapes must be replaced with new ones every five or six days and at least, otherwise they will be of little use. For example, when leaving the dacha, hang up trapping belts or sticky tapes, and upon arrival, replace them with new ones. But not everything is so bad: given that the larvae are not born constantly, but only three times per season, it means that the hunting belts also need to be changed only three times.

There are also rules for installing trapping belts from the red-gall aphid. Fishing belts should fit as closely as possible to the tree trunk, because aphids are a very small insect and can quite crawl under the gap between the belt and the wood.To make the belt lie flat, first clean the bark well, removing its old and dead parts, and then the belt can be applied completely calmly and tightly.

I would like to say a few words about ants, we have already touched on them a little and talked about the addiction of ants to the sweet secretions of aphids. So, in order for the aphids on the site to become several times smaller, it is necessary to reduce the number of these residents on the site too.

Alas, chemistry is usually indispensable here, anthills are intensively poisoning, using insecticides such as "Nitrafen" or "Kemifos". Of course, you can always use the advice of our grandparents and treat the nests with soap or even cow urine, but, as a rule, if it helps, then not for long.

Twisted apple leaf affected by red-gall apple aphid. Svetlana Jovičić

General characteristics of the plant

The violet has an attractive appearance. A small bush will not take up much space, and the flowering process will surprise with its diversity. A more detailed description of Saintpaulias:

• bush 10-15 cm high;
• the rosette consists of several tiers of green leaves, fluffy to the touch;
• the frill of the plate is serrated, the color is from dark green to light green;

Sick violet

• the diameter of the leaf can be from 2 cm to 10 cm;
• at the time of flowering, a peduncle appears, at the top of which an inflorescence of several buds is formed;
• the color range of the buds can be varied. The shape, size and texture of the petals is individual for each variety.

In the process of development, growth and flowering, various problems can appear. Usually this is a deterioration in the appearance of the plant. In extreme cases, the flower may even die. There are a lot of reasons - diseases, infections, pests.

External characteristics of the plant

Leaves on cherry and apple tree

The leaves on the cherry and apple tree are of a strange light green, almost yellow color. At the apple tree, the leaves curl inward. What is the reason? Maybe the trees are missing something?

Marina Zavgorodnaya, Guy

- A change in the normal color of leaves to pale green or yellowish green in summer is a sign of nitrogen starvation. In this case, foliar feeding (by leaves) with a 0.2-0.5% solution of urea (20-50 g per 10 l of water) will help.

Curling leaves on an apple tree may indicate damage to its aphids. Unfold a few pieces of paper and examine them carefully. If you find pests, treat the tree with one of the following insecticides: Fufanon (10 ml / 10 L of water), Novaktion (13 ml / 10 L of water), Pyrimix (10-15 ml / 10 L of water), etc. If the damage is minor, you can instead of chemicals, use infusions: tobacco leaves; leaves and inflorescences of chamomile; tops and roots of tomatoes; green tops of potatoes; onions and garlic.