Palm diseases at home: diagnosis and effective therapy
Exotic cultures are often renowned for their beautiful and unpretentious character. But, unfortunately, palm diseases at home are not uncommon. Such a tragedy in the life of a plant is a consequence of the wrong content of the flower. Therefore, the main task of the grower should be to create a favorable microclimate, as close as possible to the tropical one. Initially, it is worth taking care of the humidity of the air, since the heat-loving tree does not tolerate dryness around the green mass. In 9 out of 10 cases, this is exactly what leads to death.
Foliage dieback is a natural process for most plants. In a palm tree, these scars form a majestic trunk. Nevertheless, its indoor varieties should be kept green as long as possible.
Common diseases of palm trees at home
All problems begin with improper watering. Although the culture desperately needs life-giving moisture, it is not excessive. Otherwise, an irreversible decay process will begin. There is another extreme - overdrying the soil. As a result, the foliage turns pale, is taken in spots, stops growing and withers. But these are just some of the manifestations of the disease. Now it is important to know what they are and how to save your "beauty" from them.
The basic rule of care is daily spraying. In this case, the leaves should be washed periodically. This is done very delicately, since in some varieties the greens are covered with a waxy coating / fluff (a manifestation of a protective reaction). If you erase it, then the sheet will die. The liquid temperature should be no more than 30 ° C.
Brown "attack"
Most often, growers begin to sound the alarm when brown spots appear on the leaves of a palm tree. Pigments differ only in shape and size. The spotting process begins with small round formations. As they progress, they increase in diameter, acquiring angular contours. This happens for such common reasons:
- stagnation of water in the ground or waterlogging;
- use for watering hard and cold water;
- low temperature in the containment room.
If you make changes in these 3 directions, you can significantly improve the condition of the flowerpot. The daily portion of watering is reduced by 2 times. Use either rainwater or settled water (12-24 hours). It is recommended to remove damaged parts.
Spray the leaves with only warm liquid and until water begins to flow from them. This is the first sign that the hardwood slabs have taken up enough moisture.
The leaves are stained and dry out due to pests such as shield and spider mites. In addition, webbing garlands will appear on the trunk. Therefore, the florist should arm himself with a soap or actellic solution. Sometimes one treatment is enough, but for reliability, it is better to do 2-3 with an interval of 7-14 days.
"White leprosy" - signs of penicillosis
The causative agent of the terrible disease is fungal spores that live in the soil. Although they are so far away, they still hit the top of the young shoots. First, dried areas of a dark color appear, and after 1.5 weeks a white bloom appears on the leaves of the palm tree. As a result, the green mass is terribly deformed.
To successfully fight a fungus, it is important to know its nature. While in the ground, it feeds on organic residues that have not had time to decompose. As soon as the culture's immunity weakens, pathogenic organisms migrate to young greens. Mold on the palm also appears in such cases:
- humidity exceeds 70-80%;
- landing of an infected specimen or that has been damaged;
- keeping in a room with a temperature below + 17 ° С;
- using soil with colonies of fungus;
- placing a flowerpot in direct sunlight.
Improper watering technology serves as a favorable environment for the development of penicillosis. Thus, the liquid must not be allowed to reach the growth point.
To begin with, eliminate the listed causes of the development of palm disease at home. Then the leaves affected by spores are cut off. Next, all the greens are treated with a fungicide. The procedure is repeated if symptoms recur.
How to deal with rot?
Another consequence of the defeat of the plant by fungal spores is rotting of the stems or the root system. As noted, microorganisms develop only in a humid environment. Answering the question why the palm tree is rotting, you will again have to remember the reason for too abundant and frequent watering.
A deficiency of minerals or a sharp drop in temperature also leads to the development of a terrible illness.
Only transfer... It is advisable to carry it out at the initial stage, when the foliage is just beginning to turn yellow or darken. In addition, the green mass becomes sluggish, drooping. The resuscitation procedure is carried out in this way:
- spill the flowerpot;
- carefully remove it from the pot;
- remove festering, as well as withered roots;
- for 15-20 minutes. immerse the culture in a fungicidal solution containing zinc or copper;
- sprinkle the slices with charcoal or activated carbon (some use ground cinnamon);
- the planting substrate is disinfected with steam or a solution of potassium permanganate;
- after planting, the soil is spilled with a fungicide suspension, after a week the action is repeated.
Gardeners note that the appearance of black spots on palm stems is caused by insufficient aeration of the soil. Therefore, it is important to always make good drainage at the bottom. But this is just one of the possible reasons for their occurrence.
After such a cardinal event, watering is reduced. But only until the affected exhibit takes root. As soon as young sprouts appear on it, you can proceed to the standard care rules.
When a palm tree turns into a home zoo
Each plant needs special attention. For this reason, it is important to keep a close watch on your greenhouse every day. As a result, the florist will be able to notice the malicious pests of indoor palms in time. Often, parasitic insects differ in external characteristics. However, the harm they cause is almost the same.
Shield and false shield
If small tubercles / droplets (from 2 to 5 mm) of a brown shade appear on the leaves, it means that the scale insect has come to visit. Her diet is fresh plant juice. Because of this, the area of the leaf under them often becomes pale. If you remove them with your fingernail and crush them, then thick yellow mucus will flow out from the inside. Among other things, insects secrete a sticky coating in the form of white dots on a palm tree. Sadly, they can appear on neighboring plants as well.
It is impossible to destroy the parasite with an insecticide, because it is protected by a dense shell. Therefore, it is better to use intestinal preparations. Absorption of poisoned foliage leads to paralysis, and as a result, the scale dies.
Some gardeners recommend treating the crop with an alcohol solution or water-oil emulsions. In parallel with this, you can replace the top layer of soil in the pot. Whether this helps or not largely depends on what stage of infection the flowerpot is at.
Mealybug
These insects are close relatives of the scale insect. Their diet is the same - the juice of the culture. They differ only in oval shape (3-5 mm) and light color. White larvae that appear on a palm tree rapidly increase in number and begin to settle in:
- veined;
- ovaries;
- root system.
When using sprays, you must follow the instructions. If the nebulizer is brought too close, then the concentrated preparation can damage the leafy plates.
The parasites secrete a waxy, sticky mass. Due to their active life, the growth of the palm tree slows down. Treatments worth trying:
- collect larvae regularly;
- remove severely affected leaves;
- every 7 days, wash the greens with soap or alcohol solution (it is often mixed with onion or garlic juice);
- use lepodocides - preparations of biological origin with toxic substances;
- apply systemic insecticides, which are absorbed by the crop and poison all flower tissues (the worms eat them and then die).
Preparations with biologically active substances are applied only to infected foci, which are the habitat of the colony.
It is impossible to single out some kind of universal drug or method of struggle. Often you have to experiment and apply several methods in turn. Nevertheless, experience shows that palm diseases can be successfully dealt with at home. It is only important to diagnose them correctly.