Everyone who at least once tried to grow a lemon tree in himself probably noticed some yellow spots on the leaves of the lemon. The sunny fruits of the lemon tree do not just decorate the interior of your home.
They give a sunny mood and warm with their color at a time when outside the windows all nature deepened into a winter dream. Lemons make the apartment especially cozy. So, in this article we will try to figure out why the yellow spots appeared on the leaves of the lemon, how to determine the cause of their appearance. And also find out what will help restore the plant to its former beauty and health.
Why are there yellow spots on the leaves of lemon
We will understand the reasons for this phenomenon. Yellow spots on the leaves of a lemon, the photos of which you will see in this article, may appear for various reasons. This may be due to improper care and lack of nutrients.
But also yellow spots can appear when a plant is affected by various ailments. Also an important reason is the attack of various pests. We will deal in more detail with each case.
Insect population
Yellow spots on the leaves of lemon can indicate to us that the tree was inhabited by insects that suck the juices from the plant. This is often a spider mite, which first leaves yellow specks so small that it is almost impossible to suspect its appearance. Worms are very skillfully masked on the bark, because they look like scales. They not only suck the juice from the leaves, but also damage the fruits.
Scab
The scabbard is tiny and often looks like a waxy growth. This pest eats the juice of the plant, while causing various ailments of the lemon tree. Most often, yellow spots on the leaves of lemon appear as a result of parasitism of the yellow scutellaria, which feeds on leaves, fruits and branches. But the purple scab, which sucks out juices from absolutely all parts of the tree, leaves yellow marks infrequently.
Tick attack
Lemon tree leaves can eat several types of ticks. They leave small yellow dots behind them, and the surface of the leaf becomes grainy and then turns yellow.
It can be a citrus red tick, a spider mite or a Hume tick. These species are most often found on lemon trees. The underside of the leaves can be covered with tiny cobwebs. Use a magnifying glass to confirm or deny the appearance of these pests on your lemon.
What are lemons sick with?
Lemon tree is a living organism, therefore it can become ill, of course. Ailments of the lemon tree are most often bacterial or fungal in nature.
An ailment such as citrus cancer, which is a very contagious infection of a bacterial nature, provokes the appearance of round yellow spots. Moreover, not only leaves are affected, but also fruits, and even branches.
Such ailments as citrus peel and greasy spots are of fungal origin and also begin with the appearance of yellow spots, which in the first case quickly become scabs, and in the second case they turn brown.
Although store soil in pots with lemon trees is subject to sterilization, there is still a risk of infection with late blight or root rot when transplanting the plant into a soil mixture that formed independently. Depending on how badly the roots are affected, the leaves of the lemon may turn yellow or fall off altogether.
Unfavourable conditions
Yellow spots may appear on lemon leaves as a result of improper care or adverse environmental conditions.
Yellowness leads to a lack of magnesium and zinc, damage by cold, excessive watering of the plant. Also, the cause may be a violation of acid-base balance in the soil.
Any changes in environmental conditions that occurred suddenly can also cause yellowing of the leaves. So it can be when watering a plant is done with cold, non-settled water. In such a situation, the air temperature becomes much higher than the temperature of the soil. Also, fluctuations in humidity and light exposure are important.
Yellow spots on the leaves of a lemon. What to do?
Having dealt with the causes of yellowing of the leaves, we turn to the second, but no less important part of our question. We will figure out what needs to be done to restore the beauty and health of a lemon tree in various situations.
Let's start with the problems associated with improper care. If the acidity of the soil has decreased, then it is replenished, it is necessary to add peat or lime to the soil. When the pH is between six and eight, it will be much easier for lemon roots to absorb magnesium from the soil. Zinc deficiency is corrected by spraying leaves with zinc sulfate.
To combat late blight, the tree should be transplanted into new soil, cutting off all damaged roots. After this, it is recommended to water the plant daily with a small amount of fertilizer. Thus, it will be possible to compensate for those nutrients that the lemon lost along with the trimmed roots.
To rid the plant of various fungal ailments, a fungicide, which has a copper base, is used, as a rule.
Against ticks, an effective method is spraying with a spray containing sulfur or mineral oil. Moreover, such methods are not dangerous for the plant itself. This is especially important for those crops that are eaten. Many people mistakenly use insecticides to control this pest. But ticks are not insects, which means that such drugs against them are useless. In addition, in this way you destroy all the natural enemies of ticks. So, nothing more can restrain their reproduction.
The fight against scabies begins with bathing procedures. Each sheet must be thoroughly washed with a solution of liquid or insecticidal soap, or at least a dishwashing detergent. Once everything has been washed, use any safe insecticide. These include Actara or Fitoverm. Clearly following the instructions for use of the drug, treat the entire plant, except the fruits. Sometimes, to prevent the movement of this pest, a small amount of mineral oil is used. But they do this with great care and only if the ambient temperature does not exceed twenty-seven degrees of heat.
We examined where the yellow spots on the leaves of the lemon come from, as well as what methods of control are suitable in this or that case.
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons for this. Mark them consistently, provide your lemon with the right care and save it from sudden changes. Do not forget about regular feeding and the introduction of minerals. And then he will surely give you an excellent sunny mood for many years, filling your home with beauty and a pleasant cozy aroma.