Sooner or later, diseases of geraniums when non-compliance with the growing conditions become the No. 1 problem in indoor floriculture and require timely treatment in order to save flower culture. After all, a modest delicious geranium is one of the most beloved plants in home cultivation.
Having bright flowers and spectacular leaves, unpretentious in care, it is popular in garden plots and landscaping, it looks original in pots, hanging baskets, and is good as a ground-cover crop.
Home grown geranium
Geranium diseases and their treatment are often unsettled even by experienced gardeners. Suddenly collapsing on fragile leaves and stems, they cause a lot of trouble in growing a decorative flower with healing properties that have been appreciated by ancient physicians.
In the Middle Ages, it was believed that geranium, in addition to healing wounds, stopping bleeding, curing stomach diseases, can heal fractures.
Traditional medicine uses infusions from the aerial parts of the plant to dissolve salts in urolithiasis and treat gout. Decoctions from the roots are used in the treatment of skin diseases, ulcers, purulent wounds in the form of lotions, baths and washes. Also, geranium, pests and diseases of which sometimes significantly spoil the life of the plant, is able to normalize blood pressure, has calming properties and stimulates the nervous system.
With proper care, geraniums will delight with active growth and plentifully variegated flowering. Its long absence may indicate infection with a certain disease, which is important to identify in a timely manner and take the necessary measures to cure the plant.
Fungal infection
A huge danger to geraniums is the Botrytis mushroom, which infects the plant anywhere, at any age and at any time of the year. A disease develops, the signs of which are spots with a gray fluff, with increased humidity of air and soil.
Also, the plant can become infected when the faded petals of inflorescences fall on the leaves or when the cuttings are planted from infected geraniums. Gradually increasing in size, the spots merge and lead to a large-scale ring or V-shaped lesion. In the stem part, Botrytis mushroom looks a little different: in the form of extensive areas of brown color, which, actively spreading, cause the death of shoots. Covered with a fluffy gray mass, the
flowers of the plant fall prematurely.
Preventive measures
Preventive measures to prevent the disease of domestic geranium:
- timely weeding of soil, removal of weeds and wilted plants;
- avoid stagnation of water in the ground;
- watering in the morning;
- planting a plant without signs of illness.
In group plantings of geraniums, the distance between plants should be optimal for ventilation.
Having found a fungal disease, the diseased parts should be removed, and the geranium itself should be treated with fungicidal preparations.
Diseases of geranium (with photo)
The root system of geranium with stagnation of water in the soil can be affected by rot, causing yellowing and drooping of the aerial parts of the plant.
The disease gradually spreads to the stems and leaves, the indoor flower acquires a brown color with a transition to black at the base of the plant; a grayish-white, web-like coating is observed at the roots. Root rot leads to decomposition of the root system, severe wetting of the plant and its death.
You can save the indoor flower by improving the drainage in the pot and replacing the soil with a more breathable and loose. Also, during the treatment period, you should refuse to fertilize the plant with preparations containing nitrogen. If a disease is detected, it is recommended to treat geranium with fungicidal preparations, removing previously affected parts of the plant.
Geranium: bacterial leaf disease
Bacterial wilting is caused by pathogens, the presence of which is determined by brown V-shaped spots on the underside of the leaves, clear dark veins and dried edges. In the process of development, the infection causes a general lethargy of the plant, blackening and deformation of the stems with the appearance of dry rot on them, the death of branches.
Young plants taken from an infected maternal specimen are not recommended for planting, as they are not able to take root, and, starting from the base, slowly rot.
To prevent room geranium disease:
- regularly remove weeds, wilted sprouts and periodically loosen the soil in order to saturate it with oxygen;
- replace the soil with a well-ventilated compound;
- for reproduction do not use cuttings of a sick plant;
- avoid top watering;
- produce moisture in the morning, up to 11 hours;
- when planting, leave spaces between geraniums for good air circulation.
If the leaves are rust
Geranium diseases can be caused by fungi, such as powdery mildew and rust. Spread by sucking insects, diseased plants or contaminated soil. Rust appears as yellow spots on the top of the leaf and pads with spore masses on the underside of the leaf plate, which, when opened, release spores. A serious defeat of such a disease entails massive yellowing and complete fall of the leaves.
The appearance of powdery mildew can be determined by the rapidly spreading coating on the upper side of the leaf plate.
The first mandatory measure is the isolation of the flower from other plants. With a small lesion, it is recommended to remove the diseased parts of the affected specimen. If the infection has a neglected form, you will have to apply the treatment with fungicides: colloidal sulfur in solution or powder. This drug kills spores of the fungus, preventing their spread. It is also necessary to treat neighboring flowers with a suspension of Kratan or Acrex. In the fight against fungus, a 0.5% solution of Bordeaux fluid is effective.
Preventive measures include providing a good drainage to a room culture, regular ventilation, watering in the morning and a soil composition that can pass water and air well.
Tomato spotted wilting
Stops of geranium growth, annular spotting, violet-brown lesions with depressions on the stems, leaves and petioles are often caused by tomato spotted wilting. On the aerial parts of the plant, specific depressions are noticeable. If the above signs of leaf disease are found, the flower must be destroyed. Prevention of geranium disease consists in the timely removal of weeds and the fight against insects - potential carriers of such an infection.
Leaf spotting
Alternaria is the cause of alternariosis, recognizable by small, bubble-like spots on the underside of the leaves. With the course of the disease, geranium spots ripen, become sunken, acquire a brown color with yellow inclusions resembling spilled salt.
Cercosporosis, another form of leaf spotting, is manifested by sunken, pale areas that subsequently acquire a gray tint. Spore formation occurs, and in the infected parts of the plant dark patches appear, raised in the center.
Edema, or dropsy
In cloudy, cool weather, the surface of the sheet may become covered with chlorine spots, which subsequently turn into bubbles filled with water. Such a disease is called edema (or dropsy) and is subsequently manifested by yellowing and falling of leaves. Also, the infection can develop in the winter, with a lack of lighting and waterlogging of the soil.
Yellowing of the leaves of the plant may be caused by a lack or excess of moisture. Lack of lighting causes yellowing and falling of the bottom row of leaves.
Indoor geranium can be affected by nematodes - large nodes on the roots of plants, causing it to stop growing and die. An infected plant should be disposed of.
Growing conditions
To prevent diseases of geraniums, appropriate care is required. Comfortable growing temperature - normal room temperature; in winter - from +10 to +15 o C. Geranium loves an abundance of light and even normally tolerates some exposure to sunlight on the crown. The lack of lighting will cause fading of leaves on the plant and the scarcity of flowering. Watering is necessary plentiful and regular, without stagnation of water.
Spraying the plant is not necessary, and sometimes even harmful. Geranium does not like water falling on leaves. It is also worth knowing that she does not perceive fresh organic fertilizers; during active growth 2 times a month, it is better to feed it with preparations for flowering plants.