Ficus is considered a low-maintenance plant, however, if you do not follow the basic rules and requirements for conditions of detention and care, and he can become seriously ill and even die. As with other plants, the problem is the ficus can arise from improper care, fungus and bacteria, as well as from insect pests.
The challenges of caring
How to properly care for a ficus tree, to overcome an illness? Let's start with buying plants at a flower shop here flower inspect for signs of possible diseases and pests. The aspidistra leaves should be thick, dark green, if the leaves are yellow, white or brown spots and dots, so the plant is hurt, and not buy it is not to infect other plants.
Brought home a ficus during the week kept separately from other plants. If diseases and pests during this time does not show, it can be put next to the other flowers. Should not make the pots too boisko to each other – in close quarters, diseases and pests multiply and are transmitted faster.
Often, a ficus tree turns yellow due to the temperature difference
At least once a week ficus and other indoor plants, you should see that in time to notice the disease and pests, and take appropriate action. Once a month, the leaves of ficus wipe a soap solution, better to take a soap that does not contain chemical additives which can harm the plant.
Noninfectious diseases of ficus occur in adverse conditions – improper lighting, temperature conditions, too wet or too dry air, poor watering, lack of or excess of mineral substances in the soil.
The aspidistra leaves turn yellow, vosloh if the room is too dry. This phenomenon is observed in the hot summer, and during the heating season. The leaves will wilt and dry due to a permanent location near a radiator, radiating heat. If the leaves fall off too heavily, cure the plant is impossible, and it dies.
Therefore, in the summer of ficus do not hold on the window sill under direct sunlight, and in winter, clean off batteries and other heating appliances. Spots on leaves can appear because of the sunburn.
Air for the ficus can be moistened with a special humidifier, or any container with water set next to him.
If a soil lacks of nutrients, new leaves ficus tree are shrinking and the old yellow and fall off. To prevent disease development and death of a flower, transplanted in its fresh, mineral-rich soil, feed or fertilizers. The substrate for transplanting is prepared from sand, leaf soil and peat. If the flower is too large and replant it difficult, you can replace the top part of the soil, and properly watered.
Excess fertilizer can also cause brown spots on the leaves, so fertilizers are used in strict accordance with the instructions on the package.
If the sheets appeared yellow spots, or the leaves turn yellow from the edges, most likely, the moisture in the soil too much. You need to stop watering and let the ground dry. Worst of all, if excessive watering will cause root rot, in this case to cure the plant is very difficult. If the rot has not struck the roots are not completely sick of the fragments is removed and healthy planted in another soil, previously disinfected pot.
Problems with a ficus can appear due to insufficient watering, or irrigation of poor-quality tap water. The leaves will begin to dry, turn yellow, crumble. If the drought has had a detrimental impact on the leaves, hence roots are also in poor condition. Ficus in very dry soil put into a deep container of water for 2-3 hours so that the soil is completely soaked. In this procedure, the ground part may be in the tank, so the soil into the pot after the procedure fill up.
Have a ficus tree the leaves fall off due to age, it is not a disease, and no treatment is required. The lower leaves fall off him, but at the top of the trunk grow a new one, so the trunk is not laid bare never. However, if new leaves grow very poorly or not grow at all, you need to think about transplanting ficus tree in new soil, or fertilizing.
Fungal diseases
There are several viral and fungal diseases which damage the leaves and roots of ficus. Let's call them:
Grey rot – the disease on leaves and stems appear on the mold, which flies into the air after shaking the sheet. The damaged leaves are covered brown spots, then darken completely, and fall off. The Botrytis fungus grows well in warm and humid air, so the room as often as possible to ventilate.
Gray mold
To cure ficus, corrupted fragments need to remove at the beginning of the disease, otherwise the save will fail. The healthy parts are sprayed with fungicides. Watering at this time reduces.
Black fungus is a good environment for the development of this fungus are sticky discharge aphids, scale insects and other pests. Sooty fungus leaves behind leaves black plaque.
Black mushroom
Powdery mildew – this disease appears on the leaves white patches in the form of flour. In the initial stages of the disease white patches are easily washed off, so the sheets can be cleaned with a soap solution. If the condition of the plant running, to cure it is very difficult – the affected leaves were removed and the healthy several times sprayed with fungicides.
Powdery mildew.
Cercospora is a fungal disease that develops from fungi Sagsag moisture in the air. When the disease is on the wrong side of the sheet, the plates appear small brown or black spots that gradually grow. As a result, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off. If the disease is not stopped, could kill every plant.
Treatment of disease consists in removing the damaged leaves and spraying with antifungal drugs.
Anthracnose – a disease in which the edges of the leaves appear rusty spots that turn into sores. Leaves affected by Anthracnose, die back, as a result, the ficus can be lost entirely. The treatment is similar – treatment fungicides.
Anthracnose
Root rot – a disease caused by waterlogging of the soil. Damaged roots not able to provide ficus with proper nutrition and moisture, as a result, he dies. To save the plant in this case is impossible, it is discarded along with the pot.
Root rot
To prevent root rot, water the ficus should moderate, as the drying of the soil using clean water. As preventive measures, the ficus once a month 1 can water slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate, and in the potting mix at planting and transplanting, add a little charcoal.
Harmful insects
Pests of ficus also cause the appearance of leaf spots and dots, but to destroy the plant, they can only in the case if multiply and spread too much. The danger of insect pests is enhanced by the fact that their sticky discharge are the breeding ground for fungi that cause ficus to death.
Pests of ficus are rather numerous — aphids, scale insects, spider mites, thrips, nematodes, scale insects.
Scale – the first sign of the appearance of the rubber plant of this insect are convex brown spots on underside of leaves, sometimes spots appear on the stem. Scale insects feed on plant SAP and leave a sticky residue in which the sooty fungus develops.
In order to cure the ficus tree from scale insects, the leaves on both sides washed with a soap solution and then treated with Actellic. The treatment is carried out for three weeks, 1 once a week.
Mealy bug also sucks the SAP from leaves, causing them to deform and cease to grow. Settled bug in the axils of the leaves, so in the processing these places need to pay special attention.
From mealybug rid of by means of a mechanical cleaning of the leaves, and processing soap and water and tobacco solution 1 time per week. When neglected ficus twice sprayed with configura every 10 days.
Spider mite is well developed in Sugamo and warm room. After the mites on the leaves are gray or brown spots. The insect multiplies very fast, corrupted it leaves wither and dry up.
For the treatment and prevention of disease the humidity of the air increases, the leaves sprayed, wipe with soap and water. With a strong spread of insect flower sprayed with insecticide, or infusion of garlic, and cover with a plastic bag.
Thrips are small insects in black, who occupied the sheets on the reverse side. Feed on plant SAP, leaves behind brown spots. Thrips thrive in high temperature and high humidity. The leaves have white and yellow spots, they dry and fall off.
If the affected ficus thrips, his several times sprayed with a solution of pyrethrum or chemical drugs – Terracom, Octillion, Acharei.
The aphid turns healthy leaves in yellow and deformed, causing them to fall off. But first the leaves have a sticky secretion that attracts other insects that carry fungal and infectious diseases. If no action is taken, the plant may be completely destroyed. For getting rid of the pest of ficus washed with a soap solution, treated with insecticides.
Nematodes infect plant roots, they appear small beads growths. Nematodes toxic secretions that fall from the roots to the stem and leaves. Under the influence of nematodes ficus fade, and can fully die.
At the first sign of the disease ficus out of the pot, inspect the roots, immersed for 2-3 hours in a solution of insecticide and then planted in new potting mix.
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