Good afternoon, my name is Ksyusha. My big love is indoor plants. I especially love indoor citrus fruits: why go to the supermarket when you have tangerines, oranges and lemons growing right on your windowsill?
But they are also susceptible to pests and diseases. I’ll tell you about them, and about methods of dealing with adversity, today.
Indoor lemon belongs to the Citrus family and to the Rutaceae family. The most popular types are:
- Genova;
- Pavlovsky;
- Lisbon;
- Novogruzinsky;
- Cítrus meyeri;
- Large-fruited Kyiv.
Description of indoor lemon diseases
Indoor lemons can get sick in several cases:
Typically, citrus fruits shed their leaves. Sometimes leaves are shed due to a lack of some trace element. But more often than not, it is the disease that is to blame. It is because of them that indoor lemon can die.
Mosaic virus
Leaf mosaics can be identified by the strokes on the leaves of a citrus fruit: they can be thickly colored or lighter, but they always have the shape of a mosaic. The growth of indoor lemons slows down when sick.
Unfortunately, there is no treatment, but the symptoms can be reduced. To do this, you need to care for lemons correctly and fertilize them abundantly. If you have several indoor lemon oh, sick, alas, it is better to destroy.
Prevention is to prevent aphids from approaching the plant. It’s also better not to water lemons. cold water so that their immunity does not weaken.
Citrus cancer
They can be identified by brownish spots on the peel and leaves. As the disease develops, the fruits become unsightly and the lemon leaves fall off. The plant dies.
It is impossible to treat citrus cancer. For preventive purposes, lemon can be treated with a fungicide based on liquid copper.
Tristeza
The virus "loves" lemons that don't get good care and weakened. It can be identified by the loss of leaves, as well as the death of branches and bark. It is impossible to treat tristeza; it certainly leads to the death of citrus fruits.
Gum discharge of citrus fruits
It can also be called gommosis. Refers to mycoses. All citrus fruits are prone to it, and a common pathogen is Phytophthora citrophthora.
The fungus develops best in a room that is too humid, when the bark is damaged, or when there is a lack of potassium or phosphorus. It can also provoke gum production a large number of nitrogen in the ground, diseased soil and a trunk that is too deep.
They can be identified by their oblong red-brown spots. The bark under the stain cracks and dies; a sticky, golden-colored liquid appears on the cracks, which hardens quickly.
For treatment, you need to cut off all the spots on the bark. Next, treat all wounds with copper sulfate (concentration 3%). We cover the top with garden varnish. We repeat this procedure until the stains disappear from the lemon peel. Branches with gommosis must be removed entirely.
Anthracnose
The same applies to mycoses, the causative agents of which are ascomycete fungi (genus Colletotrichum). It can be identified by the yellowing of the leaf blades. Over time, they fall off, followed by the turn of buds. Red spots can be found on the fruits.
To combat anthracnose, remove all affected branches, leaf blades and fruits. Next you need to spray with Bordeaux mixture. Concentration – 1%.
Scab
The causative agent is marsupial fungi. Most often it affects young citrus fruits. First, pale yellow spots appear on the youngest leaf blades.
Over time they become gray growths. Over time, the growths spread throughout the lemon and destroy it. The fruits themselves are covered with reddish spots. The lemons are falling.
To combat, remove the affected leaves from the lemon and dispose of them. The crown should be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture (1%).
Melseko
Occurs more often on plantations when the weather long time remains cloudy. Homemade lemons are affected from autumn to spring if they do not have enough light. When Melseko occurs, the leaves fall off and the lemon itself dries out. Treatment options are still unknown. If the disease has seriously affected the lemon, you just have to come to terms with the death of the plant.
Root rot
The disease can be suspected if citrus the leaves suddenly dropped. If you find rotten roots, remove them immediately and replant the lemon in another pot with new soil. Move the lemon to a windowsill where there is light. There is no need to water yet, but wipe the leaf blades with a wet rag or sponge. Do not water for about a week.
Sooty fungus
Pests
They not only spoil the health and appearance of the lemon, but also transmit harmful microorganisms. Therefore, we also need to fight them.
Aphid
Two types of it live on indoor lemons:
- Ordinary;
- Root.
You can fight the most different ways. If there is not so much of it, you can simply remove the affected leaf plates and branches. Afterwards you need to carry out unscheduled feeding of the lemon.
Root aphids are transmitted through infected planting materials. Lives underground. To combat it, an infusion of the already mentioned garlic or contact insecticides are also suitable. You also need to replant the lemon into new soil.
Shields
It settles on citrus as a larva. As it matures, it becomes motionless and becomes overgrown with a waxy coating. It usually lives on the lower parts of the veins of leaf blades, but sometimes spreads throughout the lemon. At the same time, the lemon weakens, dries out and becomes infected with infections or viruses.
To combat, you can use insecticides, an infusion of the previously mentioned garlic and a soap solution. You need 50g per liter of water. After spraying, wait an hour and wash the indoor lemon. We repeat in a couple of days.
Spider mites
Dry air lovers. They can be identified by the cobwebs hanging from the curled leaves. Most often it settles on young shoots and leaf blades. You can fight it with boric acid (concentration - one percent). It is best to carry out 4 procedures.
Summing up
Indoor lemon is susceptible to the same diseases as other house plants and citrus fruits. The diseases are as follows:
- Viral;
- Infectious;
- Mycoses.
Lemon care
The best temperature for wintering lemon is +15 - 18 °C with moderate air humidity (Appendix A, Table 3). In such conditions, plants grow well, leaves are preserved, and fruits ripen. Lemons do not tolerate very dry air at humid temperatures, especially seedlings grown in the ground.
Spring is a very important period in caring for lemons. At this time, lemons, like all plants, begin to grow and enter the budding stage. The buds develop better and produce a useful ovary at a temperature of +14 - 17 °C.
A tree that has begun to vegetate must be placed in the spring in the most illuminated place, otherwise the shoots will stretch out.
In the spring, the rate of fertilization and watering is increased.
Caring for trees in summer consists of proper fertilization, watering and pruning, which ensures the necessary conditions for crown formation and harvesting.
Best temperature for fruit growth and ripening + 19 - 25 °C. More heat oppresses plants.
Pests and diseases of citrus fruits
Pests and diseases of citrus fruits cause great damage to the quality and quantity of the crop. In closed ground, ideal conditions are formed for their existence and reproduction. Therefore, in greenhouse conditions, the control of pests and diseases of lemon is given paramount importance in order to avoid crop loss.
To prevent the appearance of pests and diseases in the greenhouse, preventive measures are constantly carried out. From May to August the greenhouse is ventilated natural ventilation. Throughout the year, plants are inspected for timely detection of pests and disease infestation. All side walls and concrete pillars are covered lime mortar, glass coverings in the summer are washed with a solution of washing powder or soda ash. We cannot talk about disinfecting the soil by steaming or replacing the soil mixture, since lemons are perennial plantings. Since lemons bear fruit throughout the year, periodic analysis of the fruits is carried out by the Sanitary and Epidemiological Supervision laboratory. In this regard, generally accepted measures to combat pests and diseases are not possible in full. Once every six months, the soil is spilled with a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect the soil. When replanting plants - with a 1% solution.
In the household block there is a special unit for preparing fertilizer solutions and chemicals. Spraying is carried out using motorized, backpack sprayers, depending on the scope of work.
The following pests are found in the greenhouse-limonaria: spider mites and red mites, soft scale insects, citrus whiteflies, aphids, mealybugs.
The following control methods were used that are safe for human life:
1. Fumigation with tobacco dust. Tobacco factory waste in powder form Brown laid out evenly throughout the greenhouse in cans. Then the tobacco dust is set on fire and a smoke screen is created. Treatment duration is 4 - 5 hours.
The first information on treating citrus fruits against citrus whiteflies dates back to 1890, when tobacco infusion was used against eggs and larvae. This method is also used in this greenhouse.
2. Washing with soap and soda emulsion. A pre-prepared solution of soap and soda is supplied through the sprinkler system at the rate of 30 g per 1 liter. water. Sprinkling in each section is carried out for 3 - 5 minutes.
3. Washing the tree crowns in the early morning with a stream of cold water.
4. Watering the soil with a 0.1% solution of potassium permanganate.
An important measure to ensure healthy growth, normal development and good fruiting of lemons is disease and pest control.
Citrus diseases can be divided into three groups:
Fungal diseases;
Infectious diseases;
Viral diseases.
Black. The disease is caused by black sooty fungi, which most often develop on sticky sweet secretions of insects (aphids, whiteflies, thrips, scale insects, scale insects). The disease is not dangerous for the plant, but spoils its appearance: a coating in the form of dark brown or black spots, similar to powder, appears on the affected plant organs. called "soot". Sooty plaque clogs the stomata on the surface of the leaf blade and thereby impedes the plant's photosynthesis. The plant weakens and its growth slows down.
Control measures: “soot” is washed off with a wet swab from all leaves, and then the entire plant is washed under a strong warm shower, this not only removes the remnants of sooty plaque, but also insects and their secretions, which caused the disease. Therefore, first of all, you need to start fighting insects.
Control measures: the affected leaves are removed, the plant is treated with a systemic fungicide, the lemon is not sprayed for several weeks, the volume and frequency of watering is sharply reduced.
Anthracnose. It affects leaves, shoots, branches, and sometimes fruits. Already at the beginning of the first spring growth, light brown round spots appear on the leaves. Subsequently, black dots - fruit fungi - form on the spots on the upper side. The disease leads to leaf fall and shoots drying out. Its development is facilitated by various unfavorable conditions: cold winter, excess moisture, lack of nutrition.
Control measures: pruning affected shoots, collecting and destroying fallen diseased leaves, digging tree trunk circles and row spacing. Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture.
Powdery mildew . Fungal disease, which appears as a white powdery coating on the leaves. As a result, the leaves curl, turn yellow, and plant growth slows down. This disease, like anthracnose, rarely affects indoor lemons.
Control measures: the affected leaves should be removed, and the rest should be sprayed on the plant with a solution of copper sulfate (5 g of copper sulfate per 1 liter of water).
Gommoz- infection. The disease is characterized by the formation of small cracks in the bark and the leakage of gum from them, especially at the root collar. These cracks gradually expand to the size of wounds, and the bark in the affected areas gradually dies.
As the bark dries, it falls off, exposing the wood. Often the disease spreads higher up the trunk and can spread to the root, causing gum formation and death of the bark. This disease can cause the tree to die. Sick trees have yellowish foliage and this differs from healthy ones.
The main causes of gommosis are mechanical damage, frost damage, heavy, highly moist soils, deep planting.
Control measures: eliminating the causes of gommosis. When gommosis appears, the affected areas are thoroughly cleaned down to healthy wood, followed by disinfection.
Scab (wartiness). Affects fruits, leaves, branches. At the beginning of the development of the disease, very small warts appear on the leaves on the underside, flat at the top and somewhat depressed in the center, pinkish-yellow, brown or brown in color. Affected leaves fall off. In the center of the fruiting growth, mushrooms appear in the form of a plaque.
Control measures: prevention by spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture and destruction of affected tissue.
Non-infectious chlorosis. The disease manifests itself as yellowing of the leaves. Plants with chlorosis weaken, grow stunted and may die. Chlorosis can be caused by a lack of zinc iron in the soil, abnormal water regime, or severe prolonged drought.
Control measures: elimination of causes, causing disease, and applying full mineral fertilizer in combination with microfertilizers. When standing high groundwater it is necessary to drain the soil.
Control measures: effective way there is no treatment. To prevent the disease from spreading to other plants, the diseased lemon will have to be destroyed.
From the above brief overview of diseases, it follows that one of the ways to treat most diseases is to spray the affected plants with systemic fungicides.
Fungicides are a group of pesticides that inhibit the development of plant pathogens and are used to control them. Based on the type of action on the pathogen, fungicides are divided into protective (preventing infection) and therapeutic, causing the death of the pathogen after infection of the plant, and according to the nature of distribution throughout the plant, into contact and systemic. Contact fungicides, after being sprayed, remain on the surface of the plant and cause the death of the pathogen when it comes into contact with them. Systemic ones penetrate inside the plant and suppress the development of the pathogen due to direct impact on it, protecting new growth. The spectrum of action of fungicides is different: from drugs that act on the causative agents of many diseases, to poisons with an exclusively selective effect. For humans, most fungicides are mildly toxic; however, treatment of plants with fungicides should be carried out with the mandatory use of personal protective equipment.
In addition to diseases, citrus fruits are attacked by pests:
Red citrus mite. An adult tick is red in color, body size is 0.3 - 0.4 mm. Damages all citrus fruits. Settling en masse on the leaves, the pests suck out the juices, first causing the leaves to become whitish, and then yellowing and falling off, which leads to a decrease in yield and general depression of the plant. The mite also damages fruits.
Control measures: sulfur preparations.
Brown scale insect. The adult female has a rounded carapace with a convex middle, light or reddish brown. The diameter of the shield is 1.5 - 2 mm. Larvae and adult insects settle on the upper side of leaves, on fruits, and sometimes on young shoots. In places of damage, whitish and yellowish spots are observed, merging together during a massive scale infestation. Infected fruits and leaves fall off. Shoots and branches die if they are severely infected.
Control measures: spraying during the dormant period of plants with a 2% solution of mineral-oil emulsion prepared in soft oil (transformer).
Soft scale insect. It is a polyphagous plant that infects citrus and other subtropical and tropical plants. The female's body is asymmetrical, broadly oval, flat, 3 - 4 mm long, yellowish-brown in color. The males and the scutes of their nymphs are little known. Larvae and females settle on leaves, most often on veins, as well as on stems. They cause deformation of leaves and shoots, and sometimes their falling off. The female can lay up to 1000 eggs and in greenhouse conditions is capable of developing in 6-7 generations.
When growing lemons, agrotechnical measures aimed at preventing the penetration of pests into closed ground. Among biological protection agents, the cryptolemus ladybug (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Muls.), which is bred at the Lazarevskaya Experimental Plant Protection Station, is especially effective. It is being introduced in the Ufa lemonaria. Chemical preparations used include actellik, sometimes karbofos and mineral oils with laundry soap.
Citrus mealybug. Polyphage. One of the most serious pests of citrus fruits. It colonizes young shoots, causes leaves to curl, spreads to fruits, causes them to fall off, and forms cracks on fruits.
The female is light crimson, covered with white powdery wax, up to 4.5 mm long and 2.5 mm wide. Lives on trunks, branches, leaves and fruits, develops in three generations, fertility is over 600 eggs.
Control measures: the same as for soft false scale insects.
Citrus whitefly. Causes great harm citrus. The harm caused by whiteflies is in sucking the juices from the leaves, which causes them to become depressed and fall off. Leaves covered with black coating are deprived of the normal physiological process, which worsens general state plants .
Pest and disease control activities are aimed at limited use of chemical methods.
A biological method that is safe for human life and environmentally friendly is the use of insects that eat pests.
Citrus aphid. Sedentary sucking insects, winged and wingless, ranging in size from 1 to 5 mm. The body of the aphid has a very delicate outer covering of a wide variety of colors. It feeds on the sap of the soft tissues of the plant and usually attacks tender leaves, young shoots with succulent tissue, buds and flowers. Insects reproduce quickly.
Control measures: use of conventional pesticides: thiophol, anabasine sulfate and others in normal concentrations.
Thrips. Tiny insects with an elongated body (no more than 1 mm). They have two pairs of membranous wings fringed with long black or brown hairs. The pests lay eggs in the leaf tissue; the larvae emerge in 8-10 days. Crawling from leaf to leaf, thrips leave behind characteristic silvery streaks. Warm and dry air promote their reproduction.
Symptoms of infection: flowers become stained and deformed. Numerous light dots first appear on the leaves, then the leaves become discolored and fall off. The growth of the entire plant slows down.
Control measures: the same as for infection with aphids, mites and scale insects.
Many lemon diseases at home are dangerous, some are completely incurable. And in order not to lose your citrus, you need to know how it can become infected and how it can be saved from harm.
One or a combination of several of the following factors can lead to the disease.
Captures entire areas of young green twigs, preferring the most tender shoots
Video about indoor lemon diseases
The fight against it, depending on the number of insect colonies on your citrus, is different. If there are only a few aphids, it is enough to crush them manually by cutting off the affected areas and fertilizing unscheduled lemon Tree complex fertilizing. For large lesions, insecticides such as diazmnon are used. Spraying with garlic infusion helps very successfully. To do this, 7-8 heads are cleaned, crushed, infused for a day in a bucket of water, decanted and our product is ready.
Replacing diseased soil with subsequent calcination of the infected soil helps against root aphids. And we dip the plant in a solution of a contact insecticide or, again, an infusion of garlic, only we take the concentration of the latter half as weak.
Replacing diseased soil followed by calcination of the infected soil helps prevent root aphids.
How to deal with it? Same as with aphids: spraying garlic water, insecticides and soapy water. Take 2 tablespoons liquid soap, dilute it in a liter of water and treat the affected areas. After an hour we give it to the plant good shower rinsing soap from foliage. Repeat after two or three days.
Spider mites on lemons, like aphids, love young leaves. Its presence is noticeable due to the characteristic cobwebs clinging to the curled leaves. The mite settles on plants that grow in very dry rooms. It does not tolerate humidity. Therefore, we generously spray the diseased citrus with a one percent solution. boric acid. Sometimes a single procedure is enough to kill the tick, but if the enemy does not give up, we repeat the spraying after 4-5.
It should also be remembered that protection against insects and ticks helps prevent viral, infectious diseases, some of which penetrate the tissues with the saliva of aphids or scale insects.
Spider mites on lemons, like aphids, love young leaves
Citrus infections
We will talk about diseases of a bacterial, fungal and viral nature. Many of them are quite easy to treat, some are difficult, and many viruses are incurable. The result of lemon weakening due to improper care or damage from insect pests is often fungal attacks, such as sooty fungus, which leads to even greater weakening, drying out, and a sharp slowdown in growth.
This scourge is easily recognized by the coating in the form of ash on the leaves and branches. It's easy to get rid of it - just rinse the wood thoroughly under warm shower using a dish sponge. In the meantime, the room where the infected citrus grows needs to be well ventilated.
Scab is also fungal in nature. It manifests itself as putrefactive lesions on leaves, fruits, and branches. The spots darken and soften. Affected foliage and fruits fall off. Its spores are carried by wind or insects. The best way to fight scab is through prevention. In the spring we treat the plant with two percent solutions of copper and iron sulfate. If signs of disease are detected, we remove and destroy all diseased areas. And we treat the lemon itself with a five percent solution of Bordeaux mixture or the drug Strobilin.
Another fungus is wart. The name speaks for itself. Wart-shaped growths appear on the leaves. Destroys the annual growth of greenery and fruit harvest, greatly weakening your citrus fruits. We fight it the same way we fight scab.
The best way to fight scab is through prevention.
Most often, the answer to the question of why lemon fruits fall off is scab or warts.
Infectious diseases are more difficult to treat. The most common among them: gommosis and root rot. Gommosis is expressed in rotting, cracking of the trunk bark, and gum formation. This greatly weakens the plant and sometimes leads to the death of the above-ground part. Two preventive rules are very effective against gommosis:
- We do not bury the root collar, otherwise the risk of stem rotting increases many times over
- Watering the plant warm water– there is no need for unnecessary stress on the roots.
Root rot is similar to gommosis, but only affects the roots. Signs include wilting of leaves, drying out of entire branches, general weakness, and premature leaf fall.
Video about helping lemon
We fight as follows:
- We remove the plant from the pot, clean the roots from the soil
- We sterilize the contaminated soil by calcination, and pour new soil into the pots.
- Cut off rotten areas with a sharp knife
- Place the roots in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for an hour.
- Remove, lightly dry, and dust the cut areas with wood ash.
- We sit in new soil without deepening the root collar.
- We carefully monitor the plant and fertilize it more often.
And viral diseases of indoor lemon are incurable.
Of these, the most common are leaf mosaic, expressed in the form of pale cobweb patterns on the foliage, and cancer. Cancer looks like scab or rot, but the fruit and tree rot as if from the inside, burn out. Such plants must be destroyed before they infect others.
Diseases homemade lemon can cause a lot of trouble, and sometimes even lead to the death of the plant if the problem is not treated in a timely manner.
Need to know possible diseases indoor lemon to prevent its death
Causes
Lemon diseases can be caused by a number of reasons:
- Weakened immunity, which is caused by improper care.
- Poor quality, unsuitable soil can become fertile ground for the appearance of pests.
- Infection of a houseplant from the street - if you take flowerpots outside in the summer.
- Insects that spread various infections.
- Diseases already suffered by the plant can cause new ailments.
Symptoms of diseases
Some of the common diseases of homemade lemons are aphids and scale insects.
The first affects the leaves of the plant or penetrates the soil. Aphids can be transmitted by other plants near the lemon. You can bring it into the house yourself with a bouquet of wildflowers. The scale insects end up on lemon leaves as larvae. The adult is already motionless. It sticks to the stem of the plant or the veins on the leaves.
A common pest among citrus fruits is spider mite. It can destroy all the green leaves and cause the lemon to die. Such diseases affect the leaves if the tree is young, weakened, or if there are special lemon pests that affect only it.
The fight against them can be lengthy, but quite successful if the correct chemical or homemade preparation is selected for the indoor lemon. They can also be used for preventive purposes.
In most cases, lemon diseases are associated with a violation of recommended care. This plant requires increased attention. To avoid leaf disease, you need to ensure a stable temperature, sufficient lighting and rational watering.
By maintaining a balance between these three factors, you can prevent a large number of cosmetic defects of the plant, which are not serious diseases, but spoil the appearance.
- Yellowed and fallen leaves.
- Lack of fruiting.
- Discarding the formed ovary.
- Drying of branches in winter.
Bacterial diseases are much more difficult to treat. It is recommended to entrust the work to specialists who will help your plant quickly cope with the disease.
Illnesses not related to care
Experts distinguish diseases that are inherent in citrus plant varieties. Among them you can find those that are very difficult to eliminate on your own.
It is advisable to have a direct consultation with a specialist who can clearly look at the affected lemon and recommend a suitable drug, which may be Bordeaux mixture, phytosporin, hydrogen peroxide (substances containing alcohol are prohibited), copper sulfate as a fungicide and other preparations.
Lemon diseases:
- The leaves are unevenly pigmented in spots - a leaf mosaic. Not to be confused with chlorosis, in which the edges of the light spots are fuzzy.
- Brown or yellow spots, with hardened plaques inside, quickly affecting the entire plant - bacterial canker of citrus fruits.
- Two species of aphids are known pests of lemons. The basal aphid differs from the ordinary green aphid, which is difficult to confuse with other insects, in its white color and habitat - in the ground.
- Gradual death of the tree, the leaves are the first to be affected, first they dry, then the entire branch, and the fruits become covered with red-brown generalized spots - “Anthracosis”.
You can prevent lemon diseases at home such as tristeza, root rot and melseco if you provide the tree with a stable place and diffused, bright sunlight from the very beginning.
If the leaves begin to turn yellow, first of all you need to remember when the last watering was, measure the temperature in the room, remove drafts (many tropical and subtropical plants they cannot be tolerated) and consult a specialist if you do not have sufficient experience in recognizing the problem.
Kira Stoletova
In the process of growing indoor lemon, gardeners often encounter diseases and pests. The affected citrus tree loses decorative look, stops blooming, bearing fruit and often dies. Knowing the main causes of lemon disease and treating them at home will help you avoid difficulties in growing.
Why does a lemon get sick?
This exotic plant is affected by diseases and pests in the following cases:
- in the process of grafting with a diseased cutting;
- improper care: planting in contaminated soil, too frequent or infrequent watering, insufficient lighting, improper pruning or insufficient soil fertilization;
- the plant did not have time to get stronger after the previous disease;
- infection of healthy domestic specimens by street ones;
- entry of bacteria, viruses and fungi into the room during ventilation;
- making mistakes in the process of propagation, planting and transplanting.
Classification of diseases
Diseases of indoor lemon are divided into 2 groups:
- viral;
- fungal.
For each disease, a specific treatment regimen is used using special drugs.
Viral
Diseases of indoor lemons caused by viruses lead to massive loss of leaves on the tree. After such diseases, the plant becomes completely bare and often dies. It is advisable for novice flower growers to familiarize themselves with their description and control methods.
Sheet mosaic
Dark and light streaks appear on the leaves of the affected specimen, according to appearance reminiscent of a mosaic. Over time, they become pale or completely white and lose their shape. Young lemon leaves develop deformed. With leaf mosaic, the tree stops growing.
If a lemon gets sick with this disease, it is quarantined, away from healthy specimens. It is impossible to completely get rid of sheet mosaic, because this moment There are no drugs for this disease. All you can do is alleviate its symptoms by providing proper care, and first of all, balanced and regular feeding. Severely affected specimens must be destroyed.
Citrus cancer
This disease appears as brown spots on lemon leaves. It is also characterized by the appearance of brown spots on the fruit. With a long course of the disease, young lemon leaves become deformed and take on an ugly shape. The fruits shrink and do not develop. Over time, this specimen dies.
Treatment of this disease of homemade lemons is impossible, therefore, in order to prevent it, preventive measures: treatment in spring with liquid copper fungicides.
Tristeza
The first sign that indoor plant Tristeza appeared - massive fall of leaves. Then the bark and shoots die, which become covered with brown spots. A specimen infected with tristeza cannot be treated and quickly dies.
Most often, lemons suffer from viral infections if they are not properly cared for and during periods of weakened immunity.
Fungal and infectious
Damage to lemons by fungus or infection at home is not uncommon. The reasons are the same as for infection with viral diseases.
Gomoz
The presence of elongated brown spots on the branches and trunk are the first signs of homosis. The bark under such spots quickly dies and begins to crack. A golden-colored sticky substance forms at the crack sites, which quickly hardens.
The main reasons for the development of home lemon disease are mechanical damage to the bark (fractures, cracks), high humidity indoor air, lack of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in the soil, excess nitrogen, planting in already contaminated soil or deepening the trunk.
A sick specimen should be treated in the following way: remove the infected bark on the trunk, cut off severely affected shoots. Treat the areas of stripping and pruning with any fungicide of 3% concentration and cover with garden varnish.
The duration of treatment will depend on the degree of damage to the tree. The treatment is carried out until brown spots stop forming.
Anthracnose
Of all the diseases, indoor lemons are most often affected by anthracnose. It is determined that this sore appears on the lemon by the leaves: they fall off en masse. But first the leaf blade turns white or yellow. Flower buds also fall. The fruits are covered with reddish spots.
Control measures include removing dead branches and infected leaves. Treat the affected specimen three times with Fitosporin. Another option is to treat the wood with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
Scab
Treatment of the tree begins by spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture. All affected parts on the crown are first removed.
Melseko
When infected with Melseco, the tree branches begin to dry out at the tips, and the leaves fall off en masse. When cut, the branches acquire a reddish tint.
The reason is improper care, or rather, lack of light in winter. There is no point in fighting this disease, because all methods are useless. The only thing required is regular inspection of the tree for symptoms.
Affected specimens must be destroyed.
Root rot
It is not uncommon for indoor lemons to lose their leaves. If 1-2 leaves fall off, there is no need to worry: this natural process. If there is massive leaf fall, it is worth digging up the tree and inspecting its root system.
If the roots become dark, moldy and soft to the touch, the tree is affected by root rot. All rotten parts are cut off with a sterile knife or pruning shears. The cut areas are powdered with crushed charcoal. Next, transplant into a new flowerpot.
The transplanted lemongrass is placed in a well-lit place with protection from the scorching sun. Watering is allowed only a week after transplantation to prevent repeated rotting of the root system.
Pests
In addition to fungal and viral diseases, there are various pests of indoor lemons.
Shchitovka
Treatment of homemade lemon diseases is carried out using insecticides or soap solution. For 1 liter of water, use 2 tbsp. l. any liquid soap. All parts that bulge are processed.
After treatment, the wood is washed in the shower. After 2-3 days, the treatment procedure is repeated.
Common aphid
In case of minor damage, they manage by trimming the affected parts along with the insects. If the aphids have spread to the entire plant, treat the crown with garlic infusion (4 peeled and crushed heads of garlic are infused in 5 liters of water for 24 hours). Insecticides are also used to treat infected specimens.
Root aphid
You can notice how this pest appears by the appearance of the plant. It becomes lethargic, stops growing, the leaves become drooping and turn yellow.
Such a tree is removed from the pot, its roots are sprayed with a contact insecticide or a weak garlic infusion, and then transplanted into a new container, having previously sterilized the planting soil.
Spider mite
Spider mites often appear on lemons. These lemon pests appear in conditions of drought and low indoor humidity. They attack young leaves and twigs. The appearance of small cobwebs on the lemon indicates the spread of the mite.
Ticks are destroyed at home by treating them four times with a 1% boric acid solution. The interval between treatments is 5 days.
If spider mites infect a lemon, increase the humidity level in the room and carry out frequent irrigation procedures for the above-ground part.
Preventive measures
To prevent the appearance of diseases and pests on this exotic plant The gardener is required not only to comply with agrotechnical rules, but also to provide competent care. First of all, such measures should be aimed at increasing the plant’s immunity and its resistance to infection.
It is possible to prevent chlorosis (imbalance in the distribution of chlorophyll) and activate the growth and development of the plant by using the following composition in the nutrition of an indoor tree:
- ammonium nitrate - 15 g;
- iron sulfate - 3 g;
- boric acid - 5 g;
- Potassium sulfate - 15 g.
The dry mixture is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Lemons are watered with a nutrient solution no more than once every 5 months.
This composition protects indoor citrus fruits from fungal, viral and infectious diseases. It gently stimulates the healthy development of plants.
Conclusion
Although citrus tree susceptible to many diseases and pests, it is not difficult to prevent their occurrence. You just need to follow preventive measures, show attention and care towards the plant, and then it will reward you with a healthy and decorative appearance.
