Hibiscus, which many lovers of indoor flowers hold in their house, is very pleasant and beautiful in appearance. However, this plant, like any other, can suffer from diseases caused by pests, fungi or viruses, or improper care. The article will briefly describe the most common hibiscus diseases and their treatment at home.
Key Mistakes in Plant Care
Hibiscus, aka Chinese rose, is not a very capricious plant, and it is rather unpretentious in its care. He forgives small flaws, but systematic violations of the temperature and water regime and other parameters he needs for nothing, of course, will not work. The plant will begin to hurt, wither, and if nothing changes, it may even die.
The most common hibiscus care mistakes include:
- Violation of the watering regime, which can lead to decay of the roots of the flower.
- Watering the plants with contaminated or hard water, which did not have time to properly defend.
- Lack of spraying necessary for a flower, especially in a hot season.
- Hot and dry indoor microclimate.
- Contact with leaves in direct sunlight.
- Bad light.
- Drafts in the room.
- Untimely transplant
- Improper feeding - lack of nutrients or "overfeeding".
- Dust and dirt on the plant.
A long-term violation of the requirements for caring for a Chinese rose will certainly cause the development of diseases of domestic hibiscus.
Diseases caused by improper care: sunburn
Yellow spots on the leaves may be due to sunburn. When choosing a place for a plant, you need to remember this. Typically, a Chinese rose is well tolerated by the sun, but if you put a flower in the bright sun, accustomed to the shade, leaf disease cannot be avoided by hibiscus. Dry spots of yellow color appear on them. They can occur in those places that are pressed against the glass. To avoid this, experts recommend accustoming the hibiscus to the sun's rays gradually. Affected leaves with dry patches will have to be removed.
You must also know that the color change of the leaves, the appearance of spots on them may be due to the lack of certain substances in the soil. For example, if there is a lack of an element such as zinc, the leaves may become speckled and crushed. If the edges turn brown, the plant lacks sulfur. Marble leaves, in which white spots are observed between the veins, indicate a lack of magnesium. If hibiscus lacks potassium, the leaves may begin to die off at the edges. In addition, the plant will bloom poorly.
Leaf chlorosis
Leaf spotting, or chlorosis, can also be caused by a lack of nitrogen, magnesium, and their yellowing and decay can be caused by a lack of iron in the soil. This is the so-called non-infectious chlorosis. The problem is solved by fertilizing, which should be regular, from spring to about mid-August, once every two to three weeks, and then, until the dormant period, once a month.
The iron deficiency can be compensated by adding iron chelate to the water for irrigation (5 g per 5 l of water). The same solution is recommended to spray the leaves. In total, it is desirable to carry out at least four treatments (once every two weeks).
This hibiscus disease (photo can be seen below) can also be caused by pathogens - viruses, fungi, bacteria, which often carry pests.
In this case, the plant usually has a depressed appearance. In this case, it is quite difficult to cure chlorosis, since it is difficult to determine the causative agent of the disease. Therefore, it is easier to prevent it: to provide good care, regularly wipe leaves from dust and dirt, spray hibiscus, transplant it in a timely manner, changing the soil to a new one.
Hibiscus vascular wilt
It is impossible not to mention tracheomycosis when describing hibiscus diseases. This disease is quite dangerous and difficult to treat. It is caused by mushrooms. In this case, the branches first die off at the base, then the trunk is gradually affected, and the plant dies. How to save hibiscus? First of all, it is necessary to cut off all the affected areas, capturing a little and healthy tissue. After that, the plant is treated with one of the effective fungicides, for example, Fundazol.
Pest Disease: Aphid Damage
Describing the diseases and pests of hibiscus, it is necessary to mention the damage to the plant aphids. The leaves of the plant are deformed and become sticky. To get rid of insects, it is necessary to treat them manually with soapy water using a cotton swab, making sure that it does not get into the soil if possible. After that, hibiscus is sprayed with Aktara solution. Processing must be repeated at least once - after two weeks.
Spider mite affection
This is one of the main pests of hibiscus. Striking the leaves, he envelops them from below with cobwebs. The leaves curl and fade. This pest feels great in dry, warm conditions, therefore, in order to prevent infection, it is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of hibiscus leaves and spray them regularly.
Chemical pesticides such as Actellik, Fitoverm, Neoron will help fight the pest. However, the peculiarity of this pest is that it quickly gets used to such drugs. Oddly enough, folk remedies may be more effective. Most often they use soapy water, an infusion of garlic, and onion husks. To prepare the infusion, two heads of garlic are crushed and poured with water (1 l). Insist in a dark place for five days. Before use, the product is diluted in half with water and used to spray the plants.
For onion infusion, 100 grams of husk must be poured with five liters of water and insisted also for four to five days. Strain and use infusion for spraying hibiscus.
With a soapy solution, it is advisable to periodically wipe the windowsill on which the plant stands, as a preventive measure.
Whitefly defeat
This small flying insect should also be mentioned when describing ficus diseases and their treatment (photo of the pest is presented below). It lives on the back of hibiscus leaves. Leaves are covered with sticky spots and turn yellow.
To get rid of whiteflies, chemicals are usually used - Fufanon, Aktaru, Iskra. Adult insects can be washed off with a stream of water, and larvae, eggs and plaque can be removed with a swab of soapy water (100 g of ground household soap, or better - tar soap for half a liter of water).
Why hibiscus does not bloom
The lack of flowering in hibiscus can be called a stretch disease, but it can spoil the mood of the grower for a long time. What can it be caused by?
The first reason is a lack of nutrients (in particular, potassium deficiency). The plant simply does not have enough resources for flowering. The second is the lack of lighting. Bright light is necessary for laying buds. To hibiscus bloomed, the time spent in the light should be at least four hours a day. The lack of colors may be due to the fact that pruning was not carried out in a timely manner. It must be remembered that flowers are formed on young shoots. For their bookmarking, it will also be useful to replace the earth in the pot and carefully move the hibiscus to a more lighted place.
In addition, the flower needs a resting period from October to February. It is believed that in order for the Chinese rose to bloom, it is necessary to reduce the room temperature to 15-18 degrees Celsius. Flower buds are laid precisely under such conditions. Although there are frequent cases of winter flowering of hibiscus. If the room is well penetrated by sunlight, this is quite real.
In addition, hibiscus can begin to prepare for flowering and suddenly lose buds. Why is this happening? Experts note that during the flowering period, the Chinese rose should in no case be moved from place to place. Hibiscus generally does not tolerate rearrangements very well, and during flowering or preparation for it, when all the forces of the flower go to the formation of buds, and even more so.
Describing hibiscus diseases and their treatment (photos of some of them are presented in the article), it should be noted that the fall of the flower ovary can also be a consequence of the defeat of the hibiscus by a pest - gall midge, miniature midge. She hits the buds, laying her eggs in them. Naturally, the hibiscus will not bloom, the plant will drop buds. If it is clear that they have turned yellow, it is necessary to carefully cut them and destroy them in order to prevent the spread of pests. The soil should be treated with “Provotox”, “Grizzly” or “Fly-eater” preparations, strictly following the instructions.
So, to summarize, we can say that for the flowering plants need a dormant period in the winter, pruning, optimal lighting and timely top dressing. In addition, you should not often move the flower from place to place.
Finally
As you can see, indoor hibiscus diseases are quite diverse, and can affect all parts of the plant. Similar symptoms can be caused by a violation of the rules for caring for the plant, and its defeat by pests. To successfully treat hibiscus diseases (photos of some of them were presented in the article), you need to know what conditions should be provided to the flower, what preparations and in what dosage should be used to get rid of pests, etc. This knowledge is the key to successful growing plants at home.