Myrtle is a popular plant, which is usually attributed to the genus of evergreen shrubs. Myrtle grows in vast areas of North Africa, West Asia, Florida, Europe, the Azores and the Caribbean. It can be grown for ornamental purposes. But sometimes gardeners are faced with the following problem: the myrtle dries up. What to do to restore the state of the plant, we will tell in our article.
Description
Before we move on to the causes of myrtle drying up, as well as measures to prevent and combat this problem, let's tell you what this plant is. So, myrtle is a tree-like shrub. It has straight stems with abundant dark green foliage. The shape of the leaves is oblong and pointed towards the edge.
There are a large number of small glands on the leaf plate, which can be easily seen in the light. They also secrete essential oils and aromatic substances. The plant also has flowers: theysmall, most often painted white or pink, although they can have other colors. They are located both singly and in clusters. Myrtle fruits are edible black berries with good taste.
Why does myrtle dry up?
It's no secret that plants are prone to various diseases. In addition, they can be affected by pests. Myrtle is no exception, a shrub cannot be protected from absolutely all ailments. One of the most popular problems that gardeners face is the drying of myrtle leaves. What can cause this disease? Factors contributing to yellowing and leaf fall can be roughly divided into two groups: improper care and exposure to insects. The first group includes the following reasons:
- Lack or excess of moisture.
- Wrong temperature regime.
- Inappropriate fertilizer.
- Bad lighting.
The second group of causes involves the impact on the plant of aphids, scale insects, mealybugs, whiteflies and spider mites. They also "put their hand" to the fact that the myrtle dries up. How to save the plant, we will consider further.
Lack or excess of moisture
Myrtle is a moisture-loving plant, so it needs abundant and frequent watering. It is necessary to carry out this procedure regularly to maintain the attractive appearance of the shrub. If there is too little moisture, then the myrtle begins to dry out. To understand that the time has come to water the myrtle, you can, first of all, by itsleaves. Their color becomes less saturated, then they turn yellow, acquire a brown tint, and as a result dry and curl. All this leads to the fall of the leaves and may lead to the death of the plant.
However, excess moisture also negatively affects the culture. If water stagnates in the soil, then the root system rots. One of the signs of this process is the wilting of foliage.
How to save the plant?
First of all, you need to find a "golden mean" and water the myrtle in sufficient quantities. It is important not to overdo it, but also not to spare water, if necessary. If there is not enough moisture, then the pot of myrtle can be dipped in a container of liquid for several minutes. Through the drainage holes, water will penetrate to the roots, which will speed up the process of plant recovery. After that, you need to put the pot on a pallet so that the excess water drains, the roots rot and the myrtle does not dry out again.
How to reanimate a plant, if you used too much liquid when watering, you need to transplant the plant into a new, dry soil as soon as possible. The shrub is removed from the old substrate, the roots are washed in water. After that, the plant is carefully examined, ruthlessly cutting off the roots on which rot has appeared. Then the myrtle is transplanted into another soil. The first time after changing the substrate, watering should not be carried out.
Wrong temperature conditions
When growing shrubs, special attention should be paid to the temperature regime. If myrtle leaves have dried up, perhaps the reason lies inwrong temperature conditions. Remember: this plant must be kept at medium temperatures. In summer, they should be from +17 to +24 oС, and in winter, when the myrtle goes dormant, from +10 to +12o WITH. If the plant is placed in a room with higher temperatures during cold weather, its leaves may wither.
What to do?
In this case, fixing the situation is quite simple. To do this, the pot of myrtle must be placed in a cooler room. But if this is not possible, then it is placed on a tray with crushed ice. This should help. But if, after all the measures taken, the leaves continue to fall off, then you need to carefully examine the crops.
Inappropriate feeding
Imagine: you water the plant correctly, the temperatures are within the normal range, but still the myrtle leaves have dried up. What to do in this case? The cause of wilting foliage may lie in improperly selected fertilizers. Fact: myrtle suffers more often from an excess of minerals than from their lack, because the owners (especially people who have not kept myrtle before) feed too often. The situation is especially dangerous when nitrogenous minerals accumulate in the soil. In small quantities, they will benefit the plant, but if nitrogenous fertilizers are applied in excessively large quantities, they will simply burn the roots of the plant. This, in turn, is reflected in the color and density of foliage.
What action should be taken?
In this situation, placing the potwater won't help. If nitrogen has already accumulated in the soil, then there is only one way out: it is necessary to transplant the myrtle into another pot with a clean substrate. Carefully lift the plant out of the old soil and inspect the roots. Cut off blackened roots, i.e. those that have been burned, carefully cut off. In this case, you will be able to reanimate the bush much faster. At the end of the procedure, the roots are washed to remove fertilizer residues from them, and the plant is transplanted.
Bad lighting
If the leaves wilt and fall off, it may indicate that the light is too intense. Remember: myrtle does not tolerate direct sunlight as it can scorch its delicate leaves. However, the lack of light when growing shrubs in the shade will adversely affect the condition of the plant. It is best to place it in a place with diffused lighting.
How to revive the myrtle, if it dried up due to the wrong lighting? This is quite simple to do: you need to move the pot as soon as possible to a place where direct sunlight does not fall on the plant. You can also cover the myrtle by using special window curtains.
Adaptation period
Sometimes shedding and yellowing of foliage is observed after the purchase of myrtle. This may be due to the fact that the shrub is under stress while being transported from the store home. The same thing happens after transplanting the myrtle into a new pot. As a result, the following situation may arise: the leaves of the myrtle have dried up, but the leaves have not fallen off.
To fix this and speed up the process of myrtle adaptation to new conditions, you need to leave the plant in a calm environment for several days. Place it in a shady place with high humidity. This will help the culture to overcome stress faster.
Pests and how to deal with them
It happens that due to the vital activity of harmful organisms, the myrtle has dried up. How to revive a plant? Study the table below. It contains information about what kind of enemies the bush has, how they manifest themselves and what to do to get rid of them.
Pests |
Why are they dangerous? |
How to deal with them? |
| Aphid | Insect colony settles on the underside of the foliage and feeds on the juice it contains. This causes the leaves to curl and dry out | Plants are sprayed with a special insecticide preparation (you can buy it at a gardening store). Before spraying, insects are removed from the leaves, after washing the shrub in the shower |
| Shield | Feeds on plant sap, like aphids. Promotes sticky coating on shoots and leaves | Insects are removed from the shrub with a cloth or toothbrush dipped in soapy water. After that, the myrtle is treated with an insecticide. For these purposes, Aktellik is suitable |
| Mealybug | As a result of the activities of the mealybuga fluffy coating forms on branches and leaves | Pests are removed in any convenient way. After that, the plant is watered with "Aktara" |
| Thrips | Harms all parts of the plant. You can detect it by light spots on the top of the leaf plate and black dots on the back | A folk method of dealing with thrips is to water the plant with an infusion prepared from tobacco dust or garlic. For those who are skeptical of folk methods, there is another way: treat the myrtle with Aktellik |
| Whitefly | Like aphids, it settles in colonies on the reverse side of the leaf and feeds on its juice | It is difficult to get rid of this insect. Adults are removed from the foliage by hand, after which the shrub is wiped with soapy water and sprayed with insecticide |
| Spider mite | Insect forms a web on the shoots of a bush | Leaves and branches are carefully wiped from the cobwebs, then myrtle is sprayed with infusion of tobacco dust |
The above pest control tips will help if your myrtle is dry. How to reanimate a plant as soon as possible if it has been affected by insects? This cannot be done quickly, because it is required to process the shrub several times with breaks between procedures. Be patient, and then you can restore the beauty of the myrtle.
Gener altips
Once the myrtle has withered, it can be difficult to revive it. Therefore, we will give general recommendations for caring for the plant. If followed, drying of the leaves can be avoided.
Firstly, water for irrigation should be used settled. It gently affects the root system and does not harm it. But tap water should not be used in any case, since the substances contained in it can ruin the shrub. The top of the soil should be slightly damp at all times. Therefore, in summer, myrtle is watered daily, and in winter, several times a week. In dry weather, it is recommended to spray the plant. But this can only be done in spring, summer and autumn.
Shrubs should be kept in diffused light, but it should be plentiful. It is best to place the pot on a windowsill on the west or east side. If the windows face south, then the myrtle needs to be shaded.
Azaleas and citrus soil is suitable for growing this crop. But even with the content of myrtle in the best substrate, you need to fertilize regularly. Top dressing during the growing season is carried out once a week. In winter, the plant does not need this procedure.
If you follow all the recommendations, you will never know what it's like to see a myrtle flower wither. What to do to prevent this unpleasant disease in the plant? Familiarize yourself in advance with the features of caring for it and create suitable conditions for the development of the shrub. Have you encountered the problem of yellowing anddrying of the leaves of the myrtle? If so, share in the comments how you solved it.
