Hibiscus, which many indoor flower lovers keep in their homes, is very pleasant and beautiful to look at. 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 diseases of hibiscus and their treatment at home.
Main plant care mistakes
Hibiscus, also known as the 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, of course, will not go in vain. The plant will start to get sick, 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 flower roots.
- Watering the plant with polluted or hard water that has not had time to settle properly.
- Lack of required flowerspraying, especially during the hot season.
- Hot and dry indoor climate.
- Getting direct sunlight on the leaves.
- Bad lighting.
- Drafts in the room.
- Untimely transplant
- Incorrect feeding - lack of nutrients or "overfeeding".
- Dust and dirt on the plant.
Prolonged violation of the requirements for the care of Chinese rose will certainly cause the development of diseases of domestic hibiscus.
Illnesses caused by poor care: sunburn
Yellow spots on the leaves may be the result of sunburn. When choosing a place for a plant, you need to remember this. Usually the Chinese rose tolerates the sun's rays well, but if you put a flower accustomed to the shade in the bright sun, hibiscus leaf disease cannot be avoided. Dry spots of yellow color appear on them. They can also occur in those places that are pressed against the glass. To avoid this, experts recommend accustoming hibiscus to sunlight gradually. Affected leaves with dry patches will need to be removed.
You must also know that the change in color of the leaves, the appearance of spots on them may be due to a lack of certain substances in the soil. For example, with a lack of an element such as zinc, the leaves can become speckled and crushed. If the edges turn brown, the plant lacks sulfur. Marbling of the leaves, in which white spots are noted between the veins, indicates a lack of magnesium. If the hibiscuslack of potassium, the leaves may begin to die off at the edges. In addition, the plant will not bloom well.
Leaf chlorosis
Leaf spotting, or chlorosis, can also be caused by a lack of nitrogen, magnesium, and their yellowing and falling off - 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 until about mid-August, once every two to three weeks, and then, until the dormant period, once a month.
Iron deficiency can be compensated by adding iron chelate (5 g per 5 l of water) to the irrigation water. The same solution is advised to spray the leaves. In total, it is desirable to carry out at least four treatments (every two weeks).
This hibiscus disease (photo can be seen below) can also be caused by pathogens - viruses, fungi, bacteria, which are often carried by pests.
In this case, the plant usually has a depressed appearance. It is quite difficult to cure chlorosis in this case, since it is difficult to determine the causative agent of the disease. Therefore, it is easier to prevent it: provide good care, regularly wipe the leaves from dust and dirt, spray the 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 called mushrooms. In this case, the branches first die off at the base, then graduallythe trunk is 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 he althy tissue. After that, the plant is treated with one of the effective fungicides, for example, Fundazol.
Pest Diseases: Aphids
Describing the diseases and pests of hibiscus, it is necessary to mention the defeat of the plant by aphids. The leaves of the plant are deformed and become sticky. To get rid of insects, it is necessary to manually treat them with soapy water using a cotton swab, while making sure that it does not get into the soil if possible. After that, the hibiscus is sprayed with the Aktara solution. The treatment must be repeated at least once - in two weeks.
Spider mite damage
This is one of the main pests of hibiscus. Striking the leaves, he envelops them from below with a cobweb. Leaves curl and wilt. This pest thrives in dry, warm conditions, so in order to prevent infection, it is necessary to keep the hibiscus leaves clean and spray them regularly.
Chemical agents such as Aktellik, 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 can be more effective. Most often use soapy water, infusion of garlic, onion peel. To prepare the infusion, two heads of garlic are crushed and poured with water (1 l). Insist in a dark place for five days. Diluted in half before usewater and used to spray the plants.
For onion infusion, 100 grams of husks must be poured with five liters of water and also insisted for four to five days. Strain the infusion and use to spray hibiscus.
It is advisable to periodically wipe the window sill on which the plant stands with a soapy solution as a preventive measure.
Whitefly Defeat
This small flying insect should also be mentioned when describing ficus diseases and their treatment (a photo of the pest is presented below). It lives on the underside of hibiscus leaves. The leaves become sticky and turn yellow.
To get rid of the whitefly, chemicals are usually used - Fufanon, Aktar, 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 crushed household, or better, tar soap in half a liter of water).
Why the hibiscus doesn't bloom
The lack of flowering in hibiscus can be called a disease with a stretch, but it can spoil the mood of the grower for a long time. What can cause it?
The first reason is the lack of nutrients (in particular, potassium deficiency). The plant simply does not have enough resources to bloom. The second is the lack of lighting. Bright light is necessary for bookmarking buds. In order for the hibiscus to bloom, the time spent in the light must be at least four hours a day. The absence of colors may be due tothat pruning was not carried out in a timely manner. It must be remembered that flowers form on young shoots. For their bookmarking, it will also be useful to replace the soil in the pot and carefully move the hibiscus to a more lit place.
In addition, the flower needs a dormant period from October to February. It is believed that in order for the Chinese rose to bloom, it is necessary to lower the temperature in the room to 15-18 degrees Celsius. Flower buds are laid under such conditions. Although cases of winter flowering of hibiscus are not uncommon. If the sun's rays penetrate well in the room, this is quite real.
Besides this, hibiscus can start to prepare for flowering and suddenly drop 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 permutations very well, and during flowering or preparation for it, when all the forces of the flower are spent on 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 the result of damage to hibiscus by a pest - gall midge, a miniature midge. She strikes the buds, laying her eggs in them. Naturally, the hibiscus will no longer bloom, the plant will shed its buds. If you can see that they have turned yellow, they must be carefully cut off and destroyed in order to prevent the spread of pests. The soil should be treated with Provotox, Grizzly or Muhoed preparations, strictly following the instructions.
So, summing up, we can say that a dormant period in winter, pruning, optimal lighting and timely top dressing are necessary for the flowering of a plant. In addition, you should not often move the flower from place to place.
In conclusion
As you can see, indoor hibiscus diseases are quite diverse, and can affect all parts of the plant. Similar symptoms can be caused by both a violation of the rules for caring for a plant, and its damage by pests. In order 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 drugs and in what dosage to use to get rid of pests, etc. This knowledge is the key to successfully growing a plant at home.
