Exotic plant dracaena comes from the subtropical and tropical forests of Africa, Asia and South America. The dragon tree, or false palm, as it is also called, grows in its homeland in natural conditions and can reach a height of up to 20 meters. But indoor relatives miraculously took root in colder conditions on the windowsills of amateur flower growers in many countries of the world, including they are widely represented in all regions of Russia. Despite the rather unpretentious nature, dracaena can also catch a cold. Flower diseases must be treated in time to prevent its death, as well as infection of other flowerpots.
Causes of problems
Like any other indoor flower, dracaena requires some care, care, even love. This living organism really needs a certain lighting, watering, it is subject to the influence of external factors. Scientists even conduct tests with the help of which they want to prove the existence of a biological relationship between a plant and a person, the presence of compatibility and contraindications to the maintenance of certain flowers at home for certain people. And today there are confirmed facts that plantsreally respond to pain, have a sense of fear, can experience joy, listen to music and remember.
There are two main reasons why dracaena can get sick:
- Physiological.
- Infectious.
The first reason is related to the wrong conditions for the existence of the plant, with mistakes in caring for it. The second reason for the development of diseases can be various infections or pests.
Physiological factors causing disease
Dracaena diseases often result from improper flower care. For example, if the owner of the plant is incompetent in this or he does not have the opportunity to create suitable conditions. There may be several reasons for this:
- excess or lack of lighting;
- excessive watering or, conversely, too dry soil;
- lack or excess of minerals and nutrients in the soil;
- drafts;
- low or high temperature, its sudden changes.
In order to avoid mistakes in the home maintenance of a plant, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the basic requirements before buying it or immediately after purchasing it, the fulfillment of which is mandatory to create favorable conditions for the growth of such an extravagant flower as dracaena.
Care, diseases that may arise - we will consider all this further. Take note of this information if you do not want the plant to suffer.
Is the dracaena hardy? Diseases, photos of which are presented below, can destroyplant.
Care
Lighting for dracaena in no case should be too intense, but at the same time, the shadow will not work either. The best option can be called diffused sunlight in the summer, as well as southern, southeastern windows in winter. It is advisable to constantly rotate the plant so that it develops evenly from all sides. Particularly sensitive to the sun are variegated plant species, in which the brightness of color is directly dependent on lighting: the more light, the brighter the leaves, and vice versa, they darken in low light.
The air temperature should also depend on the season. In summer, dracaena is comfortable at 18-20 degrees, but in winter it should be a little cooler. The maximum allowable air temperature is 30 degrees, the minimum is 8 degrees. If this indicator exceeds or falls below the acceptable level, the plant will slow down growth and get sick.
Dracaena is moisture-loving, it needs to be sprayed regularly, watering should be plentiful, but at the same time, water should not be allowed to stagnate in the flowerpot. Water should be boiled to remove excess fluoride, because excess of this mineral can cause leaf disease.
You should also not forget about feeding the plant once or twice a month. Phosphate fertilizers should not be used for this purpose. It is best to buy ready-made complexes designed specifically for the care of dracaena.
You can prepare the soil yourself, using sod land, rotted manure and sand, or purchase a ready-mademixture. It is recommended to regularly drain the soil, but this must be done very carefully, since the delicate root system of the plant is in the upper layers.
Physiological diseases of dracaena and their treatment
First, it should be noted that the shrinkage of the lower leaves of the plant comes from the natural aging process. First, the tips dry, and then the whole leaf. You should not be afraid of this. To preserve the decorative appearance of the flower, the yellow tips must be carefully cut in parts, while it is not recommended to remove the entire leaf at once, it is enough to beat from the shrunken fabric.
But if young leaves begin to turn yellow and dry, then this already indicates a disease. It occurs as a result of too abundant or irregular watering. To eliminate symptoms, simply change the water regime.
Dracaena diseases also occur with insufficient air humidity or drafts. From this, the tips of the leaves of the plant acquire a brown color. The flower needs regular spraying, we should not forget about it. Brown spots on the leaves can also indicate sunburn. These marks look wet at first and then dry out.
What to do when young tips dry out
The reason for the blackening and drying of the leaves of dracaena are problems with the soil. To eliminate the disease, you need the following:
- repot the plant if it hasn't been done in the last three years, because the accumulation of s alts in the old soil leads to the death of the suctionroots;
- change the fertilizer, it may not be suitable for this type of plant, it has a lot of fluorine or other minerals;
- change the soil, add more peat and humus, it may be too light or too clay and heavy.
Causes of leaf rot
When a plant like dracaena has leaf diseases accompanied by decay, the causes should be sought in violation of the lighting regime or in insufficient heat. With non-infectious decay, watery-brown tissues are formed, separated from the he althy part by a green stripe, which is a symptom of a physiological disease. Decay with the formation of yellow tissue is characteristic of bacteriosis. Here is what is recommended to do in this case:
- make sure that there are no overflows, which can cause rotting of the root system and, as a result, leaves;
- change the soil to looser and softer soil to ensure oxygen access to the roots;
- change the air temperature to the optimum.
Help with sagging and falling leaves
Diseases of dracaena often occur due to low air temperatures, because relatives of this plant are from the tropics. When freezing, for example, if the room is less than 10 degrees, or the flowerpot has stood near the open window, the leaves sag and become dull. With prolonged exposure to adverse conditions, the roots may rot. To save the flower, it must be sprayed with warm water. If there is no significant improvement,try to transplant. Sometimes the only possible way to help the dracaena is cutting and rooting the top (if the roots and trunk are affected by rot).
Infectious diseases
The most common infectious diseases of dracaena:
- alternariosis;
- heterosporosis;
- phyllostictosis;
- bacteriosis.
When Alternariosis, brown spots appear on the leaves with a light middle. If you look closely, you can see concentric circles on them. Over time, the spots turn black due to fungal spores. This disease is treated with fungicides. Fundazol is the most effective remedy. It should be bought at a specialized store and a spray solution should be made at the rate of 1 gram per half liter of water. Other copper-containing fungicides can also be used for this purpose. But in this case, you should definitely study the instructions for the drug. Spraying should be carried out 2-3 times with an interval of 10 days.
Treatment of heterosporosis, phyllostictosis and bacteriosis
We continue to study the diseases of dracaena and their treatment. Another common ailment is heterosporosis. Its distinguishing feature is the formation of oblong spots of light brown color with a dark red border on the leaves. And with phyllostictosis, light brown marks of irregular shape appear with a yellow-green border and black dots - pycnidia. Both of these diseases are treated with fungicides. Most prone to these ailments are plants that grow in dry air andlack of moisture.
Excess moisture and too high air temperature contribute to the development of a disease such as bacteriosis. Droplets of liquid appear on the tips of the dracaena leaves, which, when dried, form an oily film. A yellow stripe becomes visible between the he althy and affected area. Sometimes ulcers form on the stems of a diseased plant. If such a flower is sprayed with water, then the disease will spread to neighboring plants. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure that can help. The affected plant must be discarded as soon as possible.
Diseases caused by pests
Many pests are very fond of a plant like dracaena. Diseases that form a white coating can occur due to the defeat of a flower by a mealybug, a false scale insect, a tick. These pests are very insidious. Dracaena marginata often suffers from them. Diseases (photos are presented in the article) are a serious danger.
In each individual case, the treatment is different, so it is necessary to correctly diagnose.
If a mealybug attacked the dracaena, the appearance of colonies of insects with a watt-like fluff on the stem and leaves of plants is typical. In this case, the following measures should be taken:
- remove insects with a cotton swab dipped in soapy water;
- wipe the flowerpot and window sill with soapy water, wash the plant itself in the shower;
- spray the flower with an insecticide or a soap-alcohol solution (1-2 g of soap per 200 ml of vodka).
Spraying should be repeated several times until the symptoms disappear completely.
When affected by a false scale insect, a white sticky mucus is formed on the underside of the dracaena leaves. Measures to combat it are the same as for the mealybug.
If a barely noticeable yellowish or white bloom appears on the leaves, then you should look for a spider mite that can hide on the back of the leaf. To combat it, the Actellik insecticide is an effective tool.
Sometimes a white coating is formed as a result of watering with too hard water, in which there is a lot of lime.
