Flower growers do not pass indifferently past phloxes. Flowers fill the garden with a light aroma, burn with a bright flame, attract the eye thanks to the iridescence in the shades of the petals and inflorescences. It is customary to attribute these flowers to unpretentious plants. But experienced flower growers know that unpleasant phlox diseases often occur, the treatment of which does not always lead to a positive result.
There are several varieties of phlox. It is styloid, splayed, paniculate. Given the varietal characteristics, phloxes can be planted in such a way that flowering continues all summer. A variety of colors and breeding of bright hybrids forces flower growers to acquire new varieties.
But if you do not recognize the disease of phlox in time, leave the focus of the disease without attention, the grower risks losing a whole collection of beautiful flowers.
Diseases of phlox flowers are transferred to a clean garden with the advent of a new specimen. An outwardly he althy plant can carry spores of fungi, infect nearby flowers and gradually, instead of beautiful strong bushes, they remain withered from below, with dark spots on the leaves and poorly flowering inflorescences of the plant. Viruses and fungi cause terrible diseases of phloxes. They have a long treatment ahead of them.always effective.
Reasons
Weather conditions (humidity, cold dew), dense planting, carelessness of the gardener and untimely prevention lead to the reproduction of fungal diseases.
There are plenty of them in our gardens. Spores spread at high speed from woody plants, vegetable beds, weeds.
Varieties of phlox diseases
The most common and dangerous diseases of phlox, the treatment of which is late, can infect nearby plants.
Types of fungal diseases:
- erysiphe cichoracearum, or powdery mildew;
- septoria phlogis Sacc, or septoria;
- uredineae, aka rust;
- phoma phlogis, or phomosis;
- verticillium arboatrum, aka verticillium wilt.
Types of viral diseases:
- variegation;
- ring spot;
- curly;
- mosaic.
Mycoplasmosis is dangerous because it spreads, albeit slowly, but if it catches on, you need to say goodbye to plants. So far, this is a rare disease. How do phloxes tolerate diseases, the treatment of which lasts a long time? Firmly, if possible, they try to console the gardener with flowering. But the appearance of the plant betrays the presence of the disease.
Viruses - what is the danger
Garden pests spread viral diseases: aphids, mites, cicadas, roundworms. Plants affected by the virus cannot be cured. Florists must constantly monitor the situation, inspect their flowers, be aware of the signs of disease and fight for the survival of he althy plants.
So, with variegation, light, randomly arranged stripes appear on the opened flowers. The usual appearance of phloxes changes, they become faded and stunted.
Annular spotting deforms the whole plant in the last period of the disease, and at first innocent light circles on the leaves give out a viral disease.
The bushes infected with the curl virus twist the leaves into a spiral, but such phloxes will no longer please with flowers. The death of the plant is inevitable.
Mosaic "decorates" the leaves with irregularly shaped spots, the plant's nutrition deteriorates, a lot of strength is wasted, the phlox gradually dies in an unequal struggle.
Fungal diseases - we will treat
White spotting and rust differ only in the color of the spots. White, gray-brown or bright brown random spots appearing on the leaves of the panicled phlox gradually deplete the bushes, the lower leaves dry out. The disease progresses rapidly, passes to other instances. The fight can be effective, it is enough to treat the bushes with a Bordeaux mixture once every 7 days. Flower growers study phlox diseases and their treatment. Photos of affected flowers often help in the diagnosis of viral and fungal diseases.
Verticillium wilt (wilt) gardeners call "lightning". Wilt infects plants during flowering, leafdries very quickly, the bush does not look aesthetically pleasing. The stems endure the disease, and the root system is covered with a white or brownish coating. If you are late, then the disease will destroy the entire flower bed. The fungus, the causative agent of wilting, enters the soil with acidic sawdust, manure soil. It breeds in acidic soils. Liming and treatment with an ash solution will prevent wilt from developing. But if this has already happened, you should remove the plant from the ground, cut the bush and wash the roots in a disinfectant solution. Any drug against fungal diseases, for example, Fitosporin, will do.
Phloxes are gaining buds, be careful
Almost all phlox diseases actively progress during the budding period. Phomosis is no exception. The plant changes appearance, the leaves dry out, and the stem becomes covered with cracks. The fungus penetrates the tissues, the branches become brown. The disease recedes if 1% Bordeaux mixture is applied to the soil in late autumn and early spring. Phomosis can be brought into the soil with moldy manure, untreated sawdust. The fungus quickly infects the plant. The phloxes of the disease are having a hard time.
Treatment (photo of treated plants confirms this fact), fortunately, works. It can be seen that the upper young leaves are he althy.
Brown dots and spots on the leaves appear from septoria. Phloxes turn yellow, the leaves are framed by a brown color or purple border. The trunk is exposed, the sight of a sick bush is not encouraging. But the disease will be weakened by therapeutic spraying of a mixture of milk of lime and copper diluted in water.vitriol. Three sprays at intervals of 7-10 days are enough for the disease to go away. Missed the chance, cut out the affected stems and burn them. The earth is watered with a copper-containing lime 1% solution. If they receive care for phloxes, and diseases will recede, and no adversity will prevent beautiful flowering.
Insidious white dew
Everyone is used to believing that powdery mildew affects the tender and juicy leaves of peppers and cucumbers. Phloxes, although they have a hard stem, cannot withstand this insidious fungus.
White bloom appears on plants in the form of carelessly scattered flour. It grows very fast. The color of the dense, suede coating changes. It becomes brown or gray, it depresses the plant. The leaves begin to dry out, the breathing of the plant stops. Plants are often affected during wet summers. Infected flowers are sporophores of the fungus Erysiphe Cichoracearum. All parts of the plant located above the ground suffer from the disease.
The spread of the disease is facilitated by overfeeding plants with nitrogenous fertilizers in the spring. Pampered bushes are not able to deal with such a scourge. Any phlox diseases are dangerous. Powdery mildew (photo with white coating on the leaves) is the most dangerous of them.
Care
When creating phlox mixborders, the first step is to prepare the soil for planting. The soil these flowers prefer loose, neutral, nutritious, breathable. Filling it with fresh manure is strongly not recommended. These beauties will only fit wellrotted, three-year-old manure. Top dressing during the summer at the doses indicated on the fertilizer package strengthens panicled phlox bushes.
The benefits of fertilizing with mineral fertilizers are obvious: when plants receive timely nutrition, they get sick less. Eliminating excessive soil acidity, draining flower beds during rainy times and watering during dry periods, give plants a chance to avoid insidious diseases.
Prevention
Treatment with Bordeaux mixture twice a year will keep fungi from spreading. Spraying "Epin" will strengthen the immune system. A good result is pruning the tops during the rainy season. This delays the flowering period. If the florist treats phlox disease in a timely manner, powdery mildew will not be able to cause harm.
Any suspicion of the development of the disease requires preventive measures. Treatment with ash, Bordeaux liquid, antifungal drugs will help prevent the disease.
In autumn, the branches break off and are burned, the bush is mulched, spudded with earth. Frost-damaged phlox roots protruding from the ground can damage flower he alth.
Treatment or farewell
Even the best and most experienced florist has periods when preventive measures are not enough, and diseases win. Intensive, systematic treatment saves part of the plants. Fungal diseases can still be treated.
If there is a place, it is better to plant a bush by transshipment, and treat for 3weeks. Is the treatment not working? Destroy the plant without regret and don't risk your entire collection of flowers.
We noticed that the culprit of the phlox disease in the flower garden is a virus - the plant is on fire. Why is the recommendation so strong? Otherwise it is impossible. You can’t transfer the infection over the fence, or into the compost, or to your neighbor. She will return to your flower bed very quickly.
If fungal diseases of phloxes are found, the treatment will be gentle. Flowers successfully recover with proper care. The main thing is to find the outbreak and destroy it, disinfect the soil.
