Protecting Hyacinths From Disease

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Any beauty has many enemies. This bowl and the hyacinth plant did not go around. More than forty types of diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi lie in wait for the fragrant plant. Wind, rain, insects and birds all contribute to the spread of infection. Therefore, the hyacinth hopes for human help in the struggle for its existence

Wet (white) rot or slimy bacteriosis

The causative agent of this disease is found in open and closed ground, hibernating on its surface or in plants affected by it. The activity of bacteria is helped by high humidity, poor aeration of heavy clay soils, the introduction of fresh manure into the soil, and excess nitrogen.

The bacteria penetrate through the wounds inflicted on the plant by rodents, insects and humans. That is why it is very important to inspect the planting material well, rejecting specimens with mechanical damage, poorly dried and unripe bulbs.

The disease manifests itself as yellow leaves along the main vein. The leaves begin to wrinkle and dry out. Watery spots appear on flower petals and peduncles. The buds that have not yet blossomed fall off. The bulb itself becomes soft, turning into a grayish-white slimy mass with an unpleasant odor.

Ways to combat mucous bacteriosis:

• Use light, well-drained soils with neutral or slightly alkaline acidity.

• For two to three weeks before planting, etch the soil with formalin (for 1 square meter of soil - 10 l of water + 250 ml of a 40% solution), loosening it well after 5 days.

• Do not plant in areas where gladioli, carnations, tulips and irises have grown, which are also affected by these bacteria.

• Carefully reject the planting material.

• For 5-10 minutes, pickle the bulbs in a 10-15% solution of iron sulfide before planting them in the ground.

• Quickly and efficiently dry the dug out bulbs in a timely manner.

• During storage, maintain the air temperature at 18-20 degrees.

Fusarium

Fusarium is a consequence of the activity of molds that can harm

plants, animals and humans. In the case of hyacinth, there are 4 types of plant damage:

1. External scales are affected. After digging the bulbs, yellow-brown spots are visible on the outer scales. During storage, the stains dry out and become hard. The spores of the fungus are located under the scales in the form of powdery dust.

2. The fabric of the bottom is affected. The bottom becomes corky and becomes light brown. Small cracks appear on it, which gradually become deeper. Such a lesion of the bottom occurs during the growing season.

3. Bulb tissue is affected. This may be due to the penetration of fungi through the cracks in the bottom, or fungi infect the tissue during storage of bulbs that have dried for too long. At first, the fabric takes on a brownish tint and then darkens. The scales wrinkle and become covered with a whitish coating.

4. Roots are affected. The fungus enters the roots, which begin to darken and rot. Such roots do not allow moisture to feed the plant, and it dries up. This happens when the bulbs are planted in soil that is hotter than 13 degrees.

Ways to combat fusarium:

• Disinfection of soil.

• Timely digging, quick drying and storage of bulbs in a warm, well-ventilated area.

• Culling of planting material.

Green mold or penicillosis

When damaged bulbs are stored at low temperatures, light brown small spots appear on the bottom, growing in breadth and in depth, leading to rotting of the bulb. Rot alternates with dense crusts of gray-green mold.

Ways to deal with green mold:

• The room where the bulbs are stored should have a temperature slightly above 17 degrees, low air humidity and good ventilation.

• Culling of damaged bulbs.

• Disinfection of the bulbs before planting for half an hour in a 0.2% suspension of the foundation.

Gray rot

The development of the fungal disease "gray rot" is promoted by high humidity. The fungus infects either the leaves. Or an onion.

Affecting the upper part of the leaf, the fungus gradually causes it to dry out and curl, covering the leaf with a white fluffy coating of its spores.

When a bulb is damaged by a fungus, its top and outer scales seem to become glassy, then gray-brown, and later they are covered with matte black woven filaments of mushroom mycelium.

Ways to combat gray mold:

When the first signs of the disease appear, hyacinth is sprayed with 0.2% foundation, 1% Bordeaux liquid or 0.15% Topsin-M once every 10 days.