All About Flower Diseases

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

Surely every gardener and gardener faced flower diseases, and also independently tried to figure out the causes of the death of plants. This is what I would like to talk about in this article in more detail

Fusarium is a fungal disease. It affects crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and irises. The first signs of the disease are seen on the ground parts of plants - leaves and peduncles, as well as on underground parts - bulbs, corms, and rhizomes. The disease manifests itself in the form of spots covered with a pinkish-white cobweb bloom. Rotting and softening of tissues usually begins at the bottom of the bulb. Severely affected bulbs soften and die. The disease is transmitted by affected bulbs, corms, rhizomes and soil.

Sclerocyidal rot is a fungal disease. It affects crocuses and tulips. It manifests itself in the spring in the form of yellowing, and then the death of leaves. Above the bottom of the bulb, a bloom appears first white and then almost black. Diseased plants die. Humidity and low temperatures contribute to the development of the disease. Sources of this infection are diseased bulbs, corms and contaminated soil.

Gray rot is a fungal disease. Causes damage to most bulbous and corm flower crops. The most favorable conditions for the development of the fungus, the causative agent of the disease, are abundant humidity and low temperatures. Small grayish spots with watery edges, covered with a fluffy bloom, appear on the leaves. Later, the affected tissues die off. On the surface of the fleshy scales of the bulbs, amber-gray spots are formed, which are then covered with an ash bloom. The fungus also forms spots on the flowers of the affected plants, as a result of which the flowers lose their decorative qualities.

Viral variegation. Narrow or wide variegated stripes appear on the flowers. Affected plants will gradually slow down their growth and flower later. The disease is transmitted mechanically, if the sick and then healthy flowers are cut with the same knife, as well as by sucking insects.

Pests: onion mite. It parasitizes almost all bulbous flower crops and in the soil and on the bulbs themselves, damaging them during storage. The mite is thermophilic and hygrophilous. Damaged bulbs develop weak plants that often die.

Onion fly. A dangerous pest of crocuses, hyacinths, daffodils, tulips and irises. In spring, in rainy weather, many flies crawl out of wintering places and lay heaps of eggs near the neck of the bulb and next to the plant. The emerging larvae penetrate the bottom of the bulb, where they live and feed on decaying tissues.

Control measures

To protect your bulbous plants from pests, various measures are used to treat and protect crops:

1. Treatment of soil before planting bulbs and corms with 40% formaldehyde (formalin) solution. It is recommended to use a solution with a concentration of 1.5-2%. Solution consumption of 8 liters per 1 m.

2. Treatment for the prevention of bulbs and corms against diseases caused by fungi and bacteria. Before planting them, treat them with 1% TMTD solution or 0.25% Benomil solution for 1 hour.

3. It is necessary to spray the plants, 2-3 times during the period of appearance and during the growing season, or at the appearance of the slightest signs of the disease, with an interval of 10-12 days, with 0, 4-0, 5 percent solution of "Tsineba" or 0, 2- percentage solution "Benomil".

4. To prevent infestation of the bulbs, store them in dry, cool places, and immediately before planting, soak for 10-30 minutes in solutions of thiophosphoric preparations.

5. Drying of the planting material immediately after harvesting in ventilated rooms and cleaning it from old scales, old roots and soil two to three weeks before laying it in storage. Heavily affected bulbs and corms must be burned.

How do you deal with flower diseases? Maybe you have your own secrets? Share them in the comments.