Home Lemon Diseases - Causes and Treatment

Delicious lemons grown at home do not surprise anyone. Before you buy a plant, it is worthwhile to carefully study the diseases of lemon home causes and treatment of these delicate plants.

Causes of Home Lemon Diseases

Various diseases adversely affect the appearance of the plant and fruiting. Most often, lemons are affected by diseases and pests:

• weakened by other diseases;
• for which proper care is not established (watering, pruning);
  

  Room lemon

• contained in unsuitable conditions (improper lighting, drafts, inferior soil, poor temperature conditions).

Viruses, bacteria or pests may appear:

• from poorly treated soil
• from a sick handle during vaccination,
• during the airing of the room (it happens extremely rarely),
• from diseased indoor plants nearby.

Many diseases of the lemon can be cured, but there are also diseases that are not amenable to any therapeutic effect, and the plant has to be disposed of.

Why do lemon leaves turn yellow

The leaves of a room lemon turn yellow because:

1. Incorrect lighting was chosen (direct rays of the sun provoke the appearance of burns, excessive shading, especially in the cold season, does not allow the plant to fully develop).
   

   Lemon with yellowing leaves.

2. Inadequate or excessive watering, which are equally dangerous for the lemon.
3. Violation of the usual temperature regime causes stress in the plant, which leads to negative consequences. Lemons develop well in the temperature range of 14-25 C0, but 20 C0 are ideal for them. During ventilation (especially in autumn or winter), it is recommended to remove the lemon from the room in order to avoid a sharp temperature difference. Central heating batteries or other heating appliances should not be in the immediate vicinity of the pot.
4. Increased or reduced level of humidity in the room (optimally from 60% to 70%).
5. Irrational or irregular top dressing. Lemon needs nutrients, but their excess is not good for the pet.

Lemon Leaf Chlorosis

Plant chlorosis is a violation of the formation of chlorophyll in the leaves. The main symptom of the disease is yellowed leaf plates and green veins.

Leaf chlorosis

The main cause of the disease is a lack of iron and magnesium.

Ways to combat chlorosis:

• Plant transplantation into new soil and a larger pot;
• Spraying the leaves with Ferovit solution (1.5 ml per 1 liter of water);
• Dressing with magnesium sulfate;
• Rinsing the soil in a pot (pour lemon over warm water for 30 minutes until a clear liquid pours out of the drainage holes). This improves the structure of the soil and its breathability. 30 days after the procedure, the plant is fed.

Why do lemon leaves curl

One of the common diseases of homemade lemon is leaf curl.

Causes of the disease:

• 1) Violation of the rules of care (most often improper moistening of the soil and air).
• 2) Lack of mineral fertilizers (deficiency of calcium, boron or copper in the soil).
• 3) Lack of fresh air.
• 4) The defeat of the plant by various pests (both on the crown of the tree and on the root system).

The question "why lemon drops leaves what to do" excites many growers. A common cause of dropping leaves of homemade lemon is any viral or fungal disease:

1. Leaf mosaic (leaves change their shape, dark or light strokes appear on them, resembling mosaics, the plant stops growing). You can not treat diseased lemongrass, you can only extend the life of the plant by regularly feeding and properly caring for it. Experts recommend destroying such a lemon so that the disease does not spread to other plants.
2. Cancer of citrus plants (in the initial stages, leaves and fruits become covered with brown spots, later lemons take ugly forms, foliage falls, and the tree dies). The diseased tree cannot be revived, but for the prevention of cancer it is recommended to spray lemon with fungicides of liquid copper.
3. Tristeza (one of the reasons why the lemon drops leaves, besides, branches, bark gradually die off and the tree dies). The disease is incurable, often affects weakened plants.
4. Anthracnose (leaves turn yellow and fall off, thin branches die off, a tree can throw off buds, red spots appear on the fruits). Treatment: cut off dried branches, process the plant with Fitosporin three times, a 1 percent solution of Bordeaux fluid is also suitable.
5. Malsecco (leaves fall off, shoots from the tops begin to dry out, the branches on the cut become red). The reason for the occurrence is a lack of lighting, from October to April, the plant needs backlighting to increase daylight hours. Drug treatment is not possible. If the normalization of the light regime does not help, then the plant should be disposed of.
6. In case of root rot damage, a lemon can also drop leaves. If for this reason the leaves fall off the lemon, then we know what to do: dig a plant, rinse and inspect the root system, remove rotten roots. Lemon is planted in another pot in disinfected soil. For 12-14 days, do not water the plant, but only spray it with warm water and wipe the leaves with a damp sponge.

Sticky coating on lemon leaves

Sticky coating not only spoils the appearance of the tree, but also inhibits its development.

Sticky spots on the leaves

The reasons for the appearance of the sticky layer:

• inferior care;
• excessive watering for a long time;
• the plant was struck by a scale insect;
• aphid appeared on the lemon.

The first 2 factors are easily eliminated after studying the relevant information about the proper care of the plant. Scale and aphids are pests that are difficult to control, but quite possible.

Fighting yellow spots on lemon leaves

Lack of lighting, low humidity, defective watering, sudden temperature changes and malnutrition can cause yellow spots on the leaves of homemade lemon. The same symptoms can be observed with some diseases:

• Scab or wartiness is a fungal infection of the plant, the main sign of which is yellow spots on the leaves, gradually degenerating into pink-gray warts (growths). Orange spots appear on the fruit. Warts gradually spread throughout the plant, destroy the fruits, can lead to the death of the tree. Treatment: treatment of the crown with a 1% solution of Bordeaux fluid, removal of affected branches, fruits and leaves.
• Infection with dark brown spotting (the appearance on the leaves of yellow spots of irregular shape) is incurable. A diseased plant must be destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease to others.
• With phylloctictosis, brown specks with rims appear on the lower leaves.
• Late blight is characterized by swelling of the bark and oily spots on the foliage.

Phyllosticosis and late blight can be treated with fungicidal drugs.

Drying leaf tips and white spots on them

 The tips of the leaves may dry out when:

• inappropriate microclimate;
• unbalanced lighting;
• mineral starvation;
• improperly selected soil for planting;
• infection with parasites.

Lemon leaves, covered with a white coating, indicate the appearance of a whitefly.

Whitefly butterfly

Detecting a parasite is simple:

• after shaking the branches, the butterflies take off;
• grayish-white formations resembling mold appear on leaves and shoots;
• the affected leaves twist, turn yellow and dry.

Ways to combat insects:

• a few butterflies are destroyed by washing the leaves with gauze soaked in soapy water;
• sticky tapes for flies are hung next to the tree;
• spray the plant several times with a sweet solution (2 tablespoons of sugar are dissolved in a glass of water);
• a large number of insects can be defeated only with the help of special chemicals.

Why lemon does not bear fruit

Not all lemon trees ripen fruit. For many owners, this is simply a beautiful decorative decoration for the home. Why lemon does not bear fruit, the main reasons are:

• 1) the plant has grown from seed and is not grafted;
• 2) the tree is not grafted correctly;
• 3) violation of comfortable conditions (temperature changes and low humidity);
  

  Lemon blossom
• 4) there are too many flowers and fruit on the tree (experts advise to remove the extra ovaries, guided by the rule: "10 leaves - 1 flower");
• 5) untimely dressing (forcing the lemon to throw off the color);
• 6) the plant is sick or infected with parasites.

What to do to make fruit appear on a lemon:

• Provide appropriate conditions for full growth and development.
• Feed regularly (in spring and summer 2 times a month, in autumn and winter - monthly).
• Plant the plant correctly (plant a strong tree, in which the bark is well separated from the wood). For surgery, use a clean and very sharp knife. To achieve the greatest combination of branches and petioles, the vaccination site is tightly and tightly tied. The result is judged after 3 weeks.
• Cure diseases and get rid of pests.
• To form a crown so that by the age of three it consists of 7 main branches (at the same time they try not to constantly shorten the tips of thin branches, since flowers appear on them).
• Carry out the procedure of tightening the branches. To do this, in spring, they are pulled together with soft wire to concentrate nutrient reserves in them for next year.

Lemon Pests at Home

Lemons, like other home plants, are attacked by various pests.

Description of signs of spider mite infection:

• 1) yellow dots appear;
• 2) the yellowing of the edge of the leaves begins,
• 3) the leaves are folded into tubes,
• 4) a spider web or spider web nests appears in leaf ducts.

Spider mite affection

The parasite eats lemon juice, which is very small and invisible to the naked eye, but it does great harm. Home and folk remedies are ineffective, they not only do not destroy the pest, but also allow it to live and reproduce unhindered. You can fight with the spider mite only with insecticidal drugs, for example, Fitoverm, Aktellik and Demitan.

Signs of aphid damage:

• leaf plates and young shoots are deformed;
• sticky coating appears;
• on the back of the leaves, colonies of small green pests can be seen (adults become black).

Aphids usually appear in spring, with proboscis, insects suck juice from leaves and young shoots. Parasites are very fertile: about 20 generations can grow in a season.

Aphid on a lemon branch

Of the folk methods, it is effective to treat the plant with infusion of wood ash mixed with a strong soapy solution.

Mechanical removal of parasites brings a temporary effect, after the insects renew their population.

Of the chemicals, experts recommend using Fitoverm or Golden Spark.

The scabbard is one of the hard-to-kill pests that infect indoor lemon. Signs of the appearance of scale insects on a tree:

• the manifestation of yellowish or reddish-brown spots on the leaves;
• the appearance of plaque along the veins on the leaves;
• the formation of sticky fluid on the leaves (in some cases, parasites produce such an amount of fluid that it accumulates at the ends of the leaves);
• the movement of adults on the leaves and trunk.

You can do the mechanical removal of the parasite (wipe the leaves with a cloth soaked in a strong soapy solution or alcohol), it is effective, but time-consuming. In addition, there is always a risk of missing an adult parasite.

Scalp on the leaves

The most effective chemicals for controlling the scale are Aktara and Actellik, which have a systemic effect. They are not only sprayed onto the crown of the plant, but they are also watered with it. This allows you to act on parasites through their digestive tract, and not just contact.

Thus, homemade lemons lie in wait for a large number of diseases and pests. Some indoor lemon diseases lead to the death of the plant, so experts recommend that you do not neglect the rules for caring for the tree and prevent the appearance of various ailments.