Phlox diseases and their treatment: why leaves curl

Growing phlox allows you to enjoy their flowering, decorate any territory. However, the appearance of a disease or an attack of pests can destroy plants. To protect flowers, you need to know what diseases they may threaten and what needs to be done to fight them.

The main varieties of pests and diseases of phlox and their treatment

Taking care of phlox, many are faced with their wilting. As a result, the flower loses its decorative properties, the plant becomes weak and practically unviable.

At first, it is difficult to see that the flower is sick. In order to respond quickly to the disease, the grower needs to regularly inspect the bushes. This should be done at least once every two weeks.

All phlox diseases are conventionally divided into two types: fungal and viral. In the first case, treatment usually consists of removing the affected parts of the plant and spraying with an effective antifungal agent. When phlox leaves turn yellow, how to treat it depends on the type of disease.

For your information! Preventive measures are allowed. To do this, you can spray with antifungal drugs.

Viral diseases cannot be cured. In this case, it is important to identify infected phloxes, remove them and destroy them. The fight against such diseases is to take preventive measures against infestation, such as killing insect vectors.

Verticillary wilting

This condition is also called wilt. The root system is the first to be hit. Infection is carried out through the soil. First of all, this disease is dangerous for young plants or those whose roots are damaged. Wilt is a fungal disease. After the roots become infected, the flow of nutrients into the plant stops, and the phlox withers. This is one of the reasons why phlox leaves curl. In this case, the mycelium fills with itself not only the roots, but also part of the stem.

When wilting, a white bloom can be clearly seen on the surface of the root processes. Over time, the color changes to light brown. On the cuts of flowers, you can see a white powdery bloom, which occurs due to the engrafted mycelium.

For your information! A plant diagnosed with verticillary wilting is difficult to cure. Even in the remains of stems and roots, the pathogenic mycelium will remain.

If a disease is detected, it is necessary to cut the flowers at the root, and water the ground with the remaining plant roots with a solution of alirin and gamail. After a week or two has passed, new, healthy stems will begin to grow.

Cracking stems

If phlox has a cracking stem, then this is not a disease. This reaction is caused by the fact that it grows on unsuitable soil - acidic and waterlogged.The problem can be exacerbated if the perennial plant is intensively fed with nitrogen fertilizers.

To help the bush, it is necessary to spray the phlox with a weak antiseptic solution.

Vertical cracks at the base of the stem are a sign of such problems. As it develops, its internal parts are exposed, and the stem itself acquires a flat shape. The length of the cracks is usually 10-15 cm.

The exposed inner tissues of the stem are covered with growths, the material of which resembles a cork. Despite the problems encountered, the leaves and flowers retain their normal appearance.

Important! The main danger threatening flowers is that during rain, under the weight of leaves and buds, a bad stem may not withstand the load and break.

Annular leaf spot

This is a viral disease. With it, circular spots appear on the leaves. They are light green in color. Soon after infection, the leaves begin to dry out and die off, and the stems are severely deformed.

Important!The affected plant cannot be cured. Therefore, the fight against it consists in taking preventive measures, for example, in the destruction of vectors.

Necrotic leaf spot

The virus mainly infects young plants. Small brown spots appear first. With the development of the disease, their area grows. The disease cannot be cured. The affected plant must be destroyed.

Curliness

With this disease, black and green-yellow spots appear on the leaves. The plant becomes weak and shriveled. The curl is caused by the cucumber mosaic virus. It is also not amenable to treatment.

Phoma (Latin Phoma betae)

The manifestations of this disease can be detected at the time when the buds are tied. Basal foliage begins to die off, at the same time you can notice that the plant stops growing.

For your information! Phlox plants diseased with phlox are often attacked by a nematode.

With the development of the disease, cracking and decay of the stems occurs, at this time the foliage that has been twisted by the disease withers. A plant affected by phomosis not only stops growing, but also no longer blooms. This disease is one of the possible answers to the question of why phlox does not bloom.

The cause of the disease is the use of contaminated planting material. For example, this happens when dividing the root of a diseased plant.

Phomosis is dangerous only primarily for adult phloxes.

Leaf rust (lat.Cronartium ribicola)

A sign of rust disease is the appearance of brown spots on the leaves. Plants that have a darker color of leaves and buds are more often affected by this disease. Rust is a fungal disease.

The source of infection is a fungus that spreads its spores by air. The wind can carry them over considerable distances in different directions. One spore is enough for the flower to start hurting again.

Outbreaks of rust disease occur in June. Not only the number of painful spots is gradually increasing, but also their size.

If rust appears on phloxes, not everyone knows how to treat diseased plants. You need to use special drugs. Spraying should be done with products that have a high copper content (for example, copper sulfate).

Important!The composition must be sprayed not only on the bush, but also on the ground next to it. Treatment is carried out only after signs of rust have been detected.

Powdery mildew (lat.Erysiphaceae)

This fungal disease is the most common among phlox. It can be detected by the formation of a white powdery coating on the leaves. Florists pay great attention to the fight against this disease. This disease is dangerous for most garden and garden plants. If you do not fight with it, then it is capable of destroying most of them.

Powdery mildew is the scourge of all gardeners

As soon as the fungus enters the plant, the disease begins to develop. In its development, it goes through the following stages:

• leaves begin to dry and then roll up into tubes;
• stems weaken;
• in the root part of the stems, a gradually increasing number of white dots can be observed;
• they begin to grow and turn into large mealy spots;
• after the disease develops, the spores of the fungus are spread by the wind and reach neighboring plants. Young phloxes are in the increased risk zone.

For your information! Infection usually occurs in dry and hot weather. Infected plants lose their attractiveness in a matter of days and gradually dry out.

To combat powdery mildew, you must first remove the diseased parts of the plant, and then treat with a solution of soda or special fungicidal preparations. The latter must be used diluted. Such spraying can be used for preventive purposes.

Nematodes (Latin Phyllotreta cruciferae)

These are small transparent worms. It sucks the life juices out of the flower.

Important!Nematodes are different depending on what they affect, it can be leaves, stems or roots.

Having destroyed one bush, they move on to neighboring ones. Their larvae are tenacious, it is very difficult to bring them out.

What does a nematode look like on a phlox leaf

This pest acts more strongly on plants if the soil is homogeneous on the site. In the early stages, signs of the appearance of the parasite are almost impossible to detect. The leaves and stems become deformed as a result of the attack of the worm. If untreated, phloxes die.

When a nematode is found on phlox, control measures consist of spraying with special preparations.

Septoria, or leaf spot (Latin Septoria phlogis Sac)

When this disease appears on the leaves, specks of a grayish putrid color can be found. Over time, their area grows, and the leaves begin to die off. The spots turn yellow or white. In this case, a reddish border is formed along their edge.

To combat septoria, you need to remove the affected parts of the bushes and spray with Bordeaux liquid.

Slobbering penny

Here we are talking about an attack on a plant by bedbugs. Adult insects lay their larvae on the underside of the leaf. They feed on the sap of the plant, gradually destroying it. Outward signs of an attack by a slobbering penny are small lumps of foam, inside which the larvae are located.

What to do if phlox leaves curl? We need to get rid of these insects. If a problem is found, you need to collect leaves with larvae and foam, and then burn them.

In case of mass infection, it is necessary to carry out treatment with Intavir. This should be done in such a way that the solution falls on both sides of the leaves.

Leaf blight

With this disease, brown-purple spots appear on the leaves. Gradually, the plant dries up and begins to die. For treatment, it is necessary to spray with preparations that contain a lot of copper.

Chlorosis

How to treat phlox chlorosis depends on the cause of the onset of the disease. It can be due to heredity, poor grooming, infection, or inadequate feeding.

Variegated

This viral disease is very dangerous for flowers. The causative agent of variegation is the mosaic virus of the rash. A diseased plant can be detected by light strokes on the petals.

Note! It is difficult to identify diseased phlox, due to the fact that in some varieties the flowers can have a complex color.

If the plant was infected, but the disease was not recognized, then it will be inherited. Over time, variegation will lead to the fact that phloxes begin to lose their species characteristics, gradually degrading.

It is not possible to make an accurate diagnosis on your own. To do this, you will have to contact a specialized laboratory.

The fight against this disease is preventive in nature. To do this, do the following:

• disinfect garden tools;
• destroy insects that carry a viral infection;
• try to immediately identify diseased plants, they must be removed and destroyed.

It is impossible to cure a plant diseased with variegated leaves.

Jaundice

If phlox flowers do not appear in the spring, then this indicates that they are most likely sick with jaundice. This disease is also called flower gardening. The source of yellowing is mycoplasma. Jaundice is a fungal disease that can occur in only a few varieties of phlox.

The sign is that instead of flowers, green leafy rosettes are formed. Phlox growth slows down. The disease can be carried by cicadas or other sucking insects. Plants that have turned yellow in this way cannot be cured, they must be destroyed.

Threadiness of leaves

When infected, the leaves grow narrow, the plant stops blooming, and the shoots become fragile. This is one of the reasons why phloxes dry from below.

This disease spreads quickly and cannot be cured.

Rattle

This disease is spread by nematodes. Plants become infected in late May or early July. Numerous light green spots can be seen on the leaves. As a result, the growth of the plant slows down. How to treat phloxes for pogrom disease is to use Bordeaux liquid.

Slugs

They eat leaves, and are very voracious and fertile. They can feed on all parts of the plant. They operate at night, and during the day they hide in secluded places.

Cruciferous black flea

These small insects are very voracious. They are able to eat the entire plant. To save phloxes from them, it is required to spray the bushes with special preparations.

Caterpillars

If they are bred on phlox, you need to carefully examine the flowers and collect the caterpillars from the plants. These butterfly larvae are able to eat all parts of the plant. To deal with them, it is necessary to perform spraying with specialized preparations according to their description.

It is necessary to regularly inspect the plants and check if caterpillars have attacked them in order to take timely measures to save them from parasites.

How to protect phlox

To protect against pests and ailments, you must:

• follow the rules of care;
• regularly inspect plants for early diagnosis of diseases;
• take preventive measures to protect flowers.

Note! To achieve a good result, you need to know in advance about phlox diseases and their treatment.

Preventive treatment of planting material

Sometimes the cause of infection is poor-quality planting material. Therefore, it is necessary to control those plants from which it was obtained.

Disease prevention

Preventive measures can significantly reduce the risk of getting sick. To do this, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• you need the soil to be slightly acidic;
• strong drying out of the earth should be avoided;
• you can not overfeed phlox with nitrogen fertilizers;
• potassium must be present in the dressing;
• when pruning, you need to remove all weak and sore parts;
• preventive spraying of bushes should be carried out;
• take care of the destruction of insect pests.

If phlox diseases are recognized in time and measures are taken, then in most cases the flowers can still be saved. To do this, you need to know how to recognize any ailment and how to cure it.

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