Gardenia pests and diseases and methods of controlling them

A lover of flowers before buying gardenia should know about the wayward, demanding nature of the plant. Otherwise, disappointment cannot be avoided.

Arriving at home, as a rule, a beautiful woman falls ill. It is not clear why the leaves begin to turn yellow, fall off, the buds bare the stem.

But in fact, the difficulty lies in creating the necessary conditions for growing, as well as performing competent flower care.

What is this plant?

Gardenia is a thermophilic shrub of dark green color. The habitat is the Far East, India, China. Gardenia flowers are snow-white in color; sometimes terry petals are found. The size of inflorescences in diameter is up to 10cm. As for the leaves, they are dense, with a smooth surface and glossy sheen.

A characteristic feature of an exotic beauty is a long flowering, from March to September. At this time, a pleasant fragrance is felt, with a subtle hint of jasmine. In indoor floriculture, only one type of gardenia is widely known - jasmine.

Growing difficulties

For beginners, gardeners with this plant may experience difficulties. And they are everything, from lighting to watering. Gardenia is mainly used as a pot plant. They normally tolerate pruning, crown formation.

But at the same time, they react sharply to sudden changes in temperature, drafts, for them an excess of moisture in the pot is not permissible. Exotic beauty does not tolerate a change of residence, even if you simply move the pot, it can subsequently discard the leaves.

It is necessary to carefully monitor the conditions of detention, the slightest deviations will provoke a negative reaction.

Common problems: what to do?

If there are sudden problems with the plant, the first item on the list of treatment measures is to diagnose the cause of the ailment.

Flower dried

The appearance of dry foliage is quite common for exotics. This is most likely a natural aging process. However, if the leaves dry in bulk, then the reason lies elsewhere.

• Transplant consequences. A recently made or sloppy transplant can cause the leaf to dry out. Gardenia tolerates stress, it takes time to adapt.

  What to do. Provided that the planting is done in a quality substrate, the flower should organize its microclimate, build a greenhouse. In which a constant temperature, humidity will be maintained. It is also important to water and spray the plant every day. When new leaves appear, the greenhouse should be removed.

• Insufficient soil acidity. Such a phenomenon is possible, even with an initially correctly selected soil mixture. Over time, water leaches acidic substances and the earth should be acidified.

  What to do. For treatment once every 7-10 days, acidified water is used for irrigation. Dilute 3-4 drops of lemon juice or several grains of citric acid into 1 liter of liquid.

• Excess moisture. Humidification with large volumes of liquid can lead to similar consequences. Also, the accumulation of water in the pot indicates a poor-quality drainage layer or its absence. Waterlogged soil can lead to the development of the process of decay, the death of the root system.

  What to do. If the unambiguous reason is excess moisture, then there is only one way out - transplant.

  1. Inspect the root system.
  2. Cut black, rotten roots with a sharp tool.
  3. Disinfect cuts.
  4. Treat the plant with a weakly concentrated fungicide solution.
  5. Transplant a flower into a new soil (how to choose the right soil and gardenia pot, read here). The presence of a drainage layer, as well as drainage holes, if any, is mandatory.
  6. After transplanting, do not water immediately, and then do not allow excess moisture in the pot.

Buds fall

When a plant sheds buds that have not yet opened, it’s always a pity, because we are looking forward to blooming with such impatience - why do they fall off?

• Hypothermia. Gardenia is a heat-loving flower, and with drafts and a sudden drop in temperature, the buds fall off. If frosty air enters the room, directly on the gardenia, it will provoke problems not only with buds, but also with foliage. Read about leaf problems here.

  What to do. First of all, protect gardenia from sudden changes in temperature. Otherwise, the flowering will be postponed to next year.

• Dry air. Exotic beauty hails from a tropical climate where it is hot and humid. Humidity, for a plant, plays a key role. Without this parameter, hoping for lush bloom is pointless, even being in the budding stage, it will easily drop future flowers.

  What to do. To increase the humidity in the room in any way possible:

  1. Put a tray with wet sand or expanded clay.
  2. Have an aquarium or fountain nearby.
  3. Use a household humidifier.
  4. Spray water from a spray bottle.
• Rearrangement of the pot. Gardenia is uncompromising, you can not make any manipulations with the pot even when watering, spraying or feeding. Otherwise, provoke the dumping of buds. For a plant, this is a kind of stress.

  What to do. It is better not to touch the pot at all during flowering, especially not to move it.

What to do if the plant does not bloom, you can read in this article.

White spots

In the case of bright, indefinite spots, and the veins remain green, then the cause is chlorosis. This disease is quite common in gardenias. It occurs as a result of a lack of iron in the soil, as well as its alkalization when watering with low-quality water, with a high content of chlorine and other alkaline elements.

What to do:

1. You can not water tap water.
2. Use settled or boiled water.
3. Regularly spray and add iron-containing preparations under the root, for example, Ferovit.
4. If necessary, use a self-prepared solution of chelate iron.

White aphid

This small harmful insect that lives on the stem and leaves of a plant does a lot of harm. So gardenia buds fall, it slows down growth, noticeably drying out the leaves. With this parasite it is urgently necessary to fight, do not wait for further spread, because aphids multiply rapidly and can spread to nearby plants. In the beginning, the pest infects young shoots, and then does not spare the remaining exotics.

What to do. The attack of white aphids can be handled mechanically, each leaf is treated with a soap solution. But if all else fails, you should resort to chemicals. Spray the flower with solutions of systemic insecticides, for example, Neoron, Actellik.

How to deal with spider mites on plants?

The main enemy of gardenia is a spider mite. The presence of an insect is determined by discoloration of certain sections of the leaf plate and the woven silk-like web under the leaf. The tick prefers dry and warm air, but is terribly afraid of moisture, so spraying it with water is fatal for it.

What to do. If such a neighbor is found on gardenia, it should be sprayed with a solution of a chemical preparation, Bikol, Akarin, or Demitan will do. After 10-14 days, repeat the procedure.

Preventative measures

In order to further prevent possible problems with the general condition of gardenia keep the following recommendations:

1. Maintain optimal temperature and humidity conditions in the room.
2. Observe the irrigation system.
3. Weak immunity and frequent illnesses indicate malnutrition.
4. Regular water procedures, washing with soap and water leaves, spraying.
5. Perform routine inspections of the plant for insects or larvae.

All diseases and ailments of gardenia, one way or another, are associated with the parameters of the content and quality of care. Therefore, it depends only on the owner how the exotica will grow, blossom and develop. Follow the growing recommendations and everything will be in order with your gardenia.

Watch the video: How to Get Rid of Insects on Gardenias (December 2024).