Having noticed dried or yellowed leaves in geraniums (pelargonium), it is necessary to find out the reason for their appearance and take measures to eliminate the problem. If you ignore these warning signs, the flower may die. On how to prevent this, read on.
Errors in planting and replanting a plant
Even a healthy plant is easily damaged during transplantation and worsen its condition by improper actions.
Did you know? Translated from Greek, geranium means "crane", and pelargonium means "stork". The flower received such a name because of the outward resemblance of its seeds to these birds.
Wrong pot
If you select a pot too small for geraniums, this will interfere with its normal vegetation, which will cause the leaves to curl and turn yellow. The flower has a well-developed root system, so you need to provide a lot of space. If this condition is ignored, neither trace elements nor nutrients will be enough for the roots. If you want beautiful flowers, transplant them into a larger pot.
No drainage
When replacing geraniums, take care of drainage. Ready-made expanded clay is sold in flower and hardware stores. The lack of drainage is dangerous because excess moisture will stagnate in the ground. At the same time, air circulation will deteriorate. If the roots are constantly in the water and they have nothing to breathe, they begin to rot, and this is another reason what leaves turn yellow.
For lush flowering and so that energy is not wasted for free on damaged branches, the latter are cut off.Important! If you decide to buy soil, choose a special one for geraniums or begonias, making sure that the composition contains vermiculite or peel.
Unsuitable soil
Heavy soil does not suit the plant; it needs a lot of oxygen. If the soil is not suitable, the geranium will quickly lose its beautiful appearance, the leaves will deteriorate and fall off.
Ready-made mixes are sold in stores, but you can make it yourself. The components should be light, with peat and excellent aeration. To saturate the soil with microelements, humus, sand, turf soil is taken. The proportions are the same.
Poor conditions
Geranium is unpretentious, but for any houseplant you need to create a favorable climate. In spring and summer, this flower feels good at a temperature of +20 ... + 25 ° С, but in winter it loves coolness - +15 ... + 17 ° С. If you have royal pelargonium, in winter it does need a temperature of no higher than +10 ... + 13 ° С.
Direct sunlight
The plant is photophilous, but does not tolerate direct sunlight, from which leaves grow on the edges of geraniums and burns appear. The burn site is not restored. The plant is sheltered from direct sunlight, but it is also impossible to rearrange it in the shade, otherwise it will not receive elements for vegetation, will not bloom and wither.
Low or excessive humidity
Dry air is harmful to the flower, but it does not tolerate high humidity. You can not spray it. In hot time, the flower is watered every other day in the evening, you can put a container with cold water next to it. For the rest, it is enough to water every three days without filling the plant. It is important to ensure that the water does not stagnate in the pot and pan. The leaves of the geranium will dry both because of dryness and because of excess moisture. The optimum humidity for it is 50-60% .
Did you know? Geranium has bactericidal properties. From time immemorial, housewives have put a leaf of this plant in a jar of jam on top, protecting stocks from mold.
Drafts
Pelargonium leaves dry if the plant is prone to drafts. Often this happens in the cold season. If your geranium stands in a place that is often ventilated, find it more suitable.
Accommodation close to heating appliances
In winter, the plant's life cycle slows down, geranium "hibernates." A sharp change in temperature is disastrous for her, as is heat or frequent watering. Since the flower should stand in a cool place, where the maximum heat indicator is +13 ° C, you can not put the pot next to heating appliances (near the battery, heater).
From them comes not only a destructive heat, but also a stream of dry air. Geranium leaves will dry out and will not be able to recover. If you have a glassed-in balcony, a loggia, a veranda, this is a good place for pelargonium for the winter.Poor care
Due to the glory of an unpretentious flower, geraniums often suffer without proper care. The plant, indeed, can grow both on the street and in the house, but its versatility does not make the flower invulnerable. Poor care leads to yellowing and falling of leaves, and then to the death of geraniums.
Wrong watering
If the irrigation regime is not observed, excess moisture pelargonium turns yellow in the lower part of the stem. In confirmation of the fact that the plant is not watered correctly, rot spots appear on the leaves. Reduce watering to one or two times a week and loosen the soil to dry it faster. But it should not be completely dry.
Before watering, water is defended for several days, several crystals of citric acid or 1-2 drops of lemon juice are dissolved in it.Important! Pay attention to water quality. If it is too hard, the soil will be saturated with calcium, from which the leaves will turn yellow.
Mineral deficiency
Good soil is saturated with trace elements, but pretty quickly their supply is exhausted.
A lot of resources go into the period of growth and flowering of pelargonium. To prevent the flower from fading and retaining green leaves, it needs to be fed. From a lack of minerals, the leaves turn yellow, but also from an excess of fertilizers, the plant may die.
Use special additives, strictly following the recommendations on the package.
One of the most effective and affordable fertilizers for geraniums is iodine.
Diseases and pests
The way to save the geranium if the leaves turn yellow always depends on the cause of the problem. If all of the above is excluded in your case, you take good care of the flower, but the plant fades anyway, the basis for this may be diseases or parasites.
Diseases due to which yellowness appears:
- mosaic viral infection - first, yellowish spots are found on the leaves, after which they merge into one big one, the flower is deformed - the disease is not treated, the infected geranium is destroyed to protect the remaining flowers;
- bacteriosis - manifests itself in the form of yellow spots that turn black inside, veins darken, growths form on the trunk below that need to be removed, the flower is treated with Fitosporin-M, Alirin-B, Gamair or the like;
- fungal rust - edema and brown spots on yellowed leaves, fluffy coating - damaged tissues are removed, watering is reduced, “Fitosporin-M”, “Fundazol” or “Topaz” are used.
- Pests and control measures:
- spider mite -drinks juice from a plant, leaves become sticky, small dots appear on them, the web - treatment with “Bitoxibacillin”, “Fitoverm”, “Akarin” or other similar drugs;
- whitefly - also eats juice, lives on the back of the leaves - they use Fufanon, Tanrek, Zubr;] larvae of mushroom mosquitoes - infection sometimes occurs if the soil for transplantation is taken outside, parasites live inside the stem - treat for transplant prophylaxis for prevention roots and plants with the composition "Anthony-F", "Fly-eater";
- aphids - the leaves turn yellow and spin, sticky discharge appears - Antitlin, Tobacco Dust, Bison help.
The yellow leaves of a plant are always a cause for alarm. The sooner you pay attention to it, find the reason and eliminate it, the healthier and more beautiful your geranium will be. Flowers, like pets, need attention and proper care for them.
