Arrowheads are attractive domestic plants that are actively used for interior decoration, possessing the ability to attract eyes and surprise with their beauty. This article will talk about the reasons when the external attractiveness of a flower becomes less pronounced due to violation of growing conditions, damage to it by diseases or pests.
Common problems with growing arrowroots: how to fix them
The appearance of the plant may indicate that the growing or care conditions have been violated, as a result of which the arrowroots turn yellow, twist, the leaves dry or dry. To understand what is the reason for these changes, it is necessary to consider each symptom separately.
Did you know? Grassy South American arrowroot appeared in our homes from the rainy tropics, where it is also called the "10 Commandments" by the number of white spots on the leaves of some plant species.
The leaves are dry
Drying of the sheet plate can occur as a result of too low a humidity level when the air is too dry, for example, due to the heater turned on. To eliminate this phenomenon, it is necessary to fertilize the soil in the pot using mineral fertilizers, and to increase humidity, you can use a household air humidifier.
Drying of the leaf can begin at its tip and occur as a result of sunburn, if the plant is exposed to direct rays, and not in diffused light, in which it is recommended to grow it.
Leaflets are also curled due to low humidity and overdried soil. In order to preserve the moisture valuable to the plant as much as possible, you can use wet peat with good moisture capacity.
Important! It is better to keep the arrowroot in a room with dim light or to cover the light source with paper or cloth, if the flower is on the windowsill.
Leaves the leaves
Withering and decay of the stem and leaves can occur as a result of cool air and high humidity in the room, which is why the arrowroot in this case lowers the leaves. In addition, soil with poor drainage remains moist all the time and root decay may begin.
Maranta lifted the leaves up
A healthy plant has horizontally arranged leaves, however, when the conditions of detention change and, mainly, when there is a lack of lighting, arrowroot strikes with its ability to lift leaves up. From the side, the leaves resemble the palms of a person, which are folded in a pose of prayer, so the flower is sometimes called "praying grass."
The tips of the leaves are dry
Since arrowroot leaves are an excellent indicator of the flower’s health status, when dried leaf tips are found find out the cause and take measures to eliminate it:
- Lack of power: yellow-brown tips and slow growth. The solution is the introduction of mineral-organic fertilizers in the spring-summer period 2 times a month, the rest of the time - once.
- Not enough moisture. To eliminate this growing condition, it is permissible to use both an air humidifier and a spray gun, irrigating the air around the plant.
- Sunburnresulting from direct and prolonged exposure to sunlight.
- Oversupply of superphosphate, since significant fluoride content poisons the flower.
Did you know? In accordance with the Feng Shui philosophy, many plants can affect the microclimate in the room where they are located, as well as their owners. So, the arrowroot in the house helps to strengthen family relationships, while at the same time helping the owner find the meaning of his life, calling and discovering talents.
Leaves are crumbling
If you do not know what to do, if the leaves of the plant have become much smaller, then here is a useful tip to control the brightness of the lighting in the room. Leaf plates can also become smaller due to infection with a fungal disease.
White plaque at the base of the leaves
If plaque begins to form in the axils of the leaves in the form of a sticky gun of a light color - this is a sign of damage to the plant by the mealybug. To eliminate it, first of all, plaque is removed from the surface of the sheet plate with a cotton swab.
Next, irrigate the flower with an insecticide solution. Effectively apply "Actellik", "Akarin", which process the arrowroot several times with an interval in time of 5-10 days.
How to deal with the diseases of the arrowroot
Changes in the appearance of the plant can occur as a result of one of the diseases characteristic of the arrowroot.
Anthracnose
The fungus affecting the leaf plates has the appearance of gray-brown spots. In the center of small lesions in the form of circles, you can notice red and saturated orange tubercles in which fungal spores are located.
The causes of anthracnose may be:Important! Humidity in the room where the arrowroot grows should be high, as in the natural environment for its growth. In addition, the plant can be bathed in the shower during a particularly hot period, directing a stream of water on the leaves and stalk, avoiding the ingress of excess moisture into the soil.
- increased acidity of the soil;
- high humidity.
Brown and black Fusarium rot
- Black rot - a fungus that infects heat-loving arrowroot, if it enters a room with too low air temperature. Damaged areas of the fungus are removed, and the flower itself is transplanted into a new substrate. The plant and its neighbors are treated with Bordeaux liquid for prophylaxis and in the future adhere to the correct conditions of detention.
- Brown rot - a fungal disease, which is marked by a dark brown rot of the root neck and top of the stem root of the plant. The disease spreads around the stem and encircles it, as a result of which it becomes soft, with a porridge-like structure. This ailment arises as a result of violation of the conditions of detention, when the temperature in the room is low with high humidity. For prophylactic purposes from brown rot, irrigation with copper sulfate can be used.
Soot fungus
The disease manifests itself in the form of a gray spot or its darker shade. Plaque is growing rapidly, combining several small spots into one big one. You can fix it by wiping the sheet with a wet cloth or sponge.
The appearance of this disease is due to the activity of pests, therefore, to completely eliminate the ailment, their presence and belonging should be clarified. For preventive purposes, airing is used, however, the access of fresh air should exclude drafts.
Spotting
Brown spots on leaf blades can appear due to various reasons, the main of which is high humidity. To remove such spots, you can use a weak potassium permanganate solution to treat all leaves, and then it is recommended to transplant the plant into a new pot.
The main pests of arrowroots and ways to combat them
The deterioration of the health of the arrowroot can occur due to the influence of pests, among which the scale and the mealybug influence the plant most actively.
Shield
This pest infects the leaves and stems of the flower, sucking the juice from the plant. As a result, the shoots become deformed, curved and the growth of arrowroot slows down. On leaf blades, the scabbard leaves its marks in the form of sticky secretions. This coating remains on the surface of the leaf and fungal spores develop in it, which do not allow the flower to fully breathe, which leads to the death of the arrowroot.
Scale is spreading very rapidly, increasing the area of damage day after day, and in a few days it can cover the entire plant. Small pests are 0.5–5 mm in size, protected by a wax shield that protects them from external influences, including insecticides.
To get rid of this pest, it is recommended to carry out a number of measures:
- Bathe a flower in the shower, washing it with warm water, the temperature of which should not be higher than + 40 ° C. This will wash off adults and part of the larvae.
- The following is the treatment of arrowroot with soapy water using a rag or 70% alcohol with a cotton pad. The procedure is aimed at removing the remnants of scale from the plant.
- After the plant has dried, it is wiped with a solution of Bitoxibacillin or Vertimek.
All these actions must be repeated after a week, even if traces of activity and the parasites themselves are not detected. If you do not reprocess or make it of poor quality, then scale insects will soon reappear.
Spider mite
This tiny pest 0.2-0.4 mm in size belongs to arthropods. It is thanks to its miniature and translucent color that it is extremely difficult to notice a spider mite.
The actions of this pest are very dangerous for the plant: the reverse side of the leaf is damaged, it brightens, then turns yellow, white spots and cobwebs appear. As a result, the leaves fall, and the plant itself may die.
The methods of struggle can be different and depend on the degree of defeat of the arrowroot:
- leaf treatment with tobacco solution;
- wiping the leaf plates with a soap solution;
- acaricides - chemicals for controlling ticks;
- insecticides - insect control chemicals.
The procedure for getting rid of spider mites should be as follows:
- The plant must be removed from the living room and transferred, for example, to the bathroom.
- To treat the leaves and stem of the flower with a chemical composition. If acaricides are used, then the treatment is performed twice, with a repeat of the procedure after a week. If the initial treatment was carried out using insecticides, then it must be repeated at least 3 times.
Prevention of the appearance of the pest is to irrigate the plant with cool water, well-humidified indoor air, periodic bathing of the plant. Growing arrowroots at home does not require much trouble, and most of the diseases that the plant suffers from are caused by violation of the conditions of detention. By controlling the right temperature and humidity level, you can maintain the health of this beautiful flower.
