It must be remembered that this is a fairly delicate plant that can develop a wide variety of diseases.
There are many different diseases that can affect citrus fruits. In this article we will look at various viral diseases lemons and their symptoms. Viral diseases manifest themselves as spots on the leaves of lemons and tangerines, slowdown in plant growth and development, or death of the bark.
And if infectious diseases and parasites can still be cured, then, unfortunately, there is no cure for viral diseases.
Causes of viral diseases of lemons
First of all, it’s worth understanding how lemons become infected. This will correct errors in the maintenance of your tree and prevent cases of re-infection.
Among the causes leading to diseases are the following:
- weak immunity of the plant after previous diseases;
— illiterate maintenance (improper watering, pruning, temperature regime, lack of light and mineral nutrition);
- soil low quality;
- location next to other diseased plants;
- insects that can carry various viruses;
- summer ventilation, as a result of which various viruses or fungi can be introduced (but the likelihood of this is very low).
Unfortunately, almost all viral diseases of lemons are incurable. Therefore, if you notice symptoms of one of them, it is better to get rid of the diseased plant as soon as possible.
Let's consider possible viral diseases of citrus fruits.
Psorosis a, or xylopsorosis
Xylopsorosis virus is a dangerous virus that infects the bark of lemon stems. It can be in a latent (that is, at rest) state for about 10 years. Therefore, you may not even realize that your plant is infected with this virus.
In terms of symptoms, this disease resembles gommosis, so novice citrus growers are rarely able to identify it in their lemons.
Xylopsorosis is identical in appearance to simple gommosis, but is very dangerous for the plant
Xylopsorosis cannot be treated, so you will have to get rid of the infected lemon.
Tristeza
This is a disease caused by the Tristeza virus of the same name. In an infected tree, the bark of the trunk dies. It affects the entire plant. Young trees under 5 years of age are most susceptible to this disease.
The virus infects the entire plant. The initial symptoms of this disease are stunted growth and shrinkage of fruits.
Indoor lemon- a living creature, so he too may have problems. Troubles that happen to lemons can be divided into three groups: improper care, pests, diseases.
📌Improper care
✔Failure to follow plant care rules (watering, lighting, temperature, lack of nutrition, replanting and soil pH imbalance). At insufficient watering The tree dries out; if it is too much, the leaves become yellow and the root system rots.
✔The deficiency of one or another microelement can be determined visually. With a lack of iron, the leaf, which has a rich green color, first becomes “speckled” (alternating green and yellow spots), then fades, turns yellow and dries out.
✔With a lack of phosphorus, the leaves acquire an earthy-rusty color, and the tips of the leaves dry out. With a lack of potassium, the leaves shrink, forming “wrinkles” and folds.
✔With a lack of manganese and boron, the ovaries crumble. Correcting the situation is much more difficult than watering the lemon in time with special fertilizers for citrus fruits.
📌Lemon pests and ways to combat them
✔Scale insects and false scale insects (larvae are hidden by a shield dark brown). If they are present, the leaves fall off, the branches dry out, and the plant slowly dies. Pests must be cleaned off (with a toothbrush or a sharp stick), and the lemon must be washed with soap emulsion. You will learn about another way to combat these pests from the video.
✔Spider mite (red citrus mite). The larvae are located on the underside of the leaf; in this case, the leaf is shrouded in a web, which gradually envelops the entire plant. Leaves become discolored, dry out and fall off, flowers and fruits are damaged. Spider mites are more likely to appear in dry indoor air. If you are affected by spider mites, you can spray the lemon with a 0.15% Actelika solution. Spraying will have to be repeated three times with an interval of 10 days.
✔Mealybug (larvae and females feed on the entire above-ground part). If they are present, they appear on the surface of the leaves. sticky discharge mealybugs, later the leaves dry out, spots and cracks form on the fruits. The fruits fall off before they are ripe. The plant must be periodically inspected and the larvae and females of mealybugs mechanically destroyed.
✔Citrus aphids (small insects of black or yellow-green color). The tops of young shoots are paralyzed. If they are detected, you need to spray the lemon with a 0.15% Aktelika solution. Spraying will have to be repeated three times with an interval of 10 days. To prevent aphids from appearing, you can place a pot of fragrant geranium next to the lemon.
✔Thrips (look like a black line on the leaves, they are so small). They crap more than they suck the juices from the plant, they can fly, and spread viruses. To destroy them, you need to wash the tree out of the shower (cover the soil with film) and treat it with soap emulsion.
✔Whitefly (white small moth). The greenish-white larvae are located on the lower part of the leaves. Getting rid of them is quite problematic. In this case, the lemon is sprayed with insecticides at least 5 times every 3 days.
📌Diseases of indoor lemon and ways to treat them
✔Indoor lemons can suffer from many diseases caused by fungi, viruses, bacteria and mycoplasmas. The result of their influence is a variety of spots, ulcers, rot, wilting, growths, growths, etc. Harmful microorganisms are spread by insects, drops of water during spraying and watering, and wind.
✔Symptoms of defeat indoor lemons bacteria and fungi are similar, but with an infection caused by fungi, along with increasing spots, fungal spores are visible on them - gray plaque, brown pustules or black spots of sporulation.
✔Diseases most often appear on weakened plants, so proper care of lemons at home, pest control, cutting out affected parts of the plant, and treating the cuts (can be with activated charcoal) is important. It is better to immediately remove all flowers, buds and fruits from a diseased lemon so that they do not weaken the plant.
✔To suppress many pathogens and for prevention, it is effective to use the biological product “Fitosporin” (the drug is non-toxic, odorless). They are sprayed and added to water for irrigation according to the instructions. You can spray 2-3 times with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
✔Anthracnose is the most common disease of lemons, caused by a pathogenic fungus. With anthracnose, the buds fall off, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, reddish spots appear on the fruits, and the branches die. It is necessary to trim off dead shoots and carry out the treatment described above.
✔Scab (citrus warts) is also a common disease of fungal nature. In this case, small transparent yellowish spots appear on young leaves, turning into pink-gray warts. Warts grow over time, forming a growth, and then the shoot dies. Orange spots appear on the fruits, increasing in size, they become red-brown in color, and the ovaries fall off. The affected parts of the plant must be cut off and burned, and the lemon crown should be sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
✔Gomosis (gum bleeding) is manifested by longitudinal brown-red spots on the branches and trunk of the lemon. The bark in these places gradually dies, and a sticky golden liquid flows out of the cracks, which hardens in the air.
There may be several reasons for this disease: deep planting of seedlings, undisinfected soil, lack of drainage, excess nitrogen, lack of phosphorus and potassium, mechanical damage, too much high humidity air.
To treat homosis, it is necessary to find out the cause of the disease and eliminate it. Damaged areas on the trunk need to be cleaned sharp knife, cutting out the affected areas, disinfect with a 3% solution copper sulfate and cover the wounds with garden varnish. It is recommended to treat the wound several times until complete healing. It is better to cut out the affected thin branches and burn them.
✔Sooty fungus can settle on lemon when infected with scale insects or mealybugs. To prevent it from appearing, it is necessary to combat pests in a timely manner.
🔎Inspect the lemon more often, so you will notice pests and diseases at an early stage. During measures taken will not cause much harm to the lemon.
Growing indoor plants a pleasant activity that sometimes brings good results. One of these fruits can be an indoor lemon, which can be grown simply on a windowsill.
Lemon– a fruit that is used in both desserts and snacks, and adding it to tea is considered a classic combination. In addition, lemon is also very beautiful tree with a pleasant smell that will decorate your home. In this article we will look in detail at how to grow lemons and how to care for them.
Varieties of homemade lemons
Some varieties of lemons can be grown only in southern regions , others like lower temperatures and only take root in the northern regions. Lemons are divided into the following varieties:
- Lemon Ural- an unpretentious plant that grows well both in hot weather and low temperature. At proper care produces up to 12 kg of harvest per year
- Pavlova lemon is a variety of lemon that was one of the first to be grown in room conditions. The plant grows best in dark places, but despite this, it blooms all year round. The harvest from this type of lemon varies from 10 to 40 kg per year
- Lemons without a single thorn are called Maykop and Genoa. The first variety of lemon has very thin branches and a dark, lush crown. The harvest per year reaches 30 kg. The second is noted as a low-growing plant and produces a harvest only from the fourth year of life. The amount of harvest initially does not exceed 8 kg in the first years and up to 40 kg in the subsequent period
- Lemon Ponderosa a variety of citrus fruits whose fruits reach 1 kg in weight. But due to the fact that the fruits are large, the harvest does not exceed 5 pieces per year
- Also, such types of citrus fruits as Anniversary– they can reach 600 grams in weight
- A hybrid variety is a type of lemon such as Chinese- This is a mixture of lemon and orange. Enough capricious plant which requires careful care. Productivity is low - up to 3 kg annually
There are a huge number of lemon varieties that you can grow at home. They are all different - some like heat and sun, others like partial shade and coolness. If you decide to plant a lemon in a pot at home, be sure to check which one temperature and light conditions suitable for this variety.
How to grow a lemon tree at home from a seed?
Lemon can be obtained by grafting, and grow from a seed. Step by step instructions For growing lemon from seed listed below:
- Take no big pot, punch holes in the bottom and cover with drainage. Buy citrus soil or make your own. To do this, pour equal amounts into the pot. humus and turf soil
- Buy a ripe large lemon, cut it and, after choosing 2-3 bones, plant in the ground to a depth of 1.5 cm
- Set the temperature in your home not lower than +18С, and spray the soil once every three days. You can’t water until germination, an exception can be made if you see that the soil is very dry
- When the first shoots appear, it will be in about 21 days after planting, move the pot to a lighted, but not very hot place. The plant should be watered no more than once every 2 weeks.
- Lemon needs to be replanted no more than 2 times a year. If you live in a private sector, you can plant the plant in the ground for the summer and return it indoors in the fall. For apartment residents, replanting should only be done if there is not enough room for the lemon in the current pot. Do not buy a pot for replanting that is too large, it should be no more than 5 cm in diameter from the previous size
- In order for a lemon to bear fruit, it is necessary pinch or bud a plant late spring or summer
Growing lemon from seed After completing all the above steps, you will be able to V short terms grow beautiful on your windowsill citrus tree, which will bring harvest to your table.
Video: How to grow fruit-bearing lemon?
How to graft a lemon?
A lemon grown from a seed will most likely not bear fruit if it is not grafted. For that, To get a citrus harvest you need:
- Cut off the scion just before grafting. It is better to do this between April and August
- Trim the scion to length 6 cm and remove all leaves except the top ones - leave about 4 sheets
- Make a cut from the top approx. 1 cm length and treat the cut area with garden varnish
- Cut off half of each leaf on the scion, tie it with tape to the rootstock, and place it under a glass container or large plastic bottle.
- Through 2 weeks check how the grafting has started - whether the cut leaves are easily separated
If the leaves begin to fall over time, then this is a clear sign that tree grafting was successful and you can slightly loosen the tape with which you tied the scion and rootstock.
Typically, these lemon grafting methods are successful and already a year after this procedure You will see the first, unusually smelling white flowers, which will eventually grow into a delicious citrus fruit.
What soil is suitable for indoor lemon?
Lemon is a very whimsical plant and will not grow in any soil. In order to plant a citrus tree in a pot, you can use soil from the store (special bags of soil marked “For citrus fruits”), or make the desired mixture yourself.
The soil mixture for young lemon consists of turf and leaf soil in proportion 2:1 and sand with humus in a 1:1 ratio. For a more mature plant the amount turf land increases by one indicator and will be 3:1 in the ratio with leaf soil.
A particularly good addition to such soil is rotted oak leaves. This is very nutrient medium for the root system citrus tree.
Do not plant the plant in soil from under flowers or simply dug up on the site. Lemon will not only stop growing, but may simply die in such conditions.
How to feed lemon at home?
If you grow lemon at home, be prepared for the fact that it will not be as big as its relative in the store, but in terms of smell and aroma the home harvest will be many times greater than the purchased one.
In order for a lemon to bear fruit, its leaves to be bright green, and the tree itself to look strong and healthy, it needs Fertilize regularly and correctly. Main nutrients for lemon is nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The first has positive results on plant growth, the second - on the formation of large, tasty fruits, the third - preserves the bright color of lemon leaves.
Sold in stores special solution for citrus fruits, where all the necessary components are collected in the correct ratio. It is best to fertilize the plant summer or autumn. Homemade fertilizers can be chicken droppings, diluted with water in the ratio 1:9.
Lemon propagation at home
You can propagate lemons using seeds or cuttings. Each of these methods has negative and positive sides:
- When propagated by seeds the tree is more powerful compared to the lemon obtained from cuttings
- At seed propagation fruits appear only in 7 years, from the cutting there will be lemons already after 3 years
Let's look at these types of reproduction in more detail. A seed after eating a lemon plant in a pot with a mixture of soil, humus and sand to a depth of no more than 2 cm, spray the soil. During seed propagation, the first shoots from the seeds appear in a month at most. Over time, the plant grows long, thin branches that need to be trimmed.
Propagation by cuttings- more quick way get a beautiful tree. Need to be planted in a pot with drainage 5 cuttings from a healthy lemon with slices and cover with a jar. After three weeks, the first shoots will appear. It is worth replanting such a lemon into a pot in 2 months after the shoots appear.
When propagating lemons, it is necessary Fertilize the plant once every few months manure or a special mixture from stores. Fruits after this propagation method, depending on the variety, may appear as early as next year.
Lemons grown from seeds will not bear fruit immediately - only after 7-8 years. Don’t be too lazy to use at least the first method, because it’s not at all difficult to stick lemon seed in a pot. But the beautiful green tree that will grow from such a seed will delight the eye every day.
Pests of indoor lemon
There are a lot of options for solutions to save lemons from pests, here are some of them:
- Solution with soap and machine oil(oil can be replaced with kerosene or copper sulfate) - mix these components in a 1:2 ratio and thoroughly wipe the leaves. After a few hours, wash them clean water. Repeat in a week
- Soap emulsion with mustard– dissolve 250 grams of laundry soap and 10 times less mustard powder in a bucket of water, mix well. Pour 250 g of copper sulfate into the resulting solution
- Soak a sponge in mild vinegar solution and wipe the leaves
- Lubricate the inside of the bucket turpentine and cover the plant. After a few hours, remove the container and wash the leaves warm water
- 100 g hot pepper Grind in 1 liter of water and cook for about an hour. After this, strain through cheesecloth and leave for two days. Before use, dilute with water in a ratio of 1:10
- 50 g garlic pass through a garlic press and pour in 300 g hot water, leave for a week in a dark place. Before use, add 350 grams of soap and dilute in a bucket of water
One of the enemies of indoor lemon is aphids Diseases and treatment of homemade lemon
Indoor lemons can overcome various fungal, viral and bacterial diseases. After receiving such a disease, ulcers, growths, rot and other signs form on the leaves and trunk of the tree.
If you do not take care of your lemon, it becomes very vulnerable to such diseases. When you see any signs of fungus or bacteria on the plant, remove all fruits and flowers, so that they do not take away the strength from the lemon necessary to fight pests.
To prevent and treat manifestations of the disease, it is necessary to use the drug "Fitosporin". Use it to spray and water the diseased tree according to the instructions.
Spots on lemon leaves are also a sign of one of the diseases - treatment must be started immediately Fungal diseases on trees may cause the following visible signs:
- Yellowing leaves, fallen buds and red spots on the fruits. For treatment, spray with Bordeaux solution
- Pink warts on the leaves and orange spots on the fruit. It is necessary to cut off the affected parts and spray with Bordeaux mixture
- Red spots, cracks on the trunk of the plant. For treatment, clean the affected areas, anoint with a solution of copper sulfate and garden pitch. Carry out similar procedures until complete recovery.
To ensure that the lemon does not have similar signs and does not die from an advanced disease, it is worth regularly inspecting the plant and apply therapeutic measures to save the tree.
Video: Indoor lemon and its diseases
Why do the leaves of homemade lemons fall off?
If homemade lemon costs not in a lit place, then this may be the first reason why the plant’s leaves fall off. To solve the problem with leaf fall of a citrus tree you need:
- Place the tree on the windowsill on the south side
- IN winter time additionally illuminate the plant with artificial lighting lamps
AND insufficient and excessive watering leads to leaf fall on the lemon. In the first case, the dried roots die off and the flow of sap to the leaves stops, which in turn begin to fall off.
In case of excess moisture the soil becomes more dense, which blocks air access to the root system. Again, the root dies and the situation repeats with insufficient watering. Therefore, monitor the amount of watering of the citrus tree.
If a lemon's leaves fall off, it means you're not looking after it well enough. During summer period lemon intensively consumes minerals from the soil. If you do not replenish the supply with fertilizers, the lemon leaves will begin to turn yellow and fall off.
IN winter period the heated room is similar in climate to the desert. Excessive dry air is stressful for lemon. Therefore, to prevent it from starting to shed leaves in such conditions, regularly Spray the leaves 2 times a week and do not place the lemon close to a heater or radiator.
Leaves may fall due to excessive watering, as well as due to lack of water. If the room temperature below +10C and there is a constant draft– this can also cause leaf fall.
Rid the lemon of such stressful situations– take care of the temperature in the room where the lemon tree is stored and the amount of watering of the plant.
How to trim indoor lemon?
In order for a lemon tree to bear fruit well and have the correct shape, you need to regularly prune and turn the tree on the windowsill relative to the sun every two weeks. You can straighten the trunk by tying branches copper wire. This way the branches will grow in the right direction.
If the lemon already has fruits, then when ripe it should trim not only the fruit, but also a branch 5-7 cm long, on which the crop grew. And within a week, new shoots will grow at the cut site.
To obtain a fragrant tree with fruits, it is necessary to prune it. If you have too many fruits on the tree, then you need to adjust their quantity at the rate of 1 fruit per 10-12 leaves. All other lemons must be removed so that the plant does not have a very hard time. Give your plant the right shape so that it bears fruit well and looks healthy.
Is it possible to plant indoor lemons outside?
Very helpful plant lemon outside. Choose a place that is not too open and lit. The best option there will be a place where Sun before lunch, partial shade after. Be prepared for the fact that after replanting the lemon may drop its flowers. But this is not scary, this is the plant’s reaction to stress during transplantation.
If you don't want the lemon to have no flowers, plant the plant outside in a pot. Thus, the tree will be in the same conditions, but in the fresh air.
Under good climatic conditions, lemon will grow outside e the entire summer season. In October, it is advisable to return it indoors, because there may be night frosts and the plant may freeze.
Anyway Do not delay the stay of indoor lemon outdoors- as soon as the temperature starts to drop, it is necessary return to the premises.
Careful care and compliance with the listed measures will allow an exotic guest to live in your home for a long time - an indoor lemon, which will definitely delight you bright greens and delicious citrus fruits.
Video: How to grow lemon at home?
Growing citrus fruits at home is not an easy task. Unfortunately, the lemon tree, like other types of citrus fruits grown in pots on windowsills, is susceptible to various diseases. What diseases homemade lemon are the most common? How can you tell if a tree is sick? What measures should be taken to treat the plant?
Like any other plant from the citrus family, homemade lemon is susceptible to various diseases. These can be viral, bacterial and fungal infections, as well as diseases resulting from exposure to pests.
Infectious
According to flower growers, the most common infectious diseases, characteristic of indoor citrus fruits are:
Gommoz
It appears as red-brown longitudinal spots on the branches and trunk of the lemon. The bark gradually dies off. A sticky substance of a golden hue is released from the cracks, which hardens upon contact with fresh air. Treatment: it is necessary to cut off all the affected areas (the branches are completely removed), treat the resulting wounds with a 3% solution of copper sulfate and cover them with garden varnish. The causes of the disease may be high humidity, excess nitrogen, lack of phosphorus and potassium, as well as mechanical damage.
Root rot
The lemon suddenly began to shed its leaves, but there are no external signs of disease? Dig up the plant and carefully examine its root, it could be root rot. It is necessary to remove all damaged areas and place them on a sunny windowsill, temporarily limiting watering.
Fungal
Indoor lemon suffers most from fungal infections, among which are:
- sooty fungus (leaves and branches are covered with a coating in the form of ash);
- scab (putrefactive spots on leaves, fruits and branches);
- wartiness (indurations similar to warts);
- anthracnose (and falling leaves, dying branches, the appearance of red spots on the fruits).
Viral
Unfortunately, a homemade lemon affected by a viral infection cannot be cured. With proper care you can only extend the life of the plant. The main viral diseases include:
- tristeza (the disease affects the leaves, then the bark, branches and completely covers the entire tree);
- sheet mosaic (appears in the form of stripes or streaks of dark and light color on the foliage, subsequently leading to deformation of the leaves and stopping the development of the tree);
- citrus cancer (first signs – brown spots of different shapes and sizes on the leaves and fruits of the tree).
Pests
The danger of insects is that they not only damage the plant, but are also active carriers of various infections.
Common aphid
Amazes root system indoor tree. Enters an apartment with already contaminated soil. The tree will need to be transplanted into a new one and subsequently treated with a contact insecticide solution.
Spider mite
Have you noticed that the leaves have begun to curl and a cobweb is forming around them? A spider mite has settled on your plant. Starts in rooms with insufficient humidity. A 1% solution will help get rid of this pest. boric acid. It will take 1 to 5 generous sprays.
Shchitovka
Preventive measures and treatment
Often the cause of the disease is the lack of proper care. To prevent any disease, you should familiarize yourself with the contents of indoor lemon in advance. And remember: it is easier to prevent any illness than to eliminate it later.
The treatment regimen for indoor trees directly depends on the type of lemon disease. Viral, bacterial and fungal infections manifest themselves in different ways and have varying degrees of danger.
Fitosporin-M is considered an excellent microbiological preparation belonging to the new generation of products. The product is used for preventive purposes and is also highly effective in combating pathogens of various bacterial and fungal infections. Non-addictive, has no unpleasant odor, non-toxic, can be used at home. Used for spraying and watering (the drug must be diluted according to the instructions).
The main preventive measures for caring for indoor lemon include:
- daily inspection;
- organization of competent care and maintenance of the citrus tree;
- a new plant or tree that has recently been ill should be isolated from other indoor flowers for a while;
- “bathe” the lemon weekly (the soil is first covered with plastic film, after which the tree is watered generously from the shower);
- treat the crown with soap foam monthly.
Video “Diseases and pests of lemon”
From this video you will learn about what diseases and pests are dangerous for lemon and how to treat it.
Grow beautiful plant and never meeting his enemies is an unrealistic situation. Midges and harmful microorganisms crawl into the most sealed places. The only place is a vacuum, but it is contraindicated for all living organisms. So, let's talk about harmful midges and nasty spores of all kinds of fungi, necrosis, etc.
Pests of indoor lemon
Lemons have many pests - mealybugs, aphids, mites, false scale insects, scale insects, moth and cutworm caterpillars, psyllids, locusts, beetle larvae and grasshoppers. In indoor conditions, lemons are most often damaged by scale insects, scale insects and mites. When kept outdoors, the number of insects that damage plants increases significantly, but it is easier to fight them there. More and more tools appear to help fight them every year. The main thing is to correctly identify the type of insect. And you should carry out 3-4 treatments with the drug solution, with a short interval, and not stop at the first. For example, scale insects have protective formations in the form of scutes, and they protect the insect from the effects of chemicals. But such drugs should be used as a last resort.
Pesticides should be used very carefully, both for the plant and for yourself. Cover the soil with some material, and cover yourself with a scarf on your head, gloves on your hands and a respirator. Such precautions will protect the root system from the long-term influence of poisons (after all, with each watering, a certain amount of chemicals will get into the soil), and you need to protect yourself from chemical burns.
The best protection against flying-crawling midges is prevention. The air is always humid, and the plants are not too close to each other, the leaves cannot be kept dusty, and daily spraying is the minimum measure that has a beneficial effect on the condition of lemons and not only them. A weekly shower is considered a good protective measure - the crown and leaves on both sides are washed under running water. Another way to protect yourself is to wipe the leaves with a mild soap solution. Plants cannot be left in this state; they must be rinsed in the shower. This operation can be performed once a month. Before carrying out any of these pest prevention methods, the soil must be securely covered. A shower can wash away the soil, and soap solution Lemon roots don't really like it.
60g of dry mustard powder is poured into 1 liter of water and left for 3 days in a tightly sealed container. Before spraying, the solution is diluted with three liters of water.
Ticks and indoor lemons
Spider mites on a lemon leaf
In indoor conditions, spider mites are the most common predators. They usually migrate to homemade lemons from vegetable and flower plants. Detection of this pest is difficult due to its very small size. An adult female is no more than 0.7 mm, and a male is 0.3 mm. They settle with back side leaves and shoots. Ticks are not insects, but arachnids; they have four pairs of legs with which they touch and “smell.” Their color gives them away - brownish with yellow or reddish tints. If they are disturbed, they begin to move very quickly and thereby give themselves away.
80g of dry yarrow herb is brewed with boiling water. After 30 minutes, add water to 1 liter and leave for 48 hours. Helps against ticks.
First of all, mites attack young shoots and leaves, and over time, all other parts of the plant. This pest of indoor lemon damages the leaves and twigs, and they become covered with a thin cobweb, under which it lives. During the warm period, up to 10-15 generations can develop.
You can fight mites on lemons by spraying with a 0.2% solution of anabasine with the addition of 0.4% soap, a lime-sulfur decoction and dusting with sulfur. Tobacco decoction and soap-tobacco emulsion also help. The lime-sulfur decoction is prepared as follows: 60g of freshly slaked lime and 120g of ground sulfur are thoroughly mixed. Then add 1 liter of water to this mixture and boil for 1 hour over low heat. The color of the decoction is dark brown-green. After the broth has cooled, it must be strained. For indoor lemons for spraying, take 14-16 parts per 1 part of the decoction. warm water. After the procedure, all parts of the plant should be wet. After 24 hours, the entire plant is sprayed with clean warm water.
Vegetables that every housewife always has on hand help with aphids and spider mites - onions and garlic. Pour 5 liters of water onto 100g of onion peel and leave for 48 hours. Strain and sprinkle lemons. And they do garlic like this: 50g of garlic is crushed (depending on your convenience), poured into a three-hundred-gram jar and poured hot water. Insist for 5 days in total darkness. Strain. Use this way: add 50g of soap to 50ml of solution and dilute it with 10 liters of water.
To prepare a tobacco decoction, take 1 liter of water and 30-35 g of shag, mix and leave for 24-48 hours. Then the infusion should be boiled for 30-40 minutes over low heat. The cooled broth is filtered. Before use, the solution is heated and 2-3 g of soap is diluted in it. Lemon trees are treated by spraying or wiping. After a day, the plants are washed with clean warm water.
Each of the described solutions should be used 3-4 times with an interval of 7-10 days or until the pest completely disappears.
Mixture: garlic + onion skins + tobacco
200g of each ingredient is poured with water in a large saucepan and boiled for 2-2.5 hours. The broth is cooled and liquid is added, bringing the volume to 10 liters.
Scale insects and homemade lemons
Scale insects and false scale insects cause great harm to homemade lemons. They are crawling insects covered with a shield, greenish yellow when young and yellow-brown dirty in color when mature. It is recommended to use a solution of anabasine with soap, a tobacco-soap solution and an oil-soap emulsion against this pest. Rubbing plants with a kerosene-soap emulsion will give good results. For it, take 2 liters of water and dilute 40-50 g of laundry soap and 20-25 drops of kerosene in it. After a day, the plant is rinsed with warm water. If necessary, the operation is repeated until the insect completely disappears, and the interval between treatments is 10-14 days. Usually 2-3 treatments are enough.
Against scale insects, spraying (wiping) with anabasine and soap is done every 7 days. You can also fight them with fresh onion gruel - simply wipe the damaged areas with a swab dipped in juice. One more thing folk remedy, which helps fight scale insects and aphids, is an infusion of garlic. To do this, take 6-8 large heads of the plant, clean and chop them, add 10 liters of water and leave for 24 hours. Then the lemons are washed or sprayed with this infusion 1-2 times a month.
We offer you another option traditional preparation from large quantity scale insects 20-25g 1.5% tobacco extract, 60g household. soap and 40g of denatured alcohol per 1 liter of water. First, half the water is heated and soap is dissolved in it. When the solution has cooled, add the rest.
100g of hot capsicum is boiled in 1 liter of water for 1 hour in a closed enamel container. Leave for 48 hours. The pods are ground and the mixture is filtered. For 1 dose of concentrate, add 10 doses of water and spray against insects.
Scale insects and indoor lemons
Mealybug on a leaf
Scale insects are sucking insects, larger in size than scale insects. They are very mobile. Their bodies are covered with powdery secretions or a waxy coating. These coatings protect them from exposure to toxic chemicals. The most common scale insect on lemons is the soft scale scale. The female has an oval-shaped body, yellow in color and up to 3 mm long. In addition, they are viviparous and can give birth to up to 300 larvae in a year. This little thing prefers to settle on the upper side of the leaf.
In the summer, when infested with scale insects, soap-oil emulsions are used, and their solutions are used during the rest period. In general, it is necessary to fight this pest of indoor lemons in the same way as with scale insects.
200g of one-year pine needles are poured with 3 glasses of rainwater and left for 7 days in a dark place, stirring daily. Then the infusion is filtered and before spraying, diluted with 1 part of the infusion to 10 parts of water.
Diseases of indoor lemon
In addition to leaf-eating, sap-sucking and root-damaging pests, indoor lemons have diseases. They can be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses and unfavorable conditions.
Gommosis (gum bleeding) appears on the bark of the stem, mainly in its lower part, near the ground in the form of red-brown spots in the initial stage. Then the bark in these places cracks and dies, and a sticky yellowish-golden liquid—gum—flows out of the cracks. If the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off, then the plant is neglected. The disease manifests itself in the following cases:
Eliminating the causes that caused it will help cure window lemons from gum disease. In addition, the wound must be cleaned of diseased tissue, disinfected with a 3% solution of copper sulfate or potassium permanganate and covered with garden varnish.
Sooty fungus appears first on the leaves, and then on the branches and even on the trunk in the form of a dark coating. It severely inhibits citrus plants. It is washed off the leaves with a damp cloth soaked in a soap-oil solution, and cleaned off the stem with brushes, followed by disinfection with lime. You just need to whitewash the tree. The causes of the appearance may be the same insects and abundant watering during the daytime.
To prevent the appearance of such a disease in home lemons as sooty fungus (and other diseases), the premises are ventilated, watered in the evening or early in the morning, and sprayed once every 2-3 months with a 0.05% solution of potassium permanganate. Water the soil with the same solution once every 2 months. A good way to prevent the appearance of homemade lemon disease is to spray it with a 0.5% solution of Bordeaux mixture.