Almost anyone can recognize this tree at first glance with its attractive golden fruits and aroma familiar from childhood. And why not try growing it at home. To make the experiments more productive, we recommend arming yourself with knowledge of how to properly care for lemons.
Varieties suitable for self-cultivation
There are several varieties that grow and bear fruit well in apartments. The Pavlovsky variety can be called one of the best indoor lemons. This tree with leathery leaves and spines can reach a height of 1.5 to 2 meters. Fragrant flowers mainly appear in spring and autumn period. The first fruits appear at the age of three.
The fruits have a thin skin and a nipple at the top and are colored light yellow. Ripe lemons weigh between 200 and 300 grams.
"Meyer". Trees with a small number of thorns and a rounded crown reach a height of 1 to 1.5 meters. It blooms powerfully throughout the year.
The fruits, colored bright yellow, weigh from 50 to 80 grams. "Meyer" stands out among other varieties excellent harvest(up to 50 lemons per year).
"Novogruzinsky". Trees grow up to 1.5-2 meters. The fruits, weighing 120-150 grams, have an elongated oval shape with a wide blunt nose.
Its undeniable advantage is its good adaptability to growing indoors. The disadvantages include low yield (no more than 10 fruits per year).
"Kursky". The trees reach almost 2 meters. The fruits weigh up to 300 grams. This variety must be pruned every year and the crown must be formed, as well as regularly fed.
"Ponderosa" The trees, which have a spreading crown and are covered with thick thorns, bear fruit weighing about 500 grams. The advantages include early fruiting (in the 2nd year), good tolerance high temperatures and dry air, and the disadvantages are low yield (up to 5 fruits).
About containers for planting, soils and drainage
For lemons, the best pots are made of red clay, not covered with glaze. They allow the roots to breathe because they allow air to pass through and remove excess moisture.
Soil for lemon trees can be picked up in special stores or centers, but it is also easy to make it yourself. To do this, you will need leaf humus, sand (river), high-moor peat, turf soil, and take one part of sand, and two parts of turf soil and peat.
Important! For young plants, the soil should be lighter and looser (add an additional two parts of peat), and for adult plants it should be denser (due to turf soil).
Any container for growing lemons must have drainage at the bottom. The size of the layer is from 2 to 5 cm. It is best if it is small expanded clay.
Temperature
Temperature has a great influence on the growth and development of this crop. During the period of buds and flowering, 14-18 degrees is considered optimal. Fruits grow best at 14-24 degrees, and the greatest growth occurs at 21-22 degrees. In autumn and winter time It is better to keep plants in a bright place at 4-15 degrees.
Important! Large temperature changes between day and night can cause leaves to dry out and fall off. Also, leaves fall at temperatures above 35 and below 5 degrees.
Lighting
For good lemon development, the daylight hours should be about 12 hours. Therefore, in winter, plants need to be illuminated fluorescent lamps or special phytolamps. If it is not possible to organize additional lighting, then it is advisable to lower the temperature to 12-14 degrees.
Important! This plant really doesn’t like being moved from place to place. To ensure that the branches grow evenly in all directions, the pots are periodically turned.
Growing technology
Lemon care at home consists of watering, fertilizing, replanting, pruning and crown formation.
Watering and air humidity
Well developed lemon tree constantly needs regular watering. However, if the soil is always damp, the roots suffocate from lack of oxygen, the substrate turns sour, and brownish spots appear on the leaves and they begin to fall off.
Watering the plant should be done carefully and preferably with soft water (temperature 22-24 degrees). Excess water from the pan is removed after half an hour.
Important! IN summer period The lemon is watered only when one third of the earthen clod has dried out. And in cold weather, watering begins when two-thirds of the soil in the pot becomes dry.
The best air humidity for this plant is considered to be 60-70%, but in apartments it usually ranges from 25 to 35%. Therefore, to increase humidity, the crown must be sprayed warm water.
Transfer
It is best to transship this crop in the second and third ten days of February until the shoots begin to grow, avoiding damage to the roots.
Young lemons need to be transplanted annually, and adult lemons – after 3-4 years. In this case, the container is taken 3-5 cm larger, and the tub – 8-12 cm. After transshipment, the plant is watered and placed for 2-2.5 weeks in a warm and shaded place.
Plants need to be replanted when the roots completely entwine the soil in the pot and are visible from the drainage holes. During transplantation, the top part of the soil is removed, the blackened roots are removed, and the ends of the rest are trimmed. This procedure gives impetus to the formation and growth of roots.
Feeding
The lemon tree is demanding in terms of nutrition, especially at the beginning of growth and during fruit formation. Both organic and mineral fertilizers are used for fertilizing. They are added every 15 days.
From mineral fertilizers use saltpeter (5 g per l), potassium salt (2 g per l) and superphosphate (5 g per l). Sometimes it is good to add magnesium sulfate (1 g per l). And from organic matter - infusions from cow or bird manure, which should be infused for at least 2-3 weeks.
Important: The temperature of the fertilizer solution should be 3-5 degrees higher than room temperature.
Before growth begins, trees are generously treated with a solution of iron sulfate (2 g per liter).
Reproduction methods
Lemon can be propagated by air layering, seeds, cuttings and grafting (budding).
Growing from a seed
It’s not that difficult to get lemon from a seed at home. It is advisable to plant the seeds immediately after they have been removed from the fruit. They are placed in small containers with light, breathable soil at a depth of 1 to 2 cm. In a moistened substrate, they begin to sprout after 2-3 weeks, but the first fruits from such lemons can only be obtained after 8 or more years.
To speed up the appearance of the harvest, you need to graft a one-year-old seedling (with a trunk diameter of at least 1.5 cm) with a cutting or bud taken from a fruiting lemon. The grafted plant begins to bloom within 2 or 3 years.
Graft
Much has been written about how to graft a lemon. But it is worth repeating the main points of this technology. For grafting, a cut is made in the shape of the letter T on the bark of the seedling (rootstock) and a bud (eye), which was taken from a fruit-bearing specimen, is inserted into it. The place where the grafting occurred is tightly bandaged with tape from bottom to top. The best time March and July are the months for this.
We take cuttings
You can easily and quickly get a fruit-bearing tree using cuttings. It is best to do this from April to May. Cuttings are cut from young branches healthy tree 8 to 15 cm long with 3-5 leaves.
Cuttings cut at right angles take root most quickly. To prevent the bottom cut from rotting, it is sprinkled with crushed coal.
Rooting of cuttings occurs in damp sand at a temperature of 20 to 27 degrees in a place inaccessible to the sun. Heating the soil to 27 degrees can accelerate the appearance and growth of roots.
The chopped shoots are buried 1.5-2 cm, sprinkled with water and covered with a plastic bag or jar. In 1.5-2 months, the cuttings take root completely.
Important! Before you start rooting the cuttings, it is advisable to soak them in a heteroauxin solution. This will speed up the formation and growth of roots.
Ready seedlings are transplanted into soil consisting leaf soil, sand and turf (2/1/0.5).
About diseases and pests
Among the diseases of homemade lemon, the first place is occupied by root rot, which occurs when the soil is very waterlogged. Because of this disease, the roots become brown, quickly rot and die.
But gray mold, which manifests itself in the form of brown-black spots on the leaves, or fusarium, in which leaves fall off and shoots die, are quite rare. Affected parts of plants must be pruned.
When rust appears, plants are treated with topaz.
Whitefly, spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs, thrips, aphids, leafminers - all these pests can annoy your green pet. If yellow spots in the form of dots appear on the leaves of the lemon, then most likely a spider mite has settled on them.
If there are a small number of pests, they are removed by hand, the leaves are wiped, and severely damaged shoots are cut off. In this case, lemons are treated with herbal preparations.
If there are a lot of insect pests on the trees, then they need to be sprayed with neoron, fitoverm, actellik and spark. It is worth remembering that one treatment is not enough, and they are repeated 2 or 3 times with a break of a week.
The lemon tree is equally often grown both in apartment conditions and winter gardens. It is relatively easy to grow, but the most common pests and diseases frequently attack citrus fruits. Don’t panic if suddenly the lemon leaves turn yellow in spots, there are only a few reasons and you can recognize each one after reading the information below.
Why are there yellow spots on lemon leaves?
In fact there are two possible options developments: either you have “uninvited guests”, or the plant has contracted a bacterial or fungal disease. Next we will touch on each of them:
We have already learned to recognize the nature of yellow spots and the most likely reason for their appearance on lemon leaves, then we will move on to 
the question is what to do about it. In the fight against scale insects, your comrades will be soap or detergent for dishes, as well as fungicides. First, we literally wash each leaf of crusts, then we treat everything with the preparation.
This trick will not work with mites, since they are not sensitive to even broad-spectrum fungicides. Here it is better to use mineral oil or sulfur spray. But the fungicide will cope with the fungus, you just need to find a copper-based product.
When the cause of the stains lies in the soil, it should be replaced. Be sure to trim all affected parts of the horse system, then replant them in new clean soil and fertilize them heavily in order to restore the lack of nutrition.
Diseases are divided into three types:
- Caused by various viruses.
- Fungal.
- Due to unfavorable conditions.
Depending on the type of disease, methods for eliminating lemon disease vary.
Why does it shed its leaves? What to do?
Let's try to figure out why the lemon tree sheds its leaves and what to do in this case.
Lemons come from places where, even in winter, they have the opportunity to receive a sufficient amount sunlight. On lack of lighting indoor lemon responds by shedding green leaves. The plant becomes depleted and is unable to provide nutrition to all the foliage, and gets rid of the excess.
IMPORTANT! What to do if it has dropped all its leaves and is drying up? Place the pot near a sunny window on the south side and be sure to provide it with additional lighting in winter.
About the rules for caring for indoor lemons winter period we told in .
Blackening of leaf tips
Why do leaves fall at home? What to do?
Leaf fall is the most common disease of lemon leaves. To avoid this Do not overdry or waterlog the soil in a pot. You only need to water with water room temperature, standing for at least a day, lemon cannot tolerate hard water.
REFERENCE! In summer, when active growing season, the plant needs feeding.
There are three main types of fertilizers that are required:
- Nitrogen.
- Phosphate.
- Potassium.
The lack of at least one of them invariably leads to diseases and deformations of leaves and fruits.
IMPORTANT! If a lemon tree's leaves fall, this is the plant's fastest reaction to unfavorable conditions.
Why does wood dry out at home? What to do?
Most often, the cause of drying is the roots, or rather, their diseases. Incorrectly selected soil, excess moisture can create favorable environment for the development of a fungus that attacks the roots.
If the plant has been replanted, then new pot should be no more than 5 cm in diameter compared to the previous one. Otherwise, the soil will become acidic. And this again leads to rotting of the roots. You will find rules and recommendations for replanting a lemon tree at home, and from there you will learn how to properly prepare the soil.
Leaves can also dry out in the presence of pests on the trunk and roots.
Too much moving the potty frequently moving the plant to new places can have a detrimental effect on its growth and vitality. Lemon simply begins to experience constant stress.
Withered: how to revive?
If the cause of drying is a lack of watering and drying out of the soil, then the plant needs to be immediately water and cover with a plastic bag, providing it with greenhouse conditions.
You can also help lemon with a special product for caring for citrus fruits. Its application will give the plant an additional boost and strength.
Root rot is caused by fungi, which can be destroyed with fungicides. After this, cut off the damaged parts of the root and sprinkle with crushed coal.
Impact of temperature
Lemon has the best high requirements for temperature, lighting and humidity. The leaves and trunk feel comfortable at 17 °C, and for normal fruit ripening, at least 22–23 °C is required.
Extremely negative plant reacts to sudden temperature changes. A sharp drop in temperature along with dry air leads to inevitable stress. First, the flowers and some ovaries begin to fall off, and then the leaves. This is especially true in the autumn-winter period (you will find rules for caring for indoor lemons in the fall, and in we talked about how to care for a tree in winter).
The air temperature should be identical to the temperature of the soil in the pot. Such differences can occur if a lemon standing outside and accustomed to a slight cold snap is suddenly brought into a heated room. The result may be shedding of leaves.
Drafts and simultaneous flows of warm and cold air also have a negative effect. With such unfavorable conditions the lemon leaves begin to curl and curl and then fall off.
Pests of citrus fruits at home
- Shield.
- Spider mite.
- Mealy nigella.
- Nematode.
- Garden slug.
Scale insect: how to get rid of it?
Scale insects are the most common tree pest. The first sign of its presence is a sticky coating on the leaves of the lemon. Convexities of about 4 mm appear on leaves and branches, almost invisible to the eye. Covered with a dense waxy shell, they become invulnerable to chemicals.
You can deal with sticky leaves insecticides. During watering, the poison from the leaves is washed into the soil, absorbed by the roots and the plant becomes poisonous.
ATTENTION! The scale insect that feeds on lemon juice dies. But despite all the effectiveness this method the fruits become unsuitable for food.
You can fight scale insects folk ways. They are very effective, but more troublesome.
Washing leaves soap solution several times a day until the pest disappears completely. Mix green soap (5g) with anabasine sulfate (2g) and dissolve in warm water. Washing is done once a week, followed by rinsing the solution with water every other day.
Spraying with a solution of soap and kerosene. To do this, 5g of soap and 10g of kerosene are dissolved in a liter warm water and spray the plant twice a week. You can clearly see this method in action in the video below:
Tick: treatment
It can be found on the stem and underside of the leaves, the juice from which it feeds. During this process, the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry out for no apparent reason.
It is not easy to notice the pest, given its size of 1–2 mm. But the web on the underside of the leaf is clearly visible, as are the yellow dots at the places where it is attached.
PLEASE NOTE! This gives a good effect when fighting it laundry soap solution. They treat stems and leaf surfaces.
Another tree sprayed with sulfur, insecticides, wipe the leaves with alcohol. But the most effective and harmless way is ultraviolet light. Two minute warming up under ultraviolet lamp has a detrimental effect on ticks. In addition, this method helps to heal and strengthen the plant.
In this article, we found out such questions as: why does a lemon lose its leaves and what to do about it, what to do if the lemon tree has dried up.
Useful video
Personal experience in dealing with various lemon pests:
Lemon is a rather finicky plant that can be affected by various diseases and pests. When growing citrus fruits at home, the likelihood of infection is low, but there are dangerous and incurable lemon diseases that you need to be aware of. There are several factors that can lead to the disease:
Why do leaf diseases occur?
lemon leaves
The most common diseases affecting the leaves, but they can be associated not only with an infection, virus or fungus, but also with a deficiency or excess of a certain element.
- A lack of nitrogen is manifested by light yellow mottling on the leaves, over time they turn yellow and become dull.
- A lack of phosphorus is indicated by dull adult leaves; soon their tips become dry and the leaves acquire a rusty-brown color.
- Potassium deficiency is manifested by indentations and folds between the veins of maturing leaves.
- Due to a lack of iron, zinc or manganese, a contrasting network of green veins can be observed on light-colored leaves. Another reason is an imbalance of acid and alkali in the soil.
- If there is not enough manganese or boron, the ovaries of the plant disappear.
- Over-fertilization of lemons also causes leaf edges to die.
Leaf diseases can also be associated with improper care:
- excess moisture in the soil;
- use too cold water for watering;
- high air temperature and poor lighting in winter;
- imbalance of alkali and acid in the soil.
Infectious and fungal diseases of lemon
Lemons and other citrus fruits grown on plantations are most often affected. Often even professionals cannot determine the cause, but room conditions A plant with real danger is extremely rare, but every gardener should know about precautions and treatment methods. Among the variety of lemon diseases, it is worth highlighting pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and mycoplasmas. The result is growth, wilt, rot, pitting and spotting. The main carrier of these pathogens is insects, but lemon can also be infected by spraying, airing, and even watering. The signs of fungal diseases and diseases associated with bacteria are quite similar, but when affected by fungi, spores can be found in the form of a gray coating, black spots or brown pustules. Let's look at the most common diseases indoor lemon.
Anthracnose
Anthracnose is the most common and its causative agent is a pathogenic fungus. Signs of the disease are expressed by falling and yellowing of leaves, falling of buds, the appearance of reddish spots on fruits and dying of branches. To stop the disease, it is necessary to get rid of dead shoots by spraying with Fitosporin. This drug is used for the prevention and treatment of many diseases, it is odorless and non-toxic, suitable for use in residential areas. You can also add the product to water for irrigation according to the instructions on the label. A 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture for spraying is also effective. The plant needs to be treated two to three times.
Scab
Scab or so-called warts are also a common problem caused by a fungus. Small transparent yellowish spots appear on young leaves, later they turn into gray-pink warts. Over time, they grow and mutate into a growth, after which the shoots die. The disease also affects fruits, on which orange spots appear, increase in size and acquire a red-brown color. As a result, the ovaries invariably fall off. Be sure to cut and burn the affected areas of the lemon, and spray the crown with 1% Bordeaux mixture.
Gomoz
Homosis in homemade lemons is manifested by gum discharge - these are brown red longitudinal spots on the trunk and branches. In these places, the bark soon dies and a sticky substance appears from the cracks. golden color, freezes in air. Among the most common causes of the disease are high humidity air, mechanical damage, lack of potassium and phosphorus, excess nitrogen, undisinfected soil or planting seedlings too deep. Treatment requires determining the cause of the disease, even sharp knife affected areas on the trunk are removed. Solution copper sulfate 3% is used to disinfect wounds, which at the final stage are covered with garden varnish. This procedure must be repeated several times until the plant is completely cured. Branches affected by homoz are cut off and burned. As a preventative measure, it is necessary to water the plant with warm water, and when planting, do not deepen the root collar into the ground, otherwise the risk of trunk rotting increases.
Melseko
Melseco is an infectious disease manifested by drying out of shoots. More often, this problem occurs in plants grown on plantations; this occurs in the spring. During the period from autumn to spring, the disease can also appear in homemade lemons. The leaves of the plant gradually fall off, starting from the ends of the branches. When cut, the wood will have a reddish color; the petioles will remain on the branches when the leaves fall. According to this scheme, leaves also fall off when there is insufficient lighting in winter, so you should not immediately panic. There is no definitive way to eliminate this disease.
Sooty fungus
Sooty fungus is often the result of mealybug or scale infestation of lemons. Inspect the plant in a timely manner for the presence of pests and take the measures indicated a little lower in the section on pests.
Root rot
Root rot does not appear visually until the plant begins to intensively shed leaves. The first thing you need to do is dig up the lemon and inspect it. root system. If there are affected areas, they must be cut off with a sharp knife and the plant replanted in new soil. Place the lemon in a well-lit place and do not water for several days, just wipe the leaves damp cloth. Sometimes brown spots with root rot, they appear on the trunk, a dirty substance seeps through them, after which the bark dies.
Viral diseases of lemon
Viral diseases of lemon include tristeza, leaf mosaic and citrus canker. The latter is characterized by brown spots on the fruits and leaves. If the disease is not detected in time, the leaves begin to fall and the fruits become deformed. Over time, the plant dies and there is no treatment. Prevention involves treating the plant with liquid copper fungicide every spring. Leaf mosaic appears in the form of light or dark streaks or stripes on the foliage; over time, the leaves become deformed and the tree begins to grow very slowly. There is no cure, but the severity of symptoms can be reduced by regular feeding and strict adherence to citrus care requirements. With tristesis, the foliage dries out and falls off, soon the bark, branches or even the whole tree dies; there is no treatment.
Treatment of diseases caused by fungus or infection will be successful if the problem is detected in a timely manner. Viral diseases cannot be treated, but in some cases it is possible to delay the death of a plant and mask the signs of pathology. Weak plants whose maintenance conditions do not meet the requirements are most often susceptible to infection. It is necessary to promptly cut out the affected areas of the lemon and control pests. Sections can be treated with activated carbon. As soon as the tree becomes sick, remove all fruits, buds and flowers so that they do not take all the strength from the plant.
Lemon pests
Insects are the main carrier of infections and fungal spores, so it is necessary to carry out prevention, and if they do infect the lemon, promptly eliminate them mechanically and begin treatment. Citrus fruits have both personal pests and those that attack other plants. The first ones end up in an apartment with poor-quality soil or grafting material. Most often the plant is attacked by aphids, and then we will talk about them and other dangerous pests.
Common aphid
Aphid control can have different scales depending on the number of pests on the plant. If there are few of them, it is enough to cut off the affected leaves and branches and crush the insects, then fertilize the lemon with unscheduled complex fertilizers. If the damage is large, use insecticides (diasmnon). Spraying with garlic infusion is also effective. Clean 8 heads, crush them and soak them in a bucket of water for a day. Before processing, decant the product.
Root aphid
Shchitovka
This pest settles on the plant in the form of a larva, which becomes immobile when it reaches adulthood. The insect can be found on the lower part of the leaf vein; over time, the scale insect becomes covered with a waxy coating. If the damage is excessive, insects switch to outside leaves, the tree dries out, becomes weak and susceptible to infection by other viral or bacterial diseases. Garlic water and insecticides are also effective against scale insects; soapy water can be used. You can prepare the latter according to the following recipe - dilute 2 tablespoons in a liter of water liquid soap and treat the affected areas of the plant with the mixture. After an hour, rinse the lemon in the shower and repeat the procedure after 2 days.
Spider mite
This pest loves to attack foliage and young shoots; it can be detected by curled leaves around which a characteristic cobweb hangs. The key prerequisite for the emergence spider mite– very dry room. To combat it, you need to spray the diseased plant with a solution boric acid 1%. Even a single procedure is enough, but ideally it is necessary to repeat the spraying 4 times.
Prevention
By protecting your plant from ticks and insects, you are preventing infectious, viral and fungal diseases, since many pathogens penetrate the lemon tissue with the saliva of scale insects or aphids. Prevention involves the following measures.
Wash tree branches and leaves at least once a month. Insulate the soil with film and place the plant under the shower. Treat the crown with soap foam at the same frequency.
Carefully inspect the purchased plants and do not place them next to indoor plants for 2 weeks.
Inspect the tree regularly during watering for affected areas.
Lemon trees, like others indoor plants, can be affected by viral and infectious diseases and pests.
Although this does not happen often, it is better to find out what lemon diseases exist, how they affect the external condition of the plant, and what are the methods for treating them. Let's find out what viruses and infectious diseases affect indoor lemongrass, what pests it may be attacked by, and what to do in such cases.
Why does a lemon get sick?
Lemon is easily susceptible to diseases and attacks by pests and viruses in the following cases:
- If he did not have time to get stronger after recovering from other illnesses.
- If it is provided with poor care: contaminated soil, poor lighting, illiterate pruning, insufficient soil fertilization, improper watering, etc.
- If a virus or pathogenic bacteria was brought by insects or a diseased cutting during grafting.
Viruses and bacteria can enter the plant when ventilating the room, but this happens quite rarely.
Most often, viruses, bacteria and pests infect the leaves of indoor lemons. However, if a lemon drops fruits and leaves, the reason for this may be a lack of microelements:
- If the light-colored leaves have a pronounced network of green veins, the lemon needs manganese, zinc or iron. Another reason is disturbances in soil pH.
- If an adult leaf loses its gloss, dries out at the ends and turns reddish-brown, the plant does not have enough phosphorus.
- If pale yellow specks appear on the leaf, and it turns yellow and dull over time, this indicates a lack of nitrogen.
- If grooves appear between the veins of the leaves, the lemon needs potassium supplementation.
- If a plant drops its ovaries, it urgently needs manganese.
Too frequent feeding is also not beneficial for the plant. If leaves fall on a lemon, what should you do in this case? Hold off on feeding and evaluate the correctness of care: suddenly you are doing something wrong.
Viral diseases of indoor lemon
Let's learn about three viral diseases that cause lemons to shed leaves: why they often lead to the death of the plant, and whether they can be cured:
Sheet mosaic
Having become ill with it, the leaves become covered with dark or light strokes in the form of a mosaic and lose their shape. The growth of the tree noticeably slows down.
This disease cannot be cured by any means, but symptoms can be reduced by regularly fertilizing the soil and providing the plant with proper care. If you have other lemons, it is better to destroy the plant affected by the virus as soon as possible.
Citrus cancer
When infected with this virus, brown spots appear on the foliage and fruits. When the form is neglected, the leaf falls off, the lemons take on an ugly shape, and a little later the tree dies.
It is impossible to cure citrus cancer: to prevent it in the spring, we treat the plant with liquid copper fungicide.
Tristeza
Having picked up tristeza, the lemon loses its foliage, the bark or twigs die off. The plant dies - it cannot be cured.
Most often, viruses infect weakened lemons that are poorly cared for.
Fungal and infectious diseases of indoor lemon
Let's consider the main diseases of lemons, which are fungal and infectious in nature, their symptoms and methods of treatment.
Most often, indoor lemons are affected by the following fungi and infections:
Gomoz
With homosis, the branches and trunk of the plant become covered with elongated spots of a red-brown hue, under which the bark quickly becomes dead and cracks. The cracks ooze a sticky golden substance that hardens quickly.
Causes of homosis: excessive humidity in the room, cuts or breaks in the bark, deficiency of phosphorus and potassium, excess nitrogen fertilizers, diseased soil or deep deepening of the trunk.
How to treat homosis? We cut off all the spots from the bark of the trunk, treat the sections with a three percent solution and use putty from garden pitch. We repeat the treatment until spots on the trunk bark stop forming. If the branches are covered with spots, cut them off entirely and destroy them.
Anthracnose
This is a fungal disease in which leaves fall off the lemon, and many people do not know what to do about it. First the leaf turns yellow, then flies off, as do the buds. The branches of the plant gradually die off, and red spots appear on the lemon leaves.
To get rid of the fungus, we destroy the dead branches and spray the lemon with Fitosporin or a one percent solution of Bordeaux mixture. We spray three times.
Scab
Another fungal disease of indoor lemons is scab, in which young leaves become covered with transparent yellowish spots, gradually turning into pink-gray growths. Spreading over the leaf, these growths destroy it along with the shoots. Fruits with scab become covered with orange spots, which over time become red-brown. At the same time, the lemon drops its fruit.
In order not to destroy the entire plant, we cut and destroy all affected parts of the plant, and spray the crown with one percent Bordeaux mixture.
Melseko
With melseco, the lemon shoots dry out, the foliage falls off, starting from the tips of the branches, and the cut of the branch turns red.
Poor lighting is to blame for this lemon disease: in winter the plant did not have enough light, and it was not illuminated.
There is no treatment for Melseco: we monitor the plant, and if it continues to hurt, we destroy it.
Root rot
If a lemon suddenly drops a leaf, dig it up and inspect the roots. Having discovered rotten roots, cut them off and replant the lemon in new, disinfected soil.
We place the transplanted plant on a light windowsill and avoid watering for a week - just wipe the leaves with damp gauze or a sponge.
In addition to infectious and viral diseases indoor lemons are affected by harmful insects. Let's find out which pests attack lemons grown at home and how to deal with them.
Shchitovka
Scale insect larvae settle on the underside of the leaves and subsequently move to the outside. The plant withers, dries out, and quickly picks up viruses and infections.
To get rid of scale insects, we use a special insecticide or soap solution, for which we dilute 2 tbsp in water (1 liter). any liquid soap. We wet all areas affected by insects with soapy water. We wait one hour, rinse the plant in the shower and repeat the treatment a couple of days later.
Common aphid
Colonies of light green aphids usually settle on young shoots that are not overgrown with bark. First they attack the bottom of the leaf, then move to the top, simultaneously sucking out the juices. The foliage curls up and dies.
If there are only a few aphids, we cut off the affected shoots and destroy them along with the insects, after which we feed the plant with complex fertilizer. If aphids have covered most of the indoor lemon, spray the tree with an insecticide or garlic infusion, for which we peel 4 heads of garlic and soak them in 5 liters for 24 hours. Then we filter.
Spider mite
These insects often attack young twigs and leaves. The foliage curls up and a cobweb appears around it. Lack of air humidity is to blame for the appearance of spider mites.
To get rid of insects, spray the tree with a one percent solution of boric acid, performing the procedure four times.
Root aphid
Unlike ordinary aphids, root aphids found in contaminated soil attack the roots.
To exterminate it, we transplant the lemon into disinfected soil, treating the roots with a contact insecticide or a weak garlic tincture.
In many sources you can find advice on treating lemon with an alcohol solution - this is strictly prohibited. Lemon does not tolerate alcohol.
As you can see, lemon diseases are numerous and sometimes very serious: some lead to the death of the plant. To protect it from harm, plant the plant only in disinfected soil, give it a regular shower and wipe the foliage and branches with wet gauze, treat the crown with soapy water once a month, and inspect the tree more often for diseases or insects.