Chlorosis of petunia

Petunias are rightfully considered the queen of flower beds. These are the most popular flowers, both for landscaping the urban environment, and for their own plots, and even balconies. There are a lot of varieties of petunias in color, shape and structure of the flower. But they all have one thing in common - they amazingly decorate any place. And when petunia starts to hurt with something, it loses its entire appearance. One of the diseases of this flower is petunia chlorosis. In this article, we will talk about this disease and how to treat it.

Petunia chlorosis: types

Chlorosis is a disease in which the formation of chlorophyll stops, as a result of which photosynthesis slows down. The first signs are yellowing of the leaves. They lose their rich green color, then dry up and disappear. Weakened flowers that lack iron are susceptible to infection. Therefore, it is important to feed the plant in a timely manner.

Chlorosis has three types:

• Infectious, or otherwise viral. Infection occurs with the help of viruses, carried by pests.
• Carbonate, occurs against the background of an increase in alkalinity in the soil.
• Non-infectious, occurs against the background of a lack of minerals, unfavorable weather conditions.

Petunias are mostly non-infectious. That is, with improper care, in adverse weather conditions, with a shortage of certain fertilizers.

Chlorosis of petunia leaves, signs

• the leaves began to turn yellow. In this case, the veins may remain green;
• reduction of leaves;
• curling of leaves;
• falling leaves;
• dying off of roots;
• the shape of the flowers changes;
• drying tops.

Petunia chlorosis: treatment

In the initial stages of infection, if yellowed leaves are found, you can water the plant with water with the addition of citric acid. If you notice that there are improvements, you need to continue to water with acidic water until complete recovery.

If this does not help, then it is advisable to treat the plant with a special solution: ½ tsp. iron sulfate, ½ tsp. citric acid per liter of water.

We process petunia with this solution every time we water. Moreover, the solution should not be allowed to get directly on the leaves. Because they can dry out under its influence. It is necessary to pour only at the root.

Since the disease develops from a lack of iron, you can use the drug "Ferovit", which increases the level of iron in the soil. Treatment with this drug is recommended to be carried out on a cloudy day, after soaking it in rain or settled water according to the instructions. This should be done in order to avoid direct sunlight on the leaves. Otherwise they will dry out. For prophylaxis, you can treat it with Ferovit in early spring, before flowering.

As we have already said, the main causes of the disease are a lack of iron and other trace elements. But there are other reasons as well:

• pests, such as aphids, can become a carrier of the disease;
• excessive moisture, which can provoke the appearance of mold and mildew;
• unfavorable climatic conditions;
• an increase in the level of alkali and acidity in the soil;
• weakened root system.

In rare cases, the disease can be brought in by improper pruning of the stems. And also the infection can go after the use of non-disinfected garden tools. It is worth noting that some varieties of petunias are especially prone to chlorosis, such as Hit Parade, Pearl Pirouette, Pikoti.

There are also varieties that, on the contrary, are resistant to infection. Such as "Fantasy", "Mirage", "Avalanche". But this is not a guarantee that they will never get sick. In any case, flowers need proper care.

Prophylaxis

Timely preventive measures will save your flowers from infection. And you will save time and money. Chlorosis is no exception. The main preventive measures include:

• regular watering with rain or settled water;
• disinfection of garden tools after pruning, transplanting;
• top dressing with mineral fertilizers, such as "Sevensvetik", Aquarine flower ";
• destruction of pests;
• soil drainage.