Why yellowens diffenbachia? The leaves of the diffenbachia turn yellow - how to help the plant?

Dieffenbachia is a fairly common houseplant. Care for him is not complicated. However, the flower growers are interested in why the leaves turn yellow at the diffenbachia, what to do in this case, how can the plant be helped? In this article we will try to answer these questions.

But first you need to find out why the leaves turn yellow at the diffenbachia, what causes contribute to the development of this ailment. They can be different. Conditionally specialists divide them into three categories: pests, diseases, improper care.

Dieffenbachia: leaves turn yellow. What to do?

Dieffenbachia is an easy and quite unpretentious plant in nursing. However, it is familiar to the humid tropical climate, and therefore presents a number of requirements for content. First of all, it is necessary to know the florist, in whose house the dienenbachia grows: the leaves of the plant turn yellow often in case of insufficient illumination, improper irrigation and choice of soil, low temperature.

Illumination

This indoor flower prefers diffuse lighting (2500-2700 lux), does not tolerate direct sunlight. At the same time, it needs additional illumination in the dark season. The light day with its help should be at least 10 hours. The bright sun causes a burn of the leaves, after which brown dry spots appear on the surface of the leaf plate, which surround the large yellowed areas.

To restore the plant an attractive appearance, the affected leaves need to be cut off - they will not be able to recover. Insufficient lighting can adversely affect the overall color of the leaves. In a plant located in the shade, on the northern window or in the back of the room, the leaves may initially turn pale, and then they will gain a slight yellowish tinge. But it's quite easy to cope with this problem: it's enough to rearrange the flower in a more lit place - and diffenbachia again will please you with a bright color.

Watering

Another extremely important factor that many beginner florists neglect. Excessive moisture does not tolerate diffenbachia. Yellow leaves in this case turn yellow due to loss of roots. The yellowness in this situation is the last stage, which is accompanied by the blackening of the stems. A florist's mistake is bogging the ground.

When the land between watering is not allowed to dry out, it breaks the aeration, roots choke and rot. This process accelerates the development of algae on the surface of the soil, the walls of the pot, as well as a sharp awakening of fungal spores. Is it possible that in this case, too, dienenbachia is doomed? Leaves turn yellow in this case, giving you a signal that the plant needs urgent help. At the initial stage it is fairly easy to save. Transplant the flower into another soil, having previously cleared from decayed roots.

The need for such a transplantation is indicated by several external factors:

• The surface of the soil becomes a slime;
• Appears greenish plaque;
• At the subsequent watering (even if the ground is dried up), an unpleasant smell appears.

To avoid the development of rot, a good drainage layer should be formed on the bottom of the pot that will save the plant from an excess of moisture, and the pot must be chosen according to the size of the root system.

Sometimes the flower growers say that, despite the fact that the diffenbachia is not too abundantly watered, the leaves turn yellow. The reason may be in the overdrying of the soil. It is less harmful to the plant, but sometimes it can also cause its death.

And one more mistake that many houseplants admits is watering with hard water. It can cause the development of chlorosis leaves: they will turn pale, and then turn yellow. For prevention, as well as treatment of this disease, you should water the plant only with soft, standing water. From time to time dienenbachia must be fed with iron chelates.

Why does the diffenbachia yellow the lower leaves? Soil selection and top dressing

This plant loves moisture and air permeable weakly acid soils, with a high level of humic acids, phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. If the soil is picked up incorrectly, with a violation of the salt balance, then the roots will not be able to perform their functions, nutrients will become inaccessible to the flower.

This will immediately show you the appearance of diffenbachia - yellow leaves (mostly lower, adults). Moreover, the plant will slow growth, and the new growth will be underdeveloped and weak. When the ground contains an insufficient amount of potassium and phosphorus, or with an excess of nitrogen, the flower leaves will become yellow with the top leaves. Therefore, top dressing should be strictly dosed. For this, balanced complex fertilizers for deciduous ornamental plants are most suitable.

Temperature conditions

Dieffenbachia refers to heat-loving plants. She needs moderate temperatures throughout the year. It can transfer a short-term temperature drop to +10 ... + 12 ° C, however, after the stress has been transferred, the lower leaves will necessarily turn yellow and fall off.

But the temperature drops and drafts categorically do not accept diffenbachia. The leaves turn yellow in this case at first along the edge, and then begin to dry out. This is a very common phenomenon, which is called necrosis, it is well known to many growers.

Pests

Like most houseplants, diffenbachia is subject to invasion by pests. This is, first of all, aphids, scabies, thrips, mealybug, and the biggest problems are caused by a spider mite. All these pests suck juice from shoots and leaves, which leads to depletion of the plant, lagging behind it in the development and deformation of young shoots.

Often yellowed leaves signal the invasion of uninvited guests. This is especially often manifested when a plant suffers from a spider mite. First, groups of small yellow dots appear on the outer side of the leaf plate, which grow quite rapidly, discoloring almost the entire leaf. At the same time, inside (and petiole) it is covered with a thin spider web, along which hardly noticeable brown "points" move. This is the mites.

Infected leaves can not be restored, they should be cut off, and the whole plant - rinse well under warm water (about +40 ° C), protecting the ground beforehand from getting excessive moisture. If this is not enough for a complete cure, the procedure is repeated or treated with a special chemical preparation, for example, "Fitoverm" or "Actellikom".

Diseases

One of the most serious causes of the appearance of yellow spots on the leaves of dienenbachia are viral, fungal and infectious diseases. They are not always easy to determine, nevertheless we will describe the most common ones.

Fungal diseases

Anthracnose - on the edge of the sheet and next to it appear black and brown large spots with a yellowish border. Gradually the leaf withers and dies.

Root rot - dark spots appear on the root neck, on the roots you can see a light gray mycelium. As the disease develops, the leaves turn yellow, drop, and the plant dies. The fungus is transported through the soil and develops in a new place with excessive watering and high humidity.

Leaf spotting - small spots of brown color with an orange border appear on the leaf plates. Gradually they expand and cover the entire surface of the leaf. Infection occurs through the remains of diseased leaves and water. The disease is aggravated by waterlogging.

To preventive measures in the fight against fungal diseases include:

• Use of quality soil;
• Compliance with all requirements for the conditions of plant maintenance.

If the first suspicious signs of disease are found, the plant must be treated with a systemic fungicide, for example, "Fundazol" or "Vitaros".

Bacterial diseases

The most dangerous of them is bacteriosis. It leads to the death of the plant. On the infected flower appear on the leaves and stems of watery areas with well-marked boundaries. Gradually they are browned or painted brown. The disease is transmitted from one diseased plant to another through damage on the stems. Treatment of this disease has not yet been developed.

Viral diseases

Bronze - on the leaves appear yellow rounded or annular stains. Gradually the affected leaves fade, although they remain on the branches.

Viral mosaic - on the leaf plate you can immediately see numerous round spots of dark green color with a light middle. The plant stops in development.

Viruses are transferred from an infected plant to a healthy one, either by direct contact, or by pests: aphids and thrips. Cure the plant is impossible, so it is destroyed.

Aging leaves

Dieffenbachia refers to fast-growing plants, so it is characteristic of the denudation of the stem. Do not worry if the flower has turned yellow and opal one lower leaf, and this unpleasant defect has not spread to the rest of the plant. This shows that there is a natural process of aging and dying out.