Causes of yellowing of lemon foliage
Growing citrus fruits at home has many nuances. So, lemons are poorly adapted to temperate climates and require careful maintenance even in the house. When the leaves of a lemon turn yellow, the culture shows dissatisfaction and requires the help of the owner.
Causes of yellowing of lemon foliage
Causes of yellowing of lemon foliage
Sometimes small yellow spots appear on the green leaf plates, which grow quickly. Later, the damaged leaves dry and fall off. If such signs are observed only in some leaves, this is a normal phenomenon associated with the seasonal renewal of the green mass of the citrus. If most of the green mass suffers, the plant needs to be reanimated.
Leaves turn yellow and fall off the lemon for various reasons. Often this is a consequence of a tree infection with diseases or a pest attack. The most common cause of such processes is errors in the care of the crop:
- poor organization of watering;
- violation of the temperature regime;
- lack of light;
- dry air in the room;
- drafts.
Among the main reasons, there is also a lack of nutrients contained in the soil. Improper feeding leads to a violation of crop growth, a decrease in immunity and the slow death of the lemon tree.
What to do with a houseplant
The treatment of the grown citrus depends on the correctness of identifying the causes that precede the change in the color and structure of the leaf plates. The most common are plant maintenance errors. It is important to reconsider the features of watering, fertilization, lighting and temperature conditions.
It is more difficult with diseases and pests. There are many diseases in which citrus sheds foliage, and each of them has its own characteristics of treatment.
Treatment for diseases and pests
According to the description, the most common yellowing of foliage is a consequence of citrus infestation with gommosis and Molsecco's disease. At the first, it is difficult to take any measures due to the lack of a culture treatment regimen. You will have to get rid of citrus. It's easier with gommosis. The affected parts of the plant should be removed and the lemon should be treated with copper sulfate.
Among pests, aphids and spider mites are dangerous. The fight against them is limited to the treatment with insecticides "Tanrek" and "Fitoverm".
Treatment for plant maintenance errors
Care errors can cause the plant to dry out.
When the leaves of an indoor lemon turn yellow and there are no signs of infection with diseases, the reason for the yellowing of the foliage is mistakes in keeping the plant at home. If small spots appear on the leaves, the reason is poor lighting. Provide diffused light for indoor culture. The best place is a south or west window. It is shaded with a cloth or the window is pasted over with reflective foil.
If only the ends of the leaves turn yellow and dry, a possible reason is poor temperature conditions. Foliage can curl and fall off.
It will be possible to revive the plant by normalizing care at home. It is important to maintain a favorable air temperature of 19-22 ° C and avoid exposure to drafts: take the plant to another room while airing the room.
If all the lemon leaves turn yellow, the person makes mistakes in watering. It is important to organize favorable conditions, the creation of which is part of preventive measures:
- Make a good drainage layer of expanded clay (at least 1/3 of the pot).
- Clean the drainage holes in the container from soil and culture roots.
- Water only with settled water at room temperature.
- Avoid overdrying the soil in the pot.
- Do not overfill the crop to avoid root rot.
A sign of a lack of moisture is the gradual yellowing and drying of the foliage. It dries along the edges, and then dry spots spread throughout the leaf plate. To avoid the death of the culture, you will have to maintain a favorable level of humidity in the room (at least 60%). Daily spraying is important, as well as placing a container of water next to the pot. If a heating radiator is installed next to the lemon tree, cover it with foil or cloth so that the air does not dry out.
Resuscitation of rotten roots
Root decay is often a consequence of yellowing and leaf fall caused by poor watering.
Waterlogging of a lemon tree will inevitably lead to its death, so it is important to reanimate the lemon in a timely manner.
It is important to examine the roots of the lemon tree and remove any damaged parts. The culture is revived like this:
- Gently remove the lemon tree from the pot and shake the roots off the ground.
- Examine the root system for rot. All affected parts are removed with scissors or a blade, the sections are treated with charcoal.
- The roots are dried for 15-20 minutes, the tree is planted in a new container.
After transplantation, the culture is watered. With the correct organization of the lemon content, the tree will recover in 2-3 weeks.
Foliage turned yellow after transplanting
Transplanting is part of the necessary process to maintain the growth and development of the indoor tree. But the very change of soil for a plant is stress. Citrus fruits react negatively to any dietary change and often show this by the state of their foliage.
If the tips of the leaf plates are covered with yellow spots that spread between the veins, the tree does not have enough nutrients contained in the new soil. The tree needs to be fed with specialized mineral formulations for citrus fruits. If there are none, any mineral fertilizer containing iron, phosphorus and potassium will do.
Preventive measures
It will be possible to avoid yellowing and falling foliage with properly organized home care. The owner of the citrus will need to control the level of temperature and humidity of the air, water and fertilize the crop in a timely manner and correctly, and carry out preventive spraying against diseases and pests.
To prevent yellow spots from appearing on the foliage, a warm tropical shower is arranged for the lemon. The plant is washed with a diffused stream for several minutes and set to its original place of detention.
Other preventive measures to help avoid yellowing of foliage:
- Supplement citrus with phytolamps in winter.
- Protect the tree from the harmful effects of heating devices.
- Open windows for several hours in winter.
Conclusion
When a lemon suffers from yellowing of the foliage and sheds it, it is important to identify the reasons for this. Such consequences are caused by diseases and pests, as well as errors in the care of citrus. In case of errors in the maintenance, it is required to normalize the care of the tree.The fight against diseases and pests requires the use of special preparations: insecticides and copper-containing formulations.