Pests and diseases of lemon: treatment and prevention at home

Indoor lemon requires constant care and attention. It needs regular watering, fertilizing, shaping, ensuring optimal temperature and lighting. Violation of the rules of care often leads to infection of the tree with infections or insects.

Diseases and pests are the main reason for the death of indoor lemons. They stop the development of the tree and cause leaves and shoots to fall off. This leads to disruption of photosynthesis and, without treatment, to the death of the plant. Read on to learn how to promptly recognize the problem and deal with it.

Homemade lemon pests and their control

Pests rarely attack lemon Houses. The likelihood of encountering such a problem is much higher in plants that are in open ground or in a greenhouse. Despite this, sometimes indoor trees are attacked by insects and their larvae, mites and worms.

This happens for the following reasons:

• contaminated soil and planting material;
• proximity to other infected indoor plants;
• violation of care rules;
• placing lemons on the street or balcony in the summer.

Pests are literally parasitic on a lemon bush. They feed on the sap, leaves, shoots and fruits of the plant. In addition, they are often the ones who infect the tree with viral and fungal diseases.

Thrips

Thrips are small pests that feed on lemon juice. Both adult black individuals and translucent larvae are dangerous to plants.

Symptoms of thrips infestation:

• gray and silver smudges appear on the leaves;
• leaf plates become covered with light dots, become lighter and fall off;
• the inflorescences become deformed and spots appear on them;
• if you look closely, small elongated black and transparent insects become noticeable.

They fight thrips with insecticides or traditional methods. The first method allows you to get rid of the pest faster, but is dangerous for humans and the environment. The second option is safer, but the treatment also lasts longer.

How to get rid of thrips on lemon:

1. Infusion of soap and tobacco. 40 g of tobacco is poured into 1 liter of boiling water and left for three days. The infusion is filtered and one-fifth of a bar of soap is dissolved in it. The resulting mixture is sprayed onto the tree. After a day, the product is washed off. The treatment is repeated after two days.
2. Mustard infusion. 35 g of mustard is dissolved in 9.5 liters of water. The mixture is infused for three days. Before use, it is diluted with three parts of water. Used to spray plants.

Aphid

Aphids feed on the sap of leaves and young shoots. It is a light green insect measuring no more than 3 mm.

The pest multiplies quickly, affecting all parts of the plant. Without timely treatment, the tree quickly dries out.

When aphids infest the plant, the leaves turn pale and dry out. The ends of the shoots wither. It is not difficult to notice the insect, as it settles in large colonies.

To remove pests from homemade lemons, use the following recipes:

1. Soap solution. Dissolve half a piece of grated laundry soap in 5 liters of water. Wash the affected areas with the product until the insects disappear completely (at least three times).
2. Garlic infusion. A large head of garlic is poured with 0.5 liters of warm water and left for three days. The infusion is filtered and used to sprinkle lemon. The procedure is carried out every other day for a week, then repeated every other week.
3. Salt solution. 150 g of salt are dissolved in 2 liters of water. The tree is sprayed with the product three times at intervals of a week.

Shchitovka

Scale insects are one of the most dangerous pests that parasitize lemons. The larvae stick to shoots and leaves, and then become covered with a dense shell.

Scale insects feed on plant sap. Their presence leads to drying out of leaves and shoots. Gradually the plant dies.

Scale insects look like convex oval or round formations up to 4 mm long. Depending on the type, they are yellow, brown, and black. The shells of some larvae have patterns and speckles.

Note! The most difficult ones to recognize are yellow and light brown scale insects, which are invisible on the leaves.

Scale insects are found not only on shoots, but also on the veins on the inside of leaf blades. The first sign of damage to a lemon by this pest is considered to be sticky yellowish spots on the leaves, the consistency of which resembles honey or thick syrup.

A wax shield around the larvae protects them from the effects of certain poisons. Unlike many other pests, they cannot be washed off with plain water.

Gardeners prefer to combat the pest using the following methods:

1. The most effective method of combating scale insects is the use of insecticides (Fitoverm, Aktara). The products are absorbed into the plant, making its juice poisonous to the larvae. The tree is sprayed with it three to five times at intervals of two weeks. After this, the top layer of soil is removed and replaced with a new one. Lemon is washed in the shower.Fruits that appeared during the year of insecticide treatment are not eaten.
2. Anabasine sulfate with soap. To prepare the product, dissolve 10 g of soap and 4 g of anabasine sulfate in 2 liters of water. The resulting solution is used to wipe all parts of asthenia, paying special attention to convex formations. A day after treatment, the drug is washed off with warm water along with the dead larvae. Treatment is carried out every seven days for a month.
3. Kerosene with soap. Dissolve 10 g of grated soap and 20 g of kerosene in 2 liters of warm water. The composition is sprayed on lemon every four days for a month.

Spider mite

Spider mites are one of the most common lemon pests.growing at home. It enters the pot through an open window or contaminated soil.

The pest is a small mite no larger than 2 mm in size. Depending on the species, they can be red, black, transparent, orange, yellow and white.

Note! Indoor lemons usually infest red spider mites.

The pest feeds on the juice of young shoots and leaves. This leads to drying out of leaf plates and shoots. The plant stops development and dies. In addition to direct harm, the insect carries viral infections.

A tick is recognized by the following signs:

1. A cobweb appears on the underside of the leaves. Small insects are noticeable in it.
2. Light yellow dots appear on the leaf blades. These are puncture sites.
3. The leaves turn yellow and dry out. They often roll up into a tube.

Despite the fact that spider mites are a dangerous pest, they are not difficult to control. In advanced cases, insecticides are used, but more often it is possible to get by with folk remedies:

1. Soap solution. Dissolve half a piece of laundry soap in 5 liters of water. Spray the lemon and the soil around it generously twice a week until the problem disappears completely.
2. Alcohol solution (96%) rub lemon leaves. If you take a lower concentration, the alcohol will take a long time to evaporate, which will lead to burns on the leaves.
3. Ultraviolet. The pot of lemon is placed under the rays of a UV lamp for two minutes. The procedure is carried out every other day. It is absolutely harmless to the plant, but destructive to the mite.
4. Sulfaride paste (colloidal sulfur) 35%. The wood is treated with the product at intervals of two weeks. It is not recommended to use the drug at the stage of flowering and fruit formation.

Mealybug

The mealybug is a small white pest no larger than 6 mm in size. It feeds on the sap of the roots, leaves, buds and shoots of the plant, leading to its drying out and death.

A symptom of the pest is the appearance of a white fluffy coating and sugary discharge. You need to treat lemon in the following ways:

1. Insecticides (“Karbofos”, “Decis”). Lemon is sprayed with the product at intervals of two weeks.
2. Garlic infusion with soap. Three heads of chopped garlic are infused in 2 liters of water for three days. Then the infusion is filtered and 20 g of soap is dissolved in it. Spray the tree every three days for a month.
3. A mixture of soap, alcohol and tobacco. Dissolve 40 g of tobacco extract, 100 g of denatured alcohol and 100 g of grated laundry soap in a liter of water. The plant is sprayed with the drug every week for a month.

Causes of diseases and their treatment at home

Sometimes citrus fruits become infected with fungal and viral infections. At home this happens for the following reasons:

• pests:
• fluid stagnation;
• high or low humidity;
• cold air;
• contaminated soil and planting material;
• non-compliance with watering rules;
• proximity to infected plants;
• lack of nutrients.

Gommoz

Hommosis is a fungal disease. It is also called gum bleeding. Symptoms of the disease look like this:

• longitudinal brown spots appear on the trunk and branches;
• the bark in the affected areas dies and cracks;
• a golden liquid called gum begins to flow from the cracks.

The development of fungus is provoked by a number of factors:

• deepening the root collar during planting;
• moisture stagnation;
• excess nitrogenous fertilizers.

To save the plant, the affected areas are cut out and covered with a thick layer of garden varnish. The tree is sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate.

Mosaic

Mosaic is a viral disease. Spread by insects and wind. The leaves of affected plants are covered with light spots, which are located mainly along the plate.

The disease cannot be cured. The affected tree will have to be destroyed.

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Anthracnose

Anthracnose is another disease caused by flexi. It is activated by increased soil or air humidity and low temperature. The development of infection is promoted by deficiency of phosphorus and calcium.

Round brown spots with clearly defined, slightly convex edges form on the leaves of a diseased plant. Then the spots spread to the leaves and fruits.

Before treating the disease, the diseased parts of the plant are cut off. The tree is sprayed with a fungicide, for example, Topaz.

Attention! Fungicides are poisonous to humans.It is important that they do not get on dishes and food. The fruits of plants that have been processed during and after flowering are not eaten.

Scab

Scab is caused by a fungal infection. It leads to the falling of leaves, shoots and lemon fruits.

As the disease develops, small pinkish or brown warts appear on the underside of the leaf blade. At their top there is a depressed area in which the bend is located. From the leaves, the infection spreads to fruits and shoots. All affected parts fall off.

To save the lemon tree, all infected parts are cut off. Places where shoots are cut are lubricated with garden varnish. The plant is sprayed with a solution of 1 tsp. copper sulfate and 3 liters of water.

Sooty fungus

Sooty fungus in late stages of development covers all parts of the plant. This leads to disruption of photosynthesis, arrest of development and death of the lemon.

The causes of the disease are as follows:

• waste products of pests on leaves and shoots;
• increased humidity in the room;
• temperature violation.

When infected, small areas of black plaque appear on the leaves. Gradually they increase in size and cover the entire plate. The infection spreads to fruits and shoots.

To cure the disease, wipe the affected areas with a damp cloth. After this, they are treated with a biological preparation, for example, Fitosporin. They spray the above-ground part of the plant and water the soil in the pot.

Root rot

Root rot is a fungal infection that attacks the roots. It is difficult to notice at the beginning of infection. The first signs appear when the above-ground part of the plant withers.

Root rot occurs due to deep planting, improper replanting, watering with cold water and waterlogging of the soil.

To treat it, a number of measures are taken:

1. The plant is dug up and washed from the ground. The roots are inspected for damage, and damaged areas are cut off.
2. The roots are soaked for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate, then the cut areas are covered with garden varnish. The lemon is soaked in a root formation stimulator for several hours.
3. The plant is transplanted into disinfected soil.

Cancer

Citrus canker is a viral disease. It is spread by pests and wind. Plants with weakened immune systems are most vulnerable to it.

Symptoms of citrus cancer:

• small red round spots with a yellow border appear on the leaves;
• soon the formations turn into shoots and fruits;
• spots blur and increase in size;
• the plant dries out.

The disease cannot be treated. The infected lemon dies. To prevent it from infecting other plants, it is eliminated at the initial stage of disease development.

Prevention of diseases and pests of indoor lemon

Diseases are easier to prevent than to treat. After all, even in case of successful healing, the lemon will remain weakened for a long time.

Prevention includes the following points:

• compliance with watering rules;
• maintaining optimal air humidity;
• timely pest control;
• disinfection of garden tools, soil and planting material;
• compliance with temperature conditions;
• adding enough fertilizing;
• transplantation into disinfected soil and preventive treatment of new plants;
• weekly preventive examinations;
• weekly washing of the plant in the shower;
• sanitary pruning.

Conclusion

Diseases and pests are the main reason for the death of indoor lemons. Fungi, viruses and insects parasitize the plant, leading to the falling of leaves, inflorescences, fruits and shoots, deterioration of photosynthesis, and decreased endurance.

The sooner treatment begins, the greater the chance of saving the tree. Therefore, it is so important to know the symptoms of various diseases and how to treat them.