Petunia is considered a hardy and resilient plant. But sometimes it is attacked by pests and sick for a long time. Photos of petunia diseases make it possible to clearly see how this or that disease manifests itself and what are its first signs.
Most often, petunias suffer from fungal diseases, which are the result of improper care, excessive watering and the use of fertilizers.
Diseases of petunia badly affect its flowering
The most common diseases:
- Powdery mildew. It is caused by a fungus in the form of a white coating. At first, it affects only the upper part of the leaves, and then spreads to the bottom. As a result, the leaves dry out and curl, as the process of photosynthesis is disrupted.
- Gray rot. This disease can destroy the plant in 3-4 days. The fungus that lives in the soil penetrates through small lesions on the stem or roots. Light brown spots appear on the stem and lower leaves. As they dry, they become covered with a bloom of gray.
- Black neck. First, it attacks the stem. It becomes dark, soft and starts to rot. Leaves fall and curl. The infected plant is easily detached from the ground.
Viral and bacterial diseases tend to be transmitted from one plant to another and bring a lot of trouble to the grower.
A diseased plant can be treated with folk methods or purchased drugs:
- Powdery mildew. Spray the plants with an infusion of dry mustard (1 tablespoon per 5 liters of water) or garlic (50 g per 2 liters of water). The fungus is quickly destroyed by the preparations “Bravo” and “Topaz”. It is better to burn heavily affected plants.
- Gray rot. It is better to use drugs “Ordan”, “Integral” and “Skor” immediately. Particular attention should be paid to top dressing: the amount of fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium should be increased, nitrogen fertilizers should be reduced.
- Black neck. For prophylaxis, before planting, the substrate and pots must be disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. Crops should not be thickened. From purchased preparations, you can use a solution of Bordeaux liquid, “Fitosporin-M”, from home remedies – an infusion of marigolds or onion peels.
Sometimes petunia suffers from an invasion of pests – aphids, ticks, whiteflies. They need to be dealt with with special drugs that are harmless to the plant itself.
If the disease is treated at the very beginning, it can be dealt with in a short time. Severely infested plants are difficult to treat.