Begonias have more than a thousand base and hybrid varieties that are grown indoors. However, regardless of the type of flower, sooner or later, their owners encounter a very common problem - yellowing and drying of the leaves.
Begonia leaves dry - what could be the reason
Begonia leaf blades may turn yellow and dry in different ways. At first it can be ordinary brown spots on the surface of the sheet, or drying can start from the edges. Sometimes leaves die only half. Not always external changes can be the cause of the disease, but timely treatment can save the bush from its complete destruction.
Yellowing leaves is one of the main problems of begonia
The reasons why the begonias dry the tips of the leaves or the entire leaf may be as follows:
- temperature rise;
- prolonged exposure to direct sunlight;
- hypothermia of the root system of the bush;
- stagnation of water in the soil due to abundant watering and lack of drainage;
- dry air in the room where begonia is grown;
- diseases
- pests;
- fungal infections that provoke root decay;
- lack of nutrients in the soil, in other words a lack of fertilizing;
- sharp jumps in temperature;
- transplantation not carried out in time, which makes the earth in the pot compact, and due to the growth of the roots, the capacity becomes cramped.
When begonia dries and withers, what to do and how to help it regain its healthy appearance? Most problems arise due to a lack of attention and care. First of all, it is necessary to regularly carry out simple, but vital measures for flower care.
Another important role is played by the conditions for growing begonias, they should be closest to the natural ones, that is, in which the plant grows in the wild.
Attention! Humidity, soil quality, temperature - all this must be customized to certain criteria.
For some possible reasons it is worth dwelling in more detail.
Begonia Diseases
Begonia diseases often appear due to improper care and introduction of bacteria through infected planting material or garden tools. Often, insect pests carry infections.
Powdery mildew on leaves
Most diseases affecting begonia, first of all, are reflected on its leaf plates.
Powdery mildew
The reason why begonia wilts may be powdery mildew. Its causative agents are mealybugs - whitish oval-shaped insects. They secrete liquid, which then settles on the surface of the foliage in the form of a white coating. Every day the area of spread of the disease is growing and growing.
Powdery mildew provokes a halt to the normal development of the bush, it turns pale and wilts. White plaque slowly begins to blacken, and the leaves dry out and fall off. Therefore, do not delay the treatment when signs of this disease appear.
In the fight against powdery mildew, you can use the treatment of the bush, diluted in water with copper sulfate. Another remedy is a soap solution, which thoroughly washed the bush under a warm shower. However, it is better to purchase special chemicals - fungicides.
In the fight against powdery mildew, "Fundazol" and "Topsin M" are effective
Important! Before starting treatment, you need to remove all affected and dead leaves with shoots.
Bacterial spotting
It is characterized by the appearance on the lower part of the leaf plates of spots that turn brown after a small amount of time. These points subsequently begin to darken and destroy the green part of the bush. If the begonia leaves dry at the edges, what to do and what methods to take then is described below.
This disease belongs to the infectious group, therefore, immediately there is a risk of infection of the remaining indoor plants. If there are signs of spotting, you need to remove the begonia in a separate room, that is, protect the remaining flowers from the infected.
Affected areas of the bush must be immediately removed and the places of cuts treated with powdered activated carbon should be treated. To combat the disease, copper chloride is sprayed every two weeks.
However, statistics say that in 40% of cases of begonia with bacterial spotting, it is not possible to save the bush, unfortunately, especially with late treatment.
Attention! In such cases, they completely get rid of both the pot and the flower itself.
Chlorosis
Often found among indoor plants, the disease is reflected on leaf blades. Chlorosis appears when the formation of chlorophylls is disrupted in the cells of begonia leaves, in other words, the process of photosynthesis is suspended. This is immediately reflected in the leaves, which first begin to fade and fade, and then turn yellow and fall off. The reason why begonia leaves wither from chlorosis is insufficient lighting of the bush.
Chlorosis is not a dangerous disease if you start treatment on time. It is enough to spray the bush and treat the soil with a solution of iron sulfate.
The pot itself needs to be moved to a more lighted place, with a lack of natural light, use phytolamps.
Gray rot
Occurs due to excessive watering. Dark spots appear on the leaves and shoots of the begonia, and the basal part of the bush begins to become covered with a sticky coating. Soon, affected areas may dry out and fall off.
If the bush is not treated, the main trunk can die out, killing the plant. To combat rot use Bordeaux liquid or a solution of soap and copper sulfate.
Pests
Another significant reason why begonia leaves dry is the damage to the bush by the following types of pests:
- Aphid. Small insects of green color, located on the leaves of the flower. They eat the fleshy parts of the plant and suck out the juice from them. Soon, drying and dying of the ground part of the bush begins. And on each affected leaf, yellow spots with a brown border are formed. Treat the bush with a soap solution in the early stages and fungicides.
- Whitefly is a small butterfly that destroys begonia foliage. Lays eggs on the back of the leaf; larvae appear that destroy the green parts of the flower. To combat whitefly use "Mospilan" or "Confidor".
Whitefly larvae suck leaf juices
Note! When whiteflies begin to circle around the room they can be collected using a conventional vacuum cleaner.
Soil moisture
Foliage can dry out due to waterlogging of the soil. Without the absence of loosening, the earth in the pot begins to accumulate moisture and solidify, turning into a hard, heavy lump. Therefore, good drainage is necessary.
Drainage material needs to be covered at the bottom of the pot even when planting, claydite and brick chips or small pebbles may appear instead. For additional soil breathability, river sand is added to the planting substrate.
If the soil in the pot begins to become heavy and impenetrable, then you need to start loosening the soil regularly, even in winter during the dormancy of the plant. Florists recommend this procedure after each watering. The soil in the pot should be constantly moist, but loose.
Air temperature
The foliage begins to curl and dry at an elevated temperature. Disruptions to the flower are also jumps in temperature.
The room containing begonia should be ventilated regularly, and in the summer, the container with the plant can be placed on the open balcony, terrace or in the garden. Just do not allow overcooling of the bush due to through and cold winds.
Root decay
Roots begin to rot with prolonged accumulation of moisture in the soil, which causes various infections to spread. At the beginning of the disease, it is impossible to see with the naked eye the signs of the disease, except that growth inhibition and bush fading begin. Beginners make a mistake in such cases, thinking that the bush needs watering. As a result, the disease begins to develop rapidly.
Rotting root is very dangerous for begonia
Rot, which has already hit the tuberous part, goes to the basal part of the trunk and rises along the shoots. Suffers from this foliage, which begins to dry.
In this case, the first thing to do is immediately transplant the bush into another nutrient soil. Affected areas should be cut off and treated with a potassium permanganate solution before transplantation.
Note! When the roots rot, the begonia ceases to bloom, and the blossoming flowers have a dull color and small size.
If the owner of a houseplant cannot understand why the flowers of the begonia wilt, despite the fact that there are no visible injuries or diseases, then the problem lies underground. Most likely something happened to the roots of the plant.
Other possible problems
There are several more problems that can cause yellowing and drying of begonia foliage:
- prolonged exposure to direct sunlight;
- lack of nutrition;
- transplants are not carried out, which makes the pot small;
- dry indoor air.
Healthy begonia pleases with its abundant flowering
Summing up, we can say that begonia problems arise due to improper care. Indoor plants are especially sensitive to growing conditions, each of them requires special rules and care measures. Therefore, you should be more careful about this problem when acquiring a flower.
