Why does the petunia have sticky leaves: possible causes of the disease and how to eliminate them, and also what to do if the plant is covered with white coating and gray rot appears?

Petunia is a very beautiful flower with a pleasant aroma.

Petunia is a perennial or annual, grassy or semi-shrub flowering plant that is very common in flower beds.

It is difficult to find a flower as resistant to weather and stress.

However, it is also susceptible to various diseases and pests. In the article, we will consider in detail why the plants are covered with a gray coating, and also learn how to deal with it.

Growth Features

Petunia is unpretentious. The stem of the plant can be from 10 cm to 1 meter. The stem is erect or densely branched, creeping. Leaves are arranged in the next order or opposite.

The flower itself is photophilous and thermophilic. It grows well in sunny places, is also drought tolerant, can be without water for a long time, but it should be noted that this flower does not tolerate stagnation of water, that is, it should not be filled with water.

The most common type of planting is through seedlings or into the ground.. It should be noted that if planted through the ground, then in this case, not a lush shrub will grow. planting time is better to choose from the end of January or mid-March, these features are indicated on the bundle with seeds. For seedlings, special cups are prepared, they need to make holes at the bottom, for better flow of water.

Why does a plant get sticky?

Sometimes the slight stickiness of a petunia may depend on a particular variety. Therefore, if such a phenomenon is detected, then you should not immediately panic, but it is better to explore this variety. However, often stickiness can indicate the presence of pests or diseases on your pet.

The first cause of plant stickiness is aphids. If during the examination of the flower small gray or black dots are found, then this is one of the signs of the presence of this parasite. Therefore, it is immediately necessary to take measures and treat the flower with aphids. These funds can be found in any flower shop. Also, along with stickiness, petunia leaves may turn yellow, this may indicate a lack of nutrition, in this case, the flower needs to be moved to a large container and the plant should be watched further.

What does gray rot mean?

The source of gray rot on petunia is a fungus. It penetrates the flower through the root of the soil. Often the cause of this is the diseased or broken roots of the flower or the aerial parts of the plant.

With gray rot, a flower can die in a matter of days. Therefore, it is important to immediately take measures: remove dead parts of the flower (buds, leaves).

Also in this situation, it is necessary to reduce the amount of fertilizers containing nitrogen and increase the amount of phosphorus and potash. Then it is necessary to process the petunia with such means: Integral, Skor, Maxim, Ordan, Topaz. It must be processed strictly in accordance with the instructions.

Types of plaque and how to deal with it

There are two types of petunia plaque. Read more about each of them below:

White throughout the plant

What to do if the petunia is covered with white coating? White plaque on a plant is called powdery mildew.. Signs of this plaque are white spots on the leaves, reminiscent of flour or powdered sugar in appearance. The appearance of this plaque indicates a fungal infection of the flower.

If white plaque is found on the leaves of petunia, it is necessary to immediately begin treatment. If you delay - then the flower can die in a matter of days!

The leaves covered with a white coating quickly turn yellow, curl and die. The reasons for the appearance are densely planted petunias, frequent watering of plants (the soil does not have time to dry out), as well as a high nitrogen content in the soil where petunia grows.

Over time, a white coating covers not only the leaves, but also the stem and flower as a whole.

What to do

Firstly, the plant needs to be thinned, to remove the extra stems.
Secondly, you need to wait for the complete drying of the soil and not water the flower for a long time. You should also refuse to spray petunias. The infected plant should be placed in the most sunny place, until it completely dries and cures.
Also, during the treatment of the flower, fertilizers must be abandoned.

It is better to process the flower in folk ways. One of them: 25 g of soda ash is dissolved in 5 l of hot water, 5 g of liquid soap is added. Plants and topsoil are sprayed with a chilled solution 2-3 times at weekly intervals.

You can use a solution of potassium permanganate. To do this, take 3 grams of potassium permanganate and diluted in 10 liters of water. This solution is used 3 times a week.

Gray on the leaves

What should I do if a gray coating appears on the flower?

This type of plaque appears when the plant is affected by mold. It is easy to identify when examining a flower. Petunia leaves are covered with an even layer of dust at first glance. It looks like a fibrous cover. The plaque may form in room petunia due to too frequent spraying of the plant. From excessive moisture, mold can affect the entire flower and lead to its death.

To save petunia, it is necessary to cut off the affected areas and conduct antifungal therapy. To protect your pet from mold, it is necessary to protect it from excessive stagnation of water in the ground, spray the leaves less often, and ventilate the room in which it grows.

Keep a good distance between flower pots.

Infection prevention

It should be remembered that petunia - a flower that loves the sun and does not tolerate excessive moisture. Therefore, you need to plant a flower in a place where most of the sun is colored. You can not fill the soil in which petunia grows. Frequent spraying can also lead to plaque and rot.

Thickly planted petunias can become infected with fungal diseases. Therefore, if an infected flower is found, it should be isolated from healthy plants until complete recovery. In an infected plant, it is necessary to cut off all affected areas. The more such sites will be removed - the higher the likelihood of recovery. The top layer of soil in which the diseased flower is located must be removed, since the mushroom spores are there.

It should also be remembered that petunia loves space, so you need to grow flowers at a fairly large distance from each other. Frequent airing of the room where petunia grows is also a good prevention of the appearance of mold and fungus.

Petunia is an unpretentious flower, however, compliance with elementary standards and conditions of detention will extend the life of your pet. If you follow the simple rules of care, you can enjoy the wonderful color and aroma for more than one year.