Would you like to know what is bothering your plants? Our expert will advise you.
What’s bothering our maid?
On the indoor plant, small brown dots appeared on both sides of the new leaves at the tops of the shoots. The leaves stop growing and fall off. No pest can be seen with the naked eye. Unfortunately, we do not know which flower it is. Please advise what kind of pest or disease it is and how to treat and save the plant.
Jana Masarovičová
Your houseplant in the photo is Elastic fig. Brown dots on both sides of the leaves can be caused, if you have it near a window – sunburn of the leaves, possibly excessive watering leading to rotting of the roots, or damage by mealybugs. If you do not find any pests there under a magnifying glass, do not water the ficus so often and let the substrate dry out sufficiently between waterings.
Ficus pests
I am asking for the advice of a plant doctor, what has affected my ficuses. Miloš Chábera
Your ficus is attacked by thrips or thrips. Repeated treatment with Nissorun 10 WP, Protect Duo-Pests and Mites, Stop Mites is effective against mites and thrips.
Burnt yucca
I have been growing yucca for forty years, it has never been sick, but lately it has been looking like this. Is it possible that this happened as a result of the overly zealous care of a neighbor who watered it during our absence, and that I completed the work by fertilizing it afterwards? New, healthier leaves are slowly sprouting, but the damaged ones still remain. Will the plant survive? Marie Všetečková
Such regular leaf damage can be caused by sunburn. Newly grown leaves, on which the sun does not shine, will no longer be burned.
Withering creeper
Can you please advise what has come over my room creeper? Alena Nemečková
Brown spots on monstera leaves usually indicate a problem with watering (overwatering or lack of water), dry air, sunburn, root rot or overfertilization. The solution is to adjust the watering (let the substrate dry out), increase the humidity, move to a less sunny location and check the roots for rot. Similar damage can also be caused by thrips and thrips. A magnifying glass will help you detect these pests. Preparations are allowed for treatment against ringworm and thrush – Neudosan, Nissorun 10 WP, Ringworm STOP, Spruzit, Raptol, etc.
Sick celery
Celery leaves began to turn yellow and die after small spots appeared on them. The bulbs were of poor quality. What is the cause please and how can we prevent this next year? Klára Malá, Písek
Your celery is infected with septoria celery leaf spot (Septoria apiicola). The disease is transmitted mainly by seeds. However, it also persists in soil on infected plant remains. The disease most often occurs from July onwards, especially in wet weather, as it spreads in the vegetation mainly through raindrops or dew. At the first signs of the disease, treat the plant with one of the copper products, e.g. Champion 50WP, etc., or Tomato and cucumber diseases STOP, Ortiva, Score 250 EC or Zato 50 WG, and repeat the treatment at intervals of 10 to 14 days as needed. In areas with regular occurrence of this disease, it is recommended to treat early (preferably from the end of June) and repeat the treatment at fourteen-day intervals. In other cases, it is possible to start protection at the first signs of an attack.
A troublesome weed
How do I get rid of the weeds that grow everywhere in my flower beds every year? I guess I’m washing it wrong, it always appears again… Jarmila Podlipná
Your celery will be weeded by the round-leafed gorse. Since it flowers soon after germination, it is difficult to get rid of it completely. You must not let it bloom. It is resistant to many common herbicides.
Indestructible Blackberries
We bought a garden full of blackberries. Throughout the season, we repeatedly cut them with a brushcutter, but they always re-emerge. We don’t want to infest our land with herbicide, but we don’t know what to do anymore… Šoltys from Broumovsko
If you apply a “foliar herbicide” to blackberries in the lawn, for example Lontrel, according to the instructions at the recommended dose, there will be only minimal contamination of the soil and the herbicide will quickly break down into harmless compounds. You will achieve the best effectiveness if you treat the weeds at a height of 20-40 cm after cutting the weeds.
Damaged leaves of bushes
Hello, after 3 years of trying and searching for the cause of the problem with the bird’s tooth hedge, I am turning to you for advice. Repeatedly, several times per season, the plant is visibly damaged by taste, possibly “wrapping” (occasional cobwebs are also visible, but not always) and spotting, yellowing and falling leaves. We tried using Mospilan 20SP (taste and leaf curl) and most recently Ortiva due to spotting and yellowing. At the same time, starting this season, we try to feed the plant with Damisol Extra. A similar problem occurs with another plant in the garden, the flycatcher. And thirdly, I am asking for advice on what is bothering the Golden Globe maple, whose leaves are drying up. Thank you in advance, best regards LK
In the spring, the leaves of the bird’s tooth could be bitten by the beetles of the lobule and spot, the yellowing and falling of the leaves during the year could be caused by thrips and spider webs. In the spring and as needed during the year, it can be used on Mospilan 20 SP and Vertimec 1.8 VC etc.
About the author
Josef Gall he has been engaged in plant medicine, as well as growing plants, since 1970, when he graduated from the University of Agriculture in Brno. He worked at the Central Agricultural Inspection and Testing Institute in the plant protection department, and is still an active member of the Czech Plant Medicine Society.
You could find this article in the magazine Recipe No. 02/26.
