There is no person who would be indifferent to phlox. A multi-colored palette of colors will decorate any garden. The only thing that upsets is the tendency of the plant to diseases. A sign of the disease is the appearance on the leaves of the flower of white spots, similar to sprinkled flour. This suggests that powdery mildew appeared on phlox. How to deal with it, and the article will be discussed.
The causes and features of the manifestation of the disease
Many, of course, are interested in why there was a white coating on the leaves of phlox, what to do in this case. Powdery mildew is nothing more than a fungus. It appears as a result of infection with fungal bacteria that live in the ground. Suitable conditions are sufficient for the disease, and it will affect large areas. If you correctly grow a flower, observing all the rules, then the disease will not manifest itself.
Multi-colored phlox in the garden
Fungal bacteria will develop if:
- in summer, the rain was charged, constantly overcast and humid, the sun rarely appears. Similar weather conditions are negative for plants that are planted on a street or balcony;
- a large number of fertilizers containing nitrogen were introduced into the soil;
- the flowers are planted very densely and obscure each other;
- the appearance of the fungus is also affected by improper watering of the plant. It is impossible to water phlox very often, the earth should be able to dry. Also, in dry weather, it is not recommended to immediately pour a huge amount of water under the flowers.
Important! Spores of the fungus are easily tolerated by air. This can happen even at the moment when the gardener touches the diseased stem with his hand and then approaches the healthy flower.
Powdery Mildew Signs
If the stems and leaves turn white, it means that the phloxes began to hurt. Bacterial spores affect the plant and begin to develop rapidly. In just a few days, the disease covers the lower part of the leaves: they turn yellow, dry and fall off.
If we examine the affected area under a magnifying glass, we can see that the sore spot is covered with small wounds, which are formed as a result of exposure of the mycelium to plant tissue. Plaque that appears on the leaves does not allow them to breathe. Thus, the process of photosynthesis is terminated. Therefore, you need to know what powdery mildew on phlox is, how to get rid of it, so that the plant continues to please the eye.
How to deal with powdery mildew
The fight against the disease must be approached comprehensively. First of all, you need to reconsider your methods of caring for flowers and fix all obvious errors. The first steps in treating a plant:
- water phlox in the summer only when the ground under them is completely dry;
- stop spraying the leaves of the plant until its full recovery;
- if possible, transplant phlox to an open area, where they will be under sunlight for a longer time;
- be sure to thin out dense plantings, remove leaves located near the ground;
- Do not fertilize diseased plants, and after treatment use only those fertilizers that contain potassium and phosphorus.
The defeat of phlox powdery mildew
Important! If you do not reconsider the method of care and do not eliminate the errors, then flower treatment will be ineffective.
After all errors are corrected, you can proceed to treatment. Leaves that are covered with white spots, urgently need to be removed and burned. Then treat the plants with fungicides. These drugs do not allow the fungus to multiply and stop all processes that began in the plant due to exposure to bacteria.
Phlox Treatment with Pesticides
How to spray the plant correctly is indicated on the packaging of the substance that was chosen for treatment. They process flowers once a week. The most effective fungicides gardeners recognized:
- topaz;
- pure color;
- speed;
- balayton;
- topsin;
- foundationazole.
They will be equally effective for processing both flowers and berries.
Important! But it should be remembered that before using them for their intended purpose, you need to carefully study the instructions and strictly follow the recommendations.
Folk methods
If there are no pesticides at hand, then how to treat a white coating on phlox? Most gardeners still choose old grandmother's methods for getting rid of ailments of plants. All of these products are cheap, while their ingredients are in every home, so preparing medical solutions is not difficult.
- Gardeners most often use a solution of ash. To do this, 150 g of wood ash is soaked in 1 liter of water and allowed to infuse for two days. After that, 4 g of gray laundry soap is added to the solution, it is completely dissolved and phlox is treated. The procedure must be repeated after 14 days.
- For the second recipe, you need to take 400 g of soda ash, pour it with 1 liter of water and mix thoroughly. After that, add 400 g of gray laundry soap, previously crushed into chips, into the solution. Allow the soap to dissolve and process the phlox. Repeat the procedure after two weeks.
- You can fight the disease with the help of cow dung. For this, it is also diluted with water and used as a fungicide.
- They relieve phlox from diseases and infusions of weeds. Any weed grass that grows in the garden is used. It is filled with water and given time to brew. Five days later, the infusion is filtered and used as intended.
Diluted serum helps with phlox disease
- It helps to destroy the horsetail fungus. It can be taken both dry and green. Insist the plant in 10 liters of water throughout the day. After this, the solution is boiled, cooled and filtered. The finished substance is sprayed with the leaves of the plant.
- Gardeners have a positive attitude to the preparation prepared on the basis of serum. For this, 100 g of the dairy product is diluted in 1 liter of water and left for 24 hours for infusion. Only after this, the finished solution can be used for its intended purpose.
- No less popular is the drug on garlic. To prepare it, you need to take 50 g of garlic, chop it into porridge, pour 2 liters of water and leave for a day. After that, the solution is filtered and the affected areas of flowers are treated with it.
Important! All the ingredients included in the above recipes are not dangerous for the flowers, but with their help it is easy to get rid of fungi.
Tips for gardeners and gardeners
Experienced gardeners recommend that all amateur beginners first of all adhere to the rules for phlox care. Highlights:
- you need to select varieties that are suitable for planting in a particular place;
- land strictly according to the instructions;
- choose a site where flowers will comfortably grow and smell;
- timely notice the appearance of diseases and pests on the plant and take the necessary measures;
- it is necessary to water phloxes moderately, being careful not to flood them.
Prevention of diseases and pests of phlox
With any disease, it is easier to prevent it than to cure it. Therefore, you need to know what preventive measures you need to apply regarding powdery mildew on phlox.
- First of all, it is recommended to sprinkle the soil near the plant with wood ash.
- Immediately remove fallen dry leaves from the flower bed, pick weeds.
- In the fall, during digging the soil, make fertilizers containing copper in it. In spring, you must use mulch.
- Plants for prevention are treated with a solution of Bordeaux fluid or copper sulfate.
Important! All methods of treating powdery mildew are also applicable to other crops. But, if you know the rules for caring for plants and measures to combat diseases, then growing phlox and other flowers on the site will bring only joy.
