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

The flower itself is light-loving and heat-loving. It grows well in sunny places, is also drought-resistant, and can go 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 a not lush shrub will grow. It is better to choose the planting time from the end of January or mid-March; these features are indicated on the packet of seeds. Special cups are prepared for seedlings; holes must be made in them at the bottom for better water flow.

Sometimes the slight stickiness of petunias can depend on the particular variety. Therefore, if such a phenomenon is discovered, then you should not immediately panic, but rather investigate this variety. However, stickiness can often indicate the presence or disease of your pet.

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

With gray rot, the flower can die in a matter of days. Therefore, it is important to immediately take action: 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 potassium. Next, petunia should be treated with the following 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 plaque on petunias. Let's take a closer look at each of them below:

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

If a white coating is detected on petunia leaves, treatment must be started immediately. If you delay, the flower may 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 the high nitrogen content in the soil where petunias grow.

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

What to do?

It is better to process the flower using traditional methods. One of them: 25 g of soda ash is dissolved in 5 liters of hot water, 5 g of liquid soap is added. Spray the plants and top layer of soil with a cooled 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 dilute it in 10 liters of water. This solution is used 3 times a week.

Gray on the leaves

What should you do if a gray coating appears on a flower?

This type of plaque appears when a plant is damaged by mold. It is easy to identify when examining the flower. Petunia leaves are covered with an even layer of what appears to be dust. It looks like a fibrous covering. The plaque can form on indoor petunia due to spraying the plant too often. Excessive moisture can cause mold to affect the entire flower and lead to its death.

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

A good distance should be maintained between flower pots.

It should be remembered that Petunia is a flower that loves the sun and cannot tolerate excess moisture. Therefore, you need to plant the flower in a place where there is the most sunny color. You cannot fill the soil in which petunia grows. Frequent spraying can also lead to plaque and rot.

Densely planted petunias can become infected with fungal diseases. Therefore, if an infected flower is detected, it should be isolated from healthy plants until complete recovery. An infected plant must be trimmed off all affected areas. The more such areas are removed, the higher the likelihood of recovery. The top layer of soil in which the diseased flower is located must be removed, since fungal spores are located there.

You should also remember that petunia loves space, so you need to grow flowers at a fairly large distance from each other. Frequent ventilation of the room where petunia grows is also a good prevention of mold and mildew.

Petunia is an unpretentious flower in its organic matter., however, compliance with basic standards and conditions of detention will prolong the life of your pet. If you follow simple care rules, you can enjoy the beautiful color and aroma for many years.

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Petunias, due to their beauty, are very popular among gardeners. They are grown to decorate balconies, terraces and ground flower beds. Even with ideal care for flower beds, the risk of powdery mildew affecting the plant cannot be completely eliminated. Let's try to figure out what kind of disease this is and how to deal with it.

Causes of the disease

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease whose pathogens live in the upper layers of the soil. With proper care, plants are rarely affected, but if the gardener makes even one mistake, the disease will not be long in coming. Remember that powdery mildew spores are activated under the following conditions:

• cool damp air (temperature 15-20°C, humidity 70-80%);
• excess nitrogen in the soil;
• dense plantings;
• watering mode failure.

Powdery mildew on petunia leaves

In addition to pathogens living in the soil, the plant can be infected with powdery mildew from the outside. Very often, the disease enters flower beds from neighboring trees or vegetable crops that were previously infected. Spores can also enter the flower garden through water. And in some cases, a gardener, without noticing it, can become a carrier if, before working on the flowerbed, he was engaged in pruning infected plants.

Important! Treat equipment and hands after working with infected plants, otherwise the risk of damage to healthy plants increases many times over.

Recognizing an infected plant is not that difficult. At an early stage, the disease looks like a whitish coating, this is especially noticeable on petunia inflorescences. With further development, small drops similar to dew can be found on the petals and stems. The disease progresses from the lower leaves, but becomes noticeable only when it envelops the entire stem to the buds. The consequence of the disease is rotting and death of the plant.

Treatment of the plant should begin as soon as the first signs of powdery mildew are noticed.

Spraying against powdery mildew

To treat petunias from powdery mildew, follow the algorithm:

1. Remove any contaminated areas. This applies to buds, as well as leaves that have turned yellow and have lost turgor.
2. Remove the top layer of soil and replace it with treated soil.
3. Spray with a special preparation (foundazole, topaz, etc.).
4. Make sure that the solution covers the entire plant.
5. For greater effect, you can dip the plant in a container with the prepared solution.

As you know, the best way to combat powdery mildew is to follow the rules of agricultural technology. Avoid overmoistening the soil and thickening the plantings. Proper care will not eliminate the likelihood of infection, but will reduce the risk of the disease by 90%.

Follow the plant's watering schedule - this will reduce the risk of infection

Folk wrestling recipes

Folk remedies for combating powdery mildew are more effective for prevention; sometimes such methods are used in the early stages of infection. The most effective methods are:

If detected late (more than 5 days from the moment of infection), such methods will most likely not bring the desired results, in which case it’s time to turn to the “heavy artillery.”

Treatment of illness with chemicals

The most effective drugs used in the fight against powdery mildew are products containing a fungicide. It destroys the structure of the fungus and inhibits its development in plant cells.

If the disease has spread over large areas, you cannot do without chemicals

The most effective drugs are considered:

• Fundazol;
• Amistar extra;
• Speed;
• Topaz;
• Previkur.

Advice! Fitosporin can be used to carry out antifungal measures. It is useless against a progressive disease, but is ideal for preventive work.

Remember that it is better to prevent a disease than to fight it. Prevent the disease from progressing and get rid of pathogens in the early stages. A trained gardener is not afraid of powdery mildew. He knows exactly how to deal with it.

Konstantin D.

The perennials in my garden are plagued by powdery mildew. Petunias are especially affected. How to overcome the disease and not harm the flowers?

Petunias, due to their beauty, are very popular among gardeners. They are grown to decorate balconies, terraces and ground flower beds. Even with ideal care for flower beds, the risk of powdery mildew affecting the plant cannot be completely eliminated. Let's try to figure out what kind of disease this is and how to deal with it.

Causes of the disease

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease whose pathogens live in the upper layers of the soil. With proper care, plants are rarely affected, but if the gardener makes even one mistake, the disease will not be long in coming. Remember that powdery mildew spores are activated under the following conditions:

• cool damp air (temperature 15-20°C, humidity 70-80%);
• excess nitrogen in the soil;
• dense plantings;
• watering mode failure.

In addition to pathogens living in the soil, the plant can be infected with powdery mildew from the outside. Very often, the disease enters flower beds from neighboring trees or vegetable crops that were previously infected. Spores can also enter the flower garden through water. And in some cases, a gardener, without noticing it, can become a carrier if, before working on the flowerbed, he was engaged in pruning infected plants.

Important! Treat equipment and hands after working with infected plants, otherwise the risk of damage to healthy plants increases many times over.

Recognizing an infected plant is not that difficult. At an early stage, the disease looks like a whitish coating, this is especially noticeable on petunia inflorescences. With further development, small drops similar to dew can be found on the petals and stems. The disease progresses from the lower leaves, but becomes noticeable only when it envelops the entire stem to the buds. The consequence of the disease is rotting and death of the plant.

Spraying against powdery mildew

To treat petunias from powdery mildew, follow the algorithm:

1. Remove any contaminated areas. This applies to buds, as well as leaves that have turned yellow and have lost turgor.
2. Remove the top layer of soil and replace it with treated soil.
3. Spray with a special preparation (foundazole, topaz, etc.).
4. Make sure that the solution covers the entire plant.
5. For greater effect, you can dip the plant in a container with the prepared solution.

As you know, the best way to combat powdery mildew is to follow the rules of agricultural technology. Avoid overmoistening the soil and thickening the plantings. Proper care will not eliminate the likelihood of infection, but will reduce the risk of the disease by 90%.

Folk wrestling recipes

Folk remedies for combating powdery mildew are more effective for prevention; sometimes such methods are used in the early stages of infection. The most effective methods are:

1. A solution of soda ash with added soap. To prepare the drug, you will need to mix 20-25 g of soda with 5 g of liquid soap and dissolve in 5 liters of hot water. Cool the resulting mixture to room temperature and spray the plant and root area of ​​the soil. Carry out the procedure 2 times, no more than every 7-10 days.
2. Potassium permanganate solution. It is necessary to dissolve 2-3 g of potassium permanganate in 10-13 liters of water. Apply 3 times with a break of 5 days.
3. Serum solution. Dilute the serum with water in proportions of 1:10. Treat the entire plant with the resulting mixture. As a result of the use of such a drug, an organic film is formed on the leaves and stem, preventing the flow of air to the mycelium. The plant receives additional nutrition during treatment. It is important to carry out the procedure in dry weather.
4. A mixture of ash and soap. To prepare, you need to take 1 kg of wood ash and mix with 10 liters of hot water. Be sure to let it brew for 5-7 days, constantly stirring the substrate. On the last day, drain, leaving the sediment in a bucket. Add 5-10 g of soap and spray the affected plant. You can carry out the procedure every day. Mix the ash residue with water and use it as a liquid fertilizer.
5. Garlic infusion. Chop 25-30 g of garlic and add a liter of water. Let it sit for 24 hours and spray the petunias.
6. Mustard solution. 2 tbsp. l mustard powder is stirred in 10 l warm water. The resulting solution is left to stand for 3-5 hours and the plants are sprayed. This drug is used both as a treatment and for watering flowers.
7. Copper solution. This remedy is the most effective of all prepared according to folk recipes. It is particularly productive due to the content of a natural fungicide - copper sulfate. 5 g of the drug is diluted in 300 ml of water. In another container, mix 50 g of soap with 5 liters of hot water. Stirring constantly, add copper sulfate mixed with water into the soap solution in a thin stream. All affected plants are treated with the resulting liquid 3 times every 7-9 days.

If detected late (more than 5 days from the moment of infection), such methods will most likely not bring the desired results, in which case it’s time to turn to the “heavy artillery.”

Treatment of illness with chemicals

The most effective drugs used in the fight against powdery mildew are products containing a fungicide. It destroys the structure of the fungus and inhibits its development in plant cells.

The most effective drugs are considered:

• Fundazol;
• Amistar extra;
• Speed;
• Topaz;
• Previkur.

Advice! Fitosporin can be used to carry out antifungal measures. It is useless against a progressive disease, but is ideal for preventive work.

Remember that it is better to prevent a disease than to fight it. Prevent the disease from progressing and get rid of pathogens in the early stages. A trained gardener is not afraid of powdery mildew. He knows exactly how to deal with it.

How to deal with powdery mildew: video

We protect pitunia from disease and enjoy beautiful flowering

Petunia (lat. Petunia) is an unpretentious plant and quite resistant to diseases. At home, the flower grows at high temperatures and humidity, so growing it in open ground in the Moscow region and central Russia can weaken it and make it susceptible to diseases.

If the leaves begin to dry, the color falls off, or the petunia wilts, diseases and pests are most often the cause. Poor care and improper use of fertilizers cause the appearance and development of fungi. In some cases, they are introduced with low-quality seedlings.

Powdery mildew of petunia (lat. Erysiphaceae)

Powdery mildew is caused by a fungus that attacks flower stalks, leaves and stems in the form of white spots covered in spores. The vital activity of the fungus interferes with the photosynthesis of the plant, as a result of which the leaf plates curl and die.

Causes of petunia disease

• sudden temperature change;
• lack of sunlight;
• excess nitrogen and moisture.

Prevention and treatment of petunia disease

If a diseased plant is discovered, it is dug up, burned away from the garden bed, and the top layer of soil under the diseased plants is removed. Healthy petunias are treated with Topaz, Bravo or Skor.

Many diseases of petunia can be prevented, and their treatment will not be needed at all, or light organic remedies will be sufficient. To protect crops from powdery mildew, plant beds are thinned to ensure good access to sunlight and air ventilation. The dose of nitrogenous fertilizers is reduced. For prevention in the spring, before planting in open ground, the ground is disinfected with foundationazole.

Gray rot (lat. Botrytis cinerea)

Gray mold is a disease caused by a soil fungus that penetrates through damage to the root or above-ground parts. Peduncles are damaged through the pistil.

Sign of damage: formation of spore-bearing fluffy gray spots. The disease develops quickly at any stage of growth from seedlings to the moment seeds appear and can destroy petunias in 3 days.

Causes of infection

• excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers;
• soil and air humidity above 80%;
• lack of sunlight.

With moderate watering and temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius, gray mold does not develop. The fungus survives on plant debris and overwinters on the wooden floors of greenhouses.

Prevention and treatment

A thorough inspection, removal of rotten and fallen buds and foliage. The application of nitrogenous fertilizers reduces the rate of fungal development or stops altogether, while potassium and phosphorus fertilizers, on the contrary, increase it.

Diseased plants are immediately dug up and burned, the rest are treated with Topaz, Maxim, Trichodermin, Ordan, or Skor. Profit, Ridomil and Fitosporin have also proven themselves well.

Black rot of petunia (lat. Guignardia bidwellii)

Signs of infection with black rot: visually, petunia resembles a burnt stick; the stem at the root part becomes soft, easily separated from the root collar and removed from the ground. The leaf blades begin to curl, turn yellow and become hard to the touch. The disease quickly spreads from sick individuals to healthy ones.

Causes of the disease

• dense planting;
• high air humidity;
• excessive soil moisture;
• Soil pH is higher than normal.

Black rot can affect petunia even at the seedling stage.

Prevention and treatment of the disease

Both viral and fungal diseases of petunia spread through seedlings, and the fight against them begins with the mandatory treatment of seed material and treatment of containers for planting with a weak solution of manganese or copper sulfate. If soil from the garden is used for planting, it is first steamed and treated with biological products containing antagonist microorganisms (Trichodermin, Fitosporin, Agat25-K).

Petunias require regular thinning and watering of seedlings, planting seedlings in soil with a neutral pH (optimal 5.5-7). It is possible to preliminary reduce the high acidity of the soil with lime.

At the first signs of the disease, treatment with Bordeaux mixture, potassium permanganate, Ridomil MC, Maxim or other drugs containing mancozeb, metalaxyl or oxadicyl is necessary. Trichodermin and Phytofosporin show good results.

As a preventive measure, the soil is watered with sulfur-containing preparations (Cumulus, Sulfur colloid May, Tiovit djed). From organic methods, you can use an infusion of onion peels or marigolds (20 g of flowers per 1 liter of water).

Late blight (lat. Phytophthora infestans)

The disease manifests itself on the root part of the stem, which becomes dark and begins to rot. The plant withers and dies over time.

Causes of infection of petunias

• sudden temperature change;
• a large amount of night dew.

Often coincides with late blight of tomatoes and potatoes.

Methods of protection and treatment

As a treatment and preventive measure, petunia is treated with Ridomil, Profit, or any copper-containing drug according to the instructions.

Brown spot of petunias (lat. Phyllosticta petuniae Sp.)

A characteristic sign of the disease is the appearance on the front side of the leaves of dark brown spots of a round shape, which over time changes to elongated, oblong, with clearly visible concentric zones of color. Light areas of the leaf become covered with fungus and begin to produce spores. The diseased plant gradually dries and withers.

The cause of infection is excessive humidity. Therefore, watering should be moderate, and rainwater and runoff should be drained or removed.

Prevention and treatment of petunia, diseases and control of them

Immediately after brown spot is detected, diseased leaves must be removed, fallen leaves must be collected, and burned away from the front garden.

For treatment and preventive purposes, plants are treated with copper-containing preparations twice a week with a break of 10 days. The best preparations for treating petunias against brown spot: Oksikom, copper oxychloride, Kartotsid.

Petunia diseases and their control video

Bottom line

If your plant suddenly begins to wilt, you need to act quickly to help it fight off the infection. The most common diseases of petunias and their treatment with photos of the symptoms of infection, which we discussed in the article, will help determine why the flower is not feeling well and will tell you how to protect other crops from the spread of the disease.

Since petunia is a very beautiful and undemanding flower to care for, it has gained great popularity among flower growers and housewives of our country. This plant decorates ground flower beds, balconies, terraces, flower beds, and others. But even if you take good care of these flowers, sometimes they can get sick; some experience the appearance of a white coating on the petunia leaves. This article will address the questions: what is this white plaque, what is the reason for its appearance, and how to get rid of it?

What is powdery mildew?

It is a fungal disease that infects the leaves of various plants. The white coating of this dew looks like white dust. When the disease just begins to develop, it looks like a whitish coating that affects the lower leaves; over time, all petunia leaves and other parts of the flower become infected. The leaves begin to turn yellow and wither, and new leaves grow unhealthy and curled. If treatment of the flower is delayed or nothing is done at all, the petunia will eventually die.

Why does petunia get powdery mildew? Usually the spores of this fungus are found in the ground; they may not manifest themselves for a very long time. With proper, regular care of flowers, as well as in good weather, the fungus does not attack the plant.

The causes of petunia infection with powdery mildew are the following:

• It is cool outside and there is high air humidity, this affects the plant if the petunia is in a flowerbed or on a balcony. The flower grown in the room is not affected by weather conditions;
• there is a lot of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil;
• flowers are rarely thinned out;
• improper soil moisture regime. The leaves of the petunia are covered with a white coating - this can happen due to too frequent watering, or vice versa due to drying out of the soil. In such extreme conditions, the plant’s immunity suffers, and the petunia begins to get sick.

Powdery mildew can also appear after flowers have been watered with water from fungi, or they have been touched with hands that had previously touched infected flowers. In addition, the appearance of powdery mildew on petunias can be caused by wind, which transfers fungal spores from infected bushes to healthy ones.

Differences between powdery mildew and downy mildew

False disease has slightly different plaque spots. The real disease quickly covers the entire bush, and downy mildew infects only some parts of the flower, mostly only the green ones. The false disease has a fluffy white coating.

In addition, downy mildew and powdery mildew appear under different conditions. A real disease affects flowers only when it is cool outside and with high air humidity, while a false disease occurs when there is a lack of soil moisture.

Spraying against powdery mildew

Before spraying, be sure to do the following:

• remove all infected, yellowed and lost elasticity leaves and affected buds;
• remove the top layer of soil and add treated, disinfected soil;
• spray the bushes with a store-bought preparation, for example, topaz or foundationol;
• when spraying with the solution, all bushes must be completely treated;
• To be on the safe side, you can dip the petunia bushes into a container with the medication for treatment.

Treatment of petunia by spraying is usually used if you need to get rid of a false disease. The following preparations are used for spraying:

• polycarbacin;
• a mixture of milk and iodine - you need to dissolve 10 drops of iodine in one liter of milk, after which this mixture is mixed with 10 liters of water. The resulting liquid must be sprayed onto the flowers several times. Many gardeners say that this remedy helps quite quickly;
• copper oxychloride.

These drugs can be freely purchased in stores. By spraying with them you can get rid of white plaque.

Traditional methods of dealing with white plaque

Folk remedies are effective at the early stage of damage, and these recipes are often used as preventive measures. How can you treat white plaque on petunia leaves? The most effective means are:

1. Manganese solution. You need to dissolve about 2 or 3 grams of potassium permanganate in 10 liters of water. The resulting solution must be treated with infected petunias three times, every 5 days.
2. A mixture of soda ash and soap. You need to mix 25 grams of soda with 5 grams of liquid soap, pour this mixture into a container with 5 liters of heated water. This solution needs to be cooled, after which it is necessary to spray the infected bushes and root areas of the soil. Treatment of plants should be carried out twice with a break of 10 days.
3. The serum is diluted with water in a ratio of 1 to 10. The entire petunia bush must be treated with this solution. Thanks to this treatment, the stem and leaves are covered with a thin film, which prevents the flow of air to the fungus. In addition, thanks to this treatment, the bushes receive good nutrition. Plants should be treated with this mixture only when it is dry outside.
4. It is necessary to mix soap and ash; for this, one kilogram of wood ash is used, which is mixed in 10 liters of heated water. This mixture should be infused for about a week, and it should be stirred every day. After a week, it needs to be drained, separated from the sediment. 10 grams of soap are added to the solution, then the resulting mixture must be sprayed on the affected bushes. You can process it every day, and you can pour water into the ash residue and feed the flowers with this solution.
5. Copper solution is the most effective remedy. Why? Because it contains a natural fungicide - copper sulfate. It is necessary to dilute 5 grams of the drug in 300 grams of water. And in another container you need to dissolve 50 grams of soap in 5 liters of heated water. Then copper sulfate, which was previously diluted in water, is slowly poured into the soap solution. All diseased bushes need to be treated with this mixture three times, with a break of 7 days.

Chemicals

Fighting powdery mildew on petunia: what to do? To quickly eliminate this disease, especially if it has spread to a large area of ​​planted petunias, many gardeners use fungicidal chemicals. These agents destroy the structure of the fungus and prevent the development of powdery mildew in petunia cells. The most effective store-bought fungicidal agents in the fight against powdery mildew:

• Amistar extra;
• Fundazol;
• Speed;
• Topaz.

It is advisable to prevent the white bloom from spreading excessively and infecting many petunia bushes; it is better to fight the disease and treat the flowers at an early stage.