Pelargonium (home geranium) is a plant of the geranium family. Very common and adorns many window sills. Unpretentious in care and suitable for beginner gardeners. However, non-compliance with certain conditions is immediately reflected in the appearance. A very serious sign is yellowing or curling of the leaves.
Reasons why geraniums twist leaves
To begin with, a flower is inspected to understand what is the reason for this phenomenon and to tackle it as soon as possible.
A mistake can be at any stage of plant care:
- Incorrect soil selection.
- Poor or excessive watering.
- Incorrect temperature and humidity.
- Lack or, conversely, an excess of fertilizers.
- The defeat of pests and viruses.
Wrong watering
The state of the leaves of geraniums directly depends on the amount of moisture obtained. Trying to keep the fluid inside, the plant reduces the size of the leaf plate. On average, watering should be done every 3-4 days in the summer, during which time the topsoil becomes dry.
It is necessary to water with clean, settled (for 1-2 days) water at room temperature. To soften it, add lemon juice or acid. Per liter 2-3 drops or 1 gr.
Hard water contributes to the accumulation of excess calcium in the soil and causes yellowing.
Adverse effects on the state of greenery and excess water. Leaves change color, their edges dry out, the plant rots or becomes sluggish. To prevent this from happening, when planting it is necessary to remember the drainage at the bottom of the pot. Loosening the earth, at least once a month, will help the roots more easily receive oxygen. And the liquid will better pass into the lower layers of the soil, and is discharged through openings in the bottom without stagnation.
In the autumn-winter period, geranium is at rest, so you need to water less often, 2-3 times a month. If the plant still began to shed leaves and rot, the solution would be to remove the spoiled roots and completely replace the earth in the pot.
Soil selection, errors in top dressing
For planting, you can buy special or universal soil in the store. Or make it yourself.
The main condition is the land should not be hard and heavy, the flora is neutral or slightly acidified. Mandatory components are sand and peat.
As the soil is depleted, mineral fertilizers are applied. Particular attention is paid to nitrogen, which is responsible for the formation of greenery and abundant flowering. First of all, the leaves will signal about its lack, becoming thin, yellow and faded.
And also a color change may be due to:
- The disadvantage of boron.
- Calcium deficiency.
- A lot of potassium.
Excess fertilizing is also harmful, so you need to choose the right fertilizer and carefully measure the doses indicated in the instructions for the drug. Optimal schedule: once every 2 weeks.
If the plant has been transplanted recently, you need to feed in two months.
Some gardeners plant geraniums in the open in summer. In autumn, when transferring to a pot, it is better not to take the earth from the beds, in order to avoid infection by fungus or pests. Optimum purchase of ready-made soil in the store.
Incorrect conditions
Due to incorrect humidity and temperature, short daylight hours, tight or too loose capacity, the sheet plate changes its shape or color.
Lighting
Pelargonium loves well-lit window sills. But it must be shaded from direct sunlight, because of which the leaves will get burned. In the winter-spring period, the flower, on the contrary, is placed in the most "sunny" place.
Temperature
In autumn and spring, it is better to keep pelargonium on a glazed balcony. The main condition of detention, the air should not be very cold + 10 ... +12 ° C.
Optimum performance:
Season | Temperature |
| Summer | +20 ... +25 ° C |
| Winter | No more than +14 ° C |
Humidity
Geranium does not tolerate air overdried by heating devices. To avoid leaf falling, it is better to purchase a humidifier or use a spray bottle. But the liquid should not be sprayed onto the plant, but at some distance from it. And also a container with water or wet expanded clay, placed next to it, will solve the problem.
It is better to place the pots away from the batteries and ventilate the room once a day. But you need to do this carefully, because the plant does not like drafts. It also loses moisture from the surface of the leaves, as a result, they twist.
Tight pots
The container in which pelargonium grows should not be shallow. If the roots become cramped, this will affect the appearance of the foliage. It will begin to dry and lose color. If the pot is large, then the forces will be directed to the growth of the root system, but the flowers will appear soon.
A plant planted in a container not in size is transplanted. This should be done carefully, because the yellowness of the foliage can be provoked by damage to the roots.
If the change of the pot is done during the flowering period, the peduncles are removed.
Pests and diseases
Geranium is rarely affected by pests due to the bitterness of the juice, but there are those that still settle on the stems and greens. For example, a spider mite, it can be seen with a magnifier on the back of the leaves, which are covered with a transparent spider web, dried and curled inward.
Two more dangerous parasites: whitefly and aphids, feeding on juices. The drug Marathon or folk remedies (solutions of onions, tops of tomatoes or potatoes) helps to fight them. You can prepare an infusion from the head of garlic and a liter of boiling water, stand for a week, dilute with water at the rate of 50 g per 10 l and spray the leaves.
To cope with these pests, it is necessary to treat the plant with an insecticide. For example, Akarin, Fitoverm, Lightning, Vertimek. It is better to do this several times at intervals of 5-7 days.
And they are also affected by viral diseases, for example, leaf bacteriosis. Characteristic features will be not only curled leaves, but also brown spots resembling a mosaic. Withering affects even the stems. It will not be possible to cure such an infection, so it is better to dispose of the flower in order to maintain the health of the surrounding plants.
If the root system is damaged by rot - during transplantation, treat with a solution of potassium permanganate of medium concentration, pink, 15-20 minutes. For the prevention of diseases 1 time every six months and as a top dressing, not more than 1 time in 14 days. When pouring crystals into water, it is difficult to calculate grams and focus better on the resulting color of the solution.
Mr. Summer resident advises: how to avoid twisting of leaves at geraniums
It is much easier to prevent a dangerous ailment than to fight it. Therefore, the main advice will be prevention.
Measures to prevent twisting and yellowness of leaves:
- Regular but not intensive watering.
- Mandatory inspection of the plant and treatment from pests.
- Optimum indicators of temperature and humidity.
- Comfortable and cool wintering. Regular ventilation of the room.
- Timely dressing. Strict adherence to the instructions and compliance with the doses indicated on the product labels.
- Choosing the right pot and light window sill without direct sunlight.
- In the warm season, take out to fresh air.
By following the recommendations and creating optimal conditions for growth, even a beginner will grow healthy pelargonium at home, which will delight with abundant flowering and caps of dense greenery. After all, a strong plant is much less susceptible to viruses and pest attacks.
