The Decembrist, or Schlumbergera is an epiphytic cactus that, when grown at home, blooms in the first month of winter, for which it got its name. This plant is undemanding to growing conditions, but there are certain rules of care that cannot be violated. Sometimes florist errors make the Decembrist begin to fade, what to do in this case depends on the main reason.
Decembrist has problem leaves - what could be the reason
If the leaves of the plant become sluggish, then this is an alarming symptom. To provoke this condition can not only Decembrist disease, but also other factors. In this case, urgent measures must be taken immediately to save the flower. You need to act depending on the main reason, which could lead to the loss of turgor.
Decembrist sluggish leaves - a sign that cannot be ignored
Provoking factors:
- rotting of the root;
- disease development;
- pest infestation;
- inconsistency of growing conditions.
After you can find out why the Decembrist flower withers at home, you can start treatment. Therefore, each grower should know what to do in a given situation, and what additional signs may be.
Diseases
If the rules of care are not followed, the plant's immunity is significantly reduced. Against this background, its susceptibility to the effects of infections that can be transmitted through the soil increases.
Common diseases that can cause loss of turgor, and lead to the fact that Decembrist begins to drop leaves:
- Late blight. The disease is characterized by the appearance of brown-gray spots on the lower leaf segments of the Decembrist. Their characteristic difference is the presence of a white border around the edge. Gradually, the spots increase, and the disease spreads from the bottom up. As a result of this, nutrients do not come from the root to the top of the flower, since the affected areas are not able to fulfill their function. This leads to the fact that the leaves do not receive nutrition and become lethargic. An additional symptom of the disease is a massive falling of segments.
- Fusarium The causative agent of the disease is Fusarium fungus. It penetrates into open wounds of roots from contaminated soil during transplantation. Fusariosis consists of a highly branched mycelium, which penetrates the plant cells. Initially, the disease affects small root processes, then switches to large ones. Subsequently, the disease affects the root neck and reaches the leaves. The lower ones become sluggish, and on the upper there is wateryness along the edge. Some areas acquire a light yellow tint. At a low temperature (about +16 degrees), the disease spreads rapidly. The fungus secretes toxins provoking browning and complete drying of the leaves in Decembrist.
A characteristic sign of damage is the destruction of the root neck of the plant
- Podium This disease is transmitted through contaminated soil. As a result of development, the root collar rots. Pitium is most often the reason why the Decembrist does not grow and his leaves become sluggish. With further development, brown spots appear on the plates, the affected segments fall off. The disease progresses with increased humidity and temperature + 26 ... +30 degrees.
- Bacterial rot. When a lesion is formed at the base of the plant, a brown, wet spot forms, which subsequently spreads up the stem. As a result of this, metabolic processes in the tissues are disturbed, nutrients and moisture cannot enter the leaves of the plant. They begin to fade sharply, and then fall.
If Decembrist is affected by fungal and bacterial diseases, it is necessary to carry out treatment at the initial stage of development
If the Decembrist ceased to bloom, or soft leaves appeared on it, then you must first carefully examine the root neck. In the presence of obvious signs of damage, it is necessary to use such drugs for processing:
- "Speed";
- "Maksim";
- "Topaz";
- Previkur Energy.
If the procedure does not bring a positive result, the Decembrist needs to be transplanted and the soil in the pot completely replaced, and then sprayed with fungicide again.
Important! It is necessary to process both the aboveground part and the root system.
Pests
Withering and falling of leaves can provoke pests. They feed on the juice of the plant, so the flower slows down growth and stops blooming.
Spider mite
This pest is difficult to see with the naked eye. The provoking factor of reproduction is dry air, elevated temperature. The defeat at the initial stage can be recognized by small bright points along the edge of the segment. Subsequently, the affected leaves become covered with a thin cobweb and lose turgor.
Attention! Most often, the pest is activated in the winter, when central heating is turned on, or in the summer during the heat season.
For the treatment of Decembrists affected by spider mites, it is necessary to use such drugs as Fitoverm, Actellik. Processing is carried out by spraying the aerial parts. You need to do this twice with a frequency of 7 days.
Mealybug
This is a harmful insect of white color 3-7 mm long. You can recognize the defeat of the flower by the appearance of a light fluffy coating at the junction of the segments. Also, the Decembrist's growth slows down noticeably, buds wither and fall, and brown or red spots appear on the opened flowers.
During the life of the mealybug, sticky mucus forms on the leaves of the plant, which is covered with a white coating. Against this background, the leaves become sluggish and may fall, as metabolic processes slow down in them.
To get rid of the pest, it is necessary to take comprehensive measures. To do this, it is recommended to spray the leaves and stem of the plant with any of the following drugs:
- Inta-vir;
- Fitoverm;
- "Fufanon";
- Apollo
- "Fufanon";
- Decis.
It is also recommended to spill the mixture in a pot with a working solution. Processing must be carried out three times with a frequency of 7-10 days.
Sometimes a mealybug can be found at the base of the flower, as in the topsoil it leaves the egg laying
With mass reproduction, hot water helps to fix the problem. To do this, extract the plant from the pot. Then rinse with water under running water at a temperature of 45-50 degrees, additionally manually remove pests and thoroughly wash the root system from the ground.
After that, soak the Decembrist completely in an insecticide solution for a couple of hours, allow it to dry, and then plant it in a new substrate.
Shield
The pest begins to multiply actively with high humidity in combination with a moderate temperature. You can find it on the underside of the leaves and along the main stem.
The scabbard looks like a small brown tubercle that can be easily removed with a fingernail. As a result of this, initially yellow spots appear on the leaves, and subsequently they fade. In addition, the affected flower drops buds, stops growing. If untreated, the Decembrist fades completely.
Important! Most often, the scabbard attacks the plant in the fall, so during this period it is necessary to carefully examine the Decembrist.
To save the flower when pests appear, it is necessary to completely remove the wilted leaves, and then treat the plant with Fitoverm, Actellik. And additionally spill the substrate with Aktara working solution (1.4 g per 6 l of water). Processing plants must be carried out twice with a frequency of 7 days.
Soil moisture
The reason why the Decembrist flower withers at home may be improper care, and in particular watering. Humidify the soil in the pot is necessary depending on the temperature of the content. It is possible to determine whether it is necessary to moisten the Decembrist by the state of the upper layer of the earth. If it has dried, then the flower needs to be watered.
- In heat conditions, it is necessary to moisten 1-2 times a week, depending on the rate of evaporation of moisture.
- And at low temperatures, watering should be moderated up to 1 time in 2 weeks.
Excessive moisture sometimes leads to reddening of the leaves in Decembrist. On this basis, you can identify the problem. The Decembrist's leaves turned red, what should I do in this case? It is necessary to adjust the irrigation mode, and if this does not bring a positive result, then you can help the flower by transplanting into new soil.
It is necessary to water the Decembrist with settled water
If the leaves have lost turgor as a result of drying of the roots, then the plant can be restored by abundant watering in the pan, as well as by spraying the aerial parts.
Air temperature
The reason why the Decembrist leaves turn red and fade may be hypothermia of the flower. For Decembrist, a temperature of +14 degrees is considered critical. With it, necrotic processes begin in the tissues of the plant. With a further decrease, the plant begins to fade sharply. Initially, the upper leaves lose turgor, and then the rest.
You can save the flower only by raising the temperature to +18 degrees or more with moderate watering.
Only knowing the main reason why the leaves of the Decembrist blush and wither, and what to do in this situation, you can restore the plant, otherwise it will die.
Decembrist can also cause a problem with leaves and increased air temperature. With insufficient watering, the plates intensively evaporate moisture, and they are not able to replenish it. Therefore, it is recommended to water the plant regularly in the hot period, preventing the earthen coma from drying out. Also, the aboveground part should be sprayed in the morning so that the flower has time to absorb moisture until the evening.
In winter, do not place the flower close to the heating system. To prevent the flow of hot air from the battery to the pot, it is recommended to put a foam sheet, the width of which will be slightly larger than the window sill.
Important! In summer, the plant should be shaded from direct sunlight, and to prevent overheating of the pot.
Root decay
Decembrist leaf wilting can provoke stagnation of moisture in the soil at the level of the root system. A problem can be identified if the plant sits unstably in the soil and sways with little impact, and also if it can easily be pulled out of the pot. This occurs as a result of the death of the root processes that are unable to fully function.
The main causes of decay:
- insufficient number of drainage holes in the pot;
- cool flower content in conjunction with abundant watering;
- the presence of drafts in the room;
- the use of heavy soil for planting, retaining moisture.
Rotting of the roots leads to a sharp wilting of the foliage
You can revive the plant if the problem was identified at the initial stage. In this case, it is recommended to limit watering and spill the substrate with a working solution of the drug "Maxim" or "Previkur Energy".
If root decay was detected late, then the only way to save the Decembrist flower is to root the apical segments. For planting cuttings, it is necessary to mix the sheet soil with river sand in a ratio of 1: 1.
For reference! Rooting can be accelerated with the help of “Kornevin” or “Heteroauxin”. To do this, when planting, the lower ends of the segments must be powdered with the drug, and then planted in the soil.
Other possible problems
If it was not possible to establish the reason why the leaves of the Decembrist turned red and began to fade, then other options should be considered.
Possible problems:
- Excessive fertilization. Decembrist belongs to the category of domestic flowers, which are better tolerated by a lack of nutrients than their excess. An increased concentration of fertilizers inhibits the roots of the plant and burns them. In this case, the plant discards the buds, and its leaves become sluggish. For feeding, it is recommended to use fertilizers designed for cacti, halving the indicated dosage by half.
- Close pot. For full growth and development, Decembrists must be regularly transplanted. Over time, the roots of the plant completely fill the pot, as a result of this, water cannot accumulate in the substrate. Therefore, the plant lacks moisture between waterings and, as a result, leaves begin to wither.
- Lack of nutrition. Lack of phosphorus in the soil can also provoke the loss of turgor. It is necessary to feed the Decembrist correctly. During the period of active growth of green mass, it is necessary to use fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, and starting in the fall, transfer the plant to phosphorus-potassium preparations, which will strengthen the immune system and improve flowering.
A timely transplant helps prevent leaf wilting
Knowing why a Decembrist flower can wilt at home, you can establish the cause and carry out the appropriate treatment. But you need to act quickly, since a weakened plant can die. Therefore, in order to prevent the recurrence of a similar situation in the future, it is necessary to adhere to simple rules of care, as well as periodically inspect the Decembrist. The sooner a problem is discovered and resolved, the less damage it will cause to the plant.
