Pelargonium or indoor geranium - a beautiful perennial plant that can be found in the home collection of almost every grower or just a flower lover. Blooming geranium not only decorates the room and makes it more comfortable, but also fills the space with positive energy and positiveness. The beloved culture, due to insufficient attention or improper care, loses its decorative qualities. Geranium leaves are one of the first to suffer, which for some reason begin to turn yellow. There may be several reasons for such an unpleasant event. It is very important to determine the cause in time and take urgent measures to save the plant.
Lack of nutrients in the soil
Improperly selected soil or depleted soil in a flower pot is the most common cause of yellowing of geranium leaves. With a shortage of at least one of the useful nutrients, the plant loses its decorative qualities, the leaves change color, then dry up and fall off. Sulfur, nitrogen, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, phosphorus, boron and manganese are needed to maintain the natural color of the leaf plates. Negative external changes in the plant will tell you which element it lacks:
- The gradual yellowing of the entire plant at the same time (stems, petioles and leaves) indicates a lack of sulfur;
- If yellowness spreads on old leaves (from the edge to the central part), this is a signal of a lack of nitrogen;
- Yellowing or chlorosis between veins on old leaves is a lack of magnesium;
- Yellowing young leaves with curling upward edges are a lack of zinc;
- Leaves turn yellow-green from the base to the edges - lack of copper;
- Yellowing between veins on the surface of young leaves - iron deficiency;
- The upper leaves remain green, and the lower ones begin to turn yellow at the edges, and then gradually chlorosis spreads over the entire surface - this is a lack of phosphorus;
- The appearance of small yellowish spots on the surface of medium-aged leaves indicates a lack of boron;
- Dotted yellow spots gradually fill the entire surface of the leaf - this is a lack of manganese.
Chlorosis can be stopped only at the first sign and only at the earliest stages. For this, it is recommended to urgently transplant geraniums into a new soil mixture with all the necessary nutritional supplements. Specialized shops offer a wide range of potting mixes recommended specifically for growing geraniums. After a while, such mixtures are also depleted, so it is necessary to regularly apply mineral fertilizers to the soil.
Excess watering
The watering regime, namely the volume and frequency, also play an important role in the full development of indoor geranium. Often the yellowing of the leaf mass begins due to an incorrectly selected mode.A slight drought or untimely watering for geraniums will not bring much harm, but repeated overflow is the beginning of soil acidification and the death of the root part due to decay. The resulting root rot makes it difficult to supply the entire plant with sufficient nutrition. Yellowness and wilting appear on the leaves. The flower begins to die slowly.
The unpleasant odor of the soil mixture, which appears due to the beginning of the decay process, and the presence of numerous small flea beetles that jump on the surface of the soil, will help to determine the excess moisture in the soil. It will not be possible to save the plant by completely stopping the soil moisture. The decay processes will continue. An urgent need to replace the substrate in a pot with geraniums, and when transplanting, inspect and process the root of the flower. It is recommended to remove diseased and damaged roots and treat the remaining parts with a disinfecting solution. If more than half of the root system is already damaged, then you can try to save the geranium with the help of green healthy shoots. By cutting them into cuttings and rooting, you can get a new healthy plant. In further care, it is worth paying more attention to the irrigation regime so as not to repeat mistakes.
Sunburn
Geranium is excellent for direct sunlight and can be outdoors in the summer under the sun. But the hit of such rays on the flower through the window glass leaves sunburn on the sheet plates. First, those leaves that are closest to the glass suffer, and sometimes even pressed against it. Spots of a yellow-brown hue appear on them. Such yellowing does not pose a threat to the life of geraniums, but the decorative qualities still suffer. After replacing the growing site and trimming damaged shoots, the beauty of geraniums is gradually restored.
Cramped pot
A cramped flower container by itself cannot cause yellowing of leaves and shoots. It only prevents the root system from getting to the nutritious soil mixture, which means that the flower does not receive sufficient nutrition and yellowing begins.
The appearance of pests
Geranium is not often attacked by harmful insects, but there are still times when pests such as spider mites, whiteflies and mealybugs appear in a flower pot with a plant. Yellowing and leaf fall begins after the plant loses the juice in the stems and leaves. He is a favorite delicacy and at the same time the main food for these pests. The greatest efficiency in the fight against this invasion can be expected only in the early stages of crop damage. It will not be possible to do without special chemicals of general or directed action. The most popular and effective growers consider "Aktara", "Fitoverm" and "Atellik".
Diseases
Geranium is susceptible to diseases such as chlorosis, root rot and rust. Fungal disease rust is considered the most dangerous and, unfortunately, the most common. The first signs of this disease are many small specks of yellow or light brown tint throughout the leafy part. After a short time, these spots become dry and, if cracked, crumble into a rust-colored powder. This is how mushroom spores look like, which can destroy the entire geranium bush. In case of untimely assistance, the plant first loses its leafy part, and then completely dies.
To save a plant from a harmful disease, it is recommended:
- Cut off all diseased parts of the plant;
- Treat the indoor culture with the most suitable fungicide.
Before using chemicals, you must carefully read the instructions!
Natural causes
The life cycle exists not only in humans and animals, it also exists in representatives of the flora. Plants also reach a certain age when some parts begin to die off, namely the leaves.Most often these are 1-2 leaves at the bottom of the plant. Yellowing continues gradually until it completely covers the entire surface. After that, the leaf dries up. This natural reason should not bother the grower, because nothing threatens the whole plant. After pruning a dried or yellowed leaf, the geranium will remain attractive and will continue to grow and develop.
