Cyclamen is a perennial flowering houseplant that attracts attention with its beauty and grace. And although the flower is considered unpretentious and undemanding to care for, not all growers manage to find an approach to it. Lush blooms and luscious greenery are sometimes overshadowed by the appearance of yellowness on the leaves, which can lead to the loss of the entire plant.
Yellowing of leaves can be associated with improper care, inappropriate conditions of detention, with the appearance of harmful insects or diseases, and sometimes simply with natural processes. It is very important to understand the true reasons in time and take timely measures to save the room culture.
Wrong watering regime
The correct watering regime for cyclamen, as well as for other tuberous plants, is of great importance. Waterlogged soil, constant moisture and dampness is a good foundation for the appearance and growth of fungal infections, which lead to massive rotting of leaves, stems and roots. Without urgent measures to save the flower, the tuber can die in just a few days. Rot that appears on the underground part of the plant can also become a breeding ground for other pests - mushroom mosquito larvae.
If yellowed leaves are noticed at the initial stage, then the indoor flower can still be saved. First, you need to check the hardness of the tuber by touch, carefully remove it from the substrate and inspect for the presence of rot. If there are several putrefactive spots on the surface, and they occupy a small area, then you can remove these areas with a knife. Places of cuts should be immediately treated with charcoal and left for a while so that the "wounds" dry out. After that, the tuber is planted in a new flower pot and fresh substrate. The plant must be covered with a glass jar or a transparent plastic bag and left to adapt after the "healing" procedure. Watering is not recommended until the soil in the pot is about half dry.
If a soft and watery tuber is found in a container with a plant, no rescue measures will help, the tuber died.
Irregular watering also results in yellow leaves. This usually happens when the pet is forgotten, the substrate dries out completely, the leaves wither, and then abundant watering is carried out in an excessive volume. This "water rescue" leads to the appearance of rot on the tuber and small roots, they begin to decompose and become an excellent habitat for fungi and bacteria. If the plant dies from drought, then watering must be started with a small amount, gradually increasing them to the usual rate.
Inappropriate humidity level
The air humidity in the room is essential for the cyclamen only during the period of operation of the heating devices.Household heaters or central heating dries out the air in the apartment and this negatively affects the indoor plants, which signal this by yellowing the foliage. More precisely, it is not the heating itself that affects, but the grower's sincere desire to moisten the indoor flower and regular spraying. Water enters the leaf outlet and stagnates on the petioles, which causes rot. At the initial stage, the leaves gradually turn yellow, and then wither and die.
You can increase the humidity level in winter using a vessel with water located near the plants or a pallet with wet expanded clay, placed under a flower pot.
Soil composition
The composition of the soil for cyclamen should match his preferences. A suitable soil mixture must be purchased at specialized retail outlets and additional preventive procedures must be carried out with it before planting a plant. First, the soil must be moistened, then ignited over medium heat for half an hour (for example, in the oven). The high temperature will destroy the vast majority of harmful soil inhabitants.
For prevention, against the appearance of fungi and bacteria, it is recommended to water the plants with a weak manganese solution once a month.
Excess or lack of fertilizer
Yellow leaves of cyclamen can signal an excess of nitrogen in the soil. This happens with the frequent introduction of nitrogen-containing dressings in large volumes. From such excessive nutrition, the tuber of the flower becomes as if swollen, which leads to the appearance of infectious diseases.
With a lack of mineral fertilizers, the leaves also turn yellow and wither. Cyclamen, due to a lack of nutrients, thus gets rid of "extra" leaves, trying to survive a difficult time.
Sunburn
Warm and gentle rays of the sun can also cause yellowness on the leaves. Cyclamen prefers to grow in partial shade, in places with bright diffused light and no direct sunlight. The rays of the sun, when they hit the leaves, burn them and leave stains - burns.
Experienced growers recommend finding a growing place for cyclamen where the plant will be protected from the midday sun. Avoid placing the flowerpot very close to the glass on the windowsill.
Sunburn on leaves is different from other spots. They do not increase in size and do not spread to other areas of the leaf. If you rearrange the culture in a penumbra without direct sun, then new spots will not appear.
Dormant period
Among the large number of species and varieties of cyclamen, each plant has a dormant period, but at different times of the year. For example, in the spring and summer, the Persian cyclamen rests, and in the fall and winter, the European. As soon as the flowering period ends, the plant stops growing and gradually gets rid of old leaves. At first they turn yellow, and then completely die off. In this case, the yellowing of the leafy part of the cyclamen does not entail any negative consequences. This process is natural and natural for most indoor plants. There is absolutely no point in panicking about this.
Diseases
Fungal diseases are another common cause of yellowness on the leaf surface of cyclamen. The most common diseases of flowering plants are fusarium and gray rot.
Fusarium begins to appear from the top of the plant. Leaves turn yellow gradually, covering the entire surface of the green mass. Sometimes the top is completely affected, and in some cases half of the plant is affected. The healthy part seems to continue to grow for a while, but this is a temporary phenomenon. In the end, the plant will still die completely if the disease enters the active stage.
When the first signs of the disease appear, it is recommended to urgently process the leaves, tuber and roots of the culture.A solution of "Fundazol" is introduced into the soil, and the aerial part is sprayed with the drug "Topsin-M".
In order to prevent the development of this disease in cyclamen, it is imperative to sterilize the soil purchased for growing flowers at home.
A fungal disease such as gray rot appears when the temperature regime is violated (in a cold room with drafts), high humidity and a lack of free space for plants. First, you can see gray mold on the leaves, and then yellowness and wilting. Fungicidal preparations and restoration of normal conditions of detention will help to rid the flower of this fungus.
The appearance of pests
The main pests are red spider mites and cyclamen mites.
At the initial stage of the emergence of a spider mite, the upper part of the leaves begins to become covered with small dots of yellow color, which very soon will look like one yellow spot. These insects settle on the back of the leaf plates, entangle them with their cobwebs and feed on the sap of the plant. You can get rid of these pests with the help of special chemicals (for example, Fitoverm and Aktellik).
The presence of a cyclamen mite is indicated by curling leaves with a brown border, flowers with dark spots and wilting buds. It is very difficult to overcome this pest. The only thing that needs to be done is to promptly rid the cyclamen of the infected parts.
