Cacti: diseases and their treatment. Diseases and treatment of cacti - drying and decay What to do if the thorns of a cactus fall off

Trim off dead roots. With excessive watering, when the roots are in moist, poorly drained soil for a long time, they often begin to rot. When replanting, remove the cactus along with the roots from the old pot and carefully clean them of the soil. Examine the root system and trim away soft, blackened and dried roots. Prune close to where the living root begins.

Do not replant cactus with damaged roots right away. If, after removing from the old pot, the root system of the cactus is damaged, or you have to cut off the dead roots, keep the cactus out of the soil for about ten days. During this time, nodules are formed in the damaged areas and in the places of the cuts. Just lay the plant down on a piece of paper so it is not exposed to direct sunlight or cold temperatures.

Consider the main diseases of cacti and their treatment. Most often, cacti are affected by spider mites, a variety of rot, viral infections, the stem is covered with brown spots. The cactus rots due to waterlogging of the soil, in some cases it is fungal infections, spotting is also a consequence of waterlogging of the soil in a pot, but it is also caused by viruses. Brown spots are the result of a burn or viral damage to the stem. Spider mites are the result of dry air and insufficient watering.

So, cactus diseases and their treatment with photos and detailed explanations from specialists. What if the cactus is rotting, stained, or yellow?

Diseases of a cactus due to improper plant care

Why did the cactus start to rot and turn yellow? In this case, it is necessary to pay attention to the conditions of keeping the plant. So, a cactus rots if it is arranged the wrong winter.

The first reason why a cactus begins to rot from below is improperly organized wintering.... In temperate latitudes, cold wintering is arranged for cacti. This is a temperature of +12 ... + 15 degrees, a lot of light and a minimum of moisture. Why do cacti need a cold wintering? The explanation is simple: in an ordinary apartment, with the onset of winter, it is difficult to organize the necessary care for the plant. This is a high temperature, the length of daylight hours is above 14 hours. With a lack of sunlight, a short daylight hours and a high temperature of maintenance, the cactus is gradually depleted and begins to wither and rot. In addition, during the dormant period (during the cold wintering from November to March), the cactus lays flower buds. A rested plant produces many young shoots and grows intensively with the onset of spring.

The second reason why a cactus rots is an excess of moisture.... It is very easy to fill in a cactus during dormancy and even in hot summer. In winter, the plant is not watered; in the summer, between waterings, the soil in the pot should dry out. An excess of moisture is not tolerated by those cacti, whose homeland is the desert, and those that grow in the forest and are used to a humid climate.

Sometimes a cactus rots on top. It could be bacterial rot... In this case, even under good keeping conditions (moderate watering, daylight hours 14 hours, keeping temperature in winter +12 ... + 16 degrees, in summer up to +25 ... + 28 degrees), the rot spot will spread. It is necessary to observe the plant for 2-3 days. If the stain increases, when you press on it, it gets wet, a viscous substance is released from under the skin - this is bacterial rot. The plant can no longer be saved, it must be removed from other flowers.

A cactus rots on top if it gets frozen in winter... The plant may come into contact with cold glass. If the plant is frozen, it needs to be provided with proper care for wintering. The rotten place is cut out and dried until a dense crust forms on the stem. The plant will no longer regain its former shape, but such a cactus is used to inoculate other ornamental varieties.

To prevent the cactus from rotting in winter from an excess of moisture, high temperature or lack of light, experts recommend organizing special boxes made of polycarbonate or glass, for example, an old aquarium. There you can and should place an artificial backlight lamp. Such boxes are placed as close as possible to the cold glass of the window or taken out on a warmed loggia (a prerequisite: on the loggia the temperature should not fall below +12 degrees. The temperature of the cactus in winter depends on the species. Similar information can be found in the reference literature.) Inside the box- greenhouse, close to the glass window, the average daily temperature in winter will be lower than in the apartment.

The second reason why a cactus rots is an excess of moisture. In most cases, the cactus rots from the bottom. A sure sign - the cactus turns yellow from below. An excess of moisture in the soil is dangerous both in winter when the temperature is low, and in summer when it is hot. Even when it's hot, cacti are watered only after the soil dries out with a large amount of settled, soft water. In winter, watering is generally very rare, since the plant is sleeping at this time.

What if the cactus rots from the bottom? You need to do the following:

1. Remove the plant from the pot, wash it off the soil.

2. Next, cut off the rot down to healthy tissue. You need to cut with a margin, since the micelles of the fungus penetrate even healthy tissues. They are not visible, but after cutting and subsequent rooting, the cactus again begins to rot from below.

3. The stalk of the cactus must be cut on the sides, so the cut should resemble a slightly sharpened pencil.

4. After pruning, the cactus should dry out. You need to dry it in a bright, but protected from sunlight place. Dry the cut of the cactus until a dense crust forms on the cut. This may take 1 to 2 weeks. Some experts dry the cactus until the roots form.

5. The dried cactus must be placed in a small pot of sand. The sand must be dry. Watering is carried out very poorly and through the pallet. The water should be soaked in 1-2 cm of the bottom layer of sand. The plant is kept in a bright place without direct sunlight. In conditions of poor watering (when only the bottom layer of sand is wet), the cactus should take root very quickly.

The thorns of the cactus are falling off. What to do? The first reason why thorns fall off from a cactus is waterlogging of the soil. During the dormant period, when a cold winter is arranged for the plant, the soil in the pot is not watered or watering is carried out very poorly. If you water a cactus abundantly in winter, it starts to rot. One of the signs of waterlogging of a plant is the dropping of thorns, but in most cases the plant turns yellow.

During the period of intensive growth, the cactus consumes a very large amount of water, but it is watered only after the soil in the pot has dried. However, even in summer, you can pour a cactus. For example, a large amount of soil for a small cactus. In this case, moisture accumulates in the soil, which is not occupied by roots. The result is that the roots rot and the thorns fall off. The second case is moderate watering at a low temperature of the content and insufficient lighting. When it is cold and little light (the cactus is located in partial shade), all processes in the plant slow down, including the consumption of moisture. Under such conditions, even moderate watering can lead to rotting of the plant. His thorns begin to fall off. A sure sign of insufficient lighting - the cactus is stretching.

Another reason why cactus needles fall off is the mealybug. A sure sign is a white, cottony bloom on the stem of the plant. Treatment of cactus disease: treatment with actelik according to the recipe attached to the preparation.

The cactus turns yellow at the bottom. What to do? Most cacti with age (mainly from 4 years old) turn yellow at the base. The bottom of the cactus coarsens and becomes covered with a cork bloom, which has a yellow-brown color. This is the norm if there are no ulcers under the cork bloom and the bottom of the cactus has not become soft. Otherwise, rot develops on the plant.

White bloom on the cactus. What's this? This is a mealybug - a whitish arthropod of a round shape. It settles in the root zone of the plant. If the mealybug is severely affected, it can be seen between the ribs of the cactus. A sure sign is a white coating that looks like flour. At the same time, the stems slow down their growth, become depleted, and lose their color. Disease control measures: spray the stem with Aktara (solution concentration of 4 g of the drug per 5 liters of water) and water the soil (concentration of 1 g of the drug per 10 liters of water). Carry out the processing 4 times with an interval of 7-10 days.

There are spots on the cactus. Spots on a cactus can be of very different nature. So, the most harmless spots that cover a cactus are sunburn spots. They appear if a plant that was previously located in partial shade is brought out in direct sunlight. The second option is when forest plants are brought out under the scorching sun. How to treat a flower: it must be shaded, sprayed.

Brown spots on the cactus that look more like rust are the result of spider mites. Even after the cactus is cured of the disease, rust stains remain. With a strong defeat of the plant, a thin cobweb appears. How to Treat Cactus Disease? Treat with drugs, according to the instructions, from the following list: actellic, neoron, fufanon, apollo, oberon.

How to save a rotten cactus?

External signs of cactus disease, which should alert you and encourage you to study the specimen in more detail.

The cactus "turned pale", the epidermis began to turn yellow and stopped shining.

The cactus has shrunk badly, especially if it occurs during the growing season with normal watering.

The cactus squinted to one side.

Spots appeared on the cactus (wet, dry, depressed, corky, differing in color from the color of the cactus epidermis.)

A sort of "dent" appeared on the cactus, on one side more often closer to the upper part of the stem.

Stopping growth and shedding in season with normal care and provided that this species should grow at this time! (I explain, there are species for which it is completely normal to fall into a state of dormancy in the middle of the season when the weather is especially hot. These include ailosters, rebuces, etc.)

Also, an indirect sign of withering away or decay of cactus roots there may be a long-term drying soil in a pot. This is especially striking when you have several cacti watered at the same time. For example, after a week, under all the cacti, the soil is already dry, and in one pot the soil remains wet, as if it had just been watered. This suggests that the cactus, for some reason, "does not drink" water. On examination, it often turns out that such a cactus root problems.

Treating a sick cactus

Rotting cactus without external signs

The first thing to do is to exclude all watering and not even spray the diseased cactus. Treatment of all cactus sores is based on the removal of the affected areas and their subsequent drying. This is where a scalpel from first aid kits cactusist ... The next step when« somethingnot that with a cactus ”, but there are no clearly expressed signs so far - this is taking the patient out of the pot and examining the roots if any are found. If there are no roots already, then follow the instructions below and immediately proceed to pruning for .

In nOrme cactus roots should be grayish - white, not crumbling or breaking.Are your cactus roots in good order? Then you here. Rusty-yellow and raspberry-brown spots indicate the presence of a fungal infection on the roots of a cactus. To cure a sick cactus, do the following.

All roots with signs of damage are cut off with a clean and sharp scalpel or knife. We look at the slices, if the slices on the roots are not white, but with red dots or blotches (photo on the left), i.e.
we cut further and so on to a healthy place. It happens that this process endsXia almost at the top of the cactus ........... If he stopsbe humane and do not cut off the damaged parts, the process will resume and you will most likely lose the cactus. Therefore, even if you removed all the roots up to the root collar, and spots or dots remain ... continue to cut yourself Cactus... Cut that
In small even circles, (well, almost like cutting a cucumber for a salad), the first clean, green, undamaged cut will not appear (photo 1). Now we make a control cut with a clean disinfected knife and remove the lateral areoles (the places from which the thorns grow) That is, in fact, we "sharpen" the remainder of the cactus, like a pencil (photo 2). If this seemingly strange procedure
do not commit, the place of the cut during drying and scarring will be drawn as if inside the cactusand it will be very difficult for him to take root (photo 3). It will be impossible to put such a stalk of a cactus on the ground, it will not reach with the cambial ring (the central part of the cactus from which the "correct" roots grow) to the ground and will have to be planted on a "mound".Moreover, the likelihood increases that the "retracted" part of the cactus will begin to develop
I am unwanted, harmful fungi that can cause rotting of even healthy cactus cuttings.This is always very inconvenient and is suitable for those cases when after pruning, in fact, only the top of the cactus remains and there is simply nothing to "sharpen". Such tops are usually rarely able to take root on their own and need, but we'll talk about this another time.

External signs of cactus decay.

Another example of cactus decay. In this case, the signs of the disease are already on the face, although they are not pronounced. With a cursory examination and a certain lack of experience, the lesion focus can easily be overlooked. In this case, a mixed infection (late blight + fusarium) on the lateral process of the mammillaria. The photographs below (photo 4,5,6) were taken from different angles so that you could better understand what a rotted area of ​​a cactus looks like. What do we see when examining a cactus? A slight change in color, the green epidermis lost its luster, darkened and began to give brownishness. The distance between the papillae was greatly reduced, so that the thorns almost stuck to each other, the baby mammillaria seemed to shrink. For comparison, pay attention to the healthy cactus babies on the left and right in the photo, they look completely different.

photo 4	photo 5	photo 6

The process became soft to the touch, areoles with spines fall off at the slightest touch (photo 7). After removing the decayed process (photo 8), it is found that the lesions go deep into the body of the cactus (photo 9).

Intense pink is the natural base color of the mammillaria. Yet reddish - yellow dots, spots and specks- these are the areas affected by the fungus that you need be sure to cut even if you have to cut the floor of the cactus to do this. Otherwise, as already mentioned above, decay will continue.Do not forget to wipe the scalpel or knife more often with a swab dipped in alcohol or vodka, since the tool also transfers fungal spores to healthy parts of the cactus during subsequent cuts.

photo 7	photo 8	photo 9

The yellow "dots", which are actually the affected part of the vascular system of the cactus, are especially dangerous. By removing all large foci of decay, but leaving such a "point", you will allow the fungus to reach the very top of the cactus and ditch it. If the cut is already clean, but there are a couple of "dots" left, then in order not to cut too much, you can try to cut only them directly (like the eyes on a potato).

photo 10	photo 11

After the surgical intervention, the cactus received a hefty hole in the side, which must be sprinkled with crushed coal (photo 10.11). In the case of this cactus, inspection of the roots was not required, but if during cutting it turned out that the rot had spread to the root collar (you will immediately notice this, the lesions will be below the ground level), then removing from the pot and inspecting the roots is necessary. Now a sick mammillaria needs complete dryness, warmth and time for the damage to heal. High air humidity is unacceptable.

The case history of this mammillaria ended well. Hefty hole in the side
successfully healed and over the past few years has overgrown with a fair number of children who completely closed the defect. The cactus is alive, healthy and continues to delight me with flowering.

In addition. Consider, even if you did everything right, this does not mean 100% that the cactus will survive. Therefore, if your patient has children (shoots) on him, then it makes sense to play it safe and separate one of them from the mother plant (preferably away from the place of decay), for subsequent rooting, so as not to lose this type of cactus in the collection.

Rooting cactus cuttings

And the last phase of the rescue operation. Sprinkle the slice crushedsmoked coal, which is an excellent disinfectant.In principle, even without coal, a cactus can perfectly heal, moreover, I do not always do this procedure, so as not to worsen the possibility of inspecting a cactus cut for secondary decay. In some cases, charcoal dusting is vital, for example, for cuttings, the cut surface of which turns out to be excessively wet, when the cactus simply exudes juice. In this case, coal additionally also absorbs excess moisture preventing the development of pathogenic fungi on the cut surface, which, under the condition of increased humidityIndoors, even a perfectly healthy stalk taken for rooting can attack to replenish the collection of cacti.

Put the cactus, verticalflax into any suitable glass or something similar, so that the cut does not come into contact with the bottom and walls of the container (photos 1a and 2a) and leave in a warm place. You can just leave the cactus in an inverted position, cut up, it will perfectly "stand" on its own thorns, but this method is suitable for small cuttings of cacti. This is necessary in order to be "wounded
I am part of the cactus was aired and dried all the time. Now all that remains is to wait when the cactus is thoroughlythe trimmed part dries up and corky tissue formsb (callus). This process can take from several days to two weeks or more, there is a direct relationship "size - time". The less is left of the cactus, the less viable it is and the faster it will be necessary to try to root it anew. Conversely, the larger the cactus, the longer it will dry out to the required state and be able to remain without food,without much harm to yourself.
The main thing is not to go too far. Hurry up too much - the cactus can rot again, overexpose - it will not have enough strength to take root. A dried cactus stalk is placed on a light, loose, slightly moist soil. They put it! Do not buried or buried, as this can cause decay. For stability, it can be overlaid with pebbles. The pot with the handle is left in a warm, well-lit place, but without direct sunlight. Further care of the cactus is
in periodic spraying with warm water.

Possible problems when rooting cactus cuttings.

Be patient and wait, rooting can take place quite a bit, from a couple of weeks to several months. Very tiny cuttings, the size of a pea, take root most quickly, although for such cacti - babies and care should be more careful. If necessary, I root such crumbs in a mini-greenhouse for seedlings, where the temperature is about 22 - 25 degrees, artificial lighting and a pot with a shank covered with a glass to prevent overdrying. I usually put it slightly tilted to one side, so that there would be a gap for air circulation. This does not cancel ventilation! A couple of times a day, the glass should be removed for 20 - 30 minutes. Large cuttings of cacti from 5 - 7 cm and more for 2 - 3 months, and sometimes more can be in the thought "Putting roots - do not take roots?"

The season also plays an important role in the rooting of a cactus cuttings. The hardest thing is the processin autumn and winter when the cactus is in a state of stagnation.It is during these seasons that the most often defenseless, sleepy cactus is subjected to a vicious attack by fungi and bacteria, and as a result, it needs to be re-rooted for an hour. On a cold windowsill, with a low level of illumination and a short daylight hours, the chances of successful rooting of a cactus cuttings are greatly reduced (especially for small cuttings) and spraying and wetting the soil in this case should be almost excluded. If possible, it is necessary to create more "spring - summer" conditions for the rooted cuttings. Lighting 12 - 14 hours a day at a temperature of about 20 - 22 degrees, will stimulate the cactus to awaken and try to release roots. But alas, this is not a panacea and works somewhere in 70 - 80%. Almost 100% survival rate of a rotten cactus or part thereof can be achieved byon another cactus, most often Echinopsis. But even here, not without problems, firstly, you need to master the vaccination technique, and secondly ... to have an "extra" echinopsis at hand ( Echinopsis) suitable in size, which will be beheaded by you in order to save a dying brother.

I strongly recommend that you inspect the rooted cactus stalk about once a week for secondary decay or mold, the same happens if you overdo it with spraying. Since the cuttings of a cactus for rooting are simply placed on the ground (with the exception of cereus and similar tall cacti with a small diameter, insignificant deepening into the ground is permissible here), it is enough to slightly wiggle the cactus with tweezers in order to understand whether it is rooted or not. If it does not hold onto the ground, then lift it up and inspect the cut surface. Cut dry and clean - place the cactus back on the ground. If there are signs of decay, re-process the cutting as described. (cut, sprinkle with charcoal, dry) and put the root again, but now on Dry rooting, that is, absolutely dry soil and no spraying until the waiting roots appear (see photo below). If there is mold (more often it happens on improperly sharpened cuttings, photo 3 on page above, in the section ), then sprinkle the cut with charcoal, dry the cutting for a couple of hours, put it back on the ground and reduce the frequency of spraying.

On photos
on the left, a properly sharpened and dried cactus stalk, which has released adventive roots from the cambial ring (in other words, embryonic or waiting roots), from which a full-fledged, healthy cactus root system will develop in the near future. These cactus roots are very fragile and must be handled with care.

Blooming cactus

Many inexperienced cactus growers for sure face two problems: rotting cacti and their drying... This happens, as a rule, due to improper care of the succulent.

Cacti are by no means as simple as people far from the topic think, therefore Problems emerging when growing cacti put newbies by surprise.Everything in order:

Rotting cactus

Rot cactus usually starts from within, and from the roots... This is not always noticeable right off the bat, with the naked eye. It happens that a florist sees a healthy plant, while a disease already lives inside it. Days pass, the trunk of a cactus becomes soft to the touch, changes its color, from green to gray or yellow, begins to roll in a pot, or loses stability and falls. A cessation of growth can be a sign of decay. If the roots rot, then the soil does not dry out for a long time.

What is the reason? Most often, it turns out to be incorrect watering. The main rule of watering cacti, and any succulents: do not overflow! In the summer and spring months, they can be watered once a week, and even less in the winter. In the winter months, cacti go into hibernation, their metabolic processes are reduced to a minimum. If it is hot enough in the apartment, at the location of the cactus pot - above fifteen degrees, you can water the plant once a month. If the temperature in the room is ten to fifteen degrees, there is no need to water the cactus in winter.

Also, the cause of decay of both the roots and the stem of the plant can be a number of specific to cacti diseases caused by fungi and bacteria. This:

Gray soft rot affecting the lateral parts of the stem. It is expressed in the transformation of plant tissues into gruel, covered with a gray bloom - mycelium.
Helminthosporous wet rot - the stem is covered with watery brown spots.
Rhizoctonia is a wet rot that affects crops.
Alternaria, or black rot, is expressed in the form of black "streaks" on the trunks of cacti.
Phomoz, dry rot - the cactus dries up. In the case of an incision, a cavity is observed inside.
Brown rot - the cactus changes its color, becoming jelly-like from the inside.

Drying cactus

Cacti lose their size, shrink, become easily mobile in a pot, and finally, visually look dried out.

In case it is not dry rot fungal Phoma rostrupin, for the sake of the prevention of which plants can be sprayed with a fungicide, the reasons, most likely, lie again in the wrong conditions of detention.

Oddly enough, cacti are not too fond of direct sunlight and extreme heat. This plant can exist without water for a long time, but not forever. You still need to water it, especially in summer.

Resuscitation and cactus treatment

Whatever no cactus was sick with diseases, whatever his thorny sides were not stained, resuscitation in most cases looks the same.

If there's suspicion of an unhealthy root system- the plant is pulled out of the soil, and the roots are carefully examined.

If rotting cactus trunk, it is necessary to cut off all the rot to healthy tissue. You should also act in case of detection of different colored dots and spots on the trunk. After all the rot has been removed, the cuts must be treated with crushed coal and left to dry for a couple of days. To prevent the fabric from being pulled inward, the bottom of the cactus should be cut off like a pencil sharpening. This will facilitate further rooting of the plant. After the required period has passed, when the cut site is dry enough, the cactus should be placed in a pot filled with special soil for cacti. Support it if it falls, but do not bury it. Watering the plant is not worth it. Until it takes root safely, it is worth spraying.

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