Dense, intense green leaves with beautiful red or yellow flowers above them - this is what a he althy and properly cared for Christmas star should look like.Yellow, hanging or falling leaves of the star of Bethlehemmean that the plant is in a bad condition, requires urgent help or changes to the growing conditions. Find out about the most commondiseases of the star of Bethlehemand learn how to help a weakened plant.
Symptoms of diseases of the star of Bethlehem
Fig. pixabay.com
Star of Bethlehem leaves turn yellow
Yellow and falling leaves of the star of Bethlehemindicate root damage. A common cause of this condition is too much moisture. Usually the star of Bethlehem does quite well when it is short of water, provided the root ball is not completely dry. On the other hand,excess water can be very harmful to the plant and lead to an attack of fungal diseases
How to water the star of Bethlehem so that its leaves do not turn yellow?
To prevent the leaves from turning yellow, water the Star of Bethlehem in moderation and avoid overflow. It should bewatered with a little standing water at room temperature every other dayor immersed in water once a week.
How to check if the Star of Bethlehem needs watering?
If the top layer of soil has dried out and the plant feels particularly light to lift, it should be watered.
What to do if the Christmas star is too wet?
If the star of Bethlehem has been watered too much,wait a few days for the soil to dry outHowever, if the soil is completely soaked, the only solution is to replant the plant. It needs to be removed from the pot, carefully cleaned the roots and planted in fresh, dry soil. Then water sparingly.
Note!
If, as a result of excessive watering, the root rot has decayed or there are dark spots on the stalks of the star of Bethlehem, which indicates an infection with a bacterial or fungal disease, the plant will have to be discarded as it cannot be saved. More about the problem of fungal and bacterial diseases of the Star of Bethlehem is discussed at the end of the article.
Occasionally,the leaves of the star of Bethlehem turn yellow between the veins but the innervation remains greenThe characteristic way of yellowing leaves is chlorosis.This poinsettia disease can be caused by a deficiency of iron, manganese, molybdenum or an excess of calcium, phosphorus or boron, as well as a low temperature of the substrate.
In the case of chlorosis on the leaves of the Bethlehem starmake sure that the plant is not standing on a cold floor or on a cool window sillThen you need to move it higher, further away from the window or use insulating material from the floor, e.g. set up a pot on a piece of polystyrene.
If we make sure that the substrate is not too cold, it is worth using a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants with microelements, especially iron.
Let's try not to put poinsettias on the cold floor
Fig. Stars for Europe
Green leaves of the star of Bethlehem fall
Ifthe star of Bethlehem loses its leaves, although they are still green , it could be caused by cold air or drafts.
This plant originally from Mexico simply hates the cold. Temperatures below 12 ° C are detrimental to her. Thereforedo not buy plants that are exposed to drafts in stores or sold in the streetThe Bethlehem star should be well packed for transport and transported as soon as possible to a warm room where it should be after some time, unpack it and put it in the place intended for it.
Anothercause of the falling leaves of the star of Bethlehem is the lack of light. In winter, in our climate, even direct sunlight will not harm them, because there is very little sun.
The leaves of the star of Bethlehem are dangling and dry
If the room is heated and the air is dry, there is high temperature or strong sunlight, you should especially remember to water properly. If the star of Bethlehem is watered too rarely, its leaves will start to hangAt this stage, it is enough to start watering it to make it come alive.
It is most effective tosoak the root ball in waterat room temperature until it is fully soaked in water. Then take it out, let the excess water drain away, and put the star of Bethlehem back in its place.It is best to trim dry stems or leaves
Caution!
The juice that flows in the shoots of the star of Bethlehem can irritate the skin, so be sure to wear protective gloves before pruning the plant.
Stains or brown edges on the leaves of the star of Bethlehem
Spots or brown edges on the leaves of the Star of Bethlehemmay indicate that the plant is lacking in nutrients. This is rarely the case with newly purchased Bethlehem Stars, as fresh earth is usually rich in nutrients.Therefore, it is not necessary to add any fertilizer during the first flowering period. Then, the water that is watered the plant should be regularly added with soluble mineral fertilizers for flowering plants.
Browning of the edges of the leaves of the star of Bethlehem
Fig. pixabay.com
Similar stains on poinsettia leaves can also mean a very dangerous bacterial disease. If small, round, gray and then brown spots appear initially on the lower and then on the upper side of the leaves of the star of Bethlehem, this may indicate an infection of the plantwith bacterial poinsettia leaf blotchThe tissues around the spots turn yellow, enlarge leaves, and over time the leaves fall off. Unfortunatelyinfected plants must be removed, because they cannot be savedOther plants growing nearby should be sprayed with Biosept Active. It is a safe for use at home, natural preparation based on grapefruit seed extract, which has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Sometimesspots may appear at the base of the stalk of the star of Bethlehem or on its stems , which may also indicate a bacterial infection such as bacterial soft rot or a fungal disease such as rhizoctoniosis, fusariosis or gray mold. The latter disease of the star of Bethlehem also often manifests itself inblack spots on the flower buds
The rot of the base of the star of Bethlehem always indicates that the plant should be discardedPlants growing nearby, we also spray the aforementioned Biosept Active preparation, and we also water it with the biological fungicide Polyversym WP, which effectively protects plant roots against fungal diseases.
Note!
When spraying poinsettias with anti-disease agents, do not spray the flower buds or the colored flowers on top of the plants as they are very delicate and spraying may damage them.
