There are white growths on the back of the ficus leaf. Causes of Ficus Benjamin diseases and methods of their treatment

Ficus is popular as a house plant. It is completely unpretentious and adapts perfectly to the conditions of a modern apartment. The requirements for caring for ficus are not very different from the wishes for caring for other house plants.

Being unpretentious and undemanding to the environment, ficus, like all other flowers, is susceptible to various diseases. As a rule, the causes of ficus disease are the lack of preventive measures, violation of maintenance conditions, and infection from neighboring plants.

How to prevent ficus diseases

If you know the rules of care and create comfortable conditions for your ficus, it will grow healthy and beautiful, giving you pleasure for many years. Unfortunately, it is possible to become infected when transplanting into fresh soil or after being outside, or to pick up pests from neighboring flowers. To prevent ficus diseases, you need to know and follow preventive measures:

• Maintain sufficient distance between adjacent plants. Pots with indoor plants should not be placed next to each other. In close proximity, pests and infectious diseases are guaranteed to be transmitted from pot to pot.
• Provide a one-week quarantine for new plants. Ideally, it is better to place the new plant in a separate room. If after a week you do not find any signs of disease on the newcomer, the flower can safely move to the rest of the flowers.
• Wipe the leaves with soapy water every month. Be sure to do this procedure after the plant has been in the garden for a long time.
• Clean pots and stands monthly. Also, during cleaning, disinfect the soil with a pale solution of potassium permanganate.
• Inspect your flower every week; if a problem is identified in time, it is easier to eliminate it.

Creating the necessary conditions for healthy growth of ficus is your main task. Ill-kept plant maintenance leads to frequent infections by fungi and pests.

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Causes of ficus diseases

The plant usually gets sick due to unfavorable conditions:

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1. The ficus is kept in a room with the wrong temperature and poor lighting.
2. The soil is not suitable for ficus or has an unbalanced composition.
3. Watering is not done correctly. The soil is dry or waterlogged.
4. Lack or excess of mineral fertilizers.
5. Low air humidity.

The main problems are wilting and loss of leaves by the plant. It is best to change the conditions under which the flower is kept. Increase or decrease the number of waterings. Move the pot with the plant to a brighter place or hide it from direct sunlight. Replant in a larger pot and change the soil.

How to invigorate leaves

Yellowing of leaves

Often the cause of wilting of a plant's foliage is low air humidity. As a rule, this happens due to the fact that the plant is located next to the battery. When exposed to dry air, the leaves become thinner, and as a result they turn yellow and may fall off. If a plant has lost a lot of leaves, it may die completely. How to revive him? The best way out of this situation is to move the ficus to another place. Use a humidifier in the room where the ficus tree is located. If you do not have this opportunity, you can cover the battery with a thick blanket and spray the flower with water more often.

Sometimes the cause of leaf yellowing is stress; it may be associated with frequent moving of the flower from place to place. It will be much better to take this issue seriously and choose the most suitable place for the ficus so that you don’t have to disturb it with further rearrangements.

Leaf fall

Yellowing, dying and dropping of young and old leaves is a sign that the plant is not getting enough nutrients. What should be done? Replant in properly selected soil. When planting a flower in a larger pot, you need to prepare the substrate in the required proportions. It should contain equal parts: sand, humus and peat. After transplanting a flower, the soil must be moderately moistened.

Overwatering may cause yellow spots and thin, dry edges on the leaves. At the same time, the plant takes on a sick, unhealthy appearance. Watering the ficus should be done only after the soil has dried. If the soil is constantly wet, it will have a detrimental effect on the root system. The roots rot and the plant begins to wither. To revive the plant, you need to let the soil dry thoroughly. In a situation where the leaves have already begun to fall, urgently transplant the ficus into dry soil, removing the rotten roots.

“Reanimation” of ficus

Insufficient watering, in turn, leads to drying and wrinkling of the foliage. The roots also suffer due to lack of moisture and this can lead to the death of the plant.

The appearance of brown spots on the edges and tips of leaves is usually associated with elevated air temperatures, excess fertilizer or dry air.

As a rule, the falling of the lower leaves of ficus trees occurs for natural reasons and is associated with the aging of the plant. But if the trunk becomes bare, then it is worth replanting and fertilizing the plant.

Useful tips for growing indoor plants of the Mulberry family

Harmful insects are the enemies of ficus

Mealyworm

Outwardly, it looks like a piece of cotton wool, and pests live in it, sucking the juice from the leaves, preventing it from growing. Very contagious. It is transferred to neighboring flowers with a draft.

How to eliminate: spray with soap or tobacco solution once every two weeks. Clean leaves mechanically.

Spider mite

The enemy of ficus living in a warm and dry room is the spider mite. He bites into the leaves and drinks their juice. After this, brown-gray spots remain.

How to eliminate: humidify the air, water the leaves more often, give the flower a shower once a week. The treatment procedure consists of tightly covering the plant with a bag for three days, and then treating it with garlic infusion. It is possible to use any available insecticidal preparation.

Aphid

Aphids usually bother you in spring and summer. Pests are easily identified; they cluster on the back of the leaf. In this case, the leaves curl, turn yellow and fall off.

How to eliminate: wash the leaves with soap and water or dissolve pyrethrum.

Nematodes

The lesions are characterized by the appearance of pea-sized nodules on the root system. The harmful insects found in them poison the plants from the inside with their toxic secretions. The leaves lose color and the ficus gradually dies. The problem is identifying the disease, since it is impossible to see the infection externally. Unfortunately, it is not possible to resurrect such a plant.

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Firstly, ficuses fade due to the conditions of their detention:

• sudden changes in room temperature
• insufficiently humid air, draft;
• lighting: too bright or insufficient
• unstable ficus watering regime: frequent or rare
• incorrect mineralization;
• sick soil.

There are also diseases that are caused by other serious reasons. These include fungal viruses and pests. In such situations, the plant requires more attention and strength.

The first sign of a plant's disease is its leaves. They will look painful, yellowish, with streaks and a number of other signs.

Yellowing of flower leaves

The cause of yellowing of ficus leaves is often dry and too warm air in the room, or too much lighting. This usually happens during the heating season, when the ficus is placed on a windowsill on the south side. Ficus leaves are burned by the sun's rays, as a result of which they begin to turn yellow and die. A way to combat yellowing of leaves.

Remove your flower from the sun or radiator, humidify the air in the room, use a special humidifier. Some resort to a soaked towel, then hang it on a heater or place it in the sun. Try spraying ficus leaves more often.

It is important to remember that it is forbidden to spray ficus or any other plant if it remains standing in the sun after that. This leads to life-threatening burns for the plant.
The leaves will also turn yellow if you carry it frequently. The plant does not have time to adapt correctly and thus signals its health. You must initially decide where your ficus will be located.

If the leaves shrink and begin to fall off

Causes of ficus leaves falling

Several reasons are to blame for this problem:

Your ficus is lacking nutrients: try changing the soil by replanting the plant. Use leaf soil, peat and sand (in equal proportions). Don't forget to water your ficus immediately after transplanting.

High levels of moisture in the soil: this can be seen through spots appearing on the surface of the leaves, yellowing of the edges and falling off. Wait until the soil dries and continue with moderate watering. If the ficus continues to fall off, immediately replant it in new soil and remove the rotten roots.

Remember that the condition of ficus leaves also depends on infrequent watering. In this case, they may begin to dry out and wrinkle. If this problem is not addressed immediately, the roots may suffer. Then the flower will not be able to live further.

High room temperature, dry air, excess feeding. The leaves become covered with spots and you can get rid of this phenomenon only after removing the causes of the appearance.

Falling leaves on the bottom of the ficus

If, when the leaves fall below, healthy ones immediately grow, then there is no reason to worry. If new leaves do not appear, then try replanting the plant or choose additional feeding.

What to do if the leaves die off after eliminating the above reasons
Lesions involving pests or infection are often to blame. Disinfectants must be used. To select the right remedies, you should analyze the plant itself and identify the cause.

Fungal infections

Gray mold, Botrytis

These types of diseases can be found in ficus plants that are in conditions of excessively humidified air with high temperatures.

A gray coating appears on some parts of the leaf. If you shake it, dust will fly up. The ficus first darkens, then over time the leaves begin to die.

You can cure a flower by removing all the affected leaves of the flower, and then let the soil dry. After this, stabilize the watering and provide the room with regular ventilation.

Sooty fungus disease

Sooty fungus disease is detected by such signs as a black coating on the outer part of the leaf. The precursor to this disease is insect pests.

If the affected areas are small, then you can get rid of them using a soap solution. Run a sponge soaked in soapy water over each ficus leaf. If the lesion has caused severe damage to the leaf, you can only remove it, and try spraying the root of the plant and stems with a fungicide.

Late blight, pythium, rhizoctonia

The following diseases. Such fungi lead to rotting of both roots and stems. Gradually the plant stops growing and dies after a while. It is unlikely to come out, so remove it so as not to infect other plants near the infective one.

For preventive purposes, resort to a moderate watering regime; water the plant with a low concentration manganese solution about once a month.

Powdery mildew

You recognize the disease powdery mildew by its white spots. This disease is provoked by high temperatures and humidity levels.

Such diseases are treated using a solution. Mix copper sulfate and soda ash. For 10 grams of soda, two grams of household goods. soap These components must be diluted per liter of water. Stir 2 grams of vitriol separately and pour the resulting liquid into the original mixture. Increase the volume to 2 liters and spray the affected areas with it.

Rust disease

Rust is one of the most common diseases in both house plants and garden flowers. It is expressed through spots of yellow and brown colors on the surface of the leaves. The edges of the leaves look as if they are burnt. He will have sores on him. For treatment, the ficus is cleaned from diseased areas and treated using a fungicide.

Try to identify the most likely disease of your plant by comparing the signs you discovered with photographs on the Internet or in this article. Then the treatment of your ficus will be most productive, and you will be able to protect your neighboring flowers from infection.

Insect pests

People can rarely see insects with the naked eye. They become noticeable only after reproduction in a certain number. An important part of caring for your ficus is to carefully inspect the plant periodically.

The scale insect settles on the back side of the ficus leaf or on the stem itself. The presence of scale insects is indicated by swollen brown spots. The scale insect lives off the sap of the plant. After this, a sticky coating will remain on the sheet. It is this that allows sooty fungus to develop.

Spider mite

You will recognize it by the presence of spots of brown and gray shades on the sheets. Some parts of the ficus may have subtle cobwebs. Spider mites thrive in dry and warm conditions. Due to such factors, spider mites quickly reproduce and live.

Leaves susceptible to spider mites dry out and fall off. Maintain a neutral level of humidity in the room, do not forget to spray the plant, and sometimes wipe the leaves with a solution of laundry soap.

Aphid

Aphids are characterized by the presence of a powdery sticky coating, yellowness of the leaves and their deformation. Traces of aphids become a breeding ground and soil for fungal infections. This will definitely end in the death of the plant. To kill aphids, they resort to treatment with a soap solution or insecticides. Aphids can be found on many plants in an apartment.

Ficus is especially popular among lovers of home gardening due to its decorativeness, compactness and unpretentiousness. However, like any plant, it can become sick or be attacked by insect pests as a result of improper care. To properly treat ficus diseases, you need to be able to recognize them in time and know methods for solving problems.

Basic diseases and their treatment

Regarding its care, the ficus has few requirements, and all of them are easily met: sufficient lighting without direct sunlight, infrequent but regular watering, a range of temperatures that are normal for our climate zone and are comfortable for the flower. When they are regularly violated, the flower feels uncomfortable, which is signaled by changes in appearance - falling leaves, changing its color. But this condition cannot be called a disease: the ficus, with proper care, quickly recovers on its own.

If the plant suffers for a long time, its immunity decreases and the likelihood of contracting fungal infections increases. Most ficus diseases are treatable, and their prognosis is favorable - the flower recovers completely.

Leaf diseases

It is the appearance of the foliage of a flower that first signals its unhealthy state.

Yellowing of the leaf blades of a plant indicates disturbances in temperature or lighting conditions. The cause may be too dry, warm air or excess light, especially exposure to sunlight on the leaves (also through glass). In the latter case, the burned plates die.

Foliage may turn yellow even if the flower is too close to a hot radiator or other heating source. You can increase indoor air humidity in different ways:

• turn on a special humidifier:
• regularly place a damp towel on a heater in winter or a sun-heated window sill in summer;
• Spray the flower more often (remembering that this should not be done if it is in the sun - in combination with drops after spraying, this will lead to burns).

The leaves also fade and turn yellow if the ficus is changed location too often. He perceives any changes as additional stress.

Falling leaves is most often caused by the following reasons:

• lack of nutrients - despite its unpretentiousness, on too poor soils, ficus does not have enough substances necessary for development. Adding only fertilizers does not always bring results - the plant needs to be transplanted into more nutritious soil;
• excessive soil moisture - before the leaves begin to fall, they become covered with spots and yellowness appears at the edges. You should wait until the soil dries 1-3 cm and then resume moderate watering. If this does not change the situation, the process of rotting of the roots is likely. You should urgently replant the bush, removing the damaged part of the root system;
• lack of watering - both excess and chronic lack of water are painful for the flower.

The appearance of spots and dots on the leaves of Ficus Benjamin can also be caused by excess feeding. The optimal regime for applying fertilizers is once every two weeks in spring and summer - in quantities according to the recommendations on the package. In the fall, fertilizing is reduced, and in winter, when the flower is dormant, it is not fertilized at all.

The falling of ficus benjamina leaves as new ones grow is a natural process: on a healthy bush, the leaves live for three years, after which they are replaced by new, young ones. If you notice that new leaves do not appear to replace the fallen ones, you need to carefully examine the bush - both insects and diseases can be the culprits.

Many fungal diseases appear first on the leaves. Their development is indicated by spots of black, brown, white, yellow.

Fungal infections

These include powdery mildew, rust, gray rot. All of them pose a serious danger to Ficus Benjamin, since severely affected specimens sometimes cannot be saved. I can’t think of a better way to prevent any plant diseases than to comply with simple requirements for its care. In addition, periodically - at least once a week - you should carefully inspect the bush so that if there are problems, they can be resolved at the very beginning.

Gray mold (botrytis)

The causative agent of the disease is fungi of the genus botrytis. Their development in temperate climates begins in the spring, and is especially active in damp and cold conditions (the optimal temperature for it is -15˚C).

The main symptom of the disease is blackening of the leaves and their falling off. The trunk and foliage are partially covered with a gray coating. To combat the disease, reduce the frequency of watering and air humidity, providing ventilation without drafts. Damaged leaf blades are removed. Usually these measures are enough for the Benjamin ficus bush to recover.

For prevention, nearby healthy bushes are treated with fungicides. Up to three treatments are carried out with an interval of 10-12 days.

Sooty mushroom

Another name for the disease is rabble. Its causative agent is the fungus Aspergillus. It prevents Ficus Benjamin from breathing by clogging its pores, and interferes with photosynthesis by shading the leaves. Sugary secretions left by aphids and some other insects are the best environment for its reproduction. Therefore, pest control is the most effective way to get rid of fungus.

Late blight, pythium, rhizoctonia

With these fungal diseases, both the roots and the stem rot. They develop quickly at normal room temperature. Infection with late blight and rhizoctonia usually occurs through the soil (if garden soil is used), unsterilized pots from diseased plants and drafts from the leaves of diseased specimens. Pythium - definitely through water.

The first sign - slower growth of Ficus Benjamin - is usually not noticed. When obvious signs of disease are visible - spotting on the stem, leaves - the chance to save the bush is already minimal. You can try to treat the plant: remove the affected parts and replant in clean soil, treat with fungicides. But it is often more advisable to destroy the diseased specimen so that the others do not become infected.

For prevention, you can water the soil in pots monthly with a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Powdery mildew

Caused by powdery mildew fungi. There are many varieties, each “specializing” in only one culture, without switching to others.

It appears in spots - as if the leaves, petioles, trunk are sprinkled with flour. The provocateur of development is too warm and humid air. Treatment of Ficus Benjamin is carried out by spraying with a solution of the following preparation:

• take 10 g of soda ash, 2-3 g of laundry soap. Dilute in water;
• Dissolve 2 g of copper sulfate separately and combine both mixtures;
• add water to 2 liters and spray the bush.

Rust disease

This is the colloquial name for the disease “anthracosis”, which really looks like rusty spots on leaf blades. If the plant is severely affected, it is destroyed. If partially, the affected areas are removed and treated with a systemic fungicide (it does not treat fungal diseases, but stops them for a while, allowing the flower to cope with them on its own). The main thing is to establish proper care for the plant.

Insect pests and measures to combat them

Aphid

The appearance of sticky leaves on the Benjamin ficus, their yellowing and deformation is evidence of the presence of aphids. A sticky white coating similar to flour is food for sooty fungus, the development of which almost always leads to the death of the entire bush.

Infection of aphids occurs by air - with wind currents and drafts. Opponents of chemicals fight it by repeated treatment with a soap solution, while radical gardeners fight it with purchased special insecticides. If aphids appear on Benjamin's ficus, you need to inspect all other bushes: the pest quickly invades new territories.

Shchitovka

The main sign of its appearance is like “swollen” spots on brown leaves. You need to examine their back side and the entire stem. The scale insect on the Benjamin ficus sucks out the juice of the flower, leaving behind a sticky coating. This is also an opportunity for the development of sooty fungus.

The insect most often attacks flowers in the trays of which water accumulates, as well as thickened plantings.

The pest “gives” its presence by the appearance of brown and gray spots on the leaf blades. Here and there a thin, barely noticeable cobweb appears. Insect-damaged leaves dry out and fall off. Too dry, warm air is the main causative factor of their appearance.

They fight spider mites on Ficus Benjamin by washing, wiping the leaves with a solution of laundry soap and maintaining a sufficient level of humidity in the room.

Thrips

Control of these small insects is difficult and requires quarantine of infected flowers. Like spider mites, thrips “love” high air temperatures and dry conditions. Insects suck the juices of their plants, taking away its strength.

To destroy pests, special preparations are used - Aktaru, Fufanon, Actellik and others. However, only superficial treatment may not be effective, since the main colony of thrips is “hiding” in the soil - it is necessary to transplant the Benjamin ficus into new soil (preferably into a new clean pot - pre-treated with boiling water) with the obligatory treatment of the roots with chemicals.

These microscopic worms come in leaf, root and stem varieties. They develop in moist and cool environments. Leaves infected with leaf nematodes do not develop, become covered with necrotic dry spots and wither. Unfortunately, the affected plants have to be thrown away, since chemicals that destroy nematodes are not used at home due to their high toxicity. The pot and even the place where the infected plant stood are disinfected.

Prevention of infection by nematodes consists of mandatory treatment of garden soil before use - calcination or steaming.

Chervetsy

The insect is quite large in size - about 5 mm in length, and is easy to spot. The first sign of its presence on a flower is the massive fall of leaves. Upon careful examination of the plant, you can detect not only the scale insects themselves, covered with a white coating, but also their cocoons and the presence of sticky white juice.

After initial treatment, the bush is sprayed with insecticides several times weekly or special sticks and granules are used that are placed in the soil - the substances included in their composition are absorbed by the plant through the root system.

The diseases of Ficus Benjamin mentioned in the article occur infrequently and only where the plant is not properly cared for. Fulfilling the simple requirements of an unpretentious flower is the best prevention of any problems associated with its cultivation. However, if infection with a fungal disease or insect pests occurs, measures must be taken immediately to save the plant and prevent infection of its neighbors.

This plant of the mulberry family is considered unpretentious and is well suited for growing indoors. The care and maintenance of ficus are very standard and do not require much effort or material costs.

However, despite its unpretentious environment, this flower, like many plants, is also susceptible to some diseases and pests. In most cases, the causes of ficus diseases are such obvious things as the lack of preventive measures to protect plants from pests, location with already infected indoor flowers, or critical conditions for keeping the plant.

If the rubber ficus, Benjamin, Melanie, dwarf or other varieties of this plant often have leaves that turn yellow and fall off, or stems or roots rot, then the reason for all this is a serious disease of the plant. Diseases of indoor plants are infectious and fungal. The following types of diseases are dangerous for ficus:

• Mold. This disease is also called gray mold. It appears on the stem and leaves of the ficus, which becomes covered with brown spots, and then completely sheds the damaged foliage. It is quite easy to recognize this mold: when you shake the leaves, gray dust rises in the air. This fungus loves a warm and humid environment - this means that the room where the flower stands needs to be ventilated often.
• Root rot. Occurs due to excessive waterlogging of the soil. Characteristic signs are wilting, areas of rotting on the stem and roots, and a gray tint on the leaves of the plant. Nothing can save such a plant; all that remains is to throw it away, preferably along with the pot.
• Sooty mushroom. This disease occurs after an invasion of aphids or scale insects, as these pests leave sticky secretions on which sooty fungus develops. This disease can be identified by the black-gray coating that covers the flower mold.
• Fungus Anthracnose and Botrytis. These fungal diseases are similar in appearance. Anthracnose is characterized by brown spots that look more like rust that affects the entire foliage of the plant. Botrytis covers the leaf blade with yellow-brown spots that are constantly increasing in size. Gradually, ulcers form in place of these spots, from which the leaves begin to die and fall off.
• Cercospora blight is another fungal disease that occurs due to excess air humidity. The appearance of fungi of the genus Cercospora is characterized by brown and black dots covering the lower part of the leaves. These spots progress in size, and the foliage affected by them begins to turn yellow and crumble. In the absence of health measures, the ficus may die.
• Powdery mildew is a disease expressed by a white coating similar to flour. Affects the upper leaf plate. If the disease is advanced, the affected foliage must be removed.

When the first symptoms of the diseases listed above appear, it is extremely important to react in time and take action. Depending on the type of disease, the following methods for healing ficus are used:

1. 1. Spraying with fungicides. This method is most common in the treatment of many plant diseases. Most experienced gardeners always have a supply of this group of drugs, which fights most fungi and bacterial pests. Spraying or washing with a solution of fungicides helps get rid of sooty fungus, sulfur rot, anthracnose and botrytis, cercospora and powdery mildew. Not only the leaves are processed, but also the roots.
2. 2. Surgical methods of treatment. This is especially true for ficus, which suffers from root rot, which can only be saved in the early stages of infection. It is necessary to remove the plant from the container and inspect the root system in detail. If most of the roots have healthy elasticity and white color, then a simplified treatment method is used. To do this, you need to remove the ficus from the pot and trim off the rotten roots, stems and leaves. After planting, the plant should be watered with a solution of carbendazim. If most of the root system is affected, then surgical treatment is urgently necessary. This method involves cutting off all rotting roots, stems and leaves with traces of rot. Even the top of the plant is cut off to compensate for the loss of roots. Then the plant is transplanted into new soil and watered with a solution of carbendazim, placed on the bright side, excluding direct rays of the sun. Watering does not begin until new stems or leaves begin to appear.
3. 3. Folk remedies. They are used in combination with ready-made preparations or in the initial stages of ficus diseases. The affected areas are washed with solutions based on soap, machine oil, diesel fuel, garlic or methyl alcohol. Typically, such solutions are used to wipe the stems and leaves of plants using a sponge.

The most common ficus pests are:

• scale insect;
• spider mite;
• thrips;
• mealybug;
• nematodes.

Spider mites are translucent arthropods that also feed on plant sap. It can also be recognized by the grey-brown marks it leaves on the leaves. Thanks to its rapid reproduction, it creates entire colonies that entwine the ficus with cobwebs. This causes the flower to wither and shed its leaves. A soap solution and frequent spraying of all parts of the plant will help in the fight against spider mites. If urgently necessary, you can use a continuous action insecticidal preparation.

Nematodes are small worms that appear on indoor flowers in the form of beads, about the size of a pea, and are attached to the root system. They release toxins that penetrate the stems and leaves, thereby discoloring them. This leads to the fact that the ficus begins to die. The most dangerous thing about this disease is the inability to calculate the first signs of infection. A diseased plant will never be used for vegetative propagation. If a ficus is damaged by nematodes, it must be sprayed with a solution of pyrethrum or chemicals such as Aktar, Tantrek or Actillik. At the same time, the roots should be treated by immersing them in an insecticide solution for 3–4 hours.

Also, when fighting spider mites, they use wrapping in polyethylene for 3-4 days and spraying with a solution of ground sulfur or garlic tincture.

A garlic mixture with the addition of a soap solution helps in the fight against scale insects. To do this you need: squeeze out 2 teaspoons of garlic and mix with pieces of grated soap, add 2-3 tablespoons of water. The entire plant must be treated with this mixture, and after a day, rinse with warm water. These steps should be repeated every 3 days until the ficus is completely cured of scale insects.

Kira Stoletova

Ficus is especially popular among home decorative bush flowers. Caring for it is quite simple, however, like many flowers, it is susceptible to various diseases. Ficus diseases are quite simple; they are mainly caused by poor living conditions, lack of prevention, or a sick flower in the neighborhood.

Treatment of the bush largely depends on the nature of the disease. In some cases, florists recommend using medicinal rubbing and spraying, but sometimes the plant has to be cut off at the root, since this is the only way to save the flower.

Causes of diseases

Why do ficus trees get sick? Various factors contribute to this, but most often the culprit is improper flower care:

• lack of light and strong temperature fluctuations;
• dry air;
• non-compliance with the irrigation regime: too much water or not enough water;
• lack of mineral feeding or excess fertilizer;
• soil that does not match the type of flower.

If the plant begins to wilt and shed its leaves, you should check the conditions of its maintenance. At first, it is worth changing the location of the pot and reviewing the watering regime.

If after a few days the ficus continues to die, the cause of the ficus disease is pests or fungus. In this case, you need to inspect the leaves and branches for stains or mold. Their presence indicates harmful insects. Depending on the cause of the ficus disease, their treatment also varies.

Foliage diseases

Any ficus disease first appears on the leaves. Leaf diseases have several external manifestations:

Yellowing

Yellowing leaves may be a result of dry indoor air. A similar phenomenon can most often be observed in winter if you place the plant near a battery. The leaves begin to dry and wither, their color turns from green to yellowish. If your ficus loses too much foliage, it will die. To solve this problem, you need to move the pot to another place and spray the leaves with water every few days.

Do not get carried away with rearrangements: ficus prefers stability and can experience stress from frequent changes of place. Nervous shock in plants manifests itself in the same way: the foliage turns yellow and falls off. You should initially select the optimal location of the indoor flower.

Fineness

Small leaf size, poor elasticity and rapid crown fall indicate a lack of mineral components in the soil. Ficus needs proper nutrition. If the foliage of the plant begins to degenerate and fall off, the flower should be transplanted to another soil. The new soil should contain sand, peat and leaf soil. After transplantation, the ficus needs to be watered and not disturbed for a while.

If the leaves turn yellow at the edges and fall off quickly, this indicates increased soil moisture. A strict period of time must be observed between waterings: the soil must have time to dry completely, otherwise the root system may begin to rot.

Reset Sheet

Falling leaves at the bottom of the stem is most often not a sign of disease. This is a natural process associated with the old age of the flower.

If the trunk of the tree is too bare, the ficus will feel uncomfortable in the pot. This plant should be replanted.

Dieback

Crown dieback is usually the first symptom of infestations and harmful insects. In this case, the foliage must be treated with special preparations or a soap solution.

If the ficus leaves begin to die quickly, a thorough examination should be carried out to identify the disease. To make sure the diagnosis is correct, you can use the atlas of plant diseases, which reflects ficus diseases with photographs of lesions.

Pests

Rubber ficus pests are living microorganisms and insects that feed on the foliage, sap or roots of the plant. Most often they end up in the pot along with poor-quality soil. Sometimes an infected plant can be accidentally purchased in a store.

Pests pose a great danger to indoor plants because they are easily transmitted from one flower to another. Signs of pest infestation can be expressed in different ways.

Shchitovka

To combat scale insects at home, you will need soapy water and the drug Actellik. First you need to treat the foliage with a soap solution, and then disinfect the affected area with the drug.

Mealybug

The disease appears as small pieces of cobwebs on the foliage in which the brown insect lives.

The scale insect feeds on the sap of the plant, slowing down the development of the broadleaf ficus. The pest can also be transmitted by air to other indoor flowers.

Caring for a ficus during infection involves destroying cobwebs and wiping the leaves with a soap solution. A folk remedy helps against scale insects: water infused with tobacco. Similar procedures should be carried out daily until the flower is completely cured. If the disease has affected most of the plant, it should be sprayed with confidrome.

Spider mite

This pest appears in warm and dry rooms. The mite does not pierce the leaves of the plant, but gnaws through the skin to the pulp and sucks out the liquid. The insect leaves behind brown spots. The mite multiplies very quickly and creates a colony; within a week, the rubber-bearing ficus can be completely covered with cobwebs.

Affected foliage quickly dies. There are two types of spider mites: yellow and red.

To get rid of the insect, you should increase the humidity in the room. The leaves of a diseased ficus should be sprayed with water and wiped with soapy water. As a treatment, you can wrap the flower in a thick plastic bag for several days, then treat it with ground sulfur or garlic tincture. To speed up recovery, ficus is sprayed with insecticides.

Trips

Such pests prefer a colonial lifestyle and settle on the inner surface of the leaf. A favorable environment for thrips is a warm room with high humidity. After the insect, brown spots with a dark outline remain on the ficus foliage. The crown of the plant quickly turns yellow and dies. In addition, the pest is a carrier of many infections.

To kill thrips, use a solution of Pyrethrum. The plant is treated twice a day for a week. There are other drugs designed to help in the fight against this insect:

• Aktara;
• Actillic;
• Tanrek.

Aphid

This is one of the most popular pest species worldwide. Aphids are more active in the warm season; in addition, they can infect many plants because they can fly.

Aphids settle in a small colony on the inside of the leaf. Such leaves begin to curl, and then turn yellow and die. To save the plant from aphid invasion, ficus leaves need to be treated with soapy water or Pyrethrum.

Nematodes

A sign of insects settling on a plant are small nodular swellings that appear on the root system. The secretions of nematodes are poisonous to flowers and, by eating the roots, these worms poison the plant itself. The flower begins to fade and lose its foliage. These pests are dangerous because the infected bush is no longer suitable for reproduction. Also, in the initial stages of Rubber Ficus disease, symptoms do not appear.

Various insecticidal preparations will help get rid of nematodes. However, if the disease is already in full swing, it is better to throw away the plant to prevent infection of other indoor flowers.

Fungal infections

This fungus looks like gray mold. The affected area is the leaves and trunk of the plant. If you shake the ficus slightly, the mold comes off the foliage and flies off as fine dust. The affected crown quickly turns black and falls off. Most often, this disease manifests itself in a damp and warm room.

To treat gray rot, cut off all infected parts of the flower. For prevention purposes, you need to ventilate the room, control the quantity and quality of water for irrigation.

Sooty fungus

Treatment at home consists of treating the foliage with a cloth soaked in a soap solution. If the disease persists, infected leaves need to be cut off. The plant itself will help revive the Funkicide solution.

VARIETIES of Ficus Benjamin. Description and photo of Ficus benjamina varieties.

• Cercospora - black lesions in the form of spots. Over time, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off.
• Anthracnose - rust-colored spots along the edges of the leaf. The fungus covers the leaf not only with dots, but also with wet ulcers. Diseased leaves also fall off.
• Botrytis is characterized by a brown lesion that gradually covers the entire leaf. The spots are characterized by a black halo.

In the case of foliar fungus, treatment must be timely. All infected parts of the ficus are carefully trimmed and disinfected with a fungicide. You should also treat the foliage of neighboring plants.

Root rot

This type of fungus appears in soil with high humidity. The plant begins to wither, the crown turns gray. Spots of rot spread across the trunk and roots.

Treatment in this case is impossible. Such a plant is thrown away along with the pot, since even thorough disinfection does not always prevent fungus. The disease can lie dormant in the soil for a long time and become more active if the moisture level in the room is too high.

Watering too frequently can seriously harm your ficus, even if the soil is not infected with fungus. If you constantly flood a plant, a so-called dropsy will form on the flower. These are small plugs on the inner surface of the leaves. This defect cannot be treated and the affected foliage is simply cut off.

Prevention

Proper bush care will help minimize the risk of ficus disease. You should adhere to the watering schedule, feed with mineral components and cut off dry leaves and branches on time. The plant also needs to receive the daily norm of light and heat; the air in the room should not stagnate.

To protect the rubber ficus from infection and pests, you need to follow a number of rules:

• The newly acquired flower must be kept in quarantine for some time. Typically, the isolation period is no more than a week. It is better to keep the ficus in a separate room so that the disease is not transmitted through the air. If after a week of quarantine no infectious diseases have been identified, the plant can be placed next to others.
• It is advisable to inspect flowers every day. Particular attention should be paid to the lower part of the stem and the inner surface of the leaves.
• Every month, ficus foliage should be treated with soapy water. This procedure is vital for bushes located on open loggias or growing outdoors.

Conclusion

To get a beautiful and healthy flower, you need to carefully monitor its comfort. If you know what the weaknesses of such a rubber-bearing ficus are, what its diseases are and how to treat it, everyone can grow a beautiful bush.

The pot and tray need regular disinfection. The earth is also cleaned of pests using a solution of potassium permanganate.

Plants should not be placed close to each other: there should always be a certain distance between them. If the space is too crowded, an infectious disease can affect all the pots.