Why seedlings die - common diseases and how to deal with them
Seedling diseases can occur at different stages: immediately after sowing seeds or after transplanting a grown bush into open ground. Gardeners have more than a dozen different diseases.
The plant will let you know if it is affected by a disease. Sometimes the leaves change color, wither or become stained. The stem turns black and weakens. To know why seedlings die, you need to familiarize yourself with the main infections and how to treat them.
Blackleg
Root rot is one of the most common fungal diseases that attack seedlings. First of all, the root system of the plant is affected: lateral roots, root collars, shoots. Signs of the development of the disease can be seen from the state of the stem: it noticeably becomes thinner, darkens and begins to "lie down". Cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers suffer from black leg.
There are three reasons for the development of this disease:
- Excessive care of seedlings: abundant watering and too high a temperature in the room.
- Sowing seeds in poor quality contaminated soil.
Ways to fight:
To prevent the development of fungi, you need to monitor the level of humidity and temperature. Sowing must be done only in a special soil mixture or disinfected soil... When diving, do not plant the shoots too close. If you find an infected bush, remove it and two adjacent shoots. The place where the affected plant grew, disinfect with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After each watering, sprinkle a thin layer of disinfected sand on the soil.
Root rot
Root rot enters the plant through the root system and cracks in the bark. At the initial stage of the disease, the stem becomes thinner and decays. The root collar darkens (turns brown), becomes thinner and weaker. A clear line (constriction) appears at the base of the stem, separating the healthy and diseased part of the plant. Over time, root disease will affect the aboveground part of the plant. The leaves are deformed and wilted. The infected bush is unlikely to be saved. The main thing is to stop the spread of the disease in time.
The reasons:
- Sowing infected seeds.
- Excess moisture and fertilizer.
- Poor quality soil.
Ways to fight:
Before planting, it is advisable to disinfect the seeds and ignite the soil. If you are able to detect the disease at an early stage, sprinkle the soil at the base with humus, calcined sand, or crushed chalk. This can be done with the help of special agents ("Fundazola" or copper-containing fungicides). If the plant leaves turn yellow and curl, it must be removed.
Council. Disinfect the soil at the site of the removed plant with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Gray rot
The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Botrytis. It affects vegetable crops. In this case, both the root system and the aerial part of the plant suffer. The leaves and stems of plants become overgrown with a light gray or white bloom, curl up and fall off. In case of insufficiently high temperature and high humidity, infection of neighboring plants occurs very quickly. The fruits of the affected vegetable crops will be shriveled and covered with a light gray-green bloom.
The reasons:
- Sowing seeds too early, non-compliance with temperature conditions, arrangement of boxes with seedlings on a windowsill with a transparent window.
- Frequent and excessive watering.
- Sowing in poor quality contaminated soil.
Ways to fight
A special solution is used to save seedlings. It can be made from soap and copper-containing fungicides (copper sulfate). A good folk remedy is an infusion of garlic.One head is pounded, poured with a liter of water and insisted for at least 3 days. If you notice that the disease is spreading (the leaves dry and curl), the infected bushes must be removed immediately.
Oversporosis
The causative agent of the disease is a false mildew fungus. The disease is most susceptible to cabbage seedlings. A dense white layer of plaque that appears on the stem and leaves indicates that plants are affected by powdery mildew. After a while, the leaves curl, deform and fall off. The stem becomes thinner and decays.
Causes of the disease:
- Initially infested seeds.
- Lack of sunlight.
- Air humidity is too high.
- Low temperature (up to 14 degrees).
Ways to fight:
To prevent the development of seedling disease, you need to disinfect the seeds before sowing. This can be done by soaking in a solution of zinc sulfate. If the disease manifests itself on growing seedlings, use Radifarm. It stimulates root development and protects the plant from disease. You can spray the plants with Fundazol every week until planting. How to prepare the solution is indicated on the package with the drug.
Southern late blight
The greatest danger of southern late blight is for tomatoes and peppers. If the seedlings began to develop slowly or even stopped growing, this may be a symptom of southern late blight. The lower leaves of the bush wither and fall off. Constrictions may appear on the stem (not only at the base, but anywhere). In its place, over time, a breakdown occurs.
Causes of the disease:
- Infected soil (dormant pores of the fungus can stay in the soil for a long time).
- High humidity (up to 95%).
Ways to fight:
Prevention of seedling disease development - soil disinfection (calcination). It is better to use a special mixture that guarantees the absence of fungi and infections. If the disease has nevertheless penetrated the seedling boxes, you need to be very careful. The infected bush must be removed as early as possible.
Neighboring bushes must be earthed (loosen the ground near the stem). The humidity in the room must be reduced (maximum 70%). Until the moment of planting in open ground, do not apply fertilizers and mineral feed.
Phomoz (dry rot)
White cabbage seedlings most often suffer from phomosis. Phomosis is characterized by the appearance of white or grayish spots with small dark dots inside. Pale spots are located on the leaf blade, stem and future fruits. The leaves curl, the stem dries up and may break over time. There is only one reason for the development of the disease - infected seeds.
Ways to fight:
For prevention, cabbage seeds must be disinfected. It is better to do this with potassium permanganate. Some gardeners do not pay attention to pale spots and plant infected seedlings in the ground. Over time, it noticeably lags behind in growth, the foliage turns purple or purple, the stem dries up and the bush dies. The affected bushes must be detected immediately and removed from the pot. If an infected bush gets into the soil, cabbage cannot be planted in this place for 4-5 years.
The listed diseases can be the reason why seedlings fall. These are not all diseases that lie in wait for gardeners and gardeners. Sometimes foliage turns purple or brown, indicating a lack of specific minerals. It happens that the leaves curl due to too high temperature or lack of moisture. Growing seedlings is a responsible process that requires experience and knowledge.
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