Indoor lemons are not exotic for a long time. Very unpretentious in care, they delight not only with year-round greenery, but also from time to time with real fruits.

A spider mite on a lemon does not reveal itself immediately. Tiny, no more than a millimeter in length, the insect gives itself away, leaving traces of vital activity - a thin cobweb on the foliage and trunks of plants. The most favorite habitats are the underside of the leaves. The pest itself is red, and its larvae are green.

Harm indoor lemons and he and others bring essential - they feed on the juice of the plant. As a result, citrus experiences a lack of fluid and minerals, the foliage begins to turn yellow and fall off. Given how quickly the pest multiplies, you can lose not only your favorite lemon, but also others. houseplants: The mite infects neighboring flowers fairly quickly.

How to get rid of spider mites

As soon as a spider mite is found on a lemon, control measures should be taken immediately.

Chemicals

There are a lot of insecticidal preparations against domestic pests of citrus. In any department for flower growers, they can offer a huge amount.

Which one to give preference to?

The following "chemicals" are the most popular:

• Demitan. Means with phenazakhine as an active substance of contact action, retaining protective properties for up to 2 months. Demitan is inhalation toxic. That is why the treatment is carried out, observing safety precautions and using personal protective equipment (respirator and gloves). Toxic to fish, slightly toxic to warm-blooded animals;
• . The solution for spraying is prepared in proportions: for each liter of water - a milliliter of the drug. Actellik kills not only ticks, but aphids;
• . A low-toxic agent, effective not only against ticks, but also against a number of other domestic pests on flowers. Processing is carried out several times at intervals of 3-4 days.

Folk methods

Chemical preparations allow you to quickly defeat pests on lemons. But if the tree is fruitful, if there are fruits on it, such processing can be dangerous. If a spider mite appeared on a lemon, how to deal with folk remedies?

When a spider mite appears on a lemon, how to get rid of it without treatment? Insect does not like high humidity, and if you move the plant to a cooler and less dry place, regularly water and spray with water, the pest will disappear by itself.

Conclusion

Very often a spider mite appears on a room lemon, not all flower growers know how to deal with it. But the belief that the fight against this pest is incredibly difficult is erroneous. It is quite possible to get rid of a tick, the main thing is to choose the right method.

Caring for indoor plants requires a lot of effort and patience, because they, like garden plants, are susceptible to attack by pests and all kinds of diseases. To get rid of insects quickly and reliably, you need to know which drugs to use in each individual case.

A homemade lemon can become a victim of any insects, however, such pests most often attack it:

• scale insects are sedentary pests that stick to the leaves of the plant with the help of wax produced. Over time, the entire surface of the lemon will become sticky, after which the leaves turn yellow and actively fall out;
• spider mites - the onset of infection of a plant can be determined by the appearance of brownish spots on the sheets. Over time, the leaves become covered with cobwebs, along which small red dots move - this is the spider mite;
• aphids - yellow-green insects are not very visible on the surface of the trunk, so it is rather difficult to notice them at an early stage of appearance. Very quickly, their numbers increase, occupying not only the trunk, but also the leaves on the lemon.

For each individual case, certain preparations should be used, since some insects are immune to chemically active components. Ideally, you need to prevent the appearance of insects and regularly monitor the hygiene of the plant.

Lemon aphid, actively breeding, is clearly visible on the young shoots of the tree, numerous insects are located along the entire surface of the stem. Adult insects can be from 1 to 3 mm in size and have a yellow-green color, while the larvae are almost transparent and much smaller.

Aphids enter the apartment through open windows and doors, and can also go to the lemon from the flower bouquet, so you should not put flowers and other indoor plants near the lemon tree.

If a tree grows under the window or a flower garden is located (which is often typical for the lower floors), then you should not put a lemon near the windowsill. Pests quickly move into the apartment through an open window, and some small insects able to penetrate inside through minimal cracks and holes.

Citrus trees are the most susceptible to pest attack, as their attractive sweet aroma attracts all insects like a magnet. Since the attacks of uninvited guests cannot be avoided, the easiest way is to prevent their occurrence.

• First, regularly (3-4 times a month) refreshing procedures should be arranged for the tree and its leaves and branches should be washed on both sides under a warm shower. During bathing, the soil should be isolated by covering it with a plastic bag.
• Secondly, when acquiring new indoor plants, at first they should be isolated from the lemon, since the pests present there can very quickly attack the citrus tree.
• Thirdly, it is advisable to arrange a daily routine inspection of the lemon, since, having noticed the appearance of insects at an early stage, it will be much easier to get rid of them.

If aphids have already attacked your tree, you can get rid of pests in the following ways:

• with a slight spread of pests, a solution of green or ordinary laundry soap will help, with which all the leaves and stem of the tree should be washed. After 4-5 days, the procedure should be repeated, usually two times is enough to get rid of aphids for a long time;
• in the fight against aphids, tincture of herbal preparations will help. You can use a decoction of nettle or wormwood - 2 tablespoons of dry collection are infused in a glass of boiling water for 12 hours, after which they are filtered and the damaged leaves are treated with the resulting solution. The elixir of propolis has a destructive effect against aphids, the easiest way is to take a pharmacy solution and dilute it with boiled water in a ratio of 5:20 (tablespoons are taken into account, this amount is enough to process a small tree);
• a solution of tobacco dust infused with boiling water with the addition of laundry soap shavings helps eliminate existing pests and prevent the emergence of new ones. The plant is sprayed with this composition every other day for a week, after which the procedure is repeated after 5-7 days;
• garlic water is also effective in controlling the spread of aphids. The head of garlic should be rubbed through a meat grinder or grater, put the gruel in a glass hot water and insist in a dark place for 48 hours. Spray according to the previous scheme;
• the simplest and effective method get rid of aphids lemon tree- subject the plant to treatment with dichlorvos. To do this, the tree is placed in a hermetically sealed plastic bag, where cotton wool moistened with dichlorvos is first placed. The plant is left in this position for 4-5 hours, after which the leaves should be washed with clean warm water. If necessary, the procedure can be repeated after a week.

If homemade recipes do not help in pest control, you should resort to insecticides that are sold in hardware stores, or call professional gardeners for help.

Serious danger to indoor citrus plants may represent the emergence and rapid spread of pests.

They enter the house along with new seedlings or on bouquets of flowers, enter the apartment through the open windows.

There are several pests that can be attributed to the most common.

Mealybug

The body length of an adult is from 3 to 6 mm. When citrus fruits are affected by this pest, a white coating appears on the leaves.

citrus nematode

The nematode is a small worm about 300–100 microns long. This pest inhabits root system plants and feeds on its juices. If you dig an infected tree out of the ground, you can see growths and swellings in which the nematode lives.

As a result of the feeding of the pest, the plant dries out, and then the leaves begin to fall.

Ways to fight:

• the use of chemicals: to prevent infection with a nematode, a contact poison containing verkema-ruscamine can be added to the soil;
• heat treatment of the roots: the infected tree must be removed from the soil, immersed in water heated to 50 ° C, and planted in fresh soil (when heated to 40 ° C, the nematode dies).

Regular inspection of plants will allow you to notice the first signs of pests in time and take timely measures to avoid the harm that they can cause to citrus shrubs and trees.

whitefly- It is not difficult to detect a pest: one has only to touch a leaf, as whiteflies immediately fly up and fly to other leaves (plants).

In the places of damage caused by individual individuals, faintly noticeable small yellowish spots are formed, but during mass reproduction, the whitefly strongly inhibits the lemon, which affects the vegetative and generative development: leaves turn yellow and fall off, shoots dry out, fewer fruits are formed.

If there are many pests, then they pollute the leaves with their sugary secretions, on which, in turn, sooty fungi settle, hindering the processes of photosynthesis and respiration, which inhibits the normal development of plants.

Aphids- With the help of a proboscis, aphids suck juices from the tissues of leaves, stems, buds. Damaged leaves curl, deform, partially or completely die off, buds do not bloom or give ugly flowers. The ends of the shoots can be bent, and with a strong defeat they stop growing.

Prevention.

thrips- small mobile insects with an elongated body (0.9-1.5 mm long) of dark brown color, with two pairs of membranous wings bordered with long hairs. The pest lays eggs in the leaf tissue, after 8-10 days light yellow larvae emerge, which damage the leaves by sucking the juice. As a result, the top side leaf blade acquires a silvery sheen, physiological processes are disturbed, the plant loses its decorative effect. In severe infestation, the leaves become discolored and fall off. On lemon x and other citrus crops in rooms, greenhouse and tobacco thrips are most common.

Control measures are the same as against spider mite.

- Adult insects and larvae harm indoor lemons. Pests prefer young, recently appeared fruits, therefore, from the moment the ovaries appear, the worms immediately seek to populate them, accumulating and creating colonies on the amniotic calyx, on the peduncle, mainly on those parts that are turned inside the plant. Often, the worms destroy the cells of the stalk with numerous punctures, as a result of which they dry out and the fruits fall off. In places where insects accumulate, the peel of lemons is deformed, cracked, and the fruits rot, and the preserved ones lose their commercial qualities (yellow-brown spots appear on them).

In the absence of fruits, the pest settles on buds, young leaves and shoots, as a result of which the leaves become chlorotic, normal development is disturbed, the tree noticeably weakens and may dry out.

Against pests, the same measures are used as against spider mites or aphids.

- immobile insects, most often affect weakened plants. Pests from the surface are covered with dense waxy secretions and resemble scales of various shapes. The first sign of the appearance of scale insects and false scale insects is the appearance of a sticky sweet liquid on the leaves, on which soot fungi subsequently develop.

Control measures- manual collection, chemical and other available means.

For potted lemons, a certain danger can be earthworms that fall into the container with fresh soil mix.

You can see them after watering, when they crawl out to the surface of the earth. They penetrate the soil with their moves: lemon roots, in contact with air, quickly become covered with a cork layer and can no longer absorb water and nutrients. The most sensitive to the activity of worms are young plants with an insufficiently developed root system.

Speaking of lemon pests, it is worth mentioning podura and sciarids.

Podura- small white jumping insects that live in top layer soil, sciarids- mosquitoes (about 1 mm long). They usually do not cause much damage to adult plants, their appearance usually indicates that the soil is waterlogged and plant residues rot in it.

However, the larvae of these insects can pose a serious threat to germinating seeds and developing seedlings as they feed on growing roots. In this case, young leaves quickly turn yellow and dry out, and then the plants themselves die.

You can also pour a layer of sand 2-3 cm on top of a layer of earth into a pot.

Many failures of beginner citrus growers are often associated with the appearance of various pests on plants. Fighting them is the key to saving the plant. But it is better to take preventive measures. Excessively dry air, year-round positive temperature on the windowsill, excessive crowding of plants, dust on leaves and twigs - these are the conditions that contribute to the spread of pests, and in general are detrimental to citrus fruits. Not only regular spraying is considered a good protective measure, but also weekly bathing in the bath: a strong shower washes the crown and especially the leaves on both sides. To prevent nutrients from being washed out of the ground, the jar must be covered on top with polyethylene or cardboard. It is also advisable to gently wipe the leaves at least once every 1–2 months, especially from below, with a sponge, soft cloth or cotton swab dipped in a weak solution of green soap. Only the ground should be securely covered from penetration there soap solution. To do this, the stem is tied from below several times with a bandage. The treated plants are then rinsed with water. After the "bath" they look fresh, neat.

Such hygiene largely protects citrus fruits from pests, reduces the possibility of their settlement on plants to a minimum, but, of course, does not completely exclude it.

Where do pests come from? Most often, we bring them ourselves along with a new one bought in a store. indoor flower without noticing the affected leaves on it. Therefore, the green “new settler” must be carefully examined and thoroughly washed with soap, and then also with a strong shower jet. It is better to put the "newcomer" not to the "old-timers", but to another room, as if in quarantine. If nothing is found on the new plant within a month and a half, it can be considered harmless.

Another way for pests to enter the room is with a bouquet of flowers, which, sadly, very often become a source of spread for spider mites. Therefore, when you bring a bouquet into your home, wash it first in the bath and put a vase of flowers in a room where there are no citrus fruits. Pests can enter the windowsill and through an open window, a window if you live on the first floor. Possible places of their access must be tightened with gauze or a fine mesh.

It is important to anticipate the danger of pests for indoor citrus fruits in advance. Here, the analogy with the garden and vegetable garden is inappropriate, where the invasion of pests, as a rule, does not have such disastrous consequences: the presence of a small number of damaged branches does not pose a danger to the life of trees. And fight pests in open field much easier. Their natural enemies help – birds, predatory insects: ladybugs, ground beetles and other entomophages. The natural death of pests is facilitated by the change of seasons: cold winter, annual leaf fall. A different situation in the room: year-round "summer", alas, favors the almost continuous reproduction of plant enemies.

It may be objected to me that this is the situation both in the greenhouse and in the greenhouse. However, there is a difference. The greenhouses have high air humidity, and plant protection is organized at a professional level: repeated treatments and sprayings are carried out with potent pesticides, many of which are room conditions dangerous to health. By the way, with the inept use of almost any chemical preparation, you can "burn" the plant.

Some lovers, noticing insects, simply pluck the leaves. But, as a rule, this does not get rid of pests, and causes significant damage to citrus fruits. What is the way out? It is necessary to regularly check all the branches and leaves indoor trees and in time to notice the first signs of their defeat, and the pests themselves, although at first there are few of them. And, of course, it is necessary to “know the enemy by sight”, that is, learn to recognize the most common ones. So, get acquainted.

Ticks

On plantations in our subtropics, citrus fruits are very often affected by two types of mites - red and silver. However, in middle lane and in the north, in room conditions, spider mites most often “rob” them. They usually migrate to home citrus fruits from vegetable and flower plants(especially pumpkin - cucumbers, zucchini, and roses). It is more difficult for novice amateurs to detect them on plants from the first days of their appearance than other pests. They are very small. An adult female tick is 0.7 millimeters long, and the male is even smaller - 0.3 millimeters. And yet, those who have keen eyes and often examine all the branches of their plants, usually without magnifying glass notice unwanted lodgers appearing on the underside of leaves and shoots. Outwardly, they are somewhat similar to ordinary spiders, only tiny. True, entomologists emphasize the fundamental difference between them in a number of ways. Ticks do not belong to insects, but to an independent detachment of arachnids. Ticks are distinguished by the presence of four pairs of legs. And what more! Ticks touch and “sniff” them, since it is here that their organs of smell are located. Sticky hairs and claw-like formations at the top of the legs provide them with exceptional tenacity, thanks to which they hold well on smooth citrus leaves, and also successfully "catapult" on their own web inside the crown of the plant. Their color gives out - brownish with a yellow or reddish tint, they stand out in contrast on a green leaf. A little disturbed, they begin to move quickly along it and thereby give themselves away.

At first, the spider mite damages the unripe shoots and young leaves, but then it takes on the rest, settling on their lower, “back” side along the vein. Damaged twigs are tightened by ticks with a thin cobweb, under the protection of which they live and reproduce incredibly quickly (only ten or more generations develop during the summer, and each female lays an average of 150 eggs at a time). By this web, braiding young shoots, even a novice citrus grower can recognize a pest. The results of the "black" case of ticks and their numerous larvae are striking almost immediately: the surface damaged leaves covered with individual yellow-white dots and specks formed from injections and sucking out cell sap, gradually becoming completely like a marble. If ticks are not destroyed in time, then all the leaves will turn yellow and curl, and later dry out and fall off. The pests themselves move to other plants.

Coccids (scale insects and false scale insects, worms) the most common and dangerous enemies of citrus fruits, which are more difficult to deal with than with other "predators", since their body is covered with a kind of "armor" - a wax cover of a cone-shaped convex shape. It is these shields that serve as reliable protection against many drugs. One consolation: on the plant, they stand out in color (brownish, grayish-violet or close to this shade) and in size, sometimes reaching 5 millimeters. Adult insects are immobile. They stick tightly to the shoots, leaves and fruits of plants, and suck the juice from them, releasing thick-sweet sticky substances, often “stained” with black sooty mushroom plaque.

Experts advise fighting coccids in the larval stage, when they are still without scutes and in a mobile state. However, at this moment it is difficult for amateur citrus growers to detect them: unlike adult insects, these are very small and almost invisible against the background of leaves. Sometimes false shields give 2-3 generations. If you do not systematically fight them, then the trees grow slowly, wither, the leaves fall prematurely, and the plants often die. Initial infection usually occurs through pest-infested seedlings.

Aphids

Well distinguishable wingless small insects with an ovoid soft body ranging in size from 1 to 3 millimeters, yellow-green in color. During the warm season they give 14–20 generations. Multiple yellowish larvae are winged. Settling in large colonies on young leaves, shoots and buds, they literally stick around them, methodically sucking out the juices of plants. As a result, the leaves are deformed, stop growing. Citruses are strongly oppressed. Sticky secretions of the pest pollute the leaves, prevent them from breathing normally, disrupt their nutrition, photosynthesis.

This pest usually enters our window sills through open windows from the nearest fruit trees. In general, the greenish aphid, which, unfortunately, is too often found in gardens in summer, is known to many, so there is no need to dwell on its description in more detail.

Now about how to deal with the insidious enemies of our friends. Fighting them is not always easy and effective. Of course, today, thanks to a huge arsenal of various plant protection products, the complete elimination of the initial focus of some pests (for example, aphids) can be achieved after just two or three sprays. But for inexperienced amateurs, pest control can be lengthy and difficult. I'm not afraid to repeat myself: victory depends on the daily attention and vigilance of the citrus grower, the timely destruction of even single pests. No less helpful, as we have already said, is the preventive treatment of plants with a solution of green soap, or even just any washing powder.

At home chemicals are used last. First of all, you need to try practically harmless means of protection: oil and soap-oil emulsions, a strong solution of potassium permanganate, an infusion of various herbs. It is better not to spray the plants, but to carefully wipe all the leaves on both sides and the shoots with a sponge, soft toothbrush, brush or cotton swab dipped in soapy foam. Repeat the procedure several times at weekly intervals. If this does not help, it is necessary to wipe the plant with a soap-oil emulsion, which is a fairly effective remedy. The recipe is simple: in a liter of warm water, thoroughly mix one tablespoon of any soap powder and half a spoon of household machine, transformer or burdock oil. It is necessary to wipe absolutely the entire plant, without missing a single section of leaves and twigs, and then thoroughly rinse the citrus fruits with water in the shower (do not forget the back of the leaves). The operation is repeated several times with an interval of 7-10 days.

Against shields and false shields, it is similarly recommended to use light transformer oil (with and without soap), a soap-kerosene emulsion (5 grams of laundry soap or washing powder and 10 grams of kerosene per 1 liter of warm water), as well as a solution of pine extract for baths " Emerald "(2 tablespoons are well dissolved in a half-liter jar of warm water, add a little soap or washing powder).

Some hobbyists have successfully used a weak solution of the new foam detergent"Dione". The treatment of plants with a copper soap solution also helps: 25 grams of copper sulfate and 75 grams of washing powder (or 200 grams of laundry soap) are thoroughly mixed in 10 liters of water. You can dilute 200 grams of soap and 20 grams of mustard powder in 9 liters of water, then, with constant stirring, pour a solution of copper sulfate into the mixture in a thin stream - 20 grams per 1 liter of water. It turns out 10 liters of finished copper soap liquid.

Another easy way to try is to thoroughly scrub the plants with a soft brush or sponge dipped in a mild vinegar solution. Treatment with turpentine vapor is effective: the inner surface of an ordinary tin bucket is smeared with turpentine, the affected plant is covered with this bucket and kept there for several hours. After such a "gas chamber" citruses are washed under the shower with warm water.

In case of severe infection with scale insects, citrus growers of Nizhny Novgorod repeatedly spray the plants with a composition prepared according to an old recipe: 20–25 grams of 1.5% tobacco extract, 45 grams of green soap and 40 grams of denatured alcohol per 1 liter of water (first in half-filled hot water soap is dissolved in a liter jar, then alcohol and extract are poured in, then another half liter of water is added). In the club "Citrus" (Ust-Kamenogorsk city) they learned how to get rid of scale insects with the help of a pasty detergent "Surprise". It is not diluted in water, they simply wipe all parts of the plant with it using a toothbrush. The paste applied to the leaves and twigs is left for one hour. And after that, the crown of the tree is thoroughly washed with water, tilting the pot on its side (the earth is securely covered with a film, the trunk below must be wrapped with a bandage). After a few days, the procedure is repeated. When aphids appear, citrus fruits are sprayed with a solution of tar soap (10 grams per 1 liter of water) or a settled and filtered decoction of wood ash, prepared as follows; 300 grams of sifted ash is poured with boiling water and put on fire for 30 minutes. Before use, add up to 10 liters of water. Ticks and aphids will be completely destroyed by 3-4 sprays with a strong solution of ordinary edible salt (80 grams per 1 liter of warm water). For preventive treatments, and also, if the number of pests is small, you can replace the "chemistry" with insecticide plants - after all, many amateurs use them to fight against pests even in gardens and orchards. Home plants have to be processed repeatedly with infusions and decoctions from various herbs, each time preparing them anew (we remind you that dry plants require half as many as fresh ones). It is advisable to add washing powder, green or laundry soap to the solutions (40 grams per 10 liters of water).

Here are a few recipes for preparing decoctions that suppress the development of aphids and, to a lesser extent, mites.

Hot chilli pepper. 100 grams of crushed fruits are boiled in a liter of water for at least an hour in a closed enameled bowl. The broth is insisted for two days, then the pods are rubbed in it, and the resulting concentrate is filtered. Dilute tenfold with water before spraying.

Needles of annual growth of pine, spruce. 200 grams of needles are poured into three glasses of rain water and infused for a week in a dark place, stirring daily, then the infusion is drained. Dilute tenfold with water before spraying.

Dry mustard. 60 grams of powder is poured into 1 liter of water and infused for three days in a tightly closed container. After diluting the infusion with three liters of water, the plants are sprayed.

Yarrow. 80 grams of dry grass is brewed with boiling water, after 30 minutes, topped up with water to 1 liter and insisted for two days.

Other plants help to fight spider mites and at the same time with aphids.

Onion. 100 grams of husks are poured with five liters of water and insisted for two days.

Garlic. 50 grams of teeth passed through a meat grinder (or finely chopped and pounded) are poured with hot water in a three-liter jar and infused for 5 days in the dark. Then they filter. To each 50 grams of infusion add the same amount of soap and dilute with 10 liters of water. You can also pour 100 grams of well-ground garlic cloves along with arrows and leaves with hot water in an enameled bucket and let it brew for 12 hours. After straining, the infusion is ready.

Garlic, onion peel, tobacco. Take 200 grams of each of the components and boil the mixture for a long time in a large pot of water. The broth is cooled and the capacity is topped up to 10 liters.

horse sorrel. 300 grams of crushed roots are immersed in 10 liters of water and boiled for 2-3 hours, then filtered and used immediately.

Dandelion and horse sorrel. 300 grams of crushed dandelion roots (400 grams of dandelion leaves can be used) or sorrel are infused for 3 hours in 10 liters of hot water, filtered and used immediately.

potato tops. The decoction is prepared similarly to the previous one. For 10 liters of water, take 1.5 kilograms of green tops, dried - half as much.

tomato tops. 500 grams of chopped green or 250 grams of dry tops are boiled in 1 liter of water for at least 30 minutes. The broth is defended and filtered, diluted three times with water before spraying.

Pharmaceutical camomile. 100 grams of leaves and flowers are infused in 1 liter of hot water for 12 hours. After straining, dilute with water in a ratio of 1:3.

Henbane black. 200 grams of vershoks flowering plants insist in water for 12 hours or boil for 2-3 hours in a small amount of water, then add up to 1 liter, filter - and the infusion is ready.

Celandine (during flowering). 300-400 grams of crushed mass are infused in 1 liter of hot water for a day and a half.

citrus peels. 100 grams of dry crusts are poured with a liter of warm water and infused for 3 days in the dark. The list of helper plants can include, for example, leaves walnut, marigolds, dope, feverfew and dozens of others, from which it is easy to prepare various decoctions and infusions that are quite effective in the fight against dangerous pests. However, keep in mind that only repeated spraying with extracts from the listed plants leads to the desired result. To achieve the greatest effect, their concentration is increased. Sometimes gardeners find effective insecticide plants in the area where they live. So, Dagestan lovers were convinced of the exceptionally good effect of leafless anabis (Harberry) - high perennial plant with small whitish-pink flowers, common in saline or saline lands. The recipe is as follows: half a bucket is filled with dried chopped grass, and then poured to the top with boiling water and infused for 36 hours. The resulting infusion is successfully used in the fight against all sucking pests.

I would like to highlight such a proven method of protection against aphids and mites as spraying with tobacco decoction. How to prepare it: 40 grams of dry tobacco leaves or shag insist 24 hours in 1 liter of water, boil for at least an hour, cool, and then add another 1 liter of water. Before spraying, a little washing powder or soap is added to the decoction.

By the way, in the manual "Indoor gardening", published in the last century, tobacco is called the best remedy to control the pests of our green wards. The author of the book advises not only to spray and sponge the affected plants, but also to bathe their crown in a bucket of tobacco infusion. The following recipe is also proposed: in the evening, infected plants are brought into a closed small room and an iron pan with smoldering coals is placed on which a handful of tobacco leaves are placed. As a result, dense tobacco smoke kills all insects on plants in a few hours. True, it is emphasized: the plants themselves suffer from thick smoke, so immediately after processing they must be exposed to fresh air. In the already mentioned pre-revolutionary manual of N. N. Shavrov, the following recipe is given: “4 pounds of leafy shag boil well three times in 1/5 bucket of water, occasionally stirring with a wooden stick. When the broth has cooled, it is filtered through the muslin, squeezed well and so much water is added to it so that the liquid is light brown in color. A woolen cloth is dipped into this decoction and the plants are thoroughly washed. Sulfur-lime decoction is also prepared against ticks: 100 grams of lime and 200 grams of ground sulfur are taken for 1.5 liters of water. All mix well and boil for about an hour on low heat. The finished broth, which has the color of iodine, is cooled, poured into a sealed container. Before spraying, one part of the decoction is diluted with 15–20 parts of water.

And only with a strong infection of citruses with extreme caution and compliance with the attached instructions, it is necessary to use pesticides. For this, it is better to take the plant out when there is no wind, to the street or balcony, protecting yourself from the toxic effect of the poison with rubber gloves and special protective equipment (in their absence, the nose and mouth are covered with a four-layer gauze bandage).

From ticks, for example, a new drug saves - a 35% paste based on colloidal sulfur - "sulfaride". Three to five times treatment (10 grams per liter of water) helps to completely get rid of spider mites.

It is no coincidence that we are talking about the need for several, with a weekly interval, treatments. Each of them destroys a certain part of adult insects and often turns out to be harmless to previously laid eggs. Subsequent treatments gradually “finish off” the remaining adult insects and their offspring.

It is recommended to alternate several preparations to avoid pests getting used to them. Once again, you need to pay attention to the concentration of pesticides: too weak - little perceptible to insects, and too strong, as already mentioned, causes a burn, sometimes complete death of citrus fruits (in some varieties and plants, especially young shoots, there may be an individual, increased him sensitivity).

Therefore, before spraying the whole plant, the effect of the drug is first tested on one branch or even on individual leaves. Full spraying is carried out in a day by two, making sure that there are no traces of burns, and the pests are affected.

A little about the underground "cohabitants" of citrus fruits.

Podura- small jumping "fleas" of a whitish color. They do little harm to citrus fruits, but still, to some extent, they eat the aerial parts of plants at the root neck. The appearance of undergrowth is a consequence of excessive watering. Therefore, as a control measure, periodically dry the surface of the soil in a pot, sprinkle it on top with tobacco dust, wood ash, or powdered dry pyrethrum leaves.

earthworms

Many mistakenly believe that they eat the roots of plants, but this is not at all the case. Worms feed on unrotted plant residues and contribute to their transformation into organic substances digestible by citrus fruits. That is, they practically enrich the soil, loosen it, making numerous moves in an earthen coma (which is especially important in plastic pots). Thus, “cohabitation” with earthworms for citrus fruits brings nothing but good, so never throw them away when transplanting.

Approximately the same purpose as earthworms is performed by small, almost colorless worms. Novice hobbyists sometimes confuse these worms with nematodes that are really detrimental to plants. But the latter are very small and indistinguishable to the eye and are found only by peculiar swellings on the roots. Measures to combat nematodes: careful removal of affected roots, complete transplantation into fresh soil, as well as watering with infusion of tobacco or shag.

The fight against gommosis comes down to the elimination of the causes that cause it: it correct transplant, normalization of nutrition. The wound must be cleaned to a healthy place, disinfected with a 3% solution of copper sulfate or potassium permanganate, and coated with garden pitch. Spotting in the form of brown spots on citrus leaves is sometimes caused by microscopic fungi. The fight against them comes down to spraying diseased plants with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.

Based on the experience of many thousands of citrus growers, I want to warn you: the most difficult thing is to get rid of false shields. In my memory, they ruined many collections of citrus fruits, the owners of which, of course, did not sit idly by, and sometimes wiped the leaves with different compositions almost to the holes. Alas, potassium permanganate and herbal infusions do not help much here - hundreds of young (inconspicuous) false shields firmly stick to all branches and leaves at once (adult insects pretend to be dark brown shields - "turtles"), and, in addition, whole hordes of larvae - "tramps" ”, almost invisible to the eye, quickly spread along the canopy of trees that are next to the infected. Initially, false shields fall into our indoor garden exclusively by oversight - along with new plants, especially often with seedlings and cuttings brought from the subtropics or taken from greenhouses.

A competent fight against coccids must begin from the very first day of detection of motionless "turtles" and their sticky transparent secretions on the leaves (the latter appear even on glass and windowsills). Unfortunately, in many "academic" manuals, amateurs are sometimes recommended pesticides such as the rotor, Bi-58, Acteilik, and others that are rarely available in retail. Yes, they are not obligatory - it is more rational to use at first the experience of amateurs, which has already been described. In any case, coniferous extract "Emerald" (I myself most often use it) and various washing pastes are always preferable if there are children in the apartment. And yet the most effective remedy from false shields at home - karbofos (3-9 grams per 1 liter of water - the exact dosage is indicated on the label). Four times, with a weekly interval, simultaneous thorough spraying of the crown from two opposite sides of all plants standing on the windowsill helps to completely get rid of extremely sticky insects, and at the same time from ticks and aphids. The drug, unfortunately, smells bad, and yet it is necessary to carry out a full - namely four times - course of "treatment". It is more expedient to do this, of course, on the street in the warm season (during the next treatment, 75 percent of the total number of insects on plants die). I advise you to completely get rid of such "roommates" even on small citrus fruits. When they grow and their leaf surface increases, it becomes more difficult to fight pests, not to mention the fact that the plants then will not develop normally.

Conclusion

And in conclusion, I will warn you again: in the fight against any pests, at least three treatments with a short (weekly) interval are necessary. In any case, single sprayings are, as a rule, useless.