Leaves are sticky odorous bell flowers. Common Houseplant Diseases: Sticky Leaves
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Yulia Pyatkova 8.04.2014 | 10038
If you find round specks or a shiny and sticky coating on the leaves of a plant, it means that a scabbard has settled on it. These insects are among the most dangerous enemies of indoor flowers, because they are very difficult to get rid of. But there is still a way out.
The main difficulty with these insects is that the male scale insects have wings, thanks to which they can move to other plants. In addition, they are not always noticed at an early stage of damage.
Signs of plant damage with a scabbard
An adult scale insect can be seen with the naked eye. Inspect your flowers more often for the appearance of intruders on them - this is the most The best way prevention. Scabbards are similar to aphids, but, unlike her, have a rounded shell.
Sometimes light or dark rounded scales appear on the leaves, which are very difficult to move away from the leaf - these are scutes. Most of all, insects like to be located at the bottom of the leaf.
If the grower did not notice the pest, sooner or later he himself will make itself felt. Over time, honeydew forms on the leaves - a sticky liquid that insects secrete. Sometimes there is so much of it that it begins to flow down the leaves (especially a lot of it is formed on lemon). This is a very bad sign.
Settling on flowers, the scabbard sucks out all the juices from them, as a result of which the leaves of the plants begin to fall off, and they may die. But do not worry, this pest can be dealt with at any stage of damage, although it is not easy.
Control measures
If you find a pest at the initial stage, then you can get rid of it with the help of insecticides. But if the plants are already affected by adults, then it will be more difficult to cope with them.
The scale insects (like their "sisters" false scale insects) are removed from the plants mechanically. Their collect by hand or with the help of improvised means, for example, cotton swabs, which can be moistened in an insecticide solution for the full effect. This is one of the most reliable ways to deal with the scabbard, but it requires a lot of patience from the grower. It should be remembered that insects multiply very quickly and become immobile when guarding their offspring. If in the process of cleaning the plant you miss at least one "speck", after a while everything will have to start over.
Scabbards do not like very much laundry soap- in the abundant foam, they suffocate and die. To prepare a soap solution, you need to dissolve 20 g of soap shavings in 1 liter of water and add 10 ml of alcohol to the mixture. With slight damage to plants, this procedure is carried out 1 time in 3-4 days (with strong damage, it is unlikely to help). After this, the plants should be well washed under the shower, and then removed from the pot. upper layer soil (because scale insects can also live in it). You can check whether this procedure will help the plant as follows: you need to apply the solution to several leaves of the flower and see if their condition changes in a few days.
There are also more radical ways of dealing with scabbards. For example, after mechanically getting rid of insects, the plant can treat with Aktara solution(especially with inner sides leaves) and repeat the procedure a week later. After a shower, the plant can process Fitoverm(3 times at intervals of a week). Before work, do not forget to isolate plants damaged by scabbards from the rest of the home flower garden.
Diseases indoor plants with sticky leaves immediately give out their cause and pathogen.
Reasons for the appearance of sticky plaque
A sticky leaf in any plant means that organic secretions are deposited on its surface. big amount carbohydrates.
In a healthy plant, this is possible only if something that adheres to the outer covers of the leaf has gotten onto the leaf blade from the outside. This happens rarely. And if all the leaves of a plant suddenly become covered with something sticky, these are signs of a pathology that develops so quickly that soon not only a few leaves and the whole plant are covered with a sticky mass, but also the nearest space around. This indicates the presence of a constant process of violation of the integrity of the leaf blade.
Possible consequences
This phenomenon has causes and consequences. The reasons are simple - microorganisms start on the plant that damage the leaves. As a result, juice flows from the wound of the leaf all the time.
Reaching a certain number, the pest forms a sticky cover on the leaves. Since he drinks the juice, his secretions are not only runny but sticky. As a result, the leaf is covered with a continuous layer of a mixture of its own juice with the secretions of organisms that eat it.
This process can have the following consequences.
- 1. The plant loses water and nutrients.
- 2. Fungi, bacteria, viruses can settle on permanent damage, which can cause a new disease.
- 3. The sticky cover clogs the stomata, making it difficult for respiration and water evaporation.
- 4. Since the plant is not provided with sufficient oxygen and carbon dioxide, the formation of organic matter in the process of photosynthesis becomes unproductive. This leads to leaf loss and gradual wilting of the entire plant.
- 5. Closed with a sticky substance, the stomata cease to evaporate water. As a result, the movement of water from the root hairs to the leaves is slowed down. For this reason, the supply of minerals to the terrestrial organs of the plant also slows down. This is the reason for the deficiency of minerals. The intensity of bio and photosynthesis decreases. As a result, the plant ceases to bloom and bear fruit, gradually dying.
Thus, a sticky coating on the leaves of a plant is a signal of trouble. Who is the culprit of these troubles?
Organisms that damage the leaf blade
It is difficult to identify a pest that destroys a plant. These are mainly insects or mites, that is, multicellular organisms. However, they are so small that it is difficult to see them. In addition, only a specialist can determine the type.
And nevertheless, it is necessary to know the enemies of plants. Here is a rough list of them.
- 1. Spider mites are the most common pests of indoor plants. They are arachnids. Their presence is usually detected by indirect signs. Leaf stickiness is the first sign. Then subtle cobwebs appear. If the plant is in bloom, the cobweb will concentrate on the flowers. Chrysanthemums, citrus fruits, and roses suffer most from spider mites.
- 2. Scabbards, or false scutes, are small insects from the Hemiptera family. They got their name for the fact that they look as if they were covered from above with a dense protective shell, similar to a shield. Compared to the mite, they are quite large - they can be seen with the naked eye. They lead a sedentary lifestyle. If you try to remove them from the plant, you can feel resistance. The feeling of adhesion of the scabbard to the surface of the sheet is created. They usually concentrate near the veins or on a young shoot.
- 3. Aphids for indoor plants are not as popular as the previous ones. The reason is simple - these insects are larger, so people notice them faster and take action. However, they are colored to match the color of their food base, which reduces the likelihood of early detection. Infection with these insects occurs quickly. This is due to their ability to fly. If previous pests migrate through the soil, then these can fly to new plants.
- 4. Mealybugs are members of the same family as the scale insects. These worms are not worms at all. In size and lifestyle, they are more like aphids. A person who is not versed in the biology of invertebrates usually does not see the difference between aphids and a scale insect. However, there are some indirect signs. The accumulation of these small white insects creates a white bloom effect, as if the plant was sprinkled with flour.
- 5. Whiteflies are small white butterflies. They are usually concentrated on the underside of the leaf, since the cover is less hard there.
These butterflies lay their eggs where they feed. Translucent larvae emerge from the eggs, bite into leaves, move along their surface, leaving a layer of sticky sweet bloom. If the concentration of larvae is high, and the leaves are not processed, then the plaque turns from green to black. This is due to the fact that fungi begin to multiply in a sweet environment.
How to deal with the scourge?
If you find white dots, brown shields, cobwebs, sticky bloom on the plant, then you don't need to look for the culprits, because the control measures are the same. They boil down to the following actions:
- The detected pests can be removed. Wash the plant with a solution of laundry soap (72%). You can use special green soap.
In a soapy state, the plant can remain no longer than 24 hours. After that, the soap deposit must be washed off, since the soap prevents gas exchange between the plant and the atmosphere.
Repeat the procedure after 3 days.
- In some cases, soapy procedures do not help. Then you have to contact special drugs... Fitoverm belongs to such means. According to the instructions, it is used to treat indoor plants if they are affected by aphids, mites and thrips.
It is easy to use Fitoferm. It is necessary to dissolve the contents of the ampoule in water. Attention should be paid to the toxicity of the drug to humans, therefore, the treatment must be carried out with all precautions and outside the living quarters, since there will be an unpleasant odor.
After 7 days after the first treatment, the entire procedure must be repeated. This is due to the fact that most pests live in the soil, and this drug does not damage them, so the next generation appears.
After about 30 days, you will understand whether Fitoverm helped or not. If not, then it's time to take more radical action.
- The drug "Doctor" (thiamethoxam) in the form of briquettes. Distinctive feature this tool is the destruction of pests in the soil. For this, briquettes are introduced into the soil. There they gradually dissolve, killing larvae and adults - aphids, worms, scale insects, thrips, whiteflies.
- The entire series of "Commander" preparations has universal properties. They can be sprayed on crops growing in the open field, in pots on the windowsill. These are water-soluble crystals that are effective against aphids, whiteflies, thrips. The concentration of the solution must be selected for specific conditions in accordance with the instructions.
- Some people put a pot with an affected flower in a plastic bag and spray it inside with dichlorvos, then the bag is tightly closed for several hours.
This method can give its results, but dichlorvos is dangerous for people and can burn the plant, it acts for a short time, killing only active insects and ticks. The larvae remaining in the soil do not die.
There are many means and methods of plant pest control. The main thing is prevention. Be careful with your soil selection.
This amazing plant flowers are not needed at all, because nature has painted its velvety-sticky leaves so brightly and varied that you can organize a very beautiful flower bed from some Coleus different varieties... This is what many gardeners do today. And people involved in landscaping city streets, alleys, parks and gardens are very actively using the plant to make cities look smart and cheerful. The plant is unpretentious, willingly helps any novice grower to achieve good results.
Variegated sticky leaves
The genus Coleus or Nettle has more than 150 species perennial plants with decorative leaves, which are grown outdoors as annuals in areas with cold winters. The plant is called "nettle" for the similarity of its leaves to the leaves of our home-grown nettle.Plant species
Coleus Bluma(Coleus blumei) is the most common plant species with many garden forms. Its large, broadly oval leaves are arranged oppositely on tetrahedral erect stems. The surface of the leaves is velvety and bright. All the colors and shades of the heavenly rainbow were adopted in the coloring of the leaves. Here is white, and yellow, and orange, and green, and red, and brown... Sometimes the surface is replete with several shades, drawing patterns on the leaves, or the leaf has a green or golden-yellow border around the edge. But the flowering is inferior in its beauty to the leaves, representing a racemose inconspicuous inflorescence of small, white or blue, two-lipped flowers.
Coleus Vershaffelt(Coleus verschaffeltii) - has a velvety purplish red large leaves with a green border.
Growing
Indoor coleuses love lit places. And in the open field it is better to plant them in partial shade so that the brightness of their colorful leaves does not fade.The soils are preferably fertile, light, well-drained.
Plants are hygrophilous and require frequent and abundant watering in summer. The water should not be cold.
To obtain a plant with thicker foliage, the tops of the shoots are usually pinched. Flower buds in species with multi-colored leaves are removed, since they do not add decorativeness to the plant, and they take away the strength of the plant.
Propagated by seeds, sowing in January-February. Less commonly propagated by cuttings, which can be done throughout the summer. Particularly valuable species are usually cut in March-April.
Usage
Thanks to its colorful, elegant leaves, Coleus is considered one of the attractive plants for our homes. He brings joy and the triumph of the colors of life into the house. By choosing different varieties, you can harmoniously complement the interior of the room in the desired color scheme.
As an unpretentious annual, it is in demand in summer cottages as a border for flower beds, flower beds and garden paths. It may well become an independent decoration of a green lawn. Beautiful flower beds, made up of different varieties of plants, differing in color of the leaves.
Diseases and pests
Are attacked spider mite, thrips and gluttonous aphids. Conventional pest control.All scale insects have a pronounced sexual demorphism - males and females differ in structure, very often when describing a new species of scale insects, scientists give characteristics only to females, since it is the feeding females that are noticeable on the stems and leaves of plants, while males live very little, only before mating, then they die. In some species of male scale insects, very little is reflected - only 2-3%, it is difficult to detect them.
What does a shield look like
Females have no legs, no wings, no eyes, no antennae, but they have well-developed mouth organs of the piercing-sucking type. While the females are young, the scutellum is soft and insects can move. When the scutellum is ripe, they become immobile. Outwardly, most scale insects common on indoor flowers are similar - the body is oval or rounded from 1.5 to 2 mm in length. The body under the scutellum is whitish or pale brown, segmentation is not pronounced. The scutellum in mature individuals may cover the entire surface of the body, or partially, be highly convex, hemispherical, or flattened. The color of the scutellum is yellowish-brown, dark brown, consists of a secretory part and larval skins. In different phases of larvae, the skins can be different color, therefore, the scutellum is often irregular in color, for example, the outer ring is golden brown, the central one is dark brown. Among the scale insects common on horticultural crops, there are larger species: with a pear-shaped or tear-shaped body up to 5 mm long.
In males, the mouth organs are reduced, but they have eyes, fully formed limbs and wings. The body is segmented into the head, chest, and abdomen. Males are mostly white and fluffy. Sometimes reddish, red-gray, light orange. They also have a shield, only very small.
Scale eggs are oval in shape in some species, elongated-oval, usually white or light gray, gradually darkening to light brown. The eggs are very small, about 0.1-0.3 mm, and look like worms under a microscope.
The first instar larva is called a tramp.- it has a flattened oval body, up to 0.3 mm long, yellowish, three pairs of legs, antennae, eyes. In many species of scale insects, by the color of the larva, one can understand into whom it will be reborn. So, in the mulberry scale insect, tramps are white and red, females grow from white ones, males from red ones.
The second instar larva is larger. Its body is white or gray, the back of the body is usually darker, reaching 0.5 mm in size. By this time, the female larva has no legs, antennae, eyes. It is distinguished from an adult only by its size and lighter color of the shield.
Among several thousand species, there are scutes of a slightly different appearance - in some females with an almost transparent body, the scutellum is invisible, they seem to be vitreous; others have very irregular bodies, like blots; still others have a shield of deep black color. The morphological stages of development in scale insects can also differ, for example, some tropical scale insects do not have an egg stage.
There is no point in describing a specific type of scabbard, since seeing them in a photograph or live, you will not confuse them with anyone.
Scale development cycle.
Scabbards have a pronounced life cycle... But tropical scale insects and pests of temperate latitudes have differences. They are associated with climatic conditions.
In nature, it looks like this: after mating, the female bears eggs for three months and feeds on plant sap. Three months after fertilization, she lays many eggs, according to various sources, from 250 to 500 pieces, after which she dies.
Scabbards living in temperate climates, for example, the apple comma-shaped scabbard, have the following developmental stages:
egg >> first instar larvae (vagrant) >> second instar larvae >> males and females >> egg.
Females have an elongated and widely rounded end of the shield - under it is the entire clutch of fertilized eggs, the body of the female herself simply dries up, freeing the house for the children. Winters are harsh and all egg-laying is kept under the flap. By the end of May, when the average daily temperature is about + 8C, tramps hatch from the eggs and begin to actively populate plants, mainly young, slightly lignified branches, young shoots.
The developmental cycle from a vagrant to a sexually mature female is on average three months. Then mating takes place. The number of males in the population is approximately 20-35%. After fertilization, the males die. Oviposition begins in August. Thus, the development cycle is approximately 1 year: 9-10 months of egg maturation, 35-60 days of the larva, 3 months of the female. In southern latitudes, these species of scale insects can manage to form two generations per year. 
In tropical species, this is, for example, the Californian scale insect, slightly different stages of development:
first instar larvae (overwinter) >> female and male larva >> parthenogenesis * >> mating >> first instar larvae (vagabonds) >> larva diapause >> second instar male and female larvae >> males and females adults.
The scutellum of females is usually round - they do not need a house for laying; females of many species of tropical scale insects lay larvae. Larvae of autumn birth overwinter in shelters (under the bark, leaf axils). In the spring, the tramps emerge from the shelter, quickly take a liking to the most juicy places and develop into the next stage of larvae, adults - males and females. By the time of mass maturation of females, the flight of males begins (it lasts for several days). There are few males, their number from the general population is no more than 8-9%. Mating occurs, after which the male dies.
* There are not so many males reflected, because the phenomenon of parthenogenesis is observed in scale insects - this is virgin reproduction, when sexually mature females grow up without fertilization (mating with males).
The developmental cycle of the scabbard from the awakening of vagrants to a sexually mature female is, on average, a week or two. Some of the vagabonds in the middle of summer go into a state of diapause - rest. This helps the scale insects to survive the unfavorable conditions, since in summer the tramps die from prolonged drought or heavy prolonged rains. Diapause can last from several weeks to several months. Most of the larvae turn into females. And about a month more is spent on their development. In males of some species of scale insects, the development cycle includes two additional stages: pronymphs and nymphs. Thus, the entire development cycle is approximately 60 days.
It must be said that there is no classification of scale insects by climatic types, here it is given only for clarity, in order to see the difference and diversity in the development of certain types of pests. Some scale insects, common in subtropical regions, for example, the Californian scale insect, also have an egg stage, only then the larva. Usually oviparous scutes differ in the shape and size of the shield - it is wide enough, like a Vietnamese hat, rounded or pear-shaped. In addition, in some species of scale insects, it is not eggs that overwinter, but females in a state of diapause.
The number of molts can also be different: for example, females can have two stages of larvae, males - three.
From the point of view of indoor floriculture, the danger of scale insects is that due to parthenogenesis - the hatching of females without fertilization, scale insects can reproduce, all year round,
giving out about 5-6 generations, the process of generational change goes on continuously. At the same time, males among indoor scale insects are extremely rare, but if they appear, for some reason they are very frightening. Someone begins to think that this is an unknown, terribly gluttonous creature. In fact, the developmental cycle of scale insects, with or without males, is no different. By themselves, males do not harm plants - they simply have nothing to eat. In fact, male scale insects hatch for the sole mission of fertilization, therefore, all they have are eyes, wings and genitals.
Harm from scale insects
All scale insects cause great harm to plants; in orchards in 3-4 years they can completely destroy an entire fruit tree. In countries with a warm climate, in agricultural regions, when some types of scale insects (for example, mulberry) are found, a strict quarantine is introduced. For this period, the export of seedlings and seedlings is strictly prohibited. Fruit trees and shrubs, stone fruits and tea plantations are treated with pesticides.
V indoor conditions scale insects, settling on a plant, will also lead to its death in the shortest possible time. Scabbards come to our house with infected flowers from the store, planting material(ground), tramps are carried in by the wind.
At the site of the scabbard suction, yellow spots appear on the leaves, they grow in size as the cell sap is sucked out, then the leaf turns completely yellow or brown, curls and falls off. The plant stops growing, the branches become bare, then the whole bush begins to dry out and the plant dies. In addition to the leaves, the scabbard damages the fruits of citrus fruits (tangerines, lemons and oranges), ovaries fall prematurely, and flowers dry out.
Another sign of the appearance of scale insects is sticky discharge on the leaves.
... Scabbards produce a sweetish liquid - pad, it covers the stems, leaf stalks, leaves, buds and fruits. Sooty fungus and dust stick to it.
Measures to combat scale insects
As soon as you spot the scale insect, something that looks like brown plaques on the stems, petioles, axils and the leaves themselves, immediately isolate the plant, and also check all the plants that were nearby. Adult scale insects are protected from insecticide by a shield, but they can be mechanically removed from the plant.
The best way to do this is to use a cotton pad and a sponge for delicate leaves, or an old toothbrush (with soft bristles) for denser leaves. Moisten in soapy water and wipe thoroughly each leaf on both sides, as well as the stems. Even if it seems to you that there is no pest on some leaf yet, you need to process the entire plant, otherwise one surviving larva, and after a few weeks the whole plant will be sprinkled with a scabbard again. For washing leaves, any detergent for dishes (aos, fairies, etc.), laundry soap, tar soap, green soap. Whisk in a thick foam and leave it on the leaves for 30 minutes, then rinse hot water(the water temperature is permissible up to 50 degrees - the hand is hot). Hot shower - 2-3 minutes. If the procedures of washing with soap and a hot shower are carried out once a week, then you can get rid of the shield without chemicals. Without washing, plants that cannot tolerate such a procedure must be sprayed with an insecticide. But a single treatment will not completely rid them of the scabbard. Since the female's shield protects her and the egg-laying from contact insecticides - you need to soak the plant in a solution, lower the entire crown into a bucket of chemicals, or apply irrigation with systemic insecticides - Aktara or Confidor - these are the drugs of choice.
Of the contact drugs against the scabbard, the following are effective:
Neonicotinoids:
- Tanrek
- Colorado
- Spark Gold
- Mospilan
Organophosphorus compounds:
- Actellik,
- Karbofos and others.
Hormonal insecticides, juvenoids - regulators of the growth and development of insects, for example, Admiral (pyriproxyfen).
ATTENTION: Treatment with contact and enteric insecticides must be repeated at least three times, with an interval of 7 days, in order to guarantee the destruction of the generation of pests of the larvae re-hatching from the eggs.
In addition, the frames and glass of the window, the window sill, where the infected plant stood, must be wiped with an alcohol-containing liquid or dishwashing solution.
If you have small children, relatives, asthma patients, or allergic diseases if you are not able to thoroughly ventilate the apartment after applying chemicals, or if you are pregnant, do not spray plants from insecticides with insecticides, a high hazard class (karbofos, actellik), there are less dangerous ways, read the following recommendation.
Flea and tick remedies against scale insects.
In addition to the above insecticides, anti-flea agents are effective against the scab, where the active ingredient is imidacloprid, and / or fipronil and cypermethrin. These are remedies for fleas, and for lice, ixodid ticks from a veterinary pharmacy: Avanpost drops, Advantiks and others.
If you have only one plant infected with a scale insect, buy the smallest dosage - drops for lap dogs or cats. If you have a strong scaly infestation, you need to treat several plants, buy drops for large dogs weighing more than 25 kg.
How to handle:
- Dilute the contents of a pipette with drops with water, there will be no complete dissolution - an emulsion will be obtained.
- Dilute a small pipette with 500 ml of water, a large one with 1 liter of warm water.
- Then thoroughly moisten all plant leaves on both sides with the resulting emulsion, try to get the solution into the sinuses, cover both the stems and the petioles. Be sure to wet the top layer of the earth.
- Leave the solution on the plant to dry.
- Use the same solution (or just soapy water) to wash the windowsills and glass.
- When the plants are dry, thoroughly ventilate the area.
- It is not necessary to wash off the flea and tick repellent, if the smell remains, then you can wash off the emulsion the next day.
Usually, one treatment with fleas and ticks is sufficient. But if the lesion was very strong, you need to repeat the treatment after 7 days.
If it is not possible to repeat spraying, if there are no oil drops, there is another option: put all the flower pots in large garbage bags (120 l), tie the bag so that it is inflated, but not completely - leave a gap. Spray the bag very carefully with a flea and tick spray, such as 'Bolfo' spray. We do not recommend using dichlorvos - it has a very short-term effect and high initial toxicity. So, put the aerosol into the bag and press the spray bottle for 4-5 seconds. We carefully tie the bags, leave it for a day. Pests die from suffocating.
It is best to carry out all procedures on the street (take out the plants in boxes, put them in a basin) or on the balcony.
The effectiveness of the actara against the scabbard
Among flower growers, there was an opinion that Aktara is not very effective against scale insects and scale insects. Where did it come from: one of the sites described the active substance of actara - thiamethoxam, then a quote: "the low biological effectiveness of thiamethoxam in relation to scale insects is due to the fact that it quickly spreads through the phloem, but weakly penetrates into the sucutile cells, the contents of which are sucked out by the scale insects."
In fact, there was a typo in the text and everyone was happy to quote it. In this case, we mean the sucuticular layers - i.e. layers of integumentary tissues of leaves, stems and fruits. Indeed, thiamethoxam, when watered with actara under the root, penetrates through the phloem of leaves, but only a very small part of it penetrates into the integumentary tissues. But when spraying with Actara solution, about 60% of thiamethoxam is absorbed by the main leaf tissues (mesophyll), 10% - by the epidermis, and about 30% remains on the wax layer of the cuticle. Those. the concentration of the active substance in the epidermal layer is high enough to poison the pest.
The most famous folk names for bells are chenille, bells, chebotki. In Russia, there is a lively legend that these flowers grew along the roads - where three horses drove with ringing bells or bells fixed under arcs.
There is also another legend. Allegedly, once the goddess of love Aphrodite lost her magic mirror, which she never parted with. In search of such an important thing for herself, she sent the winged Eros. And he, finding a mirror, also dropped it. Falling from a great height, it broke on stones with a crystal ringing. Many fragments scattered on the ground, turning into ... bells.
That is why in some Western countries the flower is called "the mirror of Aphrodite". These flowers are especially popular in Central Europe, where they were planted and planted in flower beds, alpine slides and rockeries, just in containers for protection from the dark forces. It is believed that their "crystal chime" protects the house from evil spirits.
Delicate bell buds give their owners a wonderful mood and confidence in the future. There are never many bells, and if there is an opportunity to decorate several recreation areas in the garden with them, go for it - the positive effect of plants will only intensify!
Interesting
Hundreds of years ago in the East arose the "language of flowers", according to which each natural flower was perceived as a symbol for the expression of certain feelings. This knowledge came to Europe thanks to the poet and translator Dmitry Petrovich Oznobishin: in 1830 he published the Persian book "Selam, or the Language of Flowers", translated into Russian.
More than 400 plants were described in it, and each of them corresponded to a certain word or phrase. The bell in it means tender love, loyalty and humility. And this is the best way to characterize its flowers, humbly bowing "their heads" down. By the way, the book immediately became popular among young people. Impressed, the game of forfeits was introduced into everyday life, which began with the words "I was born a gardener ...".
Bells: description
In the genus Bell (Campanula) from the family of the same name Bellflower (Campanulaceae) about 300 species are read. They differ in the size of the flowers and the shape of the corollas (they are tubular, star-shaped, bell-shaped), as well as in a rich palette of shades - from violet-lilac, blue-blue to white and pinkish-purple. There are groups: high - more than 80 cm, medium - 40-80 cm and low species and varieties - from 5 to 30 cm. Today we will focus on the undersized bells, forming dense cushion and creeping sods.
Preparing the soil for bells
How to properly prepare a site for planting? What fertilizers should be applied and how much?
Nikolay Podgorny, St. Petersburg
Before planting, it is important in advance (in the fall or in early spring) improve the soil in rockeries: dig up and carefully select rhizome weeds. Add fertilizer to the poor one, and sand to the heavy one.
Usually, on poor sandy soils, nitrogen (15-20 g of saltpeter / sq. M) and potassium (10-12 g of potassium salt / sq. M.) Fertilizers are applied dry and simply covered with a rake. In addition, deciduous and humus soil (4 kg / m2) is used as additional food.
Heavier soils are improved with sand (2-3 kg / sq. - 400-600 g / sq. M), slaked lime (normally reduced by 1.5 times compared to limestone), ash (2-10 times more than limestone).
Liming the soil must not be carried out simultaneously with the application of manure in order to avoid large losses of nitrogen!
More sun and warmth!
Tell us about your preferences for small bells. Which place to choose for them?
Natalia Duganova
Most of these plants are native to mountainous areas and warm southern countries, so they love open, sunny areas. Can be planted directly among stones in rockeries or filled with them on the southern slope of an alpine slide.
Suitable for well-lit flower borders (plant 15 cm apart). Low bells grow well and bloom profusely on lungs, drained, 
quite fertile, moderately moist loams, like calcareous soils. In hot weather and dry summers, watering is required.
Like taller species, these bells are winter-hardy in relatively warm regions of the middle zone. If winters are harsh with prolonged frosts, some species need to be sheltered in autumn ( Gargan Bell, Carpathian Bell, Spoon-leaved Bell, Portenschlag Bell).
Avoid planting in close proximity groundwater and an excess of moisture (in winter, the curtains can freeze out)!
Curtain care
How do I care for my Alpine bells after planting?
Olga Ilyina
After planting (both spring and autumn), the soil around the plants must be mulched with humus to retain moisture. Further care consists in watering, weeding, pest and disease control and pruning faded inflorescences.
By my own experience I can judge that watering low bells in rockery should be moderate, and during wet, rainy weather, periodically loosen the soil, you can add sand. If the seats are initially well prepared and fertilizers have been applied in sufficient quantities, then in the second or third year of the bells life it is already possible to do without feeding.
If, in a hurry, you forgot to do this, then in the spring, with the beginning of the growth of shoots, feed the bushes with nitrogen fertilizers (according to the instructions), and with the beginning of budding use liquid complex mineral fertilizers (of a weaker concentration) for feeding. The beauty of the flowering of these charms can be extended by regularly removing faded flower stalks, and at the end of summer, feeding the curtains with a complex mineral fertilizer with a predominance of phosphorus and potassium (according to the instructions).
Seed propagation of bells
Is it difficult to grow low bells from seeds?
Zinaida Sobol, Kiev
When the seed pods are brown (until cracking), they are carefully collected in a tray and dried indoors. Black small seeds are sown, after mixing with sand, immediately in open ground in spring or autumn, before winter.
You can get seedlings from them. To do this, in February, containers are filled with loose soil and seeds are sown superficially, they germinate in the light at a temperature of + 16-22 degrees, within 1-3 months. Thickened seedlings are thinned out, removing weaker ones. When three true leaves appear, the grown seedlings are planted together with a lump of earth in rockeries in a pre-prepared place - after the threat of return spring frosts has passed. It is advisable to add a pinch of humus (compost) to the bottom of the holes. The first time is regularly watered and shaded from the bright sun.
Bells - types and varieties
We propagate bells by cuttings and cuttings
When and how are bell curtains divided? Can it be propagated by cuttings?
Anna Porechenkova, Pskov
Adult plants are propagated (from the third year of vegetation) by dividing the rhizomes in spring (in May) or in autumn (in September), as well as by cuttings of young growing shoots.
With the vegetative method of reproduction, we get bells, identical to the mother bushes, while maintaining all their decorative qualities. This is especially valuable for lovers of double or semi-double varieties and more thermophilic (Mediterranean) species, the seeds of which do not have time to ripen in the middle lane.
What is the best way to do this?
The mother plant is dug out with the rhizome, the aboveground part is cut off, the rhizome is divided into segments with several renewal buds and its own root system, after which it is planted in a shallow hole so that the root collar is at the same level as it was before transplantation. Water abundantly. Green shoots go to the cuttings, which are rooted in a specially prepared bed under a jar, film, with shading. Can be grown in separate pots.
Aphids on bells
On my bell plantings, I noticed black soot discharge. How to deal with this without "chemistry"?
Antonina Metelkina, Moscow
Saving bells from disease
Below, on some of the bell bushes, I noticed a gray bloom, the plants lodged. What could it be?
Tatiana Gurskaya, Vitebsk
In rainy years, bells can get sick and fall out. In your case, it might be fusarium, or root rot... Symptoms: the plants begin to dry out, if it is very damp, then not only on the roots, but also on the ground part, a rare grayish bloom of mycelium forms.
The infection can quickly spread to neighboring plants, especially if the bells are planted in a thickened planting. The pathogen (fungus Fusarium oxysporum) persists in the soil and on plant residues... Remove heavily affected bells together with a clod of earth and burn. Treat the rest (and the soil around) with a 0.2% solution of "Fundazol".