Hydrangeas are incredibly beautiful shrubs. For a large variety of forms of inflorescence, abundant flowering, a wide palette of flowers, large figured leaves, as well as the unpretentiousness of hydrangeas are valued in decorative gardening. Hydrangeas are especially spectacular in the fall, because it was then that you can see seed heads, buds and leaves of various shades of color on this amazing plant at the same time.
Hortensia belongs to the family of hydrangeas, this family is quite extensive and includes about 100 species of plants. In nature, there are a huge number of varieties of hydrangeas: deciduous and evergreen, upright and curly, dwarf and arboreal, as well as cold-resistant and heat-loving. The natural range of hydrangeas is the Himalayas, North and South America, Central and East Asia. The name "hydrangea" comes from the combination of the words of the Greek language - hydor (water) and angos (vessel, container) and was given to the plant for the shape of its seed pods.
Did you know? Also to the name "hydrangea" is often added the epithet "French". This is due to the fact that the Western world learned about this plant after the first French round-the-world expedition.
One of the features of hydrangea is its natural resistance to various diseases. The shrubs of this plant, from time to time, are affected by various diseases. Also the plant is attacked by pests: aphid, spider mite, slugs.Hortensia, its diseases and pests - this is something that should be given priority attention to both an experienced gardener and amateur amateur florist.
Snails on hydrangeas
Snails just love hydrangeas. Often the plant is attacked by a snail, or an amber common. Most of all, they prefer wet, shady or thickened landing sites. Pests, getting on the hydrangea, eat the buds, and then switch to the leaves and young shoots. Snails are a great danger for plants that winter in shelter. These pests penetrate into the soil surrounding the bush, and after the onset of spring and the temperature rises, they get to the surface and eat the first buds and leaves. Sometimes near the bushes of hydrangea you can find whole clutches of snails.
Snails on hydrangeas - what to do and how can you get rid of them? To do this, you should resort to the usual mechanical destruction of these pests and clutches left by them. It is necessary to do this during the spring and summer period.
Important! Also for the destruction of snails used metaldehyde or Thunderstorm. They are poisonous preparations, and therefore refrain from placing them directly on the ground, as they clog up the soil, and when mixed with the soil simply cease to act. Pour these chemicals into small cups and arrange them in a horizontal position around the hydrangea bush.
How to deal with spider mite
Have you noticed that from the back side the sheet of hydrangea is covered with small yellow spots that after some time merge into a whole marble pattern? Be sure - hydrangea chose the spider mite. Leaves struck by his vital activity dry up, and after fall. In order to finally make sure what happened to the hydrangea, arm yourself with a magnifying glass and carefully inspect the sheet from the back side. Spider mites live in this place. Recognizing them is quite simple: they are small insects with a body length of only 1 to 2 mm, having a milky-transparent, red, yellow-green or orange color.
To eliminate the spider mite, means such as "Fufang" (diluted in a proportion of 5 ml per 5 liters of water) are suitable. Two sprays of the resulting solution will be enough to kill ticks. Thiofos, which is quite a strong insecticide, can also do this well.
Did you know? You can independently control the color of hydrangea, for this it is enough to regulate the level of acidity and alkalinity of the soil.
How to get rid of aphids on the flower
Aphids are a threat to many plant species, as they proliferate extremely quickly and release residual sugary excretions, in which then fungi infect the leaves. Also aphid likes to feast on plant sap. Often, under a single leaf, whole colonies of these insects are formed, which by their parasitism squeeze out all the sap from the plant. Hydrangea affected by aphids grows much slower.
You can get rid of aphids with the help of a safe and simple means - just pour the plant with powerful water pressure. Do not overdo it, so as not to damage the hydrangea itself. Since the louse on hydrangeas is fixed very loosely, a simple jet of water knocks it from the leaves. But the places of the greatest accumulation of pests still need to be treated with insecticide.
What to do if worms appear on the roots of hydrangeas
Hydrangea roots can be affected by microscopic worms called gall nematodes. Their livelihoods lead to the appearance of brown, rounded swellings on the hydrangea roots. Such formations are called galls. Hydrangea rot? Be sure - this is a consequence of the activity of worms.
Gauls can rot and dry out, leading to the death of the roots. This will cause the plant to not receive nutrients and simply die. Often these pests affect young hydrangea bushes.
Important! Hydrangeas with signs of damage with gall nematodes are impossible to cure, they must be excavated and burned.
Methods of dealing with leaf beetles
Leaf beetles are a type of pest that damages all parts of a plant. The name of this insect was due to its peculiarity - to gnaw whole holes in the leaves of the hydrangea. The larvae of the leaf beetle eat the leaves of the plant entirely, leaving only their veins. Stems can also be affected by this pest, which gnaws them right from the inside. Some larvae of the leaf beetle inhabit the soil, where they damage the hydrangea roots.
How to deal with hydrangea pests? To combat leaf beetles should resort to complex methods, including:
- Manual collection of both adults and larvae;
- Pruning damaged plant parts and their subsequent burning;
- Digging around the hydrangea at the first frost, in order to destroy the hibernating larvae;
Processing of hydrangea bushes with various insecticidal agents. How to protect hydrangea from slugs
What pests of hydrangeas are most common in the garden? Often in conditions of high humidity and moderate temperatures, hydrangea is exposed to slugs. The main places of their stay are dense seedlings. Eating leaves, slugs cause great harm to hydrangeas.
For the fight against them, molluscicides are perfect. This is a type of special preparations that are in the form of granules. They are laid out on the ground near the planting site and observe whether pests have appeared on hydrangeas or near it. If the slugs anyway continue to attack the plant, then simply increase the dose of the drug - this is guaranteed to destroy all pests.
Hortensia is a beautiful plant with an extensive color palette. Give him due attention and care, and it will delight you for a long period of time.
