Pests are capable of multiplying very quickly, and therefore in a short time they can cause irreparable damage to a delicate violet.

Thrips

Thrips are quite dangerous pests, since both adults and larvae take part in destroying the plant. An adult insect has an elongated body, the length of which can be from 1 to 1.5 mm. The color of the back is black or brown, the belly is reddish-yellow. The body color of the larvae is yellow. On the front part of the body there is a piercing-sucking oral organ.

The female lays eggs directly into the body of the plant, usually into the pulp of the leaf blade.

On a note! One female thrips can lay about 1 thousand eggs!

After a short period of time, larvae emerge from the eggs, which, after surviving two molts, turn into a pronymph, then into a nymph and pupate. In general, two weeks pass between the time the egg emerges and pupates. The pupa falls into the substrate and after a week turns into an adult.

Symptoms

Thrips are pests of violets, which in the process of their life suck nutritious juices from plants. Adult individuals bite through the surface of the leaf blade in several places, as a result of which clearly visible whitish dots appear on it. The larvae open the anthers on the flowers, and soon they lose their decorative function and quickly fade. Thrips settle on the underside of the leaf, where they form numerous colonies.

Important! Most often, thrips enter apartments on brought garden flowers: daisies, chrysanthemums and asters!

Fighting methods

To destroy thrips you need:

• immediately cut off all flowers and buds;
• spill and spray the plants with the preparation "Confidor" or treat the substrate with the preparation "Aktara"
• after 10 days, repeat the treatment to destroy the individuals that hatched from the eggs.

After the measures have been taken, all new buds should be cut off for 1.5 months.

Chervetsy

Bugs that attack indoor plants, including violets, are characterized by a powdery coating on the body. This coating is protective and protects the pest from many pesticides. The size of adult individuals is small and ranges from 1 to 4 mm.

In those places where pests fed, deformed areas appear, which over time acquire a red or brown tint. A whitish coating appears on the rhizome; whitish fluff can be found among lumps of substrate and on the lower part of the stem.

The leaves of the affected violet begin to fade. The plant weakens, looks sick and becomes vulnerable to infectious diseases. The soil takes on a sour mushroom smell.

Treatment

When Saintpaulia is infected with scale insects, the following measures are taken:

• we take the plant out of the pot, carefully clean off the damaged substrate and replant the plant in fresh soil;
• We additionally treat the rhizomes with the preparation “Aktara”, “Aktellik” or “Fitoverm”;
• during the transplantation process, we add the drug “Bazudin” to the soil or spill it with the drug “Mospilan”, “Regent” or “Dantop”;
• We carry out the last procedure 3 times at ten-day intervals.

Ticks

Symptoms

If there is a mite on the violets, then small depressed spots colored brown or red will be observed on the underside of the outer leaves. These places may be shrouded in a thin cobweb. The leaves begin to deform, become brittle and dry out after a while. The central part of the rosette becomes denser, the violet noticeably lags behind in growth and development. The buds stop forming.

At the same time, the leaves look more pubescent than before, and roughness can be felt on the villi. The foliage becomes dull, the stem noticeably shortens. Pollen begins to spill out of the anthers.

Treatment

In order to get rid of mites on violets you need to:

• Gently rinse the plants under running water - this way you will be able to remove a significant number of adults and egg laying;
  

  Important! Cool water should not be used, especially if the plants were kept at a constant temperature of +18..22°C. Otherwise, Saintpaulia can catch a cold!

• spill and spray infected specimens with a solution of the drug “Fitoverm” or “Agravertin”; in case of severe infection, it is better to use “Neoron”;
• for greater efficiency, it is recommended to add a little liquid soap to the working solution;
• after 10 days, re-treat;
• in the future, regularly “bathe” the plants, especially in hot and dry weather;
• try to place violets away from each other.

Nematodes

Root (knot) nematode is a dangerous pest of violets, which causes the formation of swellings (galls) on the roots of plants. Moreover, the sizes of these swellings can be different. Nematodes live inside the galls, and their reproduction process also occurs there.

Nematodes are small, colorless worms. The female’s body length is about 1.2 mm, width – 0.8-0.9 mm. The body shape is pear-shaped. Males are slightly larger - up to 1.5 mm, their body is thin, thread-like. The female is capable of laying from 300 to 500 eggs, from which small larvae soon hatch and infect neighboring plants.

Symptoms

On a note! An affected violet becomes susceptible to infection by fungi and other diseases, the pathogens of which can freely penetrate through wounds on the roots!

Treatment

I would like to immediately note that nematode infection is much easier to prevent than to eliminate the consequences. To do this, it is necessary to plant violets only in clean soil (not from a greenhouse, vegetable garden, or from fields where cultivated plants grew!).

Treatment is as follows:

• remove the infected Saintpaulia from the soil and remove all damaged roots;
• replant the violet in fresh soil;
• introduce the drug “Fitoverm” in powder form into the substrate;
  

  Important! In this case, using “Fitoverm” in the form of a solution for watering the soil or spraying is unacceptable!

• treat plants with a product whose action is aimed at strengthening the immune system and increasing resistance to adverse conditions;
• monitor the acidity of the soil and do not allow it to rise above 6.5 pH.

If the violet is severely affected, but you want to save it at all costs, then in this case you need to find a healthy leaf, cut it off and try to root it. If the entire top is intact, cut it off and also try to re-root it. It is important to create optimal conditions for the new plant.

Aphids

Symptoms

Aphids can be detected with the naked eye. Most often they accumulate on the underside of leaf blades and plant buds. When infected by these pests, the apical part of the violet is deformed, the leaves curl, the buds lag behind in growth, and the flowers change shape. At the same time, the foliage becomes covered with sweet honeydew, on which sooty fungus subsequently develops.

On a note! Usually aphids appear where violets are not given proper care!

Treatment

Since aphids reproduce quickly, it is necessary to combat them on violets immediately. The activities are as follows:

• we collect insects by hand - this may be quite enough if the infestation is minor;
• cut off the affected leaves and buds;
• we wash the violet with a solution of laundry soap - this is necessary in order to remove the remaining individuals and their larvae;
• after the “water procedures” we treat the flower with the preparation “Actellik”, “Fitoverm”, “Intavir” or “Monoplan”;
• a week later we repeat the treatment.

Advice! If there are ants in the house, then you also need to get rid of them, as they contribute to the spread of aphids.

There is also a very effective folk recipe for aphids on violets. To prepare it, you need to combine 50 g of onion peels, a teaspoon of crushed garlic and 50 g of tomato tops in half a liter of water. After a day of infusion, we filter the product and treat the infected plants. If there are a lot of aphids, then the violet should be completely immersed in the resulting preparation.

Prevention of pests on violets

1. Each new specimen brought into the house must be kept in quarantine for two to three weeks. At the same time, it is not at all necessary to treat every purchased plant with chemicals. It is enough to simply leave it in another room for a specified period of time, and if no signs of infection are found, feel free to transfer the flower to the shelf with the rest of the violets.
   

   Recommendation! Those plants that are in quarantine must be treated with separate tools, and after contact, wash your hands thoroughly and only then touch other specimens of the collection!

2. Do not leave cut wildflowers in the same room with Saintpaulias and try to prevent them from coming into contact with fresh vegetables.
3. When growing violets, do not place them too close to each other. They should not touch each other's leaves.
4. From time to time, bathe the plants in warm water and inspect them carefully.
5. Trim off dying flowers and leaves in a timely manner.
6. Wipe the shelves and window sills on which indoor flowers are located with a mild soap solution.
7. Wash pots and trays thoroughly.
8. If you use wick watering, sterilize your water tanks.

Follow these simple rules, and pests will never settle on your violets.

Violets (Saintpaulias), like many indoor plants, are susceptible to various diseases and pests. It is fair to note that if all necessary preventive measures and appropriate care are observed, the risk of injury is minimized. And yet you should know what the most common diseases and pests of violets exist and what methods and means to combat them.

Pests

Ticks

Red spider mite– red dots appear, surrounded by a light cobweb. The foliage becomes deformed and dries out.

Spider mite– brown depressed spots appear on the foliage, as if punctured by a needle.

Cyclamen mite– the young leaves in the center of the rosette are the first to suffer; they become modified, deformed, and yellow spots appear.

The flower is significantly retarded in growth, the stem is significantly shortened, the leaves at the base acquire a gray tint, as if covered with gray powder. The buds become deformed and do not open. When a plant is infested with mites, the foliage curls and has a dusty appearance, and the violets do not bloom.

Treatment:

• Treat the plant with acaricide 2-3 times, maintaining an interval of 7 days between treatments.
• Spray the earthen clump of the violet with Actellik or Fitoverm; they are effective not only against ticks, but also against many types of pests, so they are also used for mixed damage or in cases where it is impossible to identify the pest.

Scale insect and false scale insect

They often settle on rosettes with smooth foliage and live on leaves or their petioles. The insect has a small shield.

The first symptom of violet infestation by scale insects is the detection of sticky droplets of secretions, and upon closer examination of the plant, the scale insects themselves are noticeable. If you notice at least a few scale insects on the plant, then you need to treat not only this violet, but also all the nearby flowers. Since the scale insect reproduces quickly, its larvae are quite mobile and can infect other plants.

Treatment: spraying with Agravertin

Thrips

Small insects have the ability to fly and infect all nearby flowers.

Small insects of a dark brown color move on the plant, which infect flowers, eat foliage, white stripes appear, foliage and flowers seem to be gnawed; the appearance of brown or black spots.

Treatment: removal of flower stalks, treatment with preparations: “Fitoverm”, “Aktellik”, “Aktar”.

Nematodes

Tiny worms that live in the soil. They harm the root system of the plant by sucking out plant juices and releasing toxic substances, as well as new growths on the roots (galls).

At the initial stage, it is almost impossible to detect the pest, only when transplanting a flower, carefully examining its root system.

With further damage by the nematode, light green spots appear on the foliage, then they become brown in color and rot. The growing point of the violet dries out or modified leaves develop from it. Affected plants are stunted, weakened and do not bloom. The stem becomes deformed, gradually withers and dies.

Treatment: it is almost impossible to get rid of nematodes, so the only solution is to destroy the flower along with the soil, and the flower pot should be disinfected.

Mealybug (coccids)

Since the pest lives in the axils, folds of leaves and young peduncles, there it feeds and causes damage. Such bite sites are subject to deformation and pigmentation in a red-brown color. Other plants brought in can serve as a source of infestation with scale insects. When replanting a plant, the soil has a specific mushroom smell, and upon careful inspection you can see scale insects covered with white fluff.

Treatment: Treatment with the preparations “Aktar”, “Aktellik”, “Fitoverm”; removing damaged soil and replanting the plant in new soil;

Aphid

Small green insects.

In violets, the peduncles, flowers, and buds are the first to suffer. Insects suck out plant sap. The petals change, become deformed, and wither. When aphids are abundant, a white sticky liquid forms under the peduncles and on the foliage.

Treatment: treatment with Mospilan and Actellik.

The insect lives in damp places, is active at night, feeds on decaying plant debris and damages living plants.

Insects damage roots and foliage and carry infectious diseases to plants.

Treatment: treatment of plants and substrate with acaricides.

Flies and mosquitoes (sciarids)

The damage is not caused by the insects themselves, but by their larvae, which damage the root system and contribute to the destruction of the substrate.

When the soil is massively infested with insect larvae, the roots and stem of the plant rot.

Treatment: Soil treatment with Karbofos.

Whitefly - white fly

Treatment: spraying with insecticides in combination with Akarin, Actofit, Fitoverm.

Springtails, fools

Insects living on the soil surface.

Dampness promotes reproduction. They are practically harmless to flowers, but when multiplied en masse they can harm young flower roots.

Treatment: Soil treatment with Pyrethrum solution, optimal soil drainage.

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Diseases

Powdery mildew

The leaves of violets become covered with a white coating, similar to dust or flour, but do not disappear when washed or sprayed with water. Promote active spread: decreased temperature and increased air humidity.

Treatment: spraying with “Topaz”, “Saprol”, “Bayleton” preparations.

Late blight

Hypothermia of the plant contributes to the development of this disease. lack of lighting and excessive watering. When affected by this disease, the foliage of violets droops.

Treatment: At an early stage, the violet can be saved by tearing off all the infected, wilted leaves. Next, the violet should be transplanted into another soil, after cutting off all the rotten roots. Treatment with the drug "Fitosporin".

Fusarium

It often appears during the cold season, conditions that contribute to its appearance: excessive watering, excessively heavy soil, too spacious a pot, sudden temperature fluctuations, watering with cold water.

The leaf petioles turn brown and fall off. The roots darken and rot.

Treatment: as with late blight. For prevention - with a solution of "Fundazol"

Gray rot

Careless watering (drops of water falling on the foliage and petals) contributes to the appearance of the disease; they quickly turn brown and rot.

Treatment: removal of diseased leaves, treatment with Fundazol.

We hope that this article about what diseases and pests of violets there are will help you protect your green beauties.

And finally, a piece of advice: be careful when purchasing new plants, do not rush to place your purchase directly on the windowsill with the rest of the plants. Wait a while and make sure it is not infected.

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Find out more about the secrets of healthy violets

Violet is a beautiful indoor flower with velvety leaves and delicate small bouquets of flowers, delighting with a variety of colors and shapes. No wonder flower growers all over the world love him. Uzambian violet or Saintpaulia - a distant guest from the slopes of the mountains of East Africa has taken root well in our apartments. Not to be confused with (Violaceae). According to the generally accepted classification, they even belong to different orders.

Among flower growers, it is believed that this indoor plant is very capricious and susceptible to diseases. This misconception is easy to refute if you create the right conditions for its cultivation. Considering the conditions of natural growth, it is easy to approach them:

By observing these requirements, you can admire flowering plants throughout the year and not be particularly afraid of violet disease. However, you should know how to treat your pets if they get sick.

Classification of diseases

Of course, violets are easier to prevent than to treat. If there is a suspicion that the plant is sick. First, you need to determine what happened. There can be many reasons:

Let's look at some diseases of violets and their treatment.

Non-communicable diseases

It should be remembered that not only very poor soil is harmful to the plant, but also a large amount of fertilizer. So, if there is little nitrogen, the leaves turn pale and the abundance of flowers decreases. But if there is a lot of nitrogen, then this, in combination with other factors, leads to a loss of stem strength. Underdeveloped flowers appear, plants are easily affected by fusarium. Let's consider several options for their disease:

Infectious diseases

Agrotechnological errors when growing Saintpaulia are quite easily eliminated. In principle, the conditions for keeping this plant are close to the natural conditions in a residential apartment. But a weakened plant is easily susceptible to infectious diseases. It is easy to determine what needs to be done by looking at violet diseases with photographs. And their treatment must be well thought out. First of all, you should make sure that the nature of the disease is infectious or not.

Fungal diseases

The class of diseases that are of a fungal nature is very unpleasant. Such diseases are difficult to treat and are dangerous for other plants. Fungal spores can remain dormant for a very long time:

Bacterial diseases

Saintpaulia, like all living things on earth, is susceptible to diseases caused by colonies of bacteria. Some types of bacteria are very specific, and some spread to almost all plants. Among the most common are:

Most bacterial diseases are treated with the antibiotic Fitolavin-300. Treatment with Maxim or any copper-containing preparation can be effective. Copper sulfate is especially often used.

Bacteria spread mainly through particles of infected plants.

Viral diseases

From the point of view of infectious infection, diseases caused by various viruses pose a great danger. Unlike bacteria, these microorganisms can remain outside the distribution environment for a long time and be transmitted in a variety of ways, including the body of an insect.

A diseased plant changes the appearance of its leaves, stems and flowers. Viruses can interfere and stop its development. For example, the bronzing virus causes leaves to change color and lose their shape. It is better to destroy such plants.

The most effective control is considered to be through the breeding of hybrid varieties that are immune to viral diseases. Sanitary and epidemiological treatment of the tools used, pots, timely removal of diseased plants, and special treatment of planting soil help effectively.

The format of the article does not allow for a detailed analysis of all Saintpaulia diseases. But in any case, a number of simple preventive rules help reduce the risk of disease:

• When purchasing a new plant, you must first quarantine it for about 3-4 weeks. This allows you to identify hidden pests.
• When purchasing a flowering plant, remove the flower stalks.
• Disinfect pots and use clean soil before replanting.
• From the first day, favorable conditions must be created for growing these flowers.
• We must not forget about the use of fertilizers.

If these principles are followed, the violet will not get sick and will be able to delight you with beautiful flowers.

Prevention is the main condition for preventing violet disease. At the first stage, when the flower is just brought from the store, it must be placed in temporary quarantine separately from other indoor plants to make sure that it is healthy and cannot infect its fellows. If after a few days you still find signs of a flower’s disease, then its isolation should be extended until it is completely cured. Below we will talk about diseases and treatment of non-infectious diseases of violets.

1. The violet does not produce buds. Most likely, the flower simply does not have enough light and warmth, or the air is too dry or cold. Or it is moved too often from place to place.
2. Light yellow spots or holes on the leaves appear when the plant is constantly exposed to bright light.
3. Brown spots on violet leaves appear when watered with too cold water.
   
4. Root rotting manifests itself in the fact that the leaves of the flower look dusty and lethargic, despite sufficient watering. This occurs from waterlogging of the soil during the cold season.
5. Pale, curved leaves on long petioles appear on frozen violets, which require a temperature of 22–24 °C for normal growth and development.
   
6. The fall of buds and flowers occurs when there is a sudden change in the conditions of the flower. For example, at first the violet grew in a room with high air humidity, and then it was moved to a dry and hot room.

Fungal diseases of violets and their treatment

Late blight is the most dangerous disease of indoor violets, which is almost impossible to cure.. It is caused by a fungus whose spores are found in the soil of the plant. Weakened violets growing in excess humidity are most susceptible to disease. To prevent other plants from becoming ill with late blight, the diseased flower must be destroyed and its pot thoroughly sterilized.

Powdery mildew is caused by a fungus that intensively develops in the soil at low temperatures and in conditions of high humidity. Violets and other plants are susceptible to this. The flower becomes covered with a white coating similar to flour, which leads to the formation of ulcers on the leaves and trunk of the plant. Treatment is treatment of violets with fungicides and further compliance with the required humidity and room temperature.

How to prevent disease in house violets?

Quite often, diseased plants come into our home from unverified stores or flower shops. But some flower pests enter apartments in the warm season directly from the street through the windows, with our clothes and shoes, or even with fruits, vegetables and herbs that we bring from the market. The risk of infection of our plants and ourselves can be reduced only by taking basic precautions.

1. For the first three weeks, do not place newly purchased flowers next to healthy plants at a distance closer than 2 meters.
2. To prevent infection, all flower stalks must be removed from plants purchased in a store or greenhouse.
3. Many greenhouse flowers, which usually grow in humid, hot climates, do not tolerate sudden changes in conditions and often die. It is recommended to gradually accustom them to dry indoor air.
4. If you are treating an infected plant at home, follow all safety precautions! Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and disinfect all surfaces around the diseased plant.

Remember that disinfection and treatment of a diseased plant at home can only be done with drugs of hazard group 3 and partially 2 in a well-ventilated and easy-to-clean room, such as a bathroom!

The use of the following chemicals at home or in small personal areas is prohibited: Benomyl, Pegasus, Actellik, Dozamet, Polycarbacin, Keltan, Saprol, Chlorophos and Topsin-M!

Uzambara violets, so beloved by many flower growers in our country, like other indoor plants, unfortunately, are susceptible to attacks by pests, suffer from improper care and are quite difficult to tolerate fungal, bacterial and viral diseases.

In order not to lose the plants decorating the windowsill, it is important to recognize the problem as early as possible. Descriptions of violet diseases, their photographs and treatment that can protect Saintpaulia from death will help you quickly navigate the situation, organize plant care and restore health and beauty to the rosettes.

Why don't violets bloom at home?

When faced with problems with the growth of Saintpaulia, a long absence of flowering, or a violation of the development of the rosette, amateur gardeners should look for the reasons:

• improper care of indoor plants;
• in pests that have settled on violets or in the soil;
• in violet diseases of different nature and danger to plants.

Pets of inexperienced beginners most often suffer from poorly organized care. Especially soon, traces of improper watering, lack of lighting and fertilization of violets become visible on the foliage.

With a lack of light, new generations of foliage look dimmer and smaller than old ones. The petioles lengthen, the edges of the leaf blades bend upward. The plant quickly returns to normal if it is placed on a lighted windowsill, protected from drafts.

One of the reasons why violets do not bloom at home may be excessive acidity or salinity of the soil, or incorrect selection of soil composition. In this case, not only does the formation of peduncles slow down or stop altogether, but leaf curling is observed. Similar symptoms can be seen with an imbalance in the mineral composition, for example, with a deficiency, or with excessive watering.

Uzambara violets react unusually sensitively not only to the amount of moisture entering the soil, but also to its temperature.

Light spots on the leaf blades seem to remind the gardener how to water violets correctly. This reaction of the plant signals excessively cold water or a burn caused by the sun hitting the wet surface of the leaf. That is why experienced gardeners recommend using only warm water and watering Saintpaulia only in the evening, when the likelihood of burns is minimal.

Diseases of violets: rot of leaves and roots

The greatest risk of rotting violet stems occurs when dividing plants, pruning and replanting the apical part of the rosette or separating children. The cause of this problem can be either pests or excess soil after a long period of relative dryness. Putrefactive bacteria settle especially quickly on damaged tissues, and damage to the roots and stem becomes the most destructive.

Symptoms of this violet disease include:

• loss of leaf turgor;
• loss of the natural color of the rosette;
• wilting of petioles and leaf blades.

Given the comprehensive nature of the violet disease, as in the photograph, treatment can only be urgent and drastic. Damaged tissue is removed, Saintpaulia is rooted using a healthy leaf that can produce new rosettes.

Very young rosettes, children and rooted leaves are susceptible to brown rot. In the latter case, the stem at the base becomes brownish-brown, softens and thins. On the soil under the rosette, whitish threads of mycelium are found. And if urgent measures are not taken, the violet disease spreads to neighboring plants.

As a preventive measure, rooted plants are treated with a contact fungicide, not buried, and then the area under the stem is irrigated with phytosporin or a chemical similar in action.

Wilting and dull coloring of leaves is also observed with the development of root rot. When plants are removed from the soil, softened brownish roots are found, infected with spores of a harmful fungus, which quickly multiply and disperse in a humid environment. At the same time, low acidity of the soil contributes to the development of an infection that is so dangerous for Saintpaulia.

One of the effective measures to combat this disease of violets can be considered reducing the frequency of watering. Despite the fact that plants rarely receive moisture, the portions should be plentiful. To prevent and treat violet disease, as in the photo, use root treatment. You can reduce the risk of spread by using soil that is not too water-retentive.

Gray rot also leads to liquefaction and weakening of the green parts of the plant, while a gray fluffy coating is clearly visible on the affected surface. All leaves with signs of violet disease, as well as dead leaf blades and cuttings, are removed, preventing them from falling to the ground. To reduce the risk of infection during the cool season, it is extremely important:

• avoid excessive air humidity;
• stop spraying sockets;
• Water the violets correctly, avoiding stagnation of moisture and the formation of condensation.

Among the chemical preparations for treating rosettes and protecting them, the ones chosen are quick and foundationazole.

Powdery mildew on Saintpaulias

One of the most common diseases caused by harmful fungi also affects Uzambara violets. Outwardly, the manifestation of this disease of violets resembles flour scattered on the leaf blades and corollas of flowers, and infection of Saintpaulia occurs with the help of fungal spores found in the soil.

The most susceptible to the disease are violets that are weakened after transplantation, recently faded specimens, young and, conversely, old plants.

As a preventive measure, rosettes are protected from temperature fluctuations, violets are watered correctly and fertilizing is used. If infection does occur, Saintpaulia requires treatment with a fungicide.

Fusarium as a disease of violets

The most dangerous disease for violets first affects the roots of the plant, which rot and soften, and then the infection spreads through the vessels to the stem, petioles and leaf blades of the lower leaves. When the disease occurs at this stage, most of the old foliage in the lower level withers, the stems and edges become watery, and then die completely.

The rapid death of the plant is facilitated by its weakening after flowering, lack of fertilizers for violets, and temperatures below 16 °C.

The fight against fusarium consists of urgently removing the diseased plant from the windowsill where other violets are kept. It is best to destroy the affected specimen along with the soil, and disinfect the pot with copper sulfate or an available fungicide. As a preventive measure, a watering regime is established, and in this case, it is correct to water the violets with a solution of phytosporin. This procedure is carried out monthly.

Late blight of Saintpaulia rosettes

Late blight on Saintpaulia plants appears in the form of brown, drying spots on the leaves. As the disease develops on violets, such spots spread, the affected tissue undergoes necrosis, and the rosette withers. It is not possible to restore the elasticity of the foliage even after watering.

If the apical part of the rosette is not damaged, you can cut it off and try to root it, after pre-treating it with an antifungal drug and removing all tissue affected by the violet disease. A healthy cut should have a light green tint. You can also take healthy leaves for rooting.

The remaining part of the rosette is destroyed, and all violets adjacent to the diseased specimen are subjected to preventive treatment.

Bronzing and leaf spot viruses

Viral diseases change the appearance of leaf blades, tissue supply and plant development. These diseases can be the reason why violets do not bloom at home, and then stop developing altogether.

The bronzing virus, for example, causes malformed leaves with discoloration. Such plants sometimes turn out to be unviable and are destroyed. And pests that are also found in apartments can spread the disease of violets. In this case it's thrips.

Pests on Uzambara violet plants

Pests that attack Saintpaulia can cause serious harm to indoor crops, since both the green parts of the plant and the roots fall into their sphere of interest. In addition, they spread the most famous diseases of violets.

At home, mites become the most dangerous pests of indoor plants. Cyclamen mites are especially common and harmful on violets; infestation with them is practically undetectable in the initial stages. Only when new leaves appear does it become obvious that the rosette is inhabited by microscopic insects, leading to the cessation of Saintpaulia growth, the refusal of the violet to bloom at home, and the shredding and curling of the leaves in the center of the rosette.

The pest is controlled using phytoverm or other insecticides, after first isolating the diseased plant.

An equally insidious enemy of violets is. From the soil, worms penetrate the root system of plants and the vessels that feed the rosette. They suck out the juices, poison the plant with toxins and disrupt the supply of tissues. As a result, the violet looks weakened, refuses to bloom, and grows poorly. On the green part of the plant, nematode damage looks like thickening of the stem, shredding and changing the shape of the foliage, and mass formation of babies.

At the same time, nodes and vesicular thickenings are clearly visible on the roots, where worm cysts develop.

It is reasonable to part with such a violet, but if you want to propagate a rare variety, you should never take leaves from the lower tiers, where nematodes may already live. The affected plant is destroyed along with the soil. The tray, pot and flowerpot are thoroughly disinfected.

Aphids are most easily detected by sticky secretions on the foliage and by the insects themselves on the back of the leaves and on the petioles, at their base. You can wash off the pest with a soap solution, being careful not to over-moisten the soil, as well as with Antitlin, Fitoverm or tobacco dust.

Thrips, which easily move from plant to plant, are the most dangerous for Saintpaulias kept at home. In addition, the pest, which feeds on plant juices, multiplies quickly and is capable of transferring pathogens of all kinds of violet diseases to the rosettes. Thrips can be destroyed using Aktara or another solution of a similar drug. When processing, the earthen ball must also be affected, and, in addition, the flower stalks are torn off in order to deprive the pest of food - Saintpaulia pollen.

The presence of mealybugs is indicated by white flakes on leaves, stems and petioles where they join the stem. In the soil coma of the affected plant, whitish lumps are noticeable. These are places where scale insects accumulate, feeding on plant juices. An infected violet quickly fades, the leaves become dull and yellowish.

If urgent measures are not taken, not only the diseased violet may die, but also neighboring outlets may be damaged. Treatment is carried out by watering the violets with Mospilan or Regent; the wilted parts must be removed and destroyed.

Sciarides are well known to all gardeners who grow indoor crops. Small black flies above pots are dangerous because they feed on Saintpaulia juices, and in the form of larvae they can cause serious damage to the underground parts of plants.

The fight against the Saintpaulia pest involves spraying the soil with a systemic insecticide, as well as organizing plant care. In this case, proper watering of violets is more important than ever, since excess moisture in the soil promotes the proliferation and activation of harmful insects.