Why do pumpkin leaves turn yellow, what to do and how to prevent a problem

What to do if you notice yellowed leaves on the pumpkin? How dangerous is it and what is the reason? How can I avoid this? In the article we will tell you why the leaves of the pumpkin turn yellow, how to overcome the withering diseases and pests, what agrotechnical mistakes can be, and we will give a number of tips from experienced farmers.

The main reasons for yellowing leaves in pumpkin

To cope with the problem, you need to understand its causes.

Diseases

Pumpkin is resistant to many diseases, but if it gets infected, it is difficult to treat it... The most common are fungal infections. They are dangerous due to their speed of propagation. Finding the source of the disease can be difficult, often infection begins in the depths of the soil: the fungus inflicts the first blow on the root system.

Bacteriosis

At first there is a slight yellowing of the leaves, then they quickly turn brown... The back of the leaf becomes stained and eventually the green mass dries up. This infection also affects the fruits - their development slows down, deformation and drying begins.

How to get rid of:

• treat with 1% Bordeaux liquid;
• destroy infected parts.

From preventive measures - compliance with the principles of crop rotation.

Powdery mildew

One of the most dangerous diseases for vegetables... Its first sign is a whitish coating. Then the foliage turns yellow, the whips wither and dry up. As a result, the pumpkin weakens and cannot resist other diseases and pests.

Control measures:

• spraying foliage with a solution of colloidal sulfur;
• adding mullein solution to the well;
• treatment with Topaz.

White rot

All starts with a slight, almost imperceptible yellowing of the foliage around the edges, then a white coating appears, which soon becomes slimy. The whole pumpkin rots: the stems, and leaves, and fruits are affected.

As a control measure - treatment with copper sulfate.

Prevention:

• be sure to remove weeds;
• sprinkle the soil with wood ash and chalk.

Root rot

The first stage is root rot and rapid yellowing of the lower leavesclose to the roots. Further, the central stem turns yellow, since the roots are no longer able to provide the plant with the necessary substances for growth.

Control measures:

• change the topsoil;
• treat the root collar with a 1% solution of "Furdanozol".

Treatment will be a good prevention. above-ground part with wood ash.

Yellow mosaic

Young bushes are her main target... The green mass turns yellow, it curls around the edges. Fruits are covered with mosaic spots and become crooked. In this case, even additional feeding will not help, the plant simply will not be able to assimilate useful elements.

To prevent it, they are sprayed with antifungal drugs - "Previkur Energy", "Bravo" or "Acrobat".

For prevention:

1. Process the seed, decontaminate it.
2. Do spring tillage and planting to get rid of mosaic-carrying insects.
3. Destroy infected specimens along with the ground.
4. Plant the shoots as far apart as possible.
5. Disinfect garden tools (using a solution of vitriol - 4 tablespoons per 1 liter of water or potassium permanganate - 2 tablespoons per 1 liter of water).

Reasons for infection with fungal infections

Here are some of them:

1. Wrong watering... Excessive waterlogging of the soil leads to root rot.Water temperature also has an effect: it is not recommended to water with cold water. Long breaks in watering are also dangerous.
2. Failure to comply with crop rotation. If you plant the same types of crops in one place for several years, then the soil will be depleted, and will lose its protective and nutritional properties.
3. Weeds and insects spread the fungus. Therefore, weeding, removal of weeds and loosening of the soil are required.

Pests

The leaves of the plant turn yellow if the pumpkin is attacked by pests.

Spider mite

A common type of pest. The leaves and stems turn yellow because he enmeshes them with cobwebs, feeding on the sap of the plant... This leads not only to drying of the foliage, but also to the cracking of the peel of the fruit.

An excellent means of prevention treatment with decoctions of phytoncidal herbs is considered.

If the tick has already settled on the pumpkin, then biological products "Akarin", "Bitoxibacillin", "Fitoverm" are suitable to combat it.

Melon aphid

The reverse side of the leaves is a favorite place of this pest.... Aphids spread quickly. Clutches of eggs are found on all parts of the pumpkin. The struggle is complicated by the fact that even when it is possible to get rid of adults, invisible larvae may remain on the plant.

Insecticides will help get rid of pests... Processing usually takes place in several stages - for the destruction of both adults and larvae.

For prevention a decoction of phytoncidal herbs is also suitable.

Council. A folk recipe for combating melon aphids: 250 g of wood ash is diluted in 10 liters of warm water. Then add 70 g of soap shavings or liquid soap. Spraying the beds is best done in the evening. If it suddenly rains after the treatment, the procedure is repeated again. Spray pumpkin until signs of leaf damage are eliminated.

Slugs

They love wet, cloudy weather, devour all parts of the plant... You can easily find slugs on a pumpkin, but getting rid of the consequences is a difficult task.

For prevention, they loosen the soil around the beds... If slugs have already appeared, you will have to remove them manually, there is no other way. Then you need to treat the bushes with a solution of tobacco or laundry soap so that they do not come back. To prepare a soapy solution, planted with laundry soap, dissolve in warm water and spray on the leaves. The tobacco solution is infused for several days, then sprayed in the same way.

Certain pumpkin varieties are resistant to diseases and insects - for example, Adagio, Russian woman and Smile.

Agrotechnical errors

If the pumpkin has sprung up with yellow leaves or yellowness appeared later, this may mean that agricultural practices have been violated.

Some preventive measures:

• process seeds before sowing;
• to prevent the appearance of weeds in pumpkin crops - this is a breeding ground for diseases and pests;
• to decontaminate equipment;
• after harvesting, get rid of old tops of plants;
• dig up the soil in the fall.

Most pathogens remain on seeds and plant debris... Therefore, pre-sowing disinfection of seeds and soil is mandatory. Plant residues are removed from the garden and burned.

Tips from experienced gardeners

How to grow healthy and tasty pumpkin?A few helpful tips from experts:

1. A good choice is a well-lit, sunny, windless place. Avoid stagnant soil water.
2. Dig up the soil several times before planting the seeds to get rid of the insects that destroy the roots.
3. The soil is fed with organic and mineral fertilizers. The first include compost, chicken manure, rotted manure, ash, vermicompost. Mineral minerals are potash, phosphorus, nitrogen, or complex. But there is a downside - an excess of fertilizer in the soil is also detrimental to the ovaries. If the plant has large lashes and dense foliage, then this indicates an excess of nitrogen. The pumpkin "fattens" - directs all its energy to the green mass to the detriment of the fruit.
4. A high-quality seed should be convex, with a smooth crust, uniform shade, and no damage.
5. Way seed checks before planting: a few seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and left in a warm place, not forgetting to periodically moisten the cloth. Germination can be assessed in 2-3 days.
6. Topping stems - one of the important stages in pumpkin cultivation. One plant should have no more than four ovaries. Often in the open field, it is formed into two stems - on the main one, two fruits, on the side - one.

Conclusion

The main reasons for the yellowing of foliage in pumpkin are fungal diseases, insect damage and agricultural mistakes. The solution to the problem is simple: take care of the plant, examine it, treat it at the slightest sign of disease, observe the hygiene of equipment, soil and seed, choose sunny, non-flooded places. Only in this case will you get a healthy harvest.