- For the last two years, a black sooty coating has appeared on the fruits of the pear variety Pamyat Yakovlev. What kind of disease is this and how to prevent it? I would also like to know: can such pears be eaten or used for compotes and jam?

Valentin Mikhailovich, Volgograd region, Kamyshin

Most likely, the cause of the black coating on pear fruits is sooty fungus. It settles on the so-called honeydew - secretions of the pear or apple honeydew. Therefore, to avoid the appearance of soot deposits in the future, be sure to take preventive measures.

Pear and apple copperheads are quite common in the Non-Chernozem region. (By the way, at the same time they can harm both rowan and hawthorn). The larvae cause the greatest damage first to the emerging green buds, then to the emerging buds and flowers. They drink the juice, and with their secretions - honeydew - they glue the blossoming leaves and flowers together, preventing them from developing. Sooty fungi soon settle on these secretions. Most of the flowers dry out and fall off, naturally, the yield decreases sharply.

The apple worm gives birth only once. In your case, most likely, the damage is caused by the common pear worm, which usually has 2-3 generations in the Non-Black Earth Region.

To combat the pest in early spring, before the buds open, spray the green cone with an infusion of tobacco dust, ash or soap. True, this method does not always give the desired effect. Therefore, be sure to inspect the trees and, if necessary, treat them with approved drugs, for example, Fufanon, Kemifos, Fitoverm, Inta-Vir, Aktara, etc. These drugs will also help against aphids, which have been causing a lot of damage to our gardens in recent years.

The fruits (after thorough washing, of course) can be eaten and used for processing. Unfortunately, their taste often leaves much to be desired.

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In the process of growing garden and garden crops Every year a gardener encounters some diseases that negatively affect the final harvest. Among all the variety, sooty fungus is also found. What it is? Methods of control and prevention are presented below.

Definition

Sooty fungus is one of the types of molds that develop on the basis of nectar or natural secretions of aphids, scale insects and other pests. In such conditions, a fungus begins to develop, the spores of which are always found in the soil.

Affected leaves appear as if they are covered in a layer of soot, which is how the disease gets its name. At the same time, gradually developing, sooty fungus can affect not only the foliage, but even the branches and trunk of the plant.

What is the danger?

Sooty fungus on cucumbers or other fruits and vegetables is not dangerous in itself, but it clogs the pores of the leaves, thereby disrupting the respiration process, as a result of which the plant develops a lack of oxygen. The fungus also negatively affects the plant’s immunity, which in turn contributes to its death. If the infection problem is not resolved in a timely manner, you may soon lose the plant.

Reasons for appearance

They are a breeding ground for the disease and provoke its awakening. Exactly because of this reason experienced gardeners It is recommended to fight not only sooty fungus, but also pests that form a breeding ground for its development.

Development of the disease

Since the plant's metabolism, respiration and photosynthesis are disrupted due to damage, it soon dries out and dies, especially for annual crops.

Treatment

The following methods of combating sooty fungus are used in gardening:

• Removing affected leaves. The procedure is effective in the early stages of the disease, when there are not many affected areas. After removal, they must be burned away from the growth. garden crops to prevent the spread of the disease to healthy plants.
• Spraying with Bordeaux mixture at a concentration of 1%. For this, ordinary sprayers can be used if the treatment area is small, and garden sprayers, which are characterized by high productivity.

• Spraying with 1% solution copper sulfate also delays and stops the development of sooty fungus on plants.
• It is impossible to cure the affected plant without destroying the pests that caused the sooty fungus to appear. For this purpose, drugs such as “Calypso”, “Fitover”, “Fitosporin” are used.
• Spraying with a copper-soap mixture. To prepare it you will need 5 g of copper sulfate, 150 g of finely grated laundry soap 72%, 10 liters of water. Everything must be mixed until the vitriol and soap are completely dissolved, then treat the plants with a spray bottle.
• To destroy fungi in the soil, it is recommended to water the soil around the plant. hot water and then cover with film. Using this method, you must be extremely careful, because you can easily damage the roots and trunk of the plant with hot water.
• Spraying with a solution of soda and 72% laundry soap is allowed.

Timely treatment can save garden plants from imminent death.

Prevention measures

In order not to have to carry out treatment for sooty fungus, it is necessary to engage in disease prevention. The following measures apply for this:

• Preventive spraying of plants with “Fitosporin”, “Calypso” and other antifungal drugs. It is usually carried out in the spring, when the first leaves bloom, and also in mid-summer, when the chances of being affected by the fungus are highest.

• To prevent the spread of the disease, it is necessary to promptly pick off infected leaves and burn them away from fruit and vegetable crops.
• In the fall, before planting, you can treat the soil and garden tools with a solution of copper sulfate.
• It is recommended to change the growing location annually different cultures, this has a positive effect not only on subsequent yields, but also reduces the risks of many diseases, including sooty fungus.
• To prevent the development of fungal diseases, it is important to prevent waterlogging of the soil, as well as to thin out too thick tree crowns.

Sooty fungus affects not only garden plants, but also indoor plants, so when buying a new flowerpot, you need to quarantine it for two weeks in another room. This is necessary in case the plant is affected by diseases that can be transmitted to healthy flowers.

Frequent inspection of the condition of plants also prevents the development of many diseases, including fungal ones. This helps to identify the problem in a timely manner and solve it promptly. initial stage development.

In the garden, it is necessary to carefully remove weeds that grow between the beds, as they can cause pests.

For small areas of soot infestation, it is sometimes sufficient to remove blackened leaves or simply wash off the soot.

Variety selection

In order to avoid having to take emergency measures to combat sooty fungus, it is recommended to pay attention to crop varieties that are resistant to fungal diseases:

• Pears: “early ripening from Michurinsk”, “allegro”, “morning freshness”, “gera”, “Yakovlevskaya”.
• Cherries: “chocolate girl”, “Turgenevka”, “minx”, “short story”, “toy”.
• Apple trees: “cypress”, “lungwort”, “aphrodite”, “sun”, “Antonovka”.
• Tomatoes: “resonance”, “gnome”, “Perseus”, “orange miracle”, “Tatyana”.

• Peaches: “Vulcan T-1”, “Harbinger”, “Royal Glory”, “Sweet Ring”, “Fidelia”.
• Grapes: “Victoria”, “White Delight”, “Arcadia”, “Laura”, “Cardinal”.
• Strawberry: “torpedo”, “Queen Elizabeth II”, “honet”, “Tsarskoye Selo”.
• Potatoes: “bronitsky”, “alena”, “snow white”, “redus”, “temp”.
• Black currant: “Gulliver”, “lazy”, “Dashkovskaya”, “centaur”, “mila”.
• Red currant: “Asya”, “Valentinovka”, “pink muscat”, “memorable”, “cascade”, “generous”.
• Gooseberry: “non-slukhovsky”, “malachite”, “spring”, “isabella”, “Russian red”, “Russian yellow”, “Cossack”.
• Cucumbers: “competitor”, “delicacy”, “Nezhinsky”, “son of the regiment”, “whim”, “bunny”, “tanechka”.

If you purchase varieties of fruit and vegetable crops that are resistant to fungal diseases, you can prevent the development of sooty fungus on plants.

Conclusion

Sooty fungus is a rather dangerous disease for plants, as it significantly impedes their normal functioning. Despite the fact that control measures are quite simple, it can be difficult to cure a plant due to the fact that fungal diseases spread very quickly.

Hello, brothers in misfortune!

In our village it is fungal disease has not yet acquired such proportions as in other villages of the Volsky region, but the pace of its spread is frightening.

It is impossible for a non-specialist to determine the presence of the disease in the garden beds. At first glance, the affected onion also looks quite decent, but under its outer dry scales you can find a black dusty coating that stains your hands with “soot”, but is easily washed off with water.

The sooty fungus causes the greatest harm to onion sets. Upon closer examination of the bulbs, one can detect several stages of the development of the disease - first, the upper scale (we do not count the outer dry scale) becomes watery, then a black coating appears on it, the scale mummifies, or even the entire bulb. Over the winter, a bucket of onion sets often leaves a dozen onions left.

Let's fight my love complex method:

— We sort the sets very carefully. If the bulb seems not so golden, a little dark, remove the dry scales and look, perhaps a sooty fungus has been rampant under it for a long time;

- it’s better to throw it all away if signs of disease are found and buy a new one (choose carefully, ask a couple of suspicious ones to break them). But there was no sooty fungus on our land, just before we bought the sets. When purchased, the onion looked perfect (it went through not a single stage of sorting by the owner), but the spores were already on it...

- we treat the sets, nigella (that too! Remember - all onions are affected) and seed (uterine) bulbs with a fungicide in accordance with the attached instructions. I came across a mention that this can be done with the drugs tigam and TMTD. I haven't tried it myself. I am more inclined towards “phytosporin”. If there is a result, I’ll write it. “Maxim” does not give noticeable results when affected by sooty fungus. If you are afraid, take potassium permanganate. ;

— we plant all three onions (sets, nigella, seed ones) geographically distant from each other, while observing crop rotation;

— we remove them in a timely manner (immature bulbs are more affected);

- dry correctly - in one layer in a well-ventilated area. Better in direct sunlight. We practice taking boxes of onions out into the sun. But remember, the sun can “cook” onions. We have this practice behind us (in 2010). So the sun should also be in moderation;

— for sowing, we radically change the storage location (fungal spores remain in storage for a very long time). Choose a dry, well-ventilated place with a low temperature of 15-20°C. Our winter temperatures of 28-30°C in an apartment or house are very conducive to the growth of fungus, especially if the boxes are “adjusted” somewhere in the corner... Wet undergrounds are also not suitable, even if the temperature in them is appropriate. It’s difficult, but you have to think about it;

- changing the cellar for turnips and seed onions is an impossible task. We will process it - at least with a FAS sulfur bomb. If possible, move the boxes to another corner of the cellar. To make things even more important, you can throw out the boxes in which the onions were stored last year. For turnips best temperature storage 1-3°C.

Don't let this disease go! Once upon a time, the Tersinsky onion (a village in the Volsky region) was very popular in our area, but now it is damaged almost everywhere there. Take care of your seeds.

Fungal diseases on indoor plants are a very big nuisance. They are difficult to diagnose, available to amateurs indoor floriculture control agents are effective only against a few species of fungi and are highly contagious. Therefore, most often the best solution is to isolate the affected plant or destroy it. The best thing is prevention. Fungi primarily attack weakened plants and spread well in crowded conditions at high temperatures and humidity. AND the main thing is cleanliness. Most fungal diseases are introduced with soil, dust and new plants.

Fungal diseases most common in indoor plants include: rust, sooty fungi, powdery mildew, downy mildew, stem and root rot (soil fungi), gray mold and leaf spot.

Let's take a look at the many fungal diseases that affect indoor plants.

In the group of diseases that cause leaf spotting (stems are also affected), the causative agents are pathogenic fungi. They usually cause the appearance of spots of dead tissue on the leaves and stems, which may vary in color, size and shape, the edge of the spot and its central part, depending on the type of mushroom. Preventing the occurrence of such diseases consists of regular and proper care, avoiding overcrowding and keeping the room well ventilated. When a lesion has just begun and is detected early enough, the damaged parts of the plants can be cut off; severely affected specimens are best destroyed.

If there is rotting and/or wilting of the roots, root collars or rosette-shaped plants such as Saintpaulia, the cause is most often soil fungal infection. To prevent these diseases, the use of clean, sterilized soil mixtures and thoroughly washed flower pots. In addition, overwatering and constant soil moisture in pots contribute to the infection of plants by these fungi. Be careful when using for watering rainwater or water from natural sources that is not treated.

Fungi that cause powdery mildew. relatively easy to recognize. As the name of the disease implies, plant damage manifests itself in the form of a white powdery coating of sporulated fungi. In this case, a distinction is made between true powdery mildew and downy mildew. In both cases, the disease can be controlled with chemicals protection of plants from fungi - fungicides. Stagnant air, high humidity at high temperatures, sudden temperature changes and the general weakened state of plants contribute to the development of infection; downy mildew spreads primarily through wet leaves.

Sooty fungi are a problem in practice only when they settle on the sugary secretions of aphids (honeydew). In case of minor infestation by sooty fungi, the damaged parts of the plants can be cut off. After combating aphids, it is necessary to spray the plants two or three times with a solution of potassium soap (sold in specialized stores) to wash off the remaining sugary coating from them. Leaves of potted roses affected by star sooty fungus must be removed and destroyed.

Sometimes rust fungi are found on indoor plants, which form pustules of various shades from orange to black-brown on the underside of leaves. At a later stage, lesions appear on the upper side of the leaves. yellow spots. In case of this disease, remove damaged parts of plants as soon as possible. As preventive measures we can recommend regular proper care plants to maintain their health and select more suitable place, excluding content in stagnant, very humid and warm air.

Now let's look at these diseases in detail.

Leaf spot

Leaf spot is a disease that is both fungal and bacterial in nature and can also be caused by nematodes. Citrus fruits, dieffenbachias, and dracaenas are most often affected. The main symptoms are that yellow or brown, weeping, roundish spots of irregular shape appear on the leaves of the plant, which, as the disease spreads, grow in size, merge and affect the entire leaf. The causative agents are pathogenic fungi. They appear as a result of too strong direct solar lighting or spraying leaves with water of variable temperature. Spotting can be easily avoided by watering and spraying the plants with water, the temperature of which is equal to the room air temperature or no more than 3-5° higher than it, and not exposing them to direct sunlight.

Control measures:

1. Remove and burn all affected leaves

2. Reduce watering.

3. Stop spraying the plant

4. Treat with a systemic fungicide according to the instructions included with the product.

Rot

Gray rot.

Gray rot - fungal disease, which most often affects dying parts of the plant. At favorable conditions temperature and humidity are amazing and healthy plant. Most often affected are: begonia, gloxinia, cyclamen, saintpaulia and other plants with succulent leaves. The buds and flowers of plants are more often susceptible to disease in conditions high humidity. In the first stages, decay manifests itself in the leaves losing their elasticity, they become soft and weak, lose their normal color and the plant withers. Then a light gray fluffy coating of mold appears on the affected leaves and flowers, the affected areas soften, they turn brown and die. Spores from infected specimens fall on nearby standing plants during air movement, during watering and spraying. Conditions for plants to be affected by gray rot occur at low temperatures and at the same time high humidity air. Therefore, plants should not be placed too close to each other, the rooms should be ventilated more often, and when watering, avoid getting water on the leaves.
The disease appears on leaves and stems in the form of numerous small spots. different shapes, Brown, or browning of leaf edges. The spots enlarge and become covered with a fluffy coating.

Control measures:

1. Remove all affected leaves, inflorescences or whole plants

2. Regular ventilation and thinning, good lighting.

3. Spraying with a solution of topsin-M (0.1%), foundationazole (0.2%), copper-soap solution (0.2% copper sulfate and 2% laundry soap) or other systemic fungicide. Repeated treatments are carried out after 10-12 days.

White rot.

The causative agent is a fungus with a wide specialization. It can affect many types of plants.
Characteristic signs of white rot are wilting of the top of the plant and rotting of the lower part of the stem. Affected lower leaves discolor, become watery, and sometimes become covered with a white coating. On the cut of the stem, large black formations are visible - sclerotia of the fungus. Sometimes they form on the surface of the stem. Infection occurs through the soil, from where the pathogen penetrates the lower part of the stems. The disease manifests itself sharply at low air temperatures (12-15°) and with sudden changes in temperature and high humidity. It affects the fruits of plants, in Fig. banana fruits affected by white rot are shown.

Control measures:

Remove affected plants along with the soil.

Rot of stems.

Rotting of the stems can occur either after dividing the plants (an operation that requires great care and cleanliness), or as a result of diseases of the roots affected by pests, or as a result of uneven watering (excessive drying followed by abundant watering, which causes the death of part of the living roots and wounds appear in their place , through which putrefactive microorganisms penetrate). You should also avoid using soil mixtures that are too oily. A fungus that infects a plant usually develops very quickly and, as a rule, the entire plant dies.

Control measures:

In the initial stage of the disease, you can try to save the plant by removing all affected tissue. In case of serious damage, destroy the plant along with the soil and pot. Waterlogged soil and unventilated rooms promote the development of fungus.

Root rot.

Root rot begins with rotting of the root collar, gradually the rot progresses to the entire root system. Most often affected are cyclamens, dieffenbachias, saintpaulias and sansevierias, succulents, begonias, and palms. Serious illness. External signs - leaves (and in cacti - stems) turn yellow and wither, then quickly darken and the plant dies.

Control measures:

Destroy the diseased plant along with the soil.

Blackleg.

The causative agents of the disease are soil fungi that develop on dead plant debris in the surface layers of the soil. It mainly affects seedlings and seedlings.

Signs of the disease: blackening or rotting of the root collar and base of the stem.

Factors contributing to the development of the disease:

– lack of light;

– excess soil moisture;

– high sowing density.

Plants at risk: many flowering indoor plants (primarily pelargonium).

– removal of a diseased plant,

– compliance with water and temperature regime,

– watering the plant with a solution of potassium permanganate (Zg/l),

– spraying 2-3 times with an interval of 6 days with a daily infusion of onion scales (20 g/l).

Powdery mildew.

A disease caused by erysifaceae or powdery mildew fungi. Many plants are affected, including trees and shrubs. Powdery mildew is very harmful to chrysanthemums, begonias, and Saintpaulias. Roses are severely affected by American powdery mildew - spheroteka

A white, powdery, often darkening coating appears on the green parts of plants (leaves, young shoots, buds). Affected leaves curl, wither and fall off, shoots and buds do not develop, the plant is depressed and stunted. The disease is transmitted by spores through the air or by cuttings. Dry, hot conditions contribute to the spread of the disease. Plant resistance to powdery mildew increases with timely application of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

The disease is rare for indoor plants, but it does occur. The disease is transmitted by air (spores) and cuttings.

– the plant is sprayed with clean water, after which it is pollinated once with ground sulfur (at a temperature not lower than 18-20″C and not higher than 25°C);

– spraying with copper-soap liquid: 1200 cm3 hot water dissolve 10-20 g of copper sulfate, in parallel in 10 l warm water dilute 100-200 g of green soap; a solution of copper sulfate is introduced into the soap solution in a thin stream with constant stirring;

– spraying with a soda solution (4-5 g/l), to which you can add 3-4 g/l soap;

– in the evening, spraying with slurry: 1 part of well-rotted manure is poured with 3 parts of water and infused for 3 days, after which it is diluted with water in the ratio of 1 part infusion to 3 parts water;

– spraying rotted hay or rotted leaves with infusion;

– treatment of the plant three times with a mixture of 1 g salicylic acid, 3 g of baking soda, 5 mg of denatured alcohol, 10 g of soap and 1 liter of water;

Downy mildew.

Downy mildew affects many indoor plants. The disease develops mainly on leaves, but spreads to stems and flowers under conditions favorable for its development. Initially, pale grayish-yellow spots with a faint outline appear on the upper side of the leaves, which increase as the disease progresses. On the underside of the leaves, in the affected areas, a light gray coating forms, consisting of fungal mycelium. Damaged leaves wither and dry out. The fungus is especially merciless to roses, cineraria, and hydrangea cuttings. All of their leaves are affected by the fungus. Young plants and cuttings die entirely.

Carefully remove and burn diseased leaves and severely affected plants. Maintaining low humidity, regular ventilation, thinning and cleaning of bushes. Changing soil and disinfecting it. Spraying plants with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture or soda ash (0.5%), especially carefully the underside of the leaves. Start treatment at the first signs of disease and repeat every 10 days.

Black (sooty fungus).

Black - appears in the form of a dry sooty film. It is caused by a sooty fungus that settles on the secretions of aphids, whiteflies, and mealybugs. The plaque itself is not dangerous for the plant, but it clogs the stomata on the leaves, thereby disrupting the respiration process. The plant slows down and weakens.

timely spraying against pests that produce sweet secretions. Sooty deposits are washed off with a wet cloth, then the plant is washed with clean warm water.

Anthracnose is a disease that most often affects palm trees, ficus trees, coffee, citrus fruits, and grapes. Appear on the leaves of affected plants dark spots, and dark brown streaks may appear at the ends of the leaves. Warm, humid conditions contribute to the development of the disease, so plants in greenhouses rather than indoors are most often affected.

– reducing and even completely stopping watering for several weeks;

– treatment of the plant with a systemic fungicide;

– at the last stage of disease development: the plant is burned.

Late blight - this disease is often found in Saintpaulias. Caused by a fungus. The plant first slows down its growth, fades somewhat, the leaves lose color, the disease progresses very quickly and the plant dies. The first impression with this disease is that the plant does not have enough water, but after watering the turgor is not restored, and the leaves wither even more, and stem rot begins. Source of infection – earth mixtures(not sterilized), equipment and pots after diseased plants.

Usually the disease is detected and determined at the stage when it is no longer possible to save the plant; it is easier to prevent the disease. Be sure to sterilize the soil for planting, especially if you are growing plants that are very susceptible to late blight (for example, violets). Pour boiling water over pots and equipment before planting. For propagation, cut off only a healthy leaf.

Fusarium - common and dangerous fungal disease. Plants are affected at any age. The fungus is found in the soil and penetrates the plant through the soil and wounds. In young plants, the disease manifests itself in the form of rotting of the roots and root collar. In these places, the tissues turn brown, the stem becomes thinner, and the leaves turn yellow. Soon the whole plant withers and dies. Rotting of the bulbs, most often in the bottom area, both during cultivation and during the dormant period. It manifests itself as rot in the form of reddish-brown dry spots, which, with high humidity, become covered with a pinkish-white coating. The disease mainly spreads in patches. The infection spreads through the soil. Weakened plants are most susceptible to the disease. The development of the disease is promoted by high soil and air humidity.

three times health-improving watering with potassium permanganate. Cleaning and treating stains with Brilliant Green. Disinfection planting material in a solution of potassium permanganate for two hours (concentration 0.1%). In case of irreversible processes, remove and destroy the plant along with a lump of earth. Disinfection of pots with a 5% solution of copper sulfate, bleach. Excessive moisture should not be allowed.

Rust

The causative agents of the disease are rust fungi. Signs of the disease: in summer - rusty pads on the leaves of the plant and in winter - black piles of fungal spores. Plants at risk: pelargonium, camellia, bulbous plants, palm trees, citrus fruits, geraniums, roses, fuchsias, asparagus, coffee; sedum and milkweed may be affected.
Symptoms of the lesion are convex concentric spots or stripes, usually rusty-brown in color, on the underside of leaves, and less often on the petioles and stems of plants. They are projected onto the upper side of the leaf as light yellow spots. Later, velvety sporulation pads of the fungus form on the underside of the leaves. Rust disease causes increased transpiration of plants, and with severe damage - drying and falling of leaves.
The pathogens are carried by wind or insects. The disease occurs locally.

– spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture: 10 g of copper sulfate is dissolved in 0.5 l of hot water, in parallel, 10 g of quicklime is diluted in 0.5 l of water, the copper sulfate solution is poured in a thin stream into lime milk with constant stirring; properly cooked Bordeaux mixture must have an even yellow;

– dusting with ground sulfur or a mixture of ground sulfur with slaked lime and powdered copper sulfate.

Red burn (Stangionosporosis)

It affects all parts of the plant - roots, bulb, leaves and flower shoot. With the disease, elongated reddish-purple spots appear. The damaged tissue softens, then dries out and cracks, the flower arrows break. When severely damaged, plants grow poorly, do not bloom, and even die. The disease is promoted by excessive watering, low temperature, and sudden temperature changes. Affects amaryllis or hippeastrum.

During the dormant period, keep in a bright room; treat affected bulbs with brilliant green; Avoid temperature changes during maintenance.

Black fungus, or scientifically called aspergillus fungus, sooty fungus is an infectious disease that affects garden and indoor plants. The disease is especially dangerous for plants with weakened immunity and young, immature specimens.

In the fall, along with fallen leaves, the fungus enters the soil, where it overwinters well, and with the onset of the warm season it becomes more active and begins its destructive activity.

The mob arises and spreads when elevated temperature air against a background of high humidity. A crowded arrangement of plants indoors, dense plantings or poor ventilation of the crowns of garden trees accelerates the spread of infection.

The plaque that appears on the surface clogs the pores of the leaf, restricts the flow of sunlight, which disrupts photosynthesis. Over time, the disease spreads throughout the plant, leading to death individual parts and complete death.

Causes and symptoms of sooty fungus

The blackhead does not appear on a healthy specimen. At first garden tree or a houseplant is attacked by pests - scale insects, whiteflies, mealybugs or aphids. They secrete sticky, sweetish substances that become fertile ground for the development of fungal infections.

It is easy to understand that a plant is affected by sooty fungus. Small black or dark gray spots appear on leaves, young shoots or fruits. Over time, the spots increase in size and several spots combine into one large one. If urgent measures are not taken, then the bush may be covered black film, similar to soot. The growth of shoots and leaves stops, the leaves fall off, and the plant dies.

Traces of damage by niello can be found on many garden and indoor specimens. Most often, cellulose is found on apple trees, pear trees, plum trees, cucumbers, tomatoes or onions. Among indoor plants, sooty fungus most often affects orchids, ficus, citrus fruits, boxwood, palm trees, gardenia, and bay trees.

Preventive measures

• Regular inspection of plantings will allow timely detection of pests. Detected pests are immediately destroyed.
• Newly purchased indoor specimens are placed in separate room for quarantine.
• In the garden or garden plot annual cleaning and destruction of old leaves and weeds is necessary, preventative treatment trunks.

It is necessary to begin the fight against sooty fungus by destroying the pests whose secretions the fungus feeds on. In case of small foci of mob manifestation, it is quite simple to remove and destroy the damaged parts, which will significantly reduce the amount of existing infection.

Anti-mob measures

• extermination of insect pests using recommended insecticides;
• the use of immunostimulants and special fertilizers that strengthen plants;
• destruction of spores using fungicides.

Folk measures to combat sooty fungus

• On small indoor specimens, the fungus that appears can be washed off with a soft cloth soaked in a soda solution. Soda will dissolve the sweet coating and destroy spores;
• spraying infected plants with a mixture of 150 g of green or laundry soap, 5 g of copper sulfate and 1 liter of water. The resulting mixture is sprayed onto the entire plant, leaves on both sides;
• potassium soap solution;
• replacing soil in a flower pot;

Sooty fungus itself does not pose a particular danger to humans - it does not emit dangerous toxins and does not affect health. The mob spoils appearance plants and inhibits it.