Content
If honeysuckle leaves turn yellow in the summer, this is a warning sign that you should pay attention to. The plant is used in garden plots to decorate flower beds. If the bush turns yellow prematurely and leaves fall, this can ruin the entire landscape. The main reasons why honeysuckle leaves turn yellow and ways to eliminate the problem are described below.
Why do honeysuckle leaves turn yellow?
Honeysuckle leaves turn yellow for various reasons.
This could be improper planting, excessive or insufficient watering, lack of nutrients in the soil, the appearance of insect pests, all kinds of diseases.
Loams and sandstones are suitable for planting. If a crop is planted in acidic soil, it may react by producing yellow leaves. If it is known that the soil acidity in the area is high, before planting honeysuckle you should prepare the soil mixture by adding lime to it.
On honeysuckle planted in the shade, the leaves curl and turn yellow from a lack of ultraviolet radiation. Before planting a shrub, you should choose a suitable site.It should be open; only large trees that provide slight shading can grow in the neighborhood.
When planting, you should follow some rules:
- The seedling must be transplanted in early spring, before the buds swell, otherwise the bush will be sick throughout the summer;
- At least 1.2 m is left between plants. This distance is necessary for the normal development of shoots. When thickened, favorable conditions are created for the development of diseases that can cause yellowing, curling and falling leaves.
Common Causes of Yellow Leaves on Honeysuckle
If honeysuckle is planted according to all the rules, it is watered in a timely manner and periodically fed, then the cause of the sudden appearance of yellow leaves may be diseases or pests.
The most common cause of yellowing foliage is the green honeysuckle aphid.
The plant is attacked for the first time in early June, and the second brood appears in July. Aphids feed on plant sap, sucking it out of leaves and shoots. The foliage turns yellow, curls and falls off prematurely, the shoots stop growing, and the general condition of the seedling deteriorates. Without timely treatment, the plant may die.
Red-olive spotting is accompanied by the appearance of yellowish-red spots on the leaves, gradually acquiring a brownish tint.
The foliage begins to turn yellow, dry out and fall off
Mottling of honeysuckle leaves is caused by soil nematodes. The natural color of the crown changes, yellowish-white streaks and spots appear on the leaf plates.
The appearance of winding stripes with a dried and yellowed surface warns of the appearance of leaf miner fly larvae.
The emerging larvae make passages inside, which interferes with the normal process of photosynthesis and worsens the condition of the bush, slowing down its growth.
The root-knot nematode is a microscopic worm that sucks juices from the roots and facilitates the penetration of fungal and bacterial infections into damaged areas. If the root system is damaged, the foliage may turn yellow and fall off prematurely.
The appearance of the root-knot nematode leads to the development of the rhizome mosaic virus. This disease is characterized by uncontrolled growth of side shoots. The leaves stop developing, begin to dry out and fall off, and the plants also wither and die.
What to do if honeysuckle leaves turn yellow
When the first yellowed leaves appear, it is necessary to find out the cause. To do this, carefully examine the leaf plate and shoots. If external signs of disease or the presence of insects on honeysuckle are not detected, it is necessary to analyze other factors that cause the leaves to turn yellow.
Inspecting the planting site and conducting a soil acidity test will help identify the cause of yellow foliage on honeysuckle. If the shrub is planted in the shade, it is better to transplant it to an open area. The procedure is carried out in early spring or autumn, after the leaves have fallen. It is advisable that there be at least 1 month left before the first frost.
Yellowing of honeysuckle leaves is not always associated with disease; perhaps the plant suffers from a lack of nutrients. To help the shrub, it needs to be treated with special preparations, for example, Florist, Uniflor-micro and others. You can use fertilizers containing urea and humate.The foliar procedure is carried out in the summer, the application of organic matter is carried out in the spring, and in the fall it is recommended to fertilize with wood ash.
Honeysuckle needs regular watering, but if the soil is waterlogged, its roots may be damaged. In regions with a temperate climate, it is enough to water 3-4 times per season. During periods of severe drought, the amount of watering can be increased. Each hole will require 10 liters of warm water. Water the bushes in the evening. To prevent moisture from evaporating too much, the tree trunk circles are mulched with available materials (sawdust, peat, freshly cut grass).
If pests are noticed on the foliage, honeysuckle bushes are treated with insecticides. The following drugs are recognized as effective:
- Confidor;
- Aktara;
- Actellik.
Treatment is also carried out in the spring (for preventive purposes).
Advice from experienced gardeners
Honeysuckle is not only an ornamental, but also a high-yielding shrub. In order not to encounter yellowing of foliage and deterioration in yield, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures.
Leaves may turn yellow due to lack of nutrition. Seedlings are fed in the third year after planting. In early spring, mineral fertilizers (20 g) and manure (5 kg) are applied. Before flowering begins, use the drug Kemira; it is dissolved in water at the rate of 20 g per 10 liters.
To prevent the crop from turning yellow, foliar feeding is practiced in the summer. Spraying is carried out in the evening or in cloudy but not rainy weather. For spraying you need: urea (0.1%), potassium chloride (0.5%) and superphosphate (1%).
In autumn, the ground is treated with wood ash. For 1 sq. m of tree trunk circle will require 200 g of ash.
When yellow leaves appear on the bushes, they are torn off, dried and damaged shoots are cut off and burned away from the site.
Conclusion
If honeysuckle leaves turn yellow, a thorough inspection of the plant is necessary. A correct diagnosis allows you to help the bush in a timely manner and save it from death.
