Rhubarb is a plant that does not require special care and can adapt well to various conditions. Therefore, you can find it not only in gardens and vegetable gardens, but also in natural conditions. Of course, a cultivated plant differs from its “wild” counterpart. It has a more pronounced taste and grows better. But at the same time, it suffers much more from pests. Gardeners even identify certain diseases typical of rhubarb.
Rhubarb diseases
Like all crops of the buckwheat family, rhubarb grows in soils of varying composition and does so mostly without care.
Some unfavorable conditions - high air and soil humidity, frequent mowing of the lawn - can cause it to slow down its growth and even lead to disease.
There are two most common rhubarb diseases.
Ascochyta blight of buckwheat
Leaves damaged by ascochyta blight can be easily recognized by large ocher-colored spots. They dry out the mass of the plant and destroy its structure. As a result, previously healthy shoots begin to crumble and wither prematurely.
Ramulariasis of rhubarb
You can recognize this disease by the following symptoms:
- Brick-red spots form on the leaves;
- The affected areas increase in size and spread over the surface of the leaves. They become gray inside, while their borders become brightly colored;
- The dried parts of the plant die, and the petioles become woody and covered with an inconspicuous gray coating.
Rhubarb pests
Not only gardeners love to plant rhubarb on their plots. Gardeners also appreciate this plant for its juicy, bright color, pleasant shape of leaves, forming a neat rosette.
Unfortunately, many garden pests tend to ruin their appearance:
- sorrel leaf beetle;
- potato scoop;
- weevil.
How to deal with diseases and pests?
To combat the causative agent of ascochyta blight, fungicides are effectively used: Bordeaux mixture 1%. Sometimes treatment requires re-treatment after one and a half to two weeks.
It is recommended to remove seriously affected leaves and cuttings, and treat the cut areas with crushed charcoal.
It makes sense to fight ramulariasis only at the very beginning of its development.To do this, growing leaves are treated with a solution of a product such as Energen, which can prevent the proliferation of pathogenic flora.
If the disease has a progressive form, then it is impossible to fight it. All that remains is to save what is left. To do this, diseased leaves and cuttings are removed, the ground is loosened well and wood ash and fertilizer are added.
Many gardeners offer extremely radical solutions as a pest control measure: removing plant leaves and extensively loosening the soil. Others advise not to rush with “weeding” and first treat with 40% phosphamide. It should be done twice: before flowering and after it.
What to do if rhubarb leaves turn red?
A change in the natural color of any representative of the flora indicates that its development is not happening as it should. In the case of rhubarb, redness of its shoots and leaf surface indicates the appearance of fungal microorganisms. And if you don’t fight them in a timely manner, the plant will dry out, and the soil under it will be contaminated for a long time.
In order to prevent pathogenic flora from multiplying, it is necessary to act boldly and quickly. To begin with, the bush can be treated with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Phytosporin will also work.
If this does not help, the affected parts of the plant must be removed and burned. The soil under planting must be well loosened and fertilized.
Why do rhubarb leaves turn yellow?
A change in the color of rhubarb leaves from green to yellow or red does not necessarily indicate infection by fungal microorganisms. The reason may be a lack of useful elements caused by the following factors:
- Unfavorable weather conditions, such as a cold or excessively wet spring.
- Too rapid growth of the crop, caused by the active use of fertilizing or natural phenomena.
- Weakness, insufficient development of the rhizome.
In any case, the situation can be corrected if nitrogen fertilizers are applied on time. You can also use ammonium nitrate solution. To prepare 10 liters of fertilizer, 2 matchboxes of the substance are enough.
