The Decembrist leaves sluggish and soft, redden, dry, become thin or the plant discards them: why does this happen and what to do to save the flower?

This plant got its name due to flowering in December. Imagine: outside the window there is a frost, a blizzard, and on your windowsill the Decembrist has blossomed. With proper care, it can bloom several times a year. In addition, this flower is very unpretentious in care. This is another good reason to add Schlumberger (this is the second name of the plant) to his collection of indoor flowers.

But everything does not happen so cloudless: the Decembrist can get sick. In this article, possible problems with Schlumbergera leaves will be described: we will consider why the leaves of this plant fall or become thin, why the flower withers and takes off the foliage, as well as suggest ways to treat ailments.

Why is the crown sluggish and soft?

Infections

Reference. One of the most common causes of leaf lethargy is to infect a plant with an infection. Most often, the following diseases affect the Decembrist: pitium and late blight.

These diseases depress precisely the base of the root system. This leads to a loss of connection between the aboveground and underground parts of the plant.

It seems to the grower that if he watered and fertilized the flower, then he must bloom and develop. But the whole problem is that only the roots are moistened, and moisture does not reach the aerial part. All these factors cause not only withering of the leaves, but also the slow death of the plant as a whole.

Symptoms of infection can be not only flaccid leaf plates. To the signs of an infectious disease, you can also add the falling away of the Decembrist, as well as blanching of the leaves or even the conversion of their green pigment to grayish. (But do not confuse the burnout of leaves in the bright sun.)

Often, late blight and pitium diseases are accompanied by a spider mite lesion. Such a process is easily recognized by rusty pigmentation on a sheet plate. Buds may die on spots.

How to distinguish from other ailments?

In order to understand what exactly caused the leaves to fade, you need to carefully examine the entire root system of Schlumbergera. In case of infection, only the tops of the roots rot, and in all other cases we are dealing with the decay of the deep central rhizomes.

Treatment

First of all, it is worth saying that the plant should be inspected as often as possible. Then you will be able to notice the infection in the early stages, which will help to cope with ailments without much loss. If leaf plates have just begun to die due to injuries by infectious diseases, then it is necessary to immediately treat them with fungicidal preparations. The most popular of them:

Fitosporin.
Maksim.
Coming soon
Topaz.

Important! Remember to process the root system as well. If this procedure did not help, then you need to replace the soil in a flowerpot with a flower. And after that, treat with fungicides.

Root system diseases

It so happens that no infections were found on the flower, and the leaves still wither for some reason. The whole thing may be in the simple rotting of the roots. This happens for several reasons:

too frequent and plentiful watering;
too low, or vice versa, high indoor air temperatures.

If the Decembrist does not have time to “drink” water, it begins to stagnate and form the so-called swamp. In cold weather, rhizomes begin to rot, and in extreme heat, the roots simply prey or burn out. In one case or another, the underground part of the plant ceases to function normally and cannot fully provide the aboveground part of the flower. From this, leaf plates fall into decay.

Remember that heat comes not only from the sun, but also from heaters. Therefore, try to take this fact into account when choosing the location of the flowerpot.

How to restore it?

To start need to change the growing conditions of the Decembrist:

It is necessary to choose a suitable room temperature and, of course, reduce watering. For some time, you can even completely stop watering. And in subsequent times, watering is necessary only when the soil is completely dry from previous wetting of the substrate.
You also need to check the size of the flowerpots. They do not have to be much bigger than a ball of roots. If the pot is too large, it will contain a lot of unnecessary moisture.
Another condition for the healthy growth of rhizomes is the presence of a drainage layer. It is important to let the underground part of the plant breathe.
Do not forget about the correct watering technique. This is best done through a pallet. Schlumberger will have a weekly warm shower or spray her every few days.
Recommendation. If you start to spray the plant, then reduce the amount of water that you water the soil.

You can learn more about the rules for growing Decembrists here.

Excess fertilizer

The plant needs only a monthly feeding, not more often. To do this, you need to choose ready-made complexes that are sold in specialized stores, but the dosage must be reduced by half.

It is also recommended to use fertilizers designed for a cactus: they contain a small amount of nitrogen, an excess of which will lead to the burning of the root system. Therefore, in terms of feeding, it is better to underfeed than to overfeed.

Improper care

We have already said that the most the main mistake in growing the Decembrist is too much water. Incorrect air temperature can also be attributed to such errors, and it doesn’t matter whether the room is too warm or too cold (optimum temperature is 18-22 degrees Celsius).

Stick to these simple rules and then you will not notice sluggish leaves on your handsome.

The foliage dries - why and how to be?

Diseases and Pests

The only pest that leads to drying out of the leaves is the scab. Despite its miniature size, this parasite can cause a lot of harm to Decembrist. Scale shield sucks all the juices from the green part of the plant, which leads to their drying. If you do not pay attention to the problem in time, the pest can destroy the flower completely. An excellent condition for the development of scale insects is considered high humidity.

At the same time, very high air temperatures will help fight this parasite.

Reference. To get rid of scabies, you need to wipe all the green areas with a cloth or a cotton pad, after dropping them in solutions of “Karbofos” or “Tanrek”.

We talked about dangerous diseases and pests of Decembrist, as well as how to cure the plant, in our material.

Content Errors

Typically, the leaves begin to dry for one reason: burning sun. Florists, aiming to give more light to the Decembrist, put him on the southern windowsills of the room. This is not worth it in the summer. If there is no other option, except for the southern windowsill, then it is worth at least pritenit flower from strong ultraviolet radiation. To do this, you can hang paper or reflective foil on the window.

Why does a flower crumble and how to save it?

Ailments and Pests

The main pest, the detrimental effect of which leads to leaf fall, is considered a spider mite. He really loves the dry air in the room. You can recognize the spider mite by the red and red pigmentation on the surface of the plant. Destroy this parasite will help chemicals based on phosphorus and sulfur.

Experts advise using the following drugs:

"Vertimek."
Fitoverm.
"Actofit."

The pest does not get used to them.

Unsuitable conditions

One of the reasons why Schlumbergera sheds leaves is the lack of nutrients. Overly rare fertilizer procedures or infrequent watering leads to this result. Therefore, try to regularly moisten and fertilize the soil.

Dry air can also cause sheet leaves to fall. Sometimes this happens due to stress suffered by the plant. Several factors can cause a stressful situation: temperature drop, drafts, change of location, transplant.

To restore the Decembrist, try feeding him cactus fertilizer. If this procedure does not help, change the soil in the flowerpot and feed Schlumberger again.

Root diseases

Often the roots begin to rot from an excess of moisture. In this state, they cannot send “food” to Decembrist leaf plates. Therefore, the leaves gradually fall away. It is important not to overdo it with watering and let the soil dry out well.

Recommendation. It is also worth regularly inspecting the root system for damage and removing broken roots in time.

Causes and measures of help if the bush turns red

Improper care

Red leaves appear for a number of reasons:

A lot of bright lighting. Often this occurs in the spring and summer, when the plant only moves away from winter. Therefore, it is better not to place the plant in very open areas of the sun.
Incorrectly selected fertilizers. It is important to ensure that the nutrient complex contains phosphorus in sufficient quantities.
Red leaves - This is the first sign of excessive watering. Regulate this process.

New Segment Growth

This is an absolutely fearless reason. On the contrary, it means that the Decembrist is growing and fully developing. In such a situation, only the tips of the sheet plates will turn red. As new parts of the flower grow, this redness will go away on its own.

Useful video

From the video you will find out why the Decembrist leaves become sluggish:

Conclusion

As you can see Schlumbergera, like any other plant, is susceptible to various diseases and infectionsas well as pest attacks. But this is not a reason to despair. You just need to give your pet a little more time and fix all the flaws in caring for the Decembrist. Remember, flowers are living organisms and feel your reverent attitude towards them.