How to get rid of scallops on a lemon - affordable and effective methods

Growing a lemon tree in an open area is possible only in the southern regions. Fans of citrus in the middle lane usually cultivate them at home or in greenhouses. After 5 years of painstaking labor, the tree delights with fragrant yellow fruits. Lemon care includes not only compliance with the temperature regime, top dressing and watering, but pest control. If the plant has become weaker, and brown spots appear on the leaves and branches - this is a scab. A small parasite sucks vitality from a tree. How to get rid of a scab on lemon? It can be removed with the help of chemicals or safer folk remedies.

Shield - a description of the insect

A scabbard or shield aphid is the most common pest on citrus plants. The sucking insect, depending on the species, has sizes from 1 to 5 mm. To protect against external influences, their body is covered with a wax shield. In insects belonging to the suborder coccidus, male and female individuals are significantly different. Males are smaller than females; they have one pair of wings and normally developed limbs. Their scutes are flat and elongated, the mouth organs are poorly developed.

Females are noticeably larger, but completely devoid of limbs (in some cases, even vision). Scaffold on a lemon sticks to the plant and leads a motionless lifestyle. The female’s mission is to continue the genus; to protect her and her offspring, the scale is endowed with a powerful rounded shell. The male finds a mating partner, moving around the plant. After fertilization of the female, they die.
Pests multiply by eggs, live-bearing species are less common. Insects are very prolific and quickly populate the plant. Active larvae emerge from the eggs. They move around the lemon tree until they find a comfortable place to stick. Females forever remain motionless. Females live for several months, during which time they lay up to 100 eggs. After several molts on the back of the insects, a carapace of skins and a wax segment appears.

Information. Settles on plants false shield - a pest, very similar to a scab. They differ in several ways: a larger size (up to 7 mm), the shell is easily separated from the insect, false shields do not emit a sweet secret.

Why are scabies dangerous?

Shield aphids spread throughout the plant:

• lower and upper part of the leaves;
• trunk;
• young shoots.

Adult individuals and larvae suck out the cell sap from the plant. They do not hibernate, being active year round. Damaged tree slows growth, its leaves turn yellow and fall. The trunk begins to dry behind the leaves, because it also serves as food for an ever-increasing population of pests. Having noticed the listed symptoms, it is necessary to immediately begin to treat lemon for scabs. In addition to the harm done by insects personally. They become the cause of fungal damage to the plant.Scabies secrete a sticky substance on the leaves, this substance is a favorable environment for the development of soot fungus.

Information. Sooty fungus affects plants with weakened immunity, it clogs the cells, preventing breathing, interferes with photosynthesis. The leaves of the affected plant die completely.

Signs of defeat

The cause of the plant’s disease can be various pests, in order to determine their type, it is necessary to examine the leaves and trunk of the lemon. At the initial stage of the lesion, the small insect manages to hide well from the human eye. It is difficult to discern small larvae, but adult individuals are clearly visible. They are brown or brown tubercles along leaf veins, on trunks. These clusters look like a brown waxy coating. The sticky secret that shield aphid leaves on the leaves is also noticeable.

Information. Infection of indoor lemon with scabies occurs through the soil with larvae, it is possible to buy a diseased tree. The source of the pest can be bought bouquets, fruits, and other indoor flowers.

Pest Management Methods

Destroy the shield on a room lemon difficult enough because of the durable shell. It serves as a pest shield against chemicals and other harmful substances. But with persistence and using various means, you can achieve the complete destruction of insects.

Mechanical way

The shell of an adult does not allow insecticides to penetrate the body of an insect. To remove them from the lemon, you should use the mechanical method. This will require:

• alcohol or an alcohol-containing agent;
• cotton swab or toothbrush.

A cotton swab is moistened with alcohol, and then all the places where the accumulation of scabies are seen are wiped. If the insects are poorly removed, you can use a toothbrush. You should carefully examine the leaves on both sides, the ovaries and stems. The shield on a lemon settles in large numbers, so do the work carefully.

Chemicals

With a pest that multiplies rapidly like a scale insect, one cannot cope without chemicals.

Information. Chemicals destroy the scab only at the larval stage. Processing is carried out twice, with an interval of 10 days.

Among the effective tools:

• "Actellik" - a broad-spectrum drug that destroys the body of insect pests. It is used to kill sucking insects. Lovers of home plants who used the drug on their lemons confirm its effectiveness. The disadvantage of "Actellica" is a sharp specific smell, from which a headache appears indoors. If possible, processing is best done on the street. If the insecticide was applied in the apartment, the room should be well ventilated.
• "Aktara" - the remedy is considered one of the best pest drugs. The fight against the scabbard on a lemon will take only a day, after this period the insects die in droves. The action of "Actara" is preserved by spraying up to 4 weeks. The drug can be poured under the root of a low tree, it will be absorbed into the sap of the plant and poison the pests. The substance is classified as moderately hazardous. Therefore, its use for indoor plants does not cause negative consequences.
• "Fitoverm" - a biological type insectoacaricide has an intestinal-contact effect on pests. The drug does not pollute the soil, quickly decomposes. Lemon fruits can be eaten 2-3 days after processing the tree.

Information. After removing pests, it is recommended to feed the plant. "Epin" - a drug that is a biostimulant for citrus trees, is sprayed on the leaves and trunk. It helps the lemon cope with stress and restore immunity.

Folk remedies

Chemicals are often used with caution, especially for indoor plants. The use of soap and kerosene composition received many positive reviews from gardeners and gardeners.A soap film covers the plant, excluding the access of air to the insect, and kerosene, flowing under the shell, poisons the scab. To prepare the composition, the following ingredients will be required:

• 1 liter of water;
• 50 g of laundry soap;
• 5 drops of kerosene.

Tip. Before mixing, the soap is rubbed on a fine grater, so it dissolves faster in water.

All components are combined in one container and thoroughly mixed until the soap dissolves. Prepare the whole lemon from the scale with the finished composition. The solution is left on the plant for 2-3 hours, then washed off with clean water. A pot of indoor lemon can be brought into the bathroom and washed well in the shower.

For processing, tinctures of garlic, onion and pepper are used. They are prepared according to a similar recipe: 50 g of a vegetable (onion with husk, pepper or garlic) is chopped and poured with 0.5 l of water. It is infused for 14-15 hours. The composition is wiped with leaves and branches. Folk recipes are effective in combination with mechanical removal of insects.

Preventative measures

To prevent lemon damage from pests, simple preventative measures should be followed:

• timely cut spoiled branches and weak shoots. attracting pests;
• Quarantine recently purchased plants
• monitor the cleanliness of the soil in the pot;
• regularly ventilate the room, monitor a sufficient level of humidity;
• wipe the leaves of the plant on both sides with a damp cloth every week, this will eliminate dust and pests.

The fight against scale insects should be comprehensive, the only way to completely get rid of insects on homemade lemon. Compliance with preventive rules will prevent infection of the plant with dangerous pests.