Content
- Diseases and pests in the passionflower
- Insect attack at Passiflora
- Damage caused by fungi
- Damage due to overwintering
- Tips & Tricks
Diseases and pests in the passionflower
In general, passion flowers are considered to be quite easy to care for, only some species from tropical climes are a little tricky. Nevertheless, an infestation by plant lice or spider mites is not uncommon, also fungal diseases occur frequently. Be sure to keep new plants isolated for prevention, so that any infestation does not ruin the entire stock right away.
Insect attack at Passiflora
Passiflora love the warmth and the sun, and are very susceptible to spider mite infestations, especially in dry weather. Whether your plant also has these animals, you can see the characteristic white dots. These appear mainly on the underside of the leaves. In a strong infestation, white webs show, to which the leaf-sucking mites owe their name. Prevention is the best way to help increase humidity in hot, dry summers. Spray your plants regularly with water. Woolies and mealybugs are also difficult to combat, because in these adorable animals usually only the collecting and wiping the affected leaves helps. Effective pesticides are almost only approved for industrial agriculture.
Damage caused by fungi
As soon as the leaves and sometimes even the young sprouts of the Passiflora are covered with a black, sooty film, the plant has been attacked by a sooty mushroom fungus. This always emerges in the wake of an infestation by wool and mealybugs or aphids, as the excreted by the insects sweet honeydew favors the settlement of the fungus. As a result, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. When waterlogged, on the other hand, various soil fungi feel very well in the moist substrate and cause the roots to rot, which in turn leads to the plant dying off. A waterlogging can be recognized by the fact that the plant looks dried up, although the substrate is still moist. Sometimes it helps to repot, whereby the old earth must be disposed of and the roots (and thus also the above-ground parts of plants) must be cut.
Damage due to overwintering
Do not be surprised if in winter some leaves of your Passiflora turn yellow and fall off. To a degree this is perfectly normal. Winterize your passion flowers frost-free, but cool and especially in a bright and ventilated place - if possible, not in the immediate vicinity of a heater. Passion flowers need plenty of light even in winter and do not survive a dark hibernation.
Tips & Tricks
If your Passiflora does not really want to bloom, it's mostly because she does not get enough sun. In addition, the flower buds dry prematurely if you do not pour and / or fertilize sufficiently.