What is black leg and how to deal with it?

Plants cultivated in a summer cottage can be infected with various diseases. These are fungal, viral, and bacterial ailments. Some diseases can be quickly cured and do not pose a particular danger, while others, on the contrary, can damage the future crop and completely destroy it. Such diseases include black leg. It is about her that will be discussed in this article.

The black leg is called in another way the root rot of the neck of the seedlings. This disease in the overwhelming majority of cases affects young seedlings, seedlings. The causative agents can be both fungi and bacteria. The disease begins to develop immediately after planting seeds in the ground. A wide variety of plant types can be affected. Here are the most common crops.

• Potato... A few weeks after planting, the leaves of the potato turn yellow and then curl. The stem darkens from below, becomes lethargic. You may feel emptiness inside. The harvested fruits quickly begin to rot and give off a putrid unpleasant odor.

• Tomatoes... Tomatoes have a white bloom on the underside of the stem. These are fungal spores, which will subsequently pass into the soil for wintering. The root collar of the culture quickly decays, then the rot spreads to the roots, ruining the plant.

• Cabbage... The black leg can affect both newly planted and already rooted cabbage seedlings. The root collar acquires a black or brown color, the stem quickly withers, dries out and lies on the ground.

• Cucumber... When the disease is described, the bottom of the cucumber stalk becomes dark green. It is wet to the touch. If you dig up a sprout, you can see soft and weak roots. The leaves turn yellow and fall off quickly. Especially often the black leg affects the cucumbers in the greenhouse.

• Pepper... The base of the trunk of the pepper darkens, begins to rot and decompose. It won't take long for the weakened stalk to break under its own weight, falling to the ground. Naturally, such a plant will not give a harvest.

• Flowers... The black leg actively affects newly planted rose seedlings; it attacks pelargonium, geranium and many other indoor and garden flower crops. The symptoms are the same: the stalk darkens, rots, then the plant dies.

In addition, the following cultures can be infected with blackleg in some cases:

• zucchini and eggplant;

• radish;

• radish;

• lettuce leaves;

• pumpkins;

• basil and other spices;

• raspberries, strawberries.

Plants cultivated in the open field and those that grow in greenhouse conditions are affected. Interestingly, sometimes culture can survive the black leg.

As already noted, there are two causative agents of the disease: fungi and bacteria. They infect cultures in different ways, and this must be taken into account when the first signs of an illness are discovered.

• Fungal spores are found in the upper ground layer... Until some time they are inactive, consuming the remnants of already harvested crops: fallen leaves, untouched roots. When the population of fungi increases, they move to the roots of the seedlings, starting to parasitize on them. Adult plants are rarely affected.But there is a special type of fungus, it is called Fusarium - such a pathogen is able to get even into the stems of already grown crops.

• Erwinia is a type of bacteria that lives in soil... They also feed on organic matter and begin to actively act only when it ends. The plant looks good for a long time, and then the bottom of its stem darkens sharply. It becomes soft and moist. Bacteria quickly transfer from the affected culture to healthy plants.

The black leg can appear for various reasons:

• planting seeds that were initially diseased;

• the presence of pathogens in the soil;

• using contaminated garden tools;

• planting plants in too poor soil;

• thickening of plantings and non-compliance with the irrigation regime;

• lack or excess of dressings;

• exposure to insect pests that can bring disease from neighboring areas;

• lack of sunlight, excess moisture;

• lack of picking of seedlings.

It is quite difficult to deal with a black leg, but this must be done immediately, otherwise the pathogens of the disease will pass to other plants. Gardeners use different techniques: someone prefers folk remedies, and someone wants to act quickly - and chooses chemistry. You can see a description of the most common techniques below.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for black leg, if it manifests itself at the seedling stage and has been started. Young affected shoots will have to be removed from the ground and destroyed. Adult plants can be tried to be saved using chemicals.

• Previkur Energy... It is a fungicide that allows you to control the amount of fungi in the soil. It is able to heal adult crops by penetrating into their root system. Useful substances from the roots go to the stems and leaves, destroying pathogenic microorganisms. Previkur Energy is a liquid product that is dissolved in water, strictly following the manufacturer's instructions.

• "Glyocladin"... It is a chemical pesticide. It is quite powerful and cannot be combined with other drugs. Quickly destroys fungi and cleans the soil. The product is produced in tablets, which are laid in the soil to a depth of 1 centimeter.

Biological techniques are less aggressive. This is a pre-sowing treatment of seeds, tubers, as well as watering plants with biological preparations in the process of growth. Such funds increase immunity and overall resistance to disease.

• Fitosporin... It is a fairly lightweight and generally harmless product. They should process the seeds prior to planting and also several times during the growth process.

• "Planriz"... This product has proven to be an effective and highly effective product. It is based on beneficial bacteria. Inhabiting the soil, they destroy harmful pathogens and prevent the spread of infection. In addition, these bacteria accelerate the growth of seeds and seedlings.

• "Baktofit"... Allows you to fight both bacterial and fungal ailments. Suppresses the development of rot in many crops, promotes rapid adaptation, increases productivity.

• "TMTD"... This medication is in powder form. It has a yellow-gray color. The product is intended for dry disinfection of seed.

• "Fitoflavin-300"... A very effective drug that kills both fungi and bacteria. Well stimulates growth and productivity, increases stress resistance of plants.

• Trichodermin. This is a preparation intended for soil treatment. It contains useful fungi that resist the causative agents of root rot of the neck.

For those who are categorically against the use of chemical and biological agents, we can recommend several good folk methods.

• River sand. Loose sand absorbs a lot of moisture, so pathogens in it will be extremely uncomfortable. The mixture of soil, in which it is planned to plant or transplant crops, is mixed with sand in proportions of 1: 1. You can also simply sprinkle the soil with sand.

• Ash and vitriol... They prevent the spread of pathogens, do not allow them to penetrate into plant tissues. To make a mixture, 200 grams of ash is mixed with a teaspoon of copper sulfate. The resulting composition is poured into the soil.

• Potassium permanganate... It is one of the most effective antiseptics. It is also used on the site. You will need 1 gram of the product per liter of water. First, the soil is watered with a warm, settled liquid, and then with a manganese solution. Treatments can be repeated at intervals of 1 week.

• Onion husks... Contains useful substances that help get rid of not only fungus, but also many types of pests. Half a kilogram of raw materials is poured with 3 liters of slightly heated water, covered with a lid and insisted for 24 hours. The resulting composition is poured into a spray bottle, spraying the soil and plants every 4 days.

The container with the seedlings is immediately spilled with a manganese solution, and the root collars of the cultures are spud. Then the surface of the soil is sprinkled with sand or ash. If there are several containers with seedlings, they are placed far from each other. It is also important to provide good ventilation of the room.

Healthy specimens will need to be transplanted into biologically or manganese-treated soil as soon as possible. Thereafter, the cultures are treated with Previkur or any of the biological preparations described above. Treated plants are watered less frequently than usual, and this is recommended. either a very weak solution of manganese, or an infusion of onion peel.

The black leg, most likely, will not appear on your site if you follow all preventive measures and grow the plants correctly. Here are some tips to keep in mind.

• Make sure that the soil is disinfected before planting... Freezing and then calcining the earth is a good way. You can also use potassium permanganate, with a solution of which the soil is spilled. This applies to both home and purchased land.

• The acidity of the soil plays an important role, since the black leg develops faster on too acidic soil. If the acidity is increased, it should be normalized. Ordinary wood ash can help with this.

• Avoid plantings that are overly thick. It is very important to keep the distance between the seeds, this is the only way to be sure that they receive enough oxygen.

• Observe the watering regime. Seedlings are rarely watered, but abundantly. Thus, the necessary humidity is maintained inside. Overdrying the top layer is also impossible, for this it is regularly loosened. Alternatively, the surface can be sprinkled with sand.

• Monitor the conditions in the room itself... Containers with seedlings should receive fresh air regularly. Ventilate the room, but avoid drafts. And also there should be no high humidity in the room.

Other useful activities:

• seed dressing;

• disinfection of greenhouses;

• compliance with the rules of crop rotation;

• correct application of dressings;

• the use of growth and root stimulants;

• cleaning the site after harvesting.

Ways to get rid of a black leg in the video below.