Especially at the end of the winter break or at the beginning of the vegetation phase, you might notice sticky droplets on your lemon tree. The sticky, resinous liquid is mostly found on the underside of leaves, but can also appear on shoots and branches. Not only does the lemon tree "stick" more or less strongly, but also the surrounding floor.

Scale insects are often the cause

The sticky droplets are the excretions of plant lice, usually scale insects are the cause. In some cases, however, mealybugs or mealybugs are behind it. The excretions of the animals are referred to as honeydew, since it is primarily a sugary solution. The animals can throw the honeydew up to 15 centimeters, which is why sticky stains on the floor are not uncommon. A sooty mold fungus also likes to settle on these excrements, which coats the leaf black and thus prevents it from assimilating. However, the sooty mold can easily be washed off with water.

What are scale insects or mealybugs and mealybugs?

Scale insects usually sit along the pathways on the undersides of the leaves and on the shoots. Adult animals are immobile, sitting under a wood-like shield about two by three millimeters in size. Only the white larvae, which can hardly be seen with the naked eye, can move and also like to attack neighboring plants. The whitish to pink mealybugs and mealybugs grow to about four millimeters in size and are also mainly found on the undersides of leaves and shoot tips. All species are sap-sucking insects that must be removed - they rob the plant of a lot of energy and can also multiply explosively.

Watch out for ants!

A first indication of a lice infestation - especially on lemon trees standing outdoors - can be a striking number of ants. As soon as the little animals purposefully inhabit your lemon, scale insects are often behind them. The ants love the sweet droppings of the lice and will be eager to take good care of and defend the critters. An ant infestation is therefore often linked to a hitherto undiscovered lice infestation.

Fight plant lice

The easiest way to combat scale and other plant lice is with a chemical mace. In this case, however, you can no longer use any fruits that may be present, and damage to the plant itself cannot be ruled out. It would be better to give the plant a good shower in the shower - but cover the pot with the potting soil well or put a plastic bag over it so that not too much water gets there. Soapy water also usually shows good effects. You should repeat the treatment several times at intervals of a few days in order to kill off all the eggs and larvae.

tips and tricks

You can also simply soak smaller lemon trees upside down in a bucket of lukewarm water for a few hours - this is guaranteed to get rid of scale insects (and other delinquents as well).

Category:

Vegetable garden