How to Safely Treat Flower and Plant Diseases
If diseases appear in flowers, plants, and bonsai, they need to be treated with medication, but pesticides always cause more or less harm to the human body. How can the harm of pesticides to the human body be reduced? The editor will introduce four relatively common methods for treating flowers and plants.
Chinese rose
I. Spraying method
1. Mix 0.5 kg of plant ash with 2.5 kg of water, soak for 24 hours, take the clear filtrate and spray it. It can kill aphids on plum blossoms, Chinese roses, pomegranate trees, and so on.
2. Spray with a 0.1% baking soda solution. It can prevent and control powdery mildew on Chinese roses, chrysanthemums, garden balsam, cotton rose, cineraria, and other flowers, with a control rate of more than 80%.
3. Spray with a 2% urea solution once every 10 days, for 2 to 3 consecutive sprays. It can kill aphids, red spiders, and other pests on flowers and plants.
II. Wiping method
1. Dip a cotton ball in vinegar and gently wipe camellia leaves. It not only kills scale insects but also makes leaves previously damaged by scale insects turn green again.
2. Repeatedly and gently wipe orchid leaves with alcohol to remove the scale insects on them.
3. If the branches and trunks of a stump bonsai rot, first scrape off the rotten parts on the stump with a blade disinfected with iodine, then apply iodine, and apply it again after 7 to 10 days to prevent further rotting.
III. Fertilization method
1. When fertilizing flowers and plants, mix in a small amount of silicon fertilizer. After the flowers and plants absorb it, it can increase the hardness of their epidermal cells, thereby enhancing their ability to resist pests.
2. Frequently scattering plant ash can greatly reduce the incidence of gray mold on peonies, tulips, cyclamen, and other flowers, and also helps make flower branches sturdy and flower colors vivid.
IV. Injection method
Woody flowers are often harmed by trunk-boring pests such as longhorn beetles, jewel beetles, and carpenter moths, and in severe cases the branches and trunks can be hollowed out by the borers. To prevent and control this type of pest, during the larval hatching period, before adult emergence, and when larvae overwinter, inject 20 ml to 30 ml of 20% ammonia water into the insect holes, then seal the holes with clay or wax. This can kill the larvae and eggs.
What are the commonly used fungicides? How are they used?
Flower diseases
(1) Zineb. Zineb is currently one of the more widely used protective fungicides in China. Spraying with a 400-600 times dilution of 65% wettable powder can control black spot, anthracnose, white spot, brown spot, downy mildew, leaf mold, gray mold, rust, leaf curl, bacterial shot hole, blight, ring rot, flower rot, damping-off, and so on, but it has poor efficacy against powdery mildew. This agent has no systemic therapeutic effect, so it must be sprayed near the onset of disease or in the early stage of disease. This agent cannot be mixed with alkaline pesticides.
(2) Chlorothalonil. Chlorothalonil is a broad-spectrum fungicide with protective and therapeutic effects. It can prevent spore germination and hinder mycelial development and spore formation. Spraying with a 600-1000 times dilution of 75% wettable powder can control downy mildew, anthracnose, powdery mildew, rust, blight, leaf mold, leaf spot, spot blight, gray mold, ring rot, white spot, black spot, scab, black pox, white rot, peach leaf curl, citrus scab, and so on. When this agent is used at a relatively high concentration, it is prone to cause phytotoxicity to peach blossoms, plum blossoms, and apples, so the concentration used must not be too high. This agent cannot be mixed with alkaline pesticides such as Bordeaux mixture. The chemical has an irritating effect on human skin and mucous membranes, so protection should be taken during use.
(3) Carbendazim. The technical material is a light brown powder. It is a new type of high-efficiency, low-toxicity, broad-spectrum systemic fungicide with protective and therapeutic effects. It has low toxicity to humans and livestock and is safe for plants. Its mechanism of action is mainly to inhibit the formation of nucleic acids in fungal cells. This agent can control many diseases caused by ascomycete and deuteromycete fungi, has little control effect on diseases caused by oomycetes, and is ineffective against bacterial diseases. Common formulations are 50% and 25% wettable powders. Spraying with a 500-1000 times dilution of 50% wettable powder can control black spot, brown spot, gray spot, powdery mildew, anthracnose, stem rot, damping-off, leaf mold, flower rot, sclerotinia rot, sooty mold, and so on on flowers, but it cannot control rust; drenching the root and stem area with a 500 times dilution of 25% wettable powder can control seedling-stage diseases. In addition, it can also control green mold, blue mold, and so on during bulb storage. Long-term single use of this agent easily produces resistance, so it can be mixed with various agents, but it cannot be mixed with strongly alkaline agents or copper-containing formulations.
(4) Thiophanate. The technical material is a pale yellow powder. It is also a new type of high-efficiency, low-toxicity, broad-spectrum systemic fungicide with protective and therapeutic effects. It is safe for plants and has relatively low toxicity to humans and livestock. Common formulations are 50% and 70% wettable powders. Using a 500-1000 times dilution of 50% wettable powder can control powdery mildew, anthracnose, leaf blight, gray mold, sclerotinia rot, spot disease, rot, white spot, leaf mold, southern blight, scab, black spot, leaf spot, blue mold, and so on on flowers. This agent cannot be mixed with alkaline or inorganic copper formulations.
The scope of use of thiophanate-methyl is basically the same as that of thiophanate, and at the same dosage its efficacy can be 30%-50% higher than that of thiophanate. Common formulations are 50% and 70% wettable powders. A 800-1500 times dilution of 70% wettable powder can be used for spraying, and the control targets and precautions are the same as those for thiophanate.
(5) Fenarimol, also known as triadimefon. The technical material is a white or light yellow solid. It is a systemic fungicide with protective, therapeutic, fumigant, and eradicant effects, and has bidirectional translocation function. It has special efficacy in controlling powdery mildew, rust, and smut. Its residual effect period is long, generally 15-20 days. It has low toxicity to humans and livestock and is safe for plants, so it is currently one of the best agents for controlling powdery mildew and rust on flowers. Common formulations are 15% and 25% wettable powders, 20% emulsifiable concentrate, and 15% smoke agent. Spraying with a 1000-1500 times dilution of 15% wettable powder can control powdery mildew on Chinese roses, roses, peonies, and so on, and rust on roses, crabapple, and so on; spraying with a 2000-3000 times dilution of 25% wettable powder can similarly control the above diseases. When using fenarimol, note that it cannot be mixed with formulations other than strongly alkaline and copper formulations. The chemical should be stored in a dry, ventilated place.
(6) Dexon. It mainly has a protective effect and also has systemic and therapeutic effects. When used on plants, it can be quickly absorbed by roots and stems and has a certain conduction ability. It can control damping-off, seedling blight, root rot, downy mildew, bacterial soft rot, bacterial angular leaf spot, bacterial Verticillium wilt, Fusarium wilt, and so on. It is generally mostly used for seed treatment and soil disinfection, and can also be used for spraying. For seed treatment, 90% technical powder is generally used, at 0.2%-0.5% of seed weight; for soil disinfection, use 5 g of 90% technical powder per square meter, add 20-30 times fine soil and apply it into the soil; for spraying, use a 500-1000 times dilution of 70% wettable powder.
(7) Streptomycin. It is mainly used to control bacterial diseases. The use of this pesticide to control flower and plant diseases has advantages such as low use concentration, strong selectivity, and easy penetration and translocation into plants. It has low toxicity to humans and livestock and is safe for plants. Common formulations include 0.1%-8.5% powders, 15%-20% wettable powders, and so on. Usually 100-500 mg/kg is used for spraying, injection, or root drenching, and it can control various bacterial diseases such as citrus canker and clivia soft rot; applying 200-500 mg/kg to wounds after excision of crown gall also has a relatively good effect.
(8) Quintozene. It is a soil fungicide, mainly used for seed dressing and soil treatment to control fungal diseases transmitted by seeds and soil. This agent has characteristics such as long efficacy, not easily volatilizing at room temperature, not easily hydrolyzing and losing effectiveness, and not being affected by sunlight, acids, or alkalis. Under normal conditions, its residual effect period in soil can be as long as 3 years. Commercially available formulations include 50% wettable powder, 70% powder, and 75% powder. Using 70% powder for seed dressing at 0.2%-0.4% of seed weight can effectively control damping-off, seedling blight, root rot, sclerotinia rot, gray mold, root nodule disease, stem rot, black pox, southern blight, white root rot, violet root rot, and so on. A 70% powder can be mixed with fine soil at a ratio of 1:(50-100) and scattered around the root zone of seedlings, then turned into the soil. When applying this agent, be careful not to let the powder directly contact young seedlings, and when mixing with fine soil, make it as uniform as possible; otherwise, phytotoxicity is likely to occur. The chemical should be protected from light and stored in a cool place.
(9) Amobam. It has protective and therapeutic effects. Amobam can penetrate into plant tissues, has strong fungicidal power, does not pollute plants, and is not afraid of rain washing. After decomposition in plant tissues, it also has a fertilizing effect. Spraying with a 1000 times dilution of 50% aqueous solution can control downy mildew, powdery mildew, anthracnose, bacterial angular leaf spot, flower rot, and so on; soaking seeds with a 250 times dilution or treating soil with a 200-400 times dilution can control damping-off, seedling blight, root rot, and so on; applying a 200-250 times dilution to stems can control gummosis.
Commonly used fungicides also include copper sulfate, sulfur powder, lime sulfur mixture, ferrous sulfate, Tuzet, captan, folpet, benlate, phosethyl-Al, potassium permanganate, and so on.
Clinical Applications of Ginkgo Leaves
China Flower and Plant Network February 18 news: Ginkgo leaf preparations for treating coronary heart disease and angina pectoris
Yang Xueyi et al. used ginkgo leaf preparations to treat 33 cases of coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. The experimental results showed that the total effective rate for improvement of clinical symptoms and the improvement rate of ischemic changes on resting electrocardiogram were 94% and 64%, respectively. The improvement rate of whole blood specific viscosity at high shear was 84%, suggesting varying degrees of improvement in cell deformability. The drug had no effect on heart rate, blood pressure, blood glucose, or blood lipids, and adverse reactions were mild.
Ginkgo leaf capsules for treating retinal arteriosclerosis
Yang Zhikun et al. used oral ginkgo leaf capsules to treat retinal arteriosclerosis. After 6 months of medication, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity ratio, fibrin degradation products, red blood cell aggregation index, and red blood cell electrophoresis time all decreased significantly. Computerized color ultrasound showed varying degrees of decrease in the resistance index of the central retinal artery.
Compound ginkgo leaf granules for treating chronic hepatitis B and methyl fibrosis
Li Wei used compound ginkgo leaf granules (ginkgo leaves 20 g, astragalus, angelica, and salvia each 8 g, scutellaria, polygonum cuspidatum, oldenlandia diffusa, and turtle shell each 5 g, cordyceps 2 g, and ligusticum 4 g) to treat patients with chronic persistent and active hepatitis B with early fibrosis. The results showed that after treatment, serum type III procollagen peptide, serum laminin, superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde all decreased significantly (P<0.01)。病理活检也证实肝纤维化进程获得缓解。
Ginkgo leaf extract for treating acute cerebral infarction
Ginkgo leaf extract can improve clinical symptoms and neurological deficits, has effects in lowering blood lipids, lowering whole blood high-shear viscosity, whole blood low-shear viscosity, platelet adhesion rate, and hematocrit, and can increase serum high-density lipoprotein concentration and lower serum cholesterol concentration. Ginkgo leaf extract preparations are safe and effective drugs for preventing and treating acute cerebral infarction.
Ginkgo leaf extract for treating intermittent claudication
Ginkgo leaf extract can treat intermittent claudication caused by acral arterial spasm or thromboangiitis obliterans. More than 10 foreign literature reports all had controlled clinical trial studies, and the results all considered it effective. For example, Bauer reported 80 cases: after oral administration of standard ginkgo leaf extract preparation 10 mg, 3 times a day, for 6 months, in addition to subjective pain relief, walking distance increased from 112 m to 222 m; the control group increased from 145 m to 176 m. The effective rate was 61% in the treatment group and 6% in the control group.
Ginkgo leaf extract for treating mental illness
Zhong Hongwen et al., in 1996, used Shuning tablets C containing 40 mg of ginkgo leaf extract, including 10 mg of flavonoids, in a double-blind method to treat 16 cases of schizophrenia, 2 tablets each time, 3 times a day, for a course of 12 weeks. The marked improvement rate was 62.5%; the placebo group's marked improvement rate was only 15.3%.
Treatment of other diseases
Ginkgo leaf extract can also be used for lower limb arteritis, vertigo, deafness, edema, visual impairment, memory decline, asthma, and other diseases.