Currant and gooseberry diseases and treatment

In this article, we'll explore common currant and gooseberry diseases and their treatment, along with photos, relevant tips, and recommendations. These bushes are most often affected by fungal infections, including powdery mildew, anthracnose, rust, and terry leaf spot.

It's crucial for every gardener who grows these berry bushes to recognize the external signs of damage and begin treatment promptly. If the battle is lost due to delayed response, not only can the entire harvest for the year be lost, but the mature fruit plant may simply die.

Currant and gooseberry diseases and their treatment with photos

Powdery mildew

This is a serious disease that often affects both bushes. But gooseberries are at greater risk, while red and black currants Powdery mildew is less common. However, all three bushes require timely preventative treatment.

Powdery mildew occurs when fungal spores settle on plants. These spores are easily carried by the wind from a diseased plant to a healthy one. During the summer, the fungus produces ten generations, and its fruiting bodies mature on shoots and berries.

Pay attention to the signs! Every part of the plant is affected, manifesting as a white coating that later darkens to brown. Leaves and fruits become deformed, and the bush itself dries out even in well-moistened soil. If left untreated, the bushes will die within three seasons, and the berries from such a bush are unsafe to eat.

What and how to fight:

• When choosing a gooseberry or currant variety for planting, it is recommended to check the characteristics to ensure it is resistant to powdery mildew.
• Destroy diseased bushes immediately; do not take shoots from them.
• Stop using nitrogen fertilizers and use more phosphorus fertilizers.
• Begin preventative measures immediately at the first sign of damage. For prevention, you can spray the bushes with a copper sulfate solution when the buds begin to open, repeating the treatment two weeks later (but it's important to complete all spraying a month before the planned berry harvest).
• Wood ash mixed with charcoal can be used as a preventative and curative measure against powdery mildew. Dilute three kilograms of the mixture in ten liters of water. Filter the powder and apply it to the bush up to ten times a day.
• Tried-and-true home remedies for fungus include baking soda and laundry detergent. Mix 50 grams of each with water to create a sticky paste. Apply the mixture every ten days, then stop a month before harvesting.

Anthracnose

Despite the fact that it is found on all the shrubs mentioned in this material, it loves settle specifically on red currantsIt thrives under favorable conditions: moderate temperatures and plenty of moisture. The pests are fungi that spread spores during flowering in May, and the majority of infestations occur in the summer.

Pay attention to the signs! Young shoots, buds, and leaves are particularly susceptible to infection. Brown spots appear on the bush, followed by deformed leaves that fall off. Berries from young shoots will taste sour.

How to fight:

• It is essential to remove leaves from infected shoots in spring and autumn.
• Dig up the soil under the fruit trees.
• To combat the parasite, you can use the product "Hom." Forty grams of powder should be diluted in ten liters of water. Two liters of the mixture will be needed per plant.
• A colloidal sulfur complex can be used to treat this disease. Spray at the beginning of flowering, then repeat after two weeks.
• Bordeaux mixture is also suitable for treatment, but two sprayings are required for effective control.

Photos can help you identify the main diseases of currants and gooseberries, but treating them requires detailed knowledge. It's not necessary to resort to harmful chemicals right away; start with affordable, proven home remedies. However, in some cases, chemical treatment is necessary, especially when the bushes are already affected and the goal is to save the plant at all costs.