Control measures for powdery mildew on currants

About what measures to combat powdery mildew This article will discuss the importance of treating currants and why it's important to do so in a timely manner. Powdery mildew often affects currants and can damage their yield. Branches stop growing, leaves become small and dry out, and the berries become covered in a white coating, making them inedible.

It's important to understand that powdery mildew can't be eliminated overnight. A comprehensive and regular approach is needed. Specific measures should be taken to combat powdery mildew on currants not only in the fall, but throughout the year, excluding winter.

About the signs of the disease

If you closely monitor your bushes during their growth, you'll be able to spot the disease in its early stages. Then, you can begin treating it immediately to ensure success. On red and black currants, the first signs of the disease will appear in early summer. Carefully inspect the lower leaves of the bush for any signs of a web-like coating.

Over time, if the bushes are left untreated, the disease will spread to the leaf tips, petioles, and berries. Sticky spots will appear on the affected areas.

Important! Powdery mildew thrives in warm weather, 17-28 degrees Celsius. The disease doesn't like hot days. treat trees in the garden in the fall.

If the gardener ignored the signs of infestation throughout the year, the leaves will develop brown spots that fall, become dense, and begin to fall off rapidly. The bush's yield will be significantly reduced, and the berries will be sour and small. The first preventative treatment against powdery mildew should be carried out in early spring, when the spores of the fungus that causes the disease are just being released from the fruiting body.

Specific control measures

The photo shows what powdery mildew looks like on currants, but disease control measures require careful and detailed study. If the disease is not stopped at the initial stage, complete pruning of the tops and infected parts of the bush may be necessary.

A preventative measure here is to prune the tops of affected shoots early in the spring. Then, additionally spray the plant with copper sulfate. At the end of the season, fallen leaves should be collected and burned, and the soil under the bushes should be dug up.

Common and effective measures to combat powdery mildew on currant bushes:

1. You can treat the bush with wood ash in two stages, separated by two weeks. Dilute 300 grams of wood ash in ten liters of water. Also, add an additional 300 grams of dry wood ash under each bush, mixing it with the soil.
2. To spray the bushes, you can use a solution of washing soda in water. Use 50 grams of washing soda per ten liters of water, and add 30 grams of laundry soap shavings to the mixture. Let it steep for several days, then strain and use for spraying.
3. Alternatively, mullein can help combat powdery mildew on currants. Take a third of a bucket of this mixture (you can use half-decomposed hay instead) and add three buckets of water. After three days, dilute it three times with water, strain, and use for fine spraying.
4. For the mixture, you can use a liter of whey, skim milk, and buttermilk, along with nine liters of clean water. Mix the ingredients and use immediately to treat the bushes.

Important! Currant pruning, like nitrogen fertilization, is an important part of bush care. However, overdoing it can reduce resistance to powdery mildew. To improve currant resistance, it's important to feed the bushes not only with nitrogen but also with adequate amounts of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.

As for chemical stores, you can buy special products to combat the disease. For example, gardeners speak highly of 0.02% topaz. Spray the bushes with it twice, two weeks apart.

These are the main folk and chemical remedies used to combat powdery mildew on currants. Be prepared for a long battle. The disease especially often affects bushes growing under the canopy of fruit trees.

If it so happens that your black currants powdery mildew appeared, then control measures involve far more than just post-flowering spraying. A comprehensive and regular approach is needed to ultimately prevail in such a difficult battle. One thing is clear: fighting the disease is essential, otherwise, it will completely destroy your berry bushes within a few years.