Gooseberry diseases and pests and their control: causes and treatment

Many summer residents plant gooseberry bushes in the garden, which are easy to grow. Such a plant does not need careful care and grows well in any climatic conditions. However, sometimes bushes become infected with diseases that negatively affect yields. Therefore, before planting, it is necessary to familiarize yourself in detail with gooseberry diseases and methods for their treatment.

Why do gooseberry bushes get sick

There are several reasons why a planted gooseberry bush can get sick with one disease or another and die.

External factors

Often, plant diseases appear due to external factors. Experienced gardeners do not recommend growing berries at low temperatures and high humidity. Under such conditions, rot forms on the root system, which leads to further death of the bushes.

Also, diseases appear in the second half of summer, when the bushes weaken due to the heat and the rapid drying of the soil. Plants will need to be watered daily to prevent yellowing and leaf drop due to lack of moisture.

Mistakes in care

Some diseases begin to affect bushes due to improper care. Here are a few common mistakes that inexperienced gardeners make:

• Application of sprinkling irrigation method. If you use sprinkler irrigation, a yellow coating and mold appear on the surface of the leaves. If a large amount of moisture gets in, the sheets begin to dry.
• Careless loosening. Sometimes people inaccurately loosen the soil and accidentally touch the root system with a chopper. This leads to the development of fungal and infectious diseases.
• Wrong fertilizer. It is recommended to treat the soil with organic and mineral fertilizer mixtures in order to saturate it with nutrients. If this is not done, the gooseberries will weaken and start to hurt.

Poor-quality planting material

Infectious or fungal infection of the bushes can occur due to the use of low-quality planting material. For planting, the most he althy green seedlings are chosen, the leaves of which have not begun to curl. If the leaves have a white or red coating, they should not be planted.

Wrong place

Another reason why plants start to get sick is the wrong choice of a place for planting and further cultivation. Gooseberries should not often be in the shade, and therefore planting should be carried out in the most illuminated area of \u200b\u200bthe garden. Shaded areas are not suitable for planting, as the gooseberry fruit will develop worse in the shade. Also, in shaded areas, increased soil moisture, which contributes to the emergence and development of certain diseases.

Main gooseberry diseases: characteristic symptoms and methods of struggle

Before planting gooseberries, it is necessary to study gooseberry diseases and measures to combat them in more detail. Description of diseases and ways to eliminate them will help to cure gooseberry bushes faster.

Spheroteca

Most often, gardeners growing gooseberries have to deal with the sphere library. The first symptoms of the disease appear after flowering ends. The main features of the sphere library include a brown coating on the surface of the sheets, which can be erased. Gradually, the disease spreads to each leaf of the bush. If the sphere library is not cured in time, the bushes will die.

The following remedies are used in the treatment of a disease:

• Water plants with hot water. The best time to use boiling water for watering is spring. It is in the spring that the spores of the sphere library are in the ground, which infect the bushes.
• Feeding. To prevent the appearance and development of the disease, a mixture prepared from wood ash is periodically added to the soil.

Anthracnose

Summer is the time when many gooseberry bushes become infected with anthracnose. In order to timely identify the disease, it is necessary to periodically inspect the leaves. With the development of anthracnose, a darkish coating appears on them, which gradually covers the entire surface. All affected leaves begin to turn yellow, dry out and fall off. When the first signs of anthracnose appear, treatment is immediately carried out, during which they use:

• Potassium s alt. This is a highly effective solution that helps get rid of the disease. Spray infected bushes should be 2-3 times a week.
• Manganese solution. The mixture is used to prevent anthracnose. It is used in early spring, before flowering begins.

White Spot or Septoria

Septoria is a common pathology that can kill any berry. The causative agent of the disease is a fungus that develops on a leaf plate. In bushes that are infected with white spotting, the foliage turns yellow and falls off.

Experienced gardeners advise treating spotting with a solution containing wood ash. This tool is used to spray the surface of the soil and bushes.

Glass Rust

Glass rust appears at the beginning of the growing season. Most often, the symptoms of the disease appear at high temperature and high humidity. Gooseberries become infected with rust from weeds that can grow nearby. Therefore, in order to protect the bushes, it is recommended to regularly remove the grass.

Among the symptoms of rust, spotting on the sheets, which has a brown color, is distinguished.Gradually, brown spots from the leaves pass to the stems of bushes and berries. If you do not get rid of the goblet rust, the fruiting of the gooseberry will worsen. Ammonia and Bordeaux mixture will help get rid of the disease.

Gooseberry Mosaic

The main cause of the disease is considered to be the use of non-disinfected garden tools when cutting stems. With the development of pathology along the veins of the leaves, a long spot appears, which has a gray color and a yellowish tint. Bushes that become ill with mosaic stop growing. Curling of the leaves also appears, causing them to become wrinkled and small.

Mosaic cannot be cured, and therefore diseased plants will have to be disposed of. All diseased bushes are dug up with roots, dried and burned.

Powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is one of the most common diseases that can cause leaves to turn yellow and fall off. The peculiarities of the pathology include the fact that no remedy can cure it.

In plants infected with powdery mildew, leaves and ovaries dry up. The surface of foliage and stems gradually begins to cover a white powdery coating. Also, the disease spreads to the fruits, due to which the yield decreases significantly.

To prevent the disease from spreading to he althy gooseberry bushes, infected plants will have to be dug up.

Column rust

Autumn is the period when gooseberries become infected with columnar rust. The disease develops in cloudy weather and high humidity. Also, the development of rust contributes to an increased level of soil acidity.

First, the signs of the disease appear on the sheets located below. Then the plaque, which has a copper color, spreads to branches, ovaries, flowers and even berries. If you do not immediately get rid of rust, the plant will slowly die. Spraying the plants with a Bordeaux solution will help eliminate the disease.

Symptoms and treatment of gray mold

Gray rot is considered a dangerous fungal disease, due to which gooseberry bushes can die. Most often, it appears if the berries are poorly cared for.

Symptoms of pathology appear immediately and therefore it is quite easy to find diseased bushes in a timely manner. The development of gray rot is evidenced by brown-gray spots on the stems, which will eventually appear on the surface of young berries.

For the treatment of rot, a mixture is used, which includes ash and copper sulfate. About five liters of mortar are consumed per square meter of land.

Symptoms and treatment of drying shoots

People who have been growing berries for many years often experience drying out of shoots. The main symptom of the disease is that the bark of the branches is covered with cracks and becomes less elastic.If this fungal disease is not cured, the affected branches will die completely.

To eliminate the disease, use Bordeaux solution, which is used to treat the bushes at least once every ten days.

Mechanical damage to gooseberries

There are times when gooseberry bushes die due to mechanical damage. The most common damage is a broken bud or branch. Such a problem appears due to construction work near plants, heavy snowfall or wind gusts.

The place of the break begins to rot, which leads to the drying of the branch. To save the broken branch, the damaged area is disinfected with a solution containing alcohol and covered with oil paint.

Gooseberry pests and their control

Gooseberry pests often lead to deterioration in the growth and fruiting of bushes. There are several insects that most often attack berries.

Currant borer

This is a dangerous insect that is often encountered when growing berries. The main damage is caused by a young larval caterpillar, which penetrates into the shoots and feeds on them. The stems, in which there is a goldfish, stop growing and become covered with yellow dots. If you do not use the remedy against the goldfish in a timely manner, the gooseberry shoots will begin to die off.

When eliminating the pest, citric acid or urea is used. Bushes are sprayed 3-4 times a week.

Currant gall midge

Some gardeners believe that only currants suffer from this pest, but this is not so. The pest often attacks young gooseberry seedlings and worsens yields. Adults lay their eggs in the bark of plants. Over time, the eggs grow into larvae that penetrate the shoots and feed on the juice.

People's solution, which is made from urea and vitriol, will help get rid of pests. You can also use insecticides such as Karbofos and Topaz.

Gooseberry moth

This insect has a short life cycle, but this does not prevent it from harming many plants. Adults lay their larvae in a cobweb cocoon. After 10-15 days, larvae grow, which gradually penetrate the gooseberry leaves and begin to suck the juice out of them. First, a small, united dot appears on each leaf. However, over time, almost nothing remains of the leaves.

Fitosporin and other biological products are used in the fight against moths.

Gooseberry sawfly

Sawfly is a dangerous insect with a yellow color and spots that are black. The pest penetrates the leaves in the spring and eats small holes on their surface. If the gooseberry is not processed in time, the sawfly will eat the entire leaf plate. Biological preparations are considered effective against this insect, which include "Dendrobacillin" and "Lepidocid".

Gooseberry moth

Many are interested in why gooseberries fall off berries. Often the cause of falling gooseberry fruits is moth. This small butterfly can reduce the yield of bushes by 2-3 times.

Adult butterflies lay eggs on leaves, from which larvae emerge. They gradually eat leaves and stems. This leads to yellowing and drying of seedlings.

Gardeners are advised to periodically drop moth larvae from sheets. However, this does not always help to get rid of the pest and you have to use more effective means, which include a tar solution of soap.

Currant glass jar

A common autumn pest whose larvae feed on plant sap and leaf blades. The glass maker attacks all varieties of currants and gooseberries.

Glass is not easy to get rid of, because most of the time it is inside the branches. When cleaning a bush from a pest, boron solution and chemicals are used.

Spider mite

This is a dangerous insect that attacks not only berries, but also indoor plants. It is difficult to notice spider mites, as they are located on the inside of the sheets. Ticks must be disposed of immediately as they multiply rapidly.

An effective remedy against a pest is a mixture that contains laundry soap and soda. Gooseberries are sprayed with soapy liquid 3-4 times a month.

Sprout aphid

Aphids are a massive pest that can destroy a bush within two days. The main measure to prevent the appearance of aphids is digging the soil. It is recommended to dig the site in September or October. If the aphid has already attacked the plant, use iron vitriol or Bordeaux mixture, which are sprayed on the branches.

Prevention of diseases and insect invasions

To prevent scab and other dangerous diseases from appearing on gooseberries, preventive measures must be taken in advance. There are several preventive measures that will help protect plants:

• Compliance with crop rotation. Bushes are recommended to be transplanted to a new place every 5-6 years.
• Cleaning the area. It is necessary to periodically clear the area of weeds.
• Proper care. Plants that are properly cared for are less likely to get sick. During the care of the gooseberry, it is periodically watered and fed so that the bushes have enough nutrients and moisture.

Conclusion

Many gardeners are engaged in growing gooseberries. Before planting this berry, you need to familiarize yourself with the main causes of bush disease, as well as deal with the most effective methods of combating infectious and fungal varieties.

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