Gooseberries have long been known for the beneficial properties of their berries with a bright sweet and sour taste. That's why many owners of summer cottages prefer to grow this shrub on their plots. Unfortunately, gooseberries can not be called unpretentious plants. In addition, he is often harmed by various diseases and pests. To the most dangerous of gooseberry diseases are powdery mildew.
Danger to gooseberry - powdery mildew
So "poetic" is called one of the most dangerous garden fungal diseases. The powdery mildew appears on gooseberries with the appearance of a gray-brown plaque on leaves, shoots, fruits, which are then twisted, shrunk, shriveled. As a result, the plant dies, the crop disappears. The main thing is that the fungus perfectly hibernates on parts of the bush, in spring it discards spores and infects neighboring plants. It is believed that gooseberries and currants are the most vulnerable to mildew.
Powdery mildew of gooseberry - measures of struggle
If you defeat gooseberries, do not give up. Firstly, treatment of gooseberry powdery mildew with various solutions is applied. Spraying is carried out in the early spring before the buds dissolve, but after pruning all affected parts of shrubs that are subsequently burned. Covering with solutions should not only the plant itself, but also the so-called near-barrel circle.
People's methods are used, for example:
- 30% ash solution (prepared from 300 g of ash per 1 liter of water, insist 24 hours);
- solution of 2 tablespoons of soda and 50 grams of laundry soap, taken for 10 liters of water.
In addition, many gardeners recommend several solutions:
- 3% solution of the Bordeaux mixture;
- 1% copper sulfate (prepared from 1 g per 1 liter of water);
- 3% solution of ferrous sulfate (prepared from 3 g per 1 liter of water).
The chemical preparations "Fitosporin", "Topaz", "HOM", "Vectra", "Kulumus", which can be purchased at a specialized store, provide a good help in the fight against powdery mildew of gooseberries.
The same spraying should be done a little later, as soon as the bush of gooseberry blossom begins. You can use the above formulations and solutions, for example, 1% solution of copper sulfate, to which it is recommended to add 100 g of laundry soap. It is necessary to carry out such spraying immediately after flowering (7-10 days after the first spraying).
These same methods can be used to prevent disease. If in your region this fungus is widespread, you should pay attention to gooseberry, resistant to powdery mildew. This includes varieties: Kolobok, Kuibyshevsky, Jubilee, Harlequin, Ural Grapes, Mashenka and others.