All gardeners monitor the health of their seedlings; small changes in the appearance of plants cause alarm. Often garden owners are tormented by the question why currant leaves are light green? There may be several causes of the disease; they need to be identified and treatment begun. This article will tell you about methods to combat this problem.
Brief overview of the article
- Causes of leaf color change
- Reasons for leaf lightening
- Wrong landing site
- Preparing the soil for seedlings
- How to lower pH levels
- How to plan your planting area
- Rules for planting currants
- Mineral deficiency
- Feeding methods
- Photo of currant
Causes of leaf color change
In practice, there are two main situations that gardeners face:
- a white coating on the leaves similar to snow, which means that the plant is affected by a fungus - powdery mildew;
- if the foliage of a plant simply turns white, then this is due to a lack of chlorophyll, the disease is called chlorosis.
Advice: “When symptoms appear, the bushes should be carefully examined to identify the cause of the lightening of the foliage and then choose a treatment method.”
For currant disease with powdery mildew, folk remedies are used for treatment, such as solutions: soda, tobacco ash, mustard. A soda solution effectively fights this disease; when watering, it forms an alkaline environment on the foliage, which kills pathogenic microflora and prevents it from developing.
It can be treated with ready-made preparations - fungicides (Bravo, Acrobat, Tattoo, etc.) It is especially not recommended to get carried away with chemicals, as this can damage plant productivity.
Gooseberry and currant leaves turn yellow due to disease
Unfortunately, if the above-described causes of yellowing of the leaves of berry bushes are easily removable, then it will take much longer and more carefully to fight possible diseases that lead to drying, curling and yellowing of the shoots and leaves of currants and gooseberries.
So, what diseases can cause leaves to turn yellow and fall off?
Rust of currants and gooseberries . Several types of this fungal disease can manifest themselves differently - either as small reddish spots on the leaves of gooseberries and currants, or as yellow-orange “warts” on the underside of the leaf. After some time, the berries and foliage of the diseased bush dry out and fall off prematurely.
Verticillium wilt of currants and gooseberries affects the root and vascular system of berry bushes, as a result of which they do not receive enough nutrients, begin to grow poorly, and the leaves turn yellow, dry out and fall off, starting from the lower tier. If measures are not taken, the bush may die within 2-3 years.
Anthracnose of currants and gooseberries . This fungal disease is characterized by the appearance of circular brown spots on the leaves on both sides, which gradually merge, causing the leaves to turn yellow and fall abundantly prematurely. Due to the general weakening of the bush, its winter hardiness and productivity may significantly decrease.
Mosaic of currants and gooseberries . This disease is caused by a virus and appears on the leaves as round, vague, pale yellow spots with a light green center located along the veins. Over time, the spots merge, the leaf turns completely yellow, the affected tissue between the veins turns white and dries out.
To varying degrees, yellowing and drying of leaf blades can also be caused by other diseases - for example, spheroteca , or American powdery mildew .
- Diseases of currants and gooseberries - descriptions with photographs and methods of treatment
This article will help you identify the disease on red and black currants, as well as gooseberries.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to completely cure currants and gooseberries from the ailments described above, so preventive measures are of utmost importance, which include:
- thorough autumn cleaning of the area from plant debris and litter;
- selection of varieties that are initially resistant to these diseases;
- preventive treatment of bushes with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture (or other copper-containing preparations) at the stages of leaf blossoming, bud formation and after flowering;
- timely removal of fading and yellowed leaves;
- use of fungicides according to instructions;
- digging up and burning severely damaged plants.
Reasons for leaf lightening
Let's find out why currant leaves are pale green if there is no powdery mildew? These reasons are no longer associated with the disease, but arise due to improper care and unfavorable climatic conditions:
- lack of nutrients in the soil, uneven application of fertilizers;
- a long dry period or heavy rains with soil flooding;
- watering with very cold water and violating the dosage.
If the summer is hot, it is recommended to water up to 5 buckets per bush every 10 days; if there is heavy rainfall, watering is not required. If necessary, it is better to irrigate currants with rainwater.
Good care - delicious berries
The reasons for the dull color of the leaves are ignoring agricultural rules, improperly selected planting location, diseases and pests. To preserve the harvest, it is urgent to take measures to prevent and treat plants.
If the leaves have faded due to a deficiency of microelements, you need to feed the currants in August. If the color of the leaves has changed due to severe waterlogging, it is necessary to reconsider the amount and timing of watering. Having followed all the recommendations, gardeners will delight themselves and their households with delicious berries.
Wrong landing site
Often currant bushes planted in a new location do not perform well in unsuitable growing conditions. The cause of the disease may be a small amount of sunlight, this especially affects red currants. Therefore, it is undesirable to shade plants with growing trees or fences made of corrugated sheets.
It is better to use chain-link fencing in the garden; it is necessary that the currant planting site be illuminated by the sun for about 5 hours a day and be protected from the cold wind by outbuildings. Bushes should not be planted in depressions or swampy areas.
Attention! “The distance from groundwater must be at least 1 meter.
How to fix the problem
The first thing you need to pay attention to if the leaves have lost their bright color is the soil where the bush was planted. An incorrectly chosen location may be indicated by:
- The shade in which the bushes are located;
- The soil is poor in nutrients or the area is constantly damp;
- Garden plantings grow too densely and tightly together, because small bushes have grown very much and now they do not have enough space.
Of course, you can solve the problem radically - replant the currant bush. But this is not always convenient and not always accessible: perhaps there is no space or the bush has grown so much that it is already quite difficult to do this.
If you can’t replant the shrubs, and the front garden is too overgrown, you can try to solve the problem by thinning.
Fertilizing is also a prerequisite for returning the bush to its original appearance. This must be done not only under the bush itself, but also over the area of the entire root system.
The soil should be cultivated within a diameter of about two meters from the bush, because it is to this distance that the currant roots grow.
Don’t forget to water the bush on time. If you are going to apply fertilizers in dry form, you must water the currants before starting the procedure.
Preparing the soil for seedlings
Pale green currant leaves may appear if the soil for planting is poorly prepared. Currants do not like acidic soil. The best soil for this plant is loamy soil with excellent air and water permeability. The bush can also take root in heavy loams, but only if certain additives are added to it.
High acidity of the soil greatly affects the development of bushes. At a pH of 4-5 in a swampy place, plants grow poorly and become sick, which leads to shedding of flower stalks. On acidic soils, nutrients are poorly absorbed, so fertilizers containing phosphorus turn into an indigestible substance.
After the snow cover melts, the acidic soil does not dry out for a long time and is covered with a hard layer that does not allow air to penetrate to the root system. One of the destructive factors of these soils is the rapid development of pathogenic microorganisms.
Attention! The proper development of cultivated plants in acidic soil is difficult, since it contains a large amount of aluminum and manganese!
You can determine the acidity of the soil by looking at the weeds growing on the site. So they like acidic soil:
- Mayweed.
- Sorrel is sour.
- Mint.
- Sedge.
- Rose hip.
- Creeping wheatgrass.
- Plantain, etc.
Before planting seedlings of berry bushes, you need to take measures to deoxidize the soil.
Iron chlorosis
With a lack of iron, young currant leaves are pale green and then turn white. To help the plants, it is necessary to water the bushes with iron preparations, alternating with magnesium. An effective help would be spraying 5 g and 1 liter of water with iron chelate, 10 g and 10 liters of water for watering at the root.
You can also use the following mixture: 4 g of iron sulfate, 2.5 g of citric acid, 1 liter of water. Treatment is done 3 times during the growing season.
There are ready-made preparations in garden stores: Ferrovit, Micro-Fe, Ferrilene, Topaz. When preparing the solution, it is important to act strictly according to the instructions: do not dilute the substances in a metal container, add water gradually stirring.
How to lower pH levels
To reduce soil acidity, natural materials are used, such as chalk, fluff, wood ash, etc.
Wood ash reduces soil acidity well, its effect is effective and more gentle than other materials.
Attention! A single application cannot change the pH of the soil for a long time.
Soil deoxidation should be carried out annually. As soon as seedling diseases occur, you should immediately check the pH level of the soil. A popular drug among summer residents is fluff. The rate of application of the substance per m2 for currants is 400 g.
What else to feed currants
In the summer, the bushes are sprayed with a special solution: 20 g of urea, 5 g of boric acid, 3 g of manganese, 30 g of copper sulfate are mixed, and then 10 liters of water are gradually added. It is important to spray after sunset.
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A folk remedy for currants is potato peelings. Starch, microelements, and vitamins are needed by the plant. Dried peelings 1 kg are poured with 10 liters of boiling water, insulated, and left for 3 days.
Herbal infusion from weeds is also popular among summer residents. Chop burdock, nettle, dandelion, add old jam or sugar, water, leave for 3 days. After foam has formed, dilute a tablespoon in a bucket of water and feed on moist soil.
It is important not to exceed the dose of fertilizers, which will also negatively affect the plants.
How to plan your planting area
To set up a berry garden, you need to prepare the place well. It is necessary to fill all holes, depressions and level the surface. Afterwards, the soil is dug up to a depth of 40 cm, and substances that reduce the acidity level of the soil are first scattered over the surface.
If the bushes are planted in the autumn, then the planting site is prepared two weeks in advance so that the land settles. If these works are planned for spring, then the earthen clods after digging are not broken up.
Gooseberry and currant leaves turn yellow due to improper watering
If yellow leaves appear on currants and gooseberries at the end of spring or beginning of summer, is it simply because the plants do not have enough water? This is especially likely in dry, arid weather or in the early stages after planting young seedlings. Are you watering your plantings correctly?
Gooseberries and currants need to be provided with regular watering, especially in the first months after planting, especially if the weather is hot.
If temperature indicators in spring and summer are normal, three waterings per season will be enough for these shrubs:
- At the end of May - beginning of June, during the active growth of green mass and the appearance of ovaries.
- At the end of June, when the berries on the bush ripen (without watering, you will get a low yield, the berries will be small and dry, with thick skin).
- After harvesting (lack of moisture in the soil at this time negatively affects the formation of flower buds, i.e. next year you may be left without a harvest).
If the thermometer has been confidently staying above 25°C for a week, and you haven’t seen rain for a long time, your plants could use additional moisture at least once a week (especially if the soil in the area is sandy).
Gooseberries can withstand drought more successfully than currants, and black currants tolerate a lack of moisture in the soil much worse than red currants.
Water the bushes correctly - with sun-warmed water under the root, to a depth of at least 30-40 cm. Two buckets of water are enough for one bush, but make sure that the water does not spread beyond the tree trunk circle (for this you can dig a shallow groove in a circle) .
- How to properly water trees and bushes in the garden
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Rules for planting currants
After marking the site, it is necessary to dig holes 40x40 cm, half a meter deep. In this case, it is necessary to separate the fertile layers of soil from the lower podzol layers. Before planting, the separated chernozem is mixed with mineral components per plant:
- Compost 2 buckets.
- Superphosphate 140g.
- Wood ash 300 g.
- Dolomite flour 100g.
If you follow all these instructions, then planting the currants will go well and the roots will take root.
Pimples and tubercles on leaves
Unidentified formations or growths may be a clutch of insect pests. But the relief of the plate itself changes periodically, and here it is important to exclude serious consequences in a timely manner.
— Swollen red bumps on currant leaves look scary. But this is just a gall aphid that hides on the back of the plates. It's unpleasant, but quite easy to deal with;
— Thrips leave behind very small pimples and brown spots;
— Tumors on different parts of the bush, including leaves, appear when affected by bacterial cancer;
— Red raised spots can be left by anthracnose, a dangerous fungus that will destroy the crop without treatment.
Photo: vosadu-li-vogorode.ru
Mineral deficiency
If currants are planted according to the rules, then the substances added to the soil will provide nutrition to the young plants for two years before fruiting. In the 3rd year, the berry bushes begin to be fed.
If the currant has light leaves, how to feed it? To solve this problem, in early July, ammonium nitrate is added under the bushes, since nitrogen fertilizers promote the process of photosynthesis and also improve the absorption of nutrients.
At the end of summer and early autumn, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers are applied to the soil. This will not change the color of the leaves, but will promote the health of the berry bushes next year and prepare them for winter. Chlorine-containing fertilizers are used only in the autumn, when the growing season has ended.
What to do if currant leaves are pale
First of all, identify the cause of the problem. If it is a disease or pest, remove diseased shoots and burn them at a distance of at least 10 m from the garden plot, then prepare a solution and spray the bush.
Treatment of some diseases requires an integrated approach, so in addition to spraying, currants need watering and loosening the soil.
There are diseases (for example, terry), once infected, the plant cannot be treated. In this case, the bush is dug up and burned, and the remaining crops are treated with prophylactic agents: copper sulfate solution, Zircon, Fitosporin.
What to change in care
If the currant is constantly sick, this is a sign of improper care . It is recommended to start with watering: moisten the soil every 5-7 days, use about 5 liters of water per bush. Do not get on leaves and shoots; the stream of water should be directed at the root. In order for the plant to bear fruit well, it is watered with an infusion based on tomato tops 2 times a month. A folk remedy strengthens the immunity of currants and protects it from diseases.
Problems with berry bushes also arise due to improper pruning. Sometimes summer residents do not comply with the deadlines for the procedure or leave uneven cuts on the bush, and fungi and viruses appear in the wounds. It is important to remember that only sharp pruning shears are used for pruning, it is disinfected, and the cuts are lubricated with garden varnish.
Reference. What does the plant lack if all the rules and recommendations are followed? Perhaps the variety is not suitable for growing in a certain region or a diseased seedling was purchased. Also, the reasons lie in the characteristics of the soil, proximity to other crops, and incorrect selection of fertilizers.
What to feed
The choice of fertilizer depends on what stage of development the shrub is at and what elements it needs. For example, at the beginning of the growing season, currants need nitrogen. It is found in ammonium nitrate, urea, and slurry. When signs of phosphorus starvation are detected, superphosphate or potassium monophosphate is applied under the bush. If there is not enough potassium, fertilize based on potassium chloride, ash, and potassium salt.
After treatment for diseases or pests, currants need complex feeding . It contains mineral and organic substances. Such drugs include “Gumi-Omi”, “Magic Leika”, “Krepysh”. They are purchased at gardening stores.
Among folk remedies, summer residents choose fertilizers based on dry yeast. For preparation you need 30 g of dry yeast, 100 g of sugar, 5 liters of warm water. The solution is infused for 3 days, stirring occasionally. Then diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 and used for irrigation.
Feeding methods
Currant feeding is carried out in two ways: at the root and by spraying. Spraying is carried out regardless of the age of the plant. For root feeding of young seedlings, make a hole around the plant with a diameter of 50 cm, where nutrients are placed.
For adult currants, fertilizers are applied over the entire area of the berry garden, since the currant root system is 2 m in diameter. Compositions dissolved in water or dry fertilizers are used for digging in the autumn. Before and after digging up the soil with fertilizing, water the currants.
Watering plants before fertilizing allows the root system to be saturated with water and prevents the rapid absorption of large doses of nutrients, which can lead to root burns. Watering after adding minerals helps to quickly deliver them to the soil and to the roots of berry bushes.
Using the information in the article, you can grow healthy currants, which will delight you with a large harvest.
Prevention
The main prevention of chlorosis comes down to timely and proper care of the plant. Be sure to disinfect soil, tools, and new planting material, especially if you bought it from untrusted places. It is necessary to destroy insect pests, as well as to do scheduled preventive treatments. Fungicides are usually used to disinfect soils - they are applied before the start of the active planting season. Simply wipe the tools with alcohol or pour boiling water over them. Fungicides are suitable for treating seedlings and seeds. This article will tell you about bush holders for currants.
Healthy leaves are always green, without spots or dots. After recovery, new leaves are usually restored, but the old ones remain white.
There are many insect pests in any garden. If you find them, use insecticides. The development of non-infectious chlorosis can be prevented if fertilizer complexes are applied to the soil in a timely manner.
