Currant diseases and pests: treatment and prevention

Currants, regardless of type, can be affected by a large number of diseases. They can be bacterial, viral or fungal in nature, which determines the rate of spread of the infection, the main signs and features of treatment. To avoid diseases, you need to carry out proper prevention and follow the basic rules of agricultural cultivation. This strengthens the plant’s defenses and helps prevent the death of the bush and loss of yield. The effectiveness of planned measures depends not only on the chosen drug, but also on climatic conditions and the specifics of the variety.

Powdery mildew

In seasons with humid, warm weather, berry plants are attacked by a fungus from the order Powdery mildew. Affected plants lag behind in development and often freeze completely in winter. Characteristic signs of damage are:

1. The onset of the disease occurs at the end of flowering of the bushes, when a light gray erasable coating, similar to flour, appears on the tender tops.
2. Diseased leaves remain small, undeveloped and dry out on the branches.
3. Infected shoots become distorted, stop growing, and their resistance to heat and frost decreases.

Treatment

Fresh plaque can be washed off with soapy water. This method can be used if the disease has just appeared and the lesion is of a single focal nature. In case of massive damage to branches, they need to be cut out and burned, and the bushes should be sprayed with Fundazol, Fitosporin or other fungicides. In case of group infection of bushes, 4 treatments need to be carried out: before and after flowering, after harvesting and 14 days after 3 sprayings. As a preventive measure, it is worth removing fallen leaves at the end of the summer season and burning them.

Currant anthracnose: treatment and prevention

It is quite difficult to detect leaves infected with anthracnose fungi on berry bushes. The disease develops in the summer, affecting the bush from below. The reason for the spread of fungi is windy and rainy weather, as well as colonies of insect pests on the site.

Anthracnose: YouTube/Vegetable garden! LIFE

Behind the dense foliage, the first signs of currant disease are not immediately noticeable:

On black currants, leaves affected by anthracnose do not fall off until autumn. White and red currants lose their green mass. Preventive measures to combat anthracnose are carried out in autumn and early spring:

Cherry tomatoes: varieties for growing

A diseased currant bush is treated with special preparations to destroy anthracnose fungal spores. Spraying is carried out before flowering, after the formation of the ovary and after harvesting.

Anthracnose

Wet weather, thickening of plantings, and the presence of weeds contribute to the development of this fungal disease. The development of anthracnose is characterized by the following symptoms:

1. The pathogen mainly affects leaves, petioles and stalks.
2. The first sign of the disease is the presence of small, several millimeters in diameter, brown spots.
3. After some time, ulcers appear at the site of the spots, diseased leaves dry out and fall off.

The fungus that causes anthracnose overwinters in fallen leaves, so one of the effective measures to prevent the disease is the autumn collection and disposal of leaves.

Treatment

The disease can be cured using Bordeaux mixture: you need to thoroughly spray all the bushes when the first signs of infection are detected and after removing the berries. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to avoid planting a young bush in the place where the affected specimen grew, and also to burn all fallen leaves in the area.

Glass rust

In early spring, orange spots may appear on currant leaves. A growth extends from below in which fungal spores multiply. This is what glass currant rust looks like.

Glass rust: YouTube/GARDEN WISDOM

Diseased bushes sharply reduce productivity. Leaf fall begins in mid-summer. Spores that have spread to the berries stop their growth and ripening. Dangerous goblet rust fungi multiply in cereals and sedges.

Outbreaks of fungal disease are more often observed on red and white currants after a warm winter. The fungus tolerates frosts down to –30 °C.

Measures to combat glass rust are not complicated:

• removing weeds from the area;
• planting bushes while maintaining distance;
• loosening the soil under the bushes;
• treating the soil and bushes with Bordeaux mixture or copper sulfate.

If it was not possible to stop the currant disease, the bushes will have to be sprayed several times with antifungal drugs. Chemicals are used during bud break, before flowering and after fruit set.

Septoria

Septoria (white spot) is also most likely to occur in rainy, cool summers. Brown spots appear on the leaves, which over time become whitish with a brown border. With severe damage, the spots enlarge and merge with each other. The leaf dries up and dies. The yield of diseased bushes is reduced by 1.5–2 times.

Treatment

• Treatment with copper sulfate at intervals of 1 time every 2 weeks. The procedure must be carried out three times, the first - after the foliage has completely bloomed;
• Destruction of infected parts of the plant;
• Thinning branches to avoid excessive thickening of the bush;
• A preventive control measure is digging up the earth around the bushes, removing grass and leaves.

Currant foliage darkens and turns yellow - what to do

Changes in the color of foliage on currant bushes can be a sign of various diseases, which will be discussed below.

Why do currant leaves turn yellow and dry? What is it and what to do - video

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Currant columnar rust

Yellow or yellow-brown dots appear on the foliage, and small pads appear on the reverse side in which spores ripen.

The most effective remedy against the fungal disease columnar rust is to spray the shoots with Bordeaux mixture (3% solution) before the sap begins to flow. During the season, it is recommended to treat with a 1% solution of this drug at intervals of 1-1.5 weeks (at least 4 times).

And for green foliage, treating currants against columnar rust with any suitable fungicidal preparations (Fitosporin, Fitodoctor and other analogues) is effective.

Striped mosaic on currants

This disease, unfortunately, cannot be treated. A pattern of light yellow stripes and specks appears on the leaf blades. Plants begin to weaken and yields drop sharply.

To avoid the spread of striped mosaic, it is necessary to completely uproot all diseased currant bushes and burn them. You should also combat pests that carry this infection (ticks, aphids).

Important!

In those places where this disease occurred, currants cannot be planted for 5 seasons.

Currant scab: how to fight and how to treat bushes against the disease

This disease has symptoms similar to powdery mildew. To choose effective measures to combat scab, you need to clearly know its symptoms.

Scab affects all vegetative parts of bushes - from stems to fruits. Specks of dark tones appear on them, covered with a coating of green color. As a result of scab damage, currant foliage begins to turn yellow, dries out and falls off, the fruits stop developing, become covered in spots and begin to crack, cracks appear on the bark of the stems, then the bark dies.

Measures to combat scab on currants:

• before sap flow begins, the bushes are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture (3% solution);
• treatment of currant bushes in early spring and after leaf fall with a urea solution (7%);
• in the summer, you can treat currants with Aktara or Horus.

Septoria (white spot) on currants

The main symptom of the fungal currant disease septoria is the appearance of small brown spots with white spots on the leaf blades, which later become lighter, but a brown border remains on them.

With white spotting, the same brown-white spots appear on currant berries. The most effective preventive measure is regular treatment of the vegetative mass of shrubs throughout the season with Bordeaux mixture. It is also used to combat septoria.

Fighting the disease includes:

• treating bushes before sap flow begins with Nitrofen or other similar preparations;
• after harvesting, the plants are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture (3% solution);
• currants are treated with a complex solution, which includes Fitosporin M and fertilizers containing Mg, B, Zn; all foliage should be collected and destroyed.

Rust

Rust is red bumps on the back of leaves that merge into orange stripes as the disease spreads. Fruits may also be affected. Excessive spring watering can provoke the disease. Rust pathogens live on conifers or on a marshy plant - sedge. If there is a wetland or coniferous plantings near the garden plot, then for growing currants it would be better to choose varieties that are resistant to rust.

Treatment

1. Four times fungicidal treatment with an interval of 1.5 weeks. The first spraying is carried out before active leaf growth begins. The drug Previkur and Bordeaux mixture are highly effective;
2. A popular method of combating the disease is spraying with a garlic-tobacco solution. Leave a mixture of 1 cup of garlic cloves, 200 g of tobacco dust and 2 liters of water for 3 days. Then add soap solution and a pinch of hot pepper. Treat bare branches with the resulting solution until the leaves bloom;
3. Preventive measures: complete destruction of infected branches, mowing and disposal of sedge in the area adjacent to the garden, autumn harvesting of dry grass and leaves, selection of disease-resistant varieties.

Convex red spots on currants

Similar red spots appear on currant foliage in the summer, and their color is not always red, its color can range from burgundy to dark red. The affected parts of the foliage protrude slightly above the surface of the leaf blades.

More often, this disease affects white or red varieties of currants. Blackcurrant is affected much less frequently by it.

The main reasons for the appearance of red raised spots on currant leaves are:

• anthracnose;
• glass rust;
• the appearance of gall aphids on plants.

Currant anthracnose

The first symptom of this disease is the appearance on the leaf blades of small brown or black spots no larger than 1.5 mm in size. In their center you can feel small tubercles. Gradually, these spots begin to grow, gradually connecting with each other.

Over time, the entire affected berry perennial may disappear.

Ways to combat currant anthracnose:

• all affected foliage should be collected and immediately burned outside the garden area;
• diseased bushes should be treated at least 4 times per season with Bordeaux mixture: before the leaves appear, after the plant has bloomed, a couple of weeks after the second, after picking ripe berries;
• Spray the currants with Nitrofen (3%) before the leaves appear and after leaf fall.

Important!

Currant leaves should be sprayed on both sides!

Goblet rust on currants

The main symptoms of currant goblet rust disease are as follows:

• on the upper side of the foliage specks of red color with a yellowish tint form;
• on the reverse side of the leaf blades, goblet-shaped growths form - fungal spores “live” in them;
• Over time, the leaves begin to turn yellow and fall off prematurely.

This disease negatively affects the ripening of fruits. As a result, productivity decreases sharply.

Interesting article:
Proper care of currants in the fall and preparation for winter
Interesting!

This disease most often occurs in areas that are located near rivers, lakes and other bodies of water - sedge grows there, which is a temporary refuge for spores and goblet rust fungi.

Fighting the disease includes:

• collecting all fallen leaves and burning them outside the garden;
• all currant bushes are treated with Bordeaux mixture or other copper-containing preparations;
• the soil in the root zone should be treated with colloidal sulfur (1% solution).

Important!

To prevent the disease from spreading throughout the garden plot, sick and healthy currant bushes are sprayed with copper-containing preparations every couple of weeks.

White coating on currant leaves

If a white coating appears on the foliage and shoots of this berry crop, then an experienced gardener immediately understands that the plant has been affected by powdery mildew. The spores of this disease can survive even in extreme conditions - extreme heat or harsh winters with severe frosts. During the winter, the spores of this fungus “hide” in fallen leaves.

For which diseases the first sign is a white coating will be described below.

Powdery mildew on currants: control measures and description of the disease

If a white coating appears on the vegetative part of currant bushes, gardeners immediately understand that this is the main symptom of powdery mildew.

There are several types of this disease:

• European powdery mildew, the main symptom of which is the appearance of a thin white cobweb on shoots, fruits and foliage. This type of fungal disease mainly affects red currant bushes.
• Spheroteka (or American powdery mildew). In this case, a white powdery coating forms on the leaves, which feels like a felt covering to the touch.
• Foliage and fruits affected by this disease fall off, the stems stop growing and become twisted. This is a very unpleasant and dangerous disease.

The fight against powdery mildew on currants includes:

• all diseased stems must be removed and burned outside the garden area;
• before the start of sap flow, all berry bushes are treated with iron sulfate (3% solution);
• You can treat currant bushes against this disease with Fitosporin, Phytodoctor and other similar fungicides.

One of the most effective folk methods of combating powdery mildew is treating currants with iodine solution. To do this, dissolve one bottle of iodine in a bucket of water and spray the plants once every 3-4 days.

Gray rot on currants: how to deal with the disease

This fungal disease primarily affects currant berries, which begin to rot and disappear. Their flesh becomes loose, and small brown pads appear on the skin, in which spores “live.” The foliage becomes covered with brown spots, and there are lumps of mold fungus on the shoots.

The following preventive measures are effective against gray mold disease of currants:

• before the start of sap flow, all bushes are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture (3% solution);
• during the same period, as well as after harvesting the fruits (until the last ten days of August), the plants are sprayed with Zircon;
• all affected parts of plants are removed and burned;
• Before buds open and after leaf fall, currant bushes are treated with a urea solution (0.7 kg of the drug is dissolved in a bucket of water).

Currant terry

A specific disease of currants is caused by viruses and can completely destroy the berry plant; it is transmitted by pests: mites, aphids, bedbugs. The main signs of infection are as follows:

1. The formation of a large number of shortened shoots, the so-called “panicles”.
2. The leaves lose their specific currant smell and become rough, shiny, and veiny.
3. Flowers and perianths turn into small narrow petals of a rich lilac color, the pistil becomes thinner and takes on a filamentous appearance.
4. Berry setting stops and plant development is delayed for up to 2 weeks.

You should be careful when purchasing planting material, as the virus can penetrate the area with seedlings and cuttings.

Kidney mite

The bud mite often causes black currant diseases. It destroys the buds of the plant and harms it so much that there is no need to wait for the harvest. One kidney can contain up to 8 thousand parasites. Having destroyed one bud, the insects move to another.

Symptoms

This disease of blackcurrant bushes has striking manifestations: the bud swells and begins to resemble a head of cabbage. Later it bursts and begins to die. Affected currants bloom poorly and produce a poor harvest. In addition, due to the activity of the mite, the bush begins to hurt - for example, it spreads terry.

Treatment

Before the leaves bloom, it is recommended to carefully inspect all the bushes. Suspicious buds are immediately cut off and burned. If there are too many of them, then the entire shoot is removed. Then you need to treat with the drug. It is important not to miss the migration of the tick from bud to bud; this happens during the budding period.

Chemicals

As soon as the buds begin to form, treatment should be carried out with a low-toxic, non-systemic acaricide. The following drugs are suitable: Envidor, Contos, Oberon. Repeated manipulations are carried out at the end of flowering, and then another 10 days later. More toxic products are allowed after harvest.

Biological drugs

Biological preparations also perform well in the fight against ticks: Fitoverm, Akarin, Bicolom. They are used within the same time frames as indicated above, following the instructions. We must not forget that to achieve good results, manipulations must be carried out at a certain temperature.

Traditional methods

Experienced summer residents say that you can get rid of ticks with a hot shower. In early March, the branches are tied and watered with water at a temperature of about 70 degrees.

In addition, it is recommended to plant onions and garlic near the currants. A good effect can be achieved by preparing a garlic (200 g chopped garlic cloves + 10 l of water) or onion (300 g peel + 10 l water) infusion.

It is worth remembering that a black currant disease such as a mite is very dangerous. Therefore, you should under no circumstances ignore it unless you want to lose the entire bush.

Leaf marginal necrosis

The disease is non-infectious and is caused by excess chlorine in the soil. It appears towards the end of summer. A wide dry strip of ash-gray color forms along the edges of the leaves. There is a clearly defined border between this strip and healthy tissue. If such symptoms are detected in the next season, it is necessary to fertilize with urea twice (in the spring after the buds swell and after the end of flowering) (the norm is 20–30 g/m2).

Marginal necrosis of currant leaves has a clearly defined border.

If the dry strip has a darker color and its border is blurred, then this indicates potassium starvation. Accordingly, next season, at the beginning of summer, you need to add a solution of potassium monophosphate to the soil - add 20 g of fertilizer to a bucket of water and water the bushes (the norm is 20 g/m2).

Treatment of black currant

As you can see, there are a lot of diseases, so we need to immediately save the crop. For obvious reasons, chemical treatment is carried out only when there are no berries yet. But when the berries appear, they can only be treated with folk remedies or biological products.

Chemicals can be used when folk remedies no longer help, but using the crop will be dangerous. Therefore, you should not start diseases.

Biological agents

Biological products can be used in the initial stage of the disease or only immediately after flowering. When there are berries, you should not use them.

Important! Treatment of plants should be carried out only in the evening. In the sun they lose their properties. Recovery may not be achieved with just one treatment. You will have to spray several times. Read the instructions.

Treatment with these harmless biological preparations showed 100% effective results.

Treatment with folk remedies

Before starting treatment, diseased leaves and branches should be removed and then burned.

Folk remedies do not bring immediate effect, but they are completely harmless to beneficial insects and humans. Look at how to treat currants if they have curled leaves. The proportions are indicated for a bucket of water.

Laundry soap

If the top young leaves curl, then the best recipe is to spray them with a solution of laundry soap and vegetable oil.

1. Take a piece of 72% laundry soap, grate it, and mix it with 500 ml of hot water.
2. After the solution has cooled, slowly add 200 grams of vegetable oil and stir.
3. Dilute the resulting emulsion in 10 liters of water.

There are many variations of this recipe, with different proportions. In this video, Ivan Russkikh reviews recipes and their effectiveness against aphids on plants.

What recipes are mentioned in the video (watch from 6-1 minutes)?

1. Dissolve 100 grams of laundry soap (or green soap) in 1 liter of water and, after complete dissolution, bring the solution to 10 liters. The effectiveness of this recipe is 80%.
2. This recipe shows 100% effectiveness. 100 gr. Dissolve laundry soap in 1 liter of water and pour in 200 ml in a thin stream. vegetable oil. Bring the finished solution to 10 liters. Do not use liquid soap or dishwashing detergent.
3. 120% efficiency. Instead of water, you need to take decoctions of coniferous plants (for example, juniper/arborvitae/spruce/pine) and dilute soap based on these decoctions. Instead of decoction, you can add 10 ml of any pine oil to the soap mash.
4. Efficiency 150%. Instead of pine infusion, take 1 cup of tobacco dust per 1 liter of water and bring to a boil. Leave covered overnight. Make a soap infusion with this decoction.
5. If there is no tobacco dust, you can prepare a decoction of phytoncidal herbs. To do this, take a large bunch of dandelion/wormwood/yarrow/thyme, add sprigs of pine needles and 1 liter of water. Boil. Leave covered overnight. Strain. Bring to 10 liters, add 100 g. household soap and 10 ml. pine oil.

The disadvantage of this method is that the solution must fall directly on the aphids. The frequency of treatments is every 10-12 days. The waiting period for the effect is 4-5 days.

Birch tar

Birch tar is sold in pharmacies or garden stores. To prepare the solution, you will need a tablespoon of tar and 3 tbsp per bucket of water. l. laundry soap powder. Spray it in the evening and it will last until the end of summer.

Garlic and onion

Take 100 g of onion and garlic, finely chop, and cover with hot water for a day. Spray each bush with the strained solution. This solution is enough for 2-3 bushes. Useful in the fight against aphids, leaf rollers, insect larvae and caterpillars.

Tobacco leaves

Take 400 g of their dry raw materials, fill it with water, and leave for 2 days. Then a bucket of water is added to this infusion and 100 g of planed laundry soap is added. Tobacco infusion is useful in the fight against spider mites.

Celandine

Pick 3 kg of fresh celandine herb, brew with hot water, leave for a day. After this, strain and spray the currant bushes. Aphids and glass beetles will die after spraying.

Tomato tops

Pick off the tomato shoots, collect 3 kg of raw materials, and cover with water for 4 hours. Next, boil for 30 minutes, dilute with water at the rate of 1: 4. Effective in the fight against currant gall midge.

Dandelion

Aphids can be removed by using a tincture of 400 g of dandelion leaves and roots, soaked in hot water for 2 hours.

Wood ash

You will need 1 kg of ash per bucket of water, which must be left to steep for 5 days. Add laundry soap shavings. You can spray the leaves against aphids and powdery mildew.

Important! Folk remedies should be sprayed every 5 days.

Striped mosaic

If the leaf veins turn yellow and their number is constantly increasing, then this is a sign of infection with a viral disease. It is useless to fight with striped mosaic, just like with terry. The virus is spread by insects and persists in the tissues of the bush. Therefore, the only measure is to burn the bush. The soil at the site of the affected plant can be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Currant pests that are most often found on bushes

Currant aphid
- almost every gardener who grows currants in his garden has encountered it. Characteristic signs: the leaves swell and curl slightly; burgundy-red spots form at the swelling sites.

Young shoots have a sinuous shape. The plant itself is depleted, because aphids suck the juice out of it. This parasite lives on the underside of the leaf.

If an aphid has settled on a seedling, then most likely there is an anthill somewhere nearby, because these insects live in symbiosis.

Measures to combat aphids

To get rid of aphids on currant bushes, it is necessary to treat the plants. For this you can use the following drugs: spark-bio (biological agent), fufanon, decis, actara, spark, inta-vir.

The bud mite is dangerous not only because it damages the buds, but it can also infect the plant with the terry virus, which in turn cannot be treated.

Measures to combat kidney mites

It is recommended to remove damaged buds immediately when characteristic signs of the presence of a pest are detected, and treat all other parts of the plant with any of the preparations: tanrek, fufanon-nova, decis.
Completely damaged plants are removed and burned. Glasswort and currant borer
- the larvae of glasswort and currant borer butterflies affect the plant, causing the same damage. In the spring, you can find wilted and then completely dry branches of the affected plant.

In the cross-section of such a branch, you can see an almost black core - traces of the presence of the larva, and even the larva itself.

Measures to combat glass and currant borer

Larvae or signs of their presence in shoots can be noticed during autumn or spring formative pruning or during sanitary pruning of shrubs during the season.
As soon as you come across a clearly darkened core, gradually cut off the shoot until you see a healthy stem, or cut it completely to the base if the entire shoot is affected. The moth
is a small gray butterfly. It is harmful because during the flowering of the plant it lays larvae directly in the flowers. At the site of the affected buds, the ovary no longer forms.

And the hatched caterpillars feed on the ripened fruits, wrapping them in a thin web. The caterpillars themselves are small and remain 8-14mm in length. The young caterpillar is pale yellow in color, but becomes greener every day.

The moth pupa overwinters in the ground next to the bush that was affected by it.

Measures to combat the moth

There are no drugs as such to combat this pest. If you notice traces of a moth on a bush, you can take certain measures to destroy it. To begin with, do not forget to destroy the currant bunches entwined with cobwebs. Considering that this pest overwinters in the ground, dig up the soil near the bush in late autumn. Once on the surface, the pupa will wind up or freeze. Just in case, after digging, mulch the tree trunk circle with peat. The mulch can be removed immediately after flowering. Thanks to the additional layer of organic components, the hatched butterfly will not be able to get to the surface and will die.

Timely treatment of currants against pests is really important, because in fact, it is easier to prevent any disease than to then go through all sorts of encyclopedias in search of the cause of the disease and methods of combating it.

Take care about removing fallen leaves from the area in the autumn and from its remains in March-April immediately after the snow melts. In early spring, you should also loosen the soil under the bush and, even before the buds open, spray it with a three percent solution of copper sulfate or a five percent solution of iron sulfate. When the buds begin to swell, prune the plant. All removed shoots must be destroyed; do not leave them near the bush.

If you clean and care for the plantings in the garden from time to time, fruit trees and shrubs full of vitality will thank you with a generous harvest!

Source

Tuberculariosis

The fungus is caused by polyphage Tubercularia, which attacks all types of currants (black, red, golden, white). Annual growth and young shoots of shrubs are mainly affected.

The fungus penetrates the bark through damage and cracks. The pathogen is tenacious and tolerates sub-zero temperatures well.

Signs:

• red tuberous spots on the underside of leaf blades;
• the appearance of reddish bumps on the branches;
• drying of the tips of the shoots;
• necrosis of the cortex.

The disease is treated after picking berries by spraying with solutions of Khomecin, Captanol or Topsin. For prevention, Bordeaux mixture (1%) is used. It is recommended to exclude any mechanical damage to the bark, shoots, and branches of the plant.

How to understand that currants are sick

First of all, you should find out how to identify blackcurrant disease by leaf. If the plant is healthy, the foliage will have normal shape and color. There are several warning signs that should not be ignored:

1. Red raised spots. They most often appear in the summer and can stand out slightly above the plate itself.
2. Curling leaves indicate a number of diseases or parasite activity.
3. White plaque most often indicates a fungus.
4. Brown spots on the leaf, rotting berries and lumps of mold on the branches are a manifestation of gray rot.
5. If the leaves turn yellow or brown, this indicates scab, columnar rust, terry or some other ailments.
6. Lack of fruiting indicates terry growth.
7. When the buds become too large, they become infected with mites.

Effective ways to fight diseases

One of the mandatory techniques in the fight against diseases is the following:

• Collection of affected leaves and ovaries.
• Cutting out diseased branches and ends of shoots.
• Digging up soil under bushes.
• All collected infected parts of the plant must be disposed of by burning or burying in the ground to a depth of at least 1 meter.

When viral diseases occur, mechanical destruction of infected plants and planting material remains the only way to prevent the spread of infection. To prevent the development of currant diseases and treat in case of infection, successive treatments with the following drugs are effective.

Colloidal sulfur

To combat powdery mildew, use a 0.5% suspension of colloidal sulfur, treating the shrubs in 5 periods:

• before flowering;
• immediately after flowering;
• 10 days after flowering;
• 20 days after flowering;
• after harvest.

To prepare a 0.5% suspension of colloidal sulfur, take 50 g of sulfur powder, stir it in a small amount of warm water until it becomes mushy, then gradually add water to a total volume of 10 liters.

Bordeaux liquid

Spraying with a 1% solution of this drug is effective for the treatment and prevention of anthracnose, spotting, and rust. The main treatments are carried out in 3 periods:

• immediately after flowering;
• 10 days after flowering;
• after harvest.

To properly prepare a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture, you need to take 100 g of copper sulfate, 150 g of quicklime per 10 liters of water. Copper sulfate is diluted in a separate container in 3 liters of warm water, and lime is slaked in another container in the same amount of water. Then the vitriol solution is gradually poured into the lime suspension, stirred thoroughly, filtered and the finished product is brought to 10 liters of volume.

Bordeaux mixture is successfully replaced with solutions of 0.3% copper oxychloride or systemic fungicides, such as Topsin M, Topaz, Strobi, Saprol.

Viral infections and treatment

Dangerous viral diseases are rare. But if they get into the garden, then you must immediately remove the plant along with the roots and disinfect the soil with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. How to treat viral diseases is still not known.

This infection usually spreads through infected seedlings. Sometimes their appearance is associated with insects: gall aphids, bud mites.

Viral diseases of red currant, as well as black currant and white currant, occur occasionally.

Terry

This is a viral, microplasma disease that leads to infertility. The inflorescences change appearance and color, becoming abnormal in appearance and purple in color. The berries are not formed at all. Even the appearance of currant leaves changes.

If the bush is sick with reversion, then instead of five-lobed leaves, three-lobed ones with a serrated “nettle” edge grow. The characteristic currant smell disappears.

The infection spreads through infected planting material and with the help of a bud mite. It mainly affects black currants. Be sure to destroy the kidney mite using fungicides.

To do this, spray with a 1% suspension of colloidal sulfur when the buds open. The treatment is repeated 2–4 times every 2 weeks. The infected plant is uprooted and burned.

Striped or veined mosaic

Another viral disease, with it a yellow stripe forms along the main veins of the leaf. Over time, yellowness covers the entire leaf, causing it to dry out. There is no treatment other than uprooting the currants.

It is impossible to cure a viral infection by any means. Therefore, when they are detected, the diseased plant is uprooted and burned.

Important! You can plant new currant bushes in place of uprooted ones no earlier than after 5 years.

Green mottling of leaves

An accurate description of this disease can help the gardener identify this unpleasant disease. Pale green small dots or bulges appear on the leaves, a mosaic pattern. It is impossible not to notice her. Later, liquid pale green stripes form along the main veins of the leaf.

In the red subspecies, the virus provokes a distinct yellowing in the center of the leaf and deformation. Such bushes are immediately discarded.

Diseases that affect black currants, like diseases of red and white currants, are quite numerous. To prevent them, disease prevention is very important.

Pests of black currant and their control

Blackcurrant bushes can infect more than 70 insects. Some are very rare or do not cause significant damage. But the most harmful are considered:

• gall midge,
• fire,
• kidney mite,
• bud moth,
• spider mite,
• currant borer,
• currant glass,
• shoot aphid,
• scale insect,
• berry sawyer.

Gallica

Gall midges are mosquito-like insects that lay eggs under the bark or in cracks of stems, flowers, and unopened leaves. The larvae overwinter under currant bushes in spider cocoons. Affected plants develop reddish swellings on the leaves.

Control measures:

• spring and autumn tillage around the bushes;
• treating plants with Bordeaux mixture;
• cutting and burning affected branches;
• spraying currants with Fitoverm before and after flowering.

Ognevka

Moth pupae overwinter in the ground under bushes. In spring, butterflies come to the surface and lay eggs directly into flower buds. The hatched larvae eat the ovaries. The berries on the affected shoots are entwined with cobwebs and dry out.

To prevent damage to bushes by moths, the soil under the bushes is dug up in spring and autumn and mulched with a thick layer of cardboard so that it is impossible for butterflies to come to the surface.

Control measures:

• spraying bushes in early spring with insecticides (Aktellik, Lepidotsid);
• collection and destruction of affected branches and berries.

Kidney mite

A characteristic feature of infection is the overwintering of the tick directly in the affected kidneys. External signs of currant damage are as follows:

1. Buds infested with mites do not bloom in the spring, swell unnaturally and dry out.
2. Mites born in a dead bud move to other shoots, infecting new buds, where they are able to produce another 1-2 generations.
3. Buds infected with a small number of mites bloom, forming underdeveloped shortened shoots; the bushes do not ripen and are susceptible to freezing.

The pest is a carrier of the tick virus, so signs of mite infestation are often accompanied by symptoms of this disease.

Aphid

An omnivorous pest that greatly weakens bushes, overwinters on shoots and can subsequently develop on all parts of the plant. Young shoots and leaves are most susceptible to damage.

Features of aphid parasitism are presented below:

1. Generations of insects hatch from eggs in the spring, and with the onset of warm and humid weather they quickly multiply, and the colonization has a wave-like character.
2. Sexually mature light green individuals are visible to the naked eye; colonies are often localized on the underside of leaves and tops of shoots.
3. The affected leaves swell in the form of light bubbles, the shoots become bent and remain undeveloped.

Aphids suck juice from green parts of plants, serve as a carrier of viral infections, and can significantly damage berry plants.

How to get rid of kidney moths

The pupae of the bud moth overwinter under the bark of the currant, and with the arrival of spring, the emerging butterflies lay eggs on the ovaries, which subsequently destroy the hatched larvae.

To prevent the spread of this pest you must:

• destroy fallen leaves;
• thin out bushes and plantings;
• spray with Karbofos, Actellik.

How to deal with spider mites

Spider mites become more active in hot, dry weather. The presence of a mite on the plant is indicated by light dots on the upper part of the leaf blade. On the back side of the leaf you can see a thin cobweb on which the mite lives. Currant leaves affected by mites dry out and fall off in mid-summer.

To combat spider mites during the growing season, use the drug Fitoverm.

Currant borer and glass

Insect larvae of these species infect currant branches and, in a short period of time, with a strong infection, can completely destroy the plantation. Determine the presence of pests as follows:

1. Suspicion of larval infestation should arise if in the spring the gardener observes withering and drying currant shoots.
2. Having cut along such a shoot, you can see inside an elongated dark passage, in which there is either a legless larva of the currant borer beetle or a white caterpillar of the currant glass beetle.
3. The larvae of both species pupate in May, which occurs in June, and the larvae hatch again in July, damaging the shoots.

Pests overwinter inside the shoots, so it is necessary to inspect the berry gardens promptly and regularly, destroying infected branches.

Berry sawfly

It is a flying insect, 4 mm long, yellow-orange in color with transparent wings. Lays larvae in currant ovaries. Subsequently, the berries acquire an angular shape and ripen ahead of schedule. To destroy this pest, currants need to be provided with proper care:

• Digging up the earth around the bush and carefully removing weeds and dry leaves;
• Hilling up and mulching with peat in a thick layer up to 10 cm;
• Spraying with insecticides before flowering begins. If after flowering the insect appears again, then the procedure must be repeated, but the crop should not be eaten;
• Destruction of infected crops for Shortcodes.

Shchitovka

The gradual drying out of an apparently healthy bush indicates the presence of a pest that feeds on the sap of the bark - scale insects. If no measures are taken, the bush will die. The pests blend in with the stem, but if you look closely you can see them. They look like small flat growths.

For spring treatment against scale insects, use the drug Nitrafen. For small areas of infection, you can wipe the bushes with water with the addition of laundry soap and a few drops of kerosene in a bucket of water.

Currant diseases and methods of their treatment

Below we describe the symptoms, methods of treatment and prevention of popular currant diseases.

Anthracnose (dry beetle)

The causative agent of anthracnose is the fungus Colletotrichum orbiculare. This form of the disease most often spreads to red currant bushes, although other varieties are also susceptible to it.

The mushroom endures winter in withered leaves, and awakens again by the summer season.

Signs:

• currant leaves begin to become covered with small red and brown spots, which then grow;
• a bush that is not treated in a timely manner loses dried leaves and dies over time;
• appears on newly planted plants in the absence of prevention.

Treatment:

A mixture of copper sulfate and slaked lime solution, or, as it is also called, Bordeaux mixture, will help in the treatment of anthracnose. You can buy Bordeaux liquid at any supermarket.

The plant is sprayed the first time after the disease is detected, and then a second time when the berries are ripe and collected.

Prevention:

• be sure to collect and burn all fallen leaves, this will prevent the fungus from spreading;
• If the currant bushes did not survive such an attack, do not plant new ones in the same place.

American powdery mildew (spheroteca)

This is another currant disease caused by the activity of the Erysiphales fungus. The disease is quite rare, but easily curable. Its danger is that it can spread to other plants, for example, roses, or even cucumbers.

Signs:

• white, loose mycelium forms on young currant leaves;
• leaves with such a coating become deformed and dry out;
• after a while it spreads to the berries, they dry out and lose their taste.

Treatment:

Gardeners use simple pharmaceutical iodine, in the ratio of 1 bottle to 10 liters of water. Treat currants with iodine solution for 3-4 days. In advanced cases, apply a solution of 1% copper sulfate (1 tsp per 6-7 liters of water) to the bushes. You can also use Fundazol to treat affected bushes.

What this disease looks like and what recipe for treating currants against powdery mildew is used by gardeners to combat this disease is described in the video below:

Prevention:

Only weakened bushes growing in too wet soil are susceptible to the disease. To ensure the prevention of powdery mildew, it is enough to properly process and water the soil in the right amount on time, feeding it with the necessary fertilizers in a timely manner.

Glass rust

The cause of the spread of goblet rust may be excessive proximity to a coniferous forest, since pine is an intermediate host of the fungus Coleosporium, the causative agent of this disease. Most often, black currants are subject to rust.

Signs:

• light orange warty growths form on the underside of the leaves;
• spread to buds and flowers;
• completely fill the leaf space;
• The berries on a rust-stricken bush fall off over time.

The treatment is not very different from the treatment methods for the diseases already described above.

Prevention:

• after eliminating the disease, collect all fallen leaves and burn them;
• Digging up the soil will help in the future, at the beginning of the flowering season and after the last berry picking (in spring and autumn).

Terry (reversion)

This is a viral disease transmitted by a microscopic tick. The causative agent of the disease is Ribes virus 1. A currant bush infected with such a virus mutates, changes and ultimately stops bearing fruit.

Signs:

• the shape of the leaves of the plant begins to change, lengthens, becomes asymmetrical, with sharp edges;
• the leaf takes on a purple tint, the flowers turn red;
• flowers take on an elongated shape, their petals narrow, dry out, but do not fall off for a long time;
• berries do not appear on the bush at all.

Treatment:

Treatment with various drugs and liquids will not bring results; dig up and destroy the mutated plant, since the disease is contagious.

Prevention:

• monitor young, newly planted plants for 4 years;
• destroy first of all the disease carrier – the tick;
• When preparing cuttings for propagation, leave a branch on them that will bear fruit, and if the slightest sign appears, destroy the plant.

Gray rot

The causative agent of gray rot is the fungus Botrytis cinerea, which overwinters in the remains of leaves not collected in the autumn. It is most active in mid-summer, especially when air and soil humidity increases.

Signs:

• signs of wilting appear at the tops of young growing shoots, spreading lower;
• the dried shoot becomes covered with a gray fungal coating;
• leaves become covered with light brown shapeless spots;
• Over time, the spots crack, and when it rains, a gray coating is found on them, similar to a coating on the shoots.

Treatment:

The same solution of copper sulfate works well for treating gray rot. An effective solution is a solution of soda and soap, which is prepared at home (50 g of soap and soda per 10 liters of water).

Prevention:

• carry out sanitary cutting of bushes, since densely growing ones are most susceptible to rot;
• for preventive purposes, treat currants and the soil under them with antifungal solutions before the flowering period and after harvesting;
• in the autumn, fertilize the ground with a mixture of ash and water;
• destroy all rotten leaves in the fire.

Striped (veined) mosaic

Another viral disease that cannot be cured. It is spread mainly by aphids and herbivorous mites.

It can be introduced when pruning a bush with a tool that was previously used to trim a diseased bush.

Signs:

• at the end of May, beginning of June, bright yellow patterns and stripes appear on the leaf plate around the main veins;
• Over time, the leaves turn yellow, wither and fall off.

Treatment:

Uproot the diseased currant bush and burn it. It is almost impossible to cure the virus.

Prevention:

• inspect healthy plants and, if you suspect a disease, uproot the bushes;
• eliminate parasites that are carriers of mosaic;
• observe quarantine for 4-5 years; if a diseased bush grew in the soil, do not plant new cuttings there.

Nectria drying of currant shoots and branches

This is a fungal disease caused by the marsupial fungus Nectria ribis. It applies mainly to varieties of white and red currants; black currants are more resistant to infection.

Signs:

• branches and young shoots become covered with round small growths of yellow color and darken over time;
• when the spores mature, the growths become black;
• if it spreads to the entire trunk, it kills the plant.

Treatment:

As soon as you notice signs of drying out, remove the diseased shoots. This disease is difficult to cure, but since it is contagious, the main factor is the speed at which you discover it. Treat the cut areas with Bordeaux mixture.

Prevention:

• remove weeds from the ground around the currant;
• collect all fallen leaves, which are the source of most fungal diseases;
• Don't let bushes grow uncontrollably.

Drying of currant shoots and branches

An excess of sunlight with a lack of watering leads to currants, like any other plants accustomed to a temperate climate zone, to death. The development of the disease may indicate improper care of the shrubs.

Signs:

• the bark on young shoots hardens, becomes brittle and brittle;
• Over time, older branches also begin to die, and the plant dies.

Treatment:

If the plant has already dried out, unfortunately, it will not be possible to bring it back to life.

Prevention:

• timely watering of the plant;
• pruning old branches;
• thinning bushes and planting them.

An experienced gardener talks about other reasons for the currant bush drying out in the following video:

Septoria (white spot)

The disease spreads thanks to the Septoria fungus, which, like other types of mushrooms, loves moisture and survives winter in its leaves. Activity is especially common if the winter has been warm.

Signs:

• small white-brown spots appear on the leaves, similar to inclusions;
• as the spots spread and their size increases, the leaves dry out and curl;
• similar signs extend to other plants around.

Treatment:

First, remove all leaves affected by the fungus, then spray the plant with a copper solution 3-4 times. At the end of the season, treat the plant so that the fungus does not persist in the soil and leaves for the winter.

Prevention:

• in autumn, remove all fallen leaves from the garden;
• periodically dig up the soil to a depth of no more than 10 cm;
• trim the bushes if they grow so that the plant is strong and healthy, then the fungus is not afraid of it.

Columnar rust

Another type of rust. The difference between them is that in this case the carrier of the disease is sedge, which can grow in your garden.

Signs:

• leaves become covered with orange flat spots;
• the spots grow and destroy the bush.

Treatment:

In addition to the standard spraying procedure, remove all sedge from the area where the currants grow.

Prevention:

Timely removal of weeds. Otherwise, prevention does not differ from the prevention of other types of fungal diseases.

Problems not related to diseases and pests

Pests and diseases can damage the flowers, ovaries and shoots of black currant, but in general this shrub is unpretentious in care, grows almost everywhere and for a long time, and does not require special agricultural technology. However, sometimes problems arise with it that are not related to diseases and pests.

Blackcurrant does not bear fruit

There could be several reasons for this problem:

• incorrectly chosen landing site. Deep shade or scorching, sultry sun are unacceptable conditions for the development of black currants. They prefer light partial shade with good illumination;
• acidified soils - optimal acidity level pH 6–7;
• cultivation of non-registered varieties;
• freezing of flower buds as a result of return frosts.
  To prevent this problem on those nights when spring frosts are expected, fires are lit in the garden and smoke bombs are used; When burning old branches in the garden, a double effect is achieved - protection of bushes and trees from frost and the formation of ash - an excellent fertilizer
• insufficient watering. Currants are a moisture-loving crop and, if there is a lack of moisture on hot days, they can shed all their ovaries;
• thickening of bushes with old shoots. It is necessary to regularly carry out thinning pruning, as well as pinching (chasing) young growths.

Black currants dry out after winter

Most often, drying of shoots is caused by damage to the root system. This, in turn, can occur due to root rot caused by stagnant moisture and swampy areas, in addition, the roots can be damaged by moles.

In order to prevent root rot, when planting currants in the fall, drainage should be laid at the bottom of the hole, and in early spring, snow should be shoveled away from their base in time, preventing melt water from accumulating.

You can use acoustic devices against moles (“Krotopug”, “Antikrot”, “Krotogon”). They emit ultrasound, which simulates a danger signal. A cat or cat (if you have one) will also help in the fight against these pests. The Antikrot device effectively repels pests from the site. If the damage to the roots is significant or the bush is old (10 years or more), it is advisable to replace it with a new one.

Blackcurrant varieties resistant to diseases and pests

New varieties of black currant are relatively resistant to some diseases and pests. It is optimal to plant several varieties on the site, which have different ripening periods and resistance to most diseases.

Table: blackcurrant varieties resistant to common diseases and some pests

Photo gallery: main currant varieties resistant to diseases and pests

The yield of currants of the Amethyst variety is high and stable

The Lazy Tree variety got its name due to the late ripening of the berries.

With good care, the branches of the Sokrovische variety bushes require support due to their high yield.

The berries of the Black Pearl variety are large and very sweet

The diameter of the berries can reach the size of a five-ruble coin

Video: harvesting black currant variety Centaur

Currant processing in early spring

Pruning carried out before the buds swell will help reduce the number of currant glasswort, scale insects and pseudoscale insects, currant bud mite and moth caterpillars. All affected branches should be cut to ground level and burned. During the same period, it is necessary to remove dry leaves (if they remained under the bush in the fall) and loosen the row spacing, as well as the soil under the bushes. This will get rid of the pathogens of anthracnose and septoria.

This work can be carried out in late autumn (before the frosts), approximately in the first half of November.

• Treatment of currants from diseases and pests in spring: step-by-step instructions

  Berry bushes are among the first to wake up. This means that you cannot delay spraying currant bushes in the spring - diseases and pests are not asleep!

Glassware

Glassworm is a pest of black currants that often remains unnoticed for a long period. In fact, it is a butterfly that looks like a wasp. She lays eggs in small cracks in the bark or near buds on young branches. The caterpillars crawl inside the stem where they feed.

Symptoms

At first, the shoots do not give any indication of infection. Although upon closer examination, too small berries and leaves are noticeable, the discarding of an unripe crop, poor ovary and a black core with a hole in the center. The butterfly can significantly undermine plantings, especially if the weather is warm. At the same time, it is almost impossible to get rid of it forever.

Treatment

Treating black currants against glass is not so simple, since the pest is parasitic inside the bush. It is best to catch the moment when the caterpillars become pupae and leave their shelters. During May and June, it is necessary to constantly loosen and cultivate the soil under the bush, adding ash or tobacco.

If the whole plant is affected, the branches are removed. The roots will give rise to healthy young shoots. In case of single manifestations, the affected parts are cut off to the healthy part.

Chemicals

1. Karbofos. Dilute 75 ml in 10 liters of water, use 1.5 liters of solution per bush.
2. Fufanon. The plant is treated in dry weather and 3 weeks before the berries ripen.
3. Iskra M. For 10 liters of water, 10 ml of product is enough. Spraying a bush takes 1.5 liters of solution.
4. Kinmiks. It is recommended to use a 2.5% solution, which is prepared immediately before use. Treat one bush with a liter of the mixture.

Folk remedies

1. Citrus infusion. 100 g of crusts are poured with a liter of boiling water and put in a dark, cold place for 5 days. The drug is used in 3 stages, with a break of 14 days.
2. Onion infusion. Mix the chopped vegetable with water in a ratio of 1 to 1 and leave for a day. Dilute 20 ml of the prepared infusion in 10 liters of water.
3. Garlic infusion. A medium head of garlic is poured with 1 liter of boiled water and left for a week. 50 ml of the product is diluted with a bucket of water and then used.