Powdery mildew on gooseberries: how to treat, how to fight, effective remedies

Powdery mildew on gooseberries can jeopardize the entire crop. The fight against it must begin immediately as soon as signs of infection appear. The sooner measures are taken, the less dire consequences there will be. The disease spreads very quickly, rapidly affecting neighboring crops that are in fruiting. You can get rid of powdery mildew; chemicals and folk remedies will help with this. They are effective against the disease, but can be used even when the berries on the bushes are ripe with might and main.

Signs of powdery mildew on gooseberries

The causative agent of powdery mildew is an ascomycete fungus. When infected, fungal spores enter the active stage and multiply quickly. Comfortable conditions for reproduction are cloudy weather, warm air temperature, high humidity. Most often, powdery mildew can be recognized no earlier than the end of May or the first half of June. A diseased gooseberry will have the following symptoms:

the appearance of white loose plaque on leaves, young ovaries, shoots;
change in white coating on a brown crust;
twisted, ugly shoots;
curling and sudden falling of leaves;
slow development of culture;
the fruits become crusty and cannot ripen.

Any bush can become infected with powdery mildew if it is not treated for fungal spores in the spring or fall. The source of infection is neighboring crops, soil, insects, even weather conditions (strong wind). If the listed signs appear on the gooseberry, then the bush must be treated immediately, otherwise it will die in the near future.

The disease affects the lower leaves and shoots, and then moves to the top of the bush. If berries appear on the gooseberries, they will crack and rot.

Signs of infection

The mycelium of the fungus invades the leaves, shoot tips and fruits of gooseberries with the onset of summer. The peak of invasion occurs in June. It occurs during hot, humid periods when the air temperature is at +16 - +25 °C. Pathogenic microorganisms multiply both in dry weather and during the rainy season. Gardeners living in different climatic conditions face the infection: in dry areas and in regions with frequent heavy rainfall.

In addition to the appearance of a whitish powdery substance on the foliage, you may notice other undesirable signs:

the formation of new tissues at growth points stops;
the affected areas of the bush become lignified;
a crust is formed;
the leaves turn yellow, curl, become felt-like, and then dry out;
the ovary suffers;
small dark marks appear on the berries, which become unsuitable for consumption.

To prevent gooseberries from being damaged by powdery mildew, you need to follow the rules of care. The best way to fight is preventive measures.

Folk remedies for powdery mildew

Some gardeners do not use chemicals to combat various infectious diseases, including fungal ones, because... They are considered dangerous for future fruits, and only traditional methods of control are used.

1 tbsp. l. soda, 1 tab. Aspirin, 1 tsp. dissolve shampoo and 15 ml of vegetable oil in 4-5 liters of water. Irrigate the bushes throughout the season once every 2 weeks.
Dilute 150 ml of Gaupsin or Trichodermin with 10 liters of water and irrigate the crop throughout the growing season with an interval of 14-15 days.
Dilute 50 g of baking soda and 10 ml of shampoo with warm water and pour the mixture into a bucket of water. Irrigate the crop before and after the appearance of ovaries.
Add 8-10 kg of dry or fresh horsetail to a bucket of cold water and boil for 2-3 hours. Cool, squeeze and add another 50 liters of water. Irrigate the bushes generously once every 7 days from the beginning of spring until the first frost.
Pour 1 liter of kefir or sour milk into a bucket of cold water. Treat plants every 72 hours.
Pour 200-300 g of onion peel into a bucket of cold boiled water and leave for 2 days. Use before buds appear until leaves fall.
Add about 10 drops of iodine to a bucket of cold boiled water. Treat shrubs 2 times (break 72 hours). Because Iodine is an antiseptic; it kills fungal spores.
Dissolve 1 liter of wood ash in 10 liters of water and add 30 g of detergent. Leave for 24 hours and then irrigate the plants with a sprinkler 2 times with a break of 10 days.
Chop half a bucket of garlic arrows and add 4-5 liters of water. Leave for 24 hours and then thoroughly irrigate the bushes on all sides.
2 tbsp. l. dry mustard, dilute 8 liters of boiling water and cool. At the initial stage of the disease, it is enough to treat the bushes once.
Dilute 1 kg of mullein with 2-3 liters of water and leave for 4 days. Add 10 liters of liquid and thoroughly irrigate the crops before buds appear and during leaf fall. It is best to carry out the procedure using a broom, which will allow you to apply the composition not only to the surface of the sheets, but also to their lower part.
Pour 50 g of saltpeter into a bucket of cold boiled water, stir and treat the bushes after the inflorescences wither.
Pour 1000 ml of whey into a bucket of water and irrigate the plants 3 times with a break of 72 hours.
Pour 30 g of dry tansy into a bucket of hot water (temperature +90˚C) and leave for 24 hours. Then boil for 2-3 hours, cool and squeeze out the cake. Water the soil near the bushes generously in spring and autumn.
Take 30 g of urea, 50 g of potassium chloride, 20 g of fertilizer with phosphorus and 5 g of potassium permanganate and add them to a bucket of cold boiled water. Stir well and treat the bushes after the inflorescences wither.
Pour boiling water over the gooseberries until the buds appear.
Fill 1/3 of a bucket of rotted ground hay with 4-5 liters of water and leave for 72 hours. Strain and add another 12-15 liters of liquid. Regularly irrigate gooseberry bushes before the flowering period and before the leaves fall.

How to treat: popular products among gardeners

Most often, to process gooseberries, gardeners use the most accessible time-tested means that have proven their effectiveness. Many of them, with good reason, do not trust newfangled chemistry.

Boiling water

Watering gooseberries with boiling water is a common measure that helps to “bring” the bush out of winter “hibernation” and increase its resistance to fungal diseases typical of the crop. The procedure is carried out in the last ten days of February or early March, when the leaves have not yet blossomed.

Ordinary water is boiled, a watering can with a divider or a spray bottle is filled (during this time it cools to a temperature of 80–90ºС) and the bushes are poured over from a distance of 60–70 cm, trying to treat all the branches more or less evenly. To make your work easier, you can tie several shoots together in advance (or even in the fall). You need to act quickly - water that has cooled to 60–70ºС is of no use. The norm for one plant is 3–5 liters.

Watering gooseberries with boiling water is carried out at the same time as pruning - in early spring or late winter.

Then you need to pour water at the same temperature into the soil in the tree trunk circle and cover it with plastic film and pieces of roofing felt for 2-3 days. This will help destroy larvae that have overwintered under the bush, as well as eggs laid by harmful insects and spores of pathogenic fungi. Boiling water is especially effective against bud mites, which are the main carrier of the dangerous leaf terry virus. However, you should not pour it directly under the roots, as you can severely burn them.

Watering with boiling water helps to “awaken” the plant and increases its immunity, while hot water destroys spores of pathogenic fungi and pest eggs

Practice shows that gooseberry bushes treated annually in this way better withstand the vagaries of weather during the summer and winter cold, and are less likely to be affected by pests. The leaves on them are larger, there are more berries, they branch more intensively.

For greater effect, you can add potassium permanganate to the water (until the solution turns pale pink) or regular table salt (50–70 g per 10 l).

Video: spring treatment of berry bushes with boiling water

Copper sulfate

Copper sulfate (also known as copper sulfate or copper sulfate) is one of the most common fungicides, widely used by gardeners to protect fruit trees and berry bushes from all kinds of pathogenic fungi. This beautiful sky blue powder prevents their spores from germinating. To treat gooseberries with copper sulfate, prepare a 1% solution (100 g of powder per 10 liters of water), and with iron sulfate - 3%. This concentration is completely safe for the bush, but effectively destroys fungal spores.

Copper sulfate is one of the most common and accessible fungicides; its effectiveness is due to the fact that many pathogenic fungi do not tolerate copper compounds

Copper sulfate does not penetrate into plant tissue and acts exclusively at the point of contact. The solution is washed off the bush with the first rain. If the fungus has already formed mycelium in the tissues, the remedy cannot destroy it, but it slightly inhibits its development.

The liquid is prepared exclusively in glass, plastic or enamel (without chips) containers to prevent reaction with iron, aluminum, and zinc ions. It cannot be stored for longer than 10–12 hours; the effectiveness of the drug is lost. The powder dissolves better in warm water than in cold water. At air temperatures of 30ºС and above there is no point in carrying out treatment. Under no circumstances should the prepared solution be mixed with other drugs, insecticides or fungicides.

Copper sulfate solution cannot be prepared in containers made of any metal.

Plants are sprayed in early spring. It is advisable that the temperature outside does not exceed 8–10ºС. This is a guarantee that the leaf buds have not yet “woke up”. Treatment is carried out early in the morning or in the evening, after sunset. The drops remaining on the bush act as lenses; the shoots can be severely burned. In addition to fungal diseases, this procedure helps protect the bushes from many dangerous pests - bud mites, currant gall midges, aphids, and slimy sawflies.

Immediately after the bushes fade, the treatment is repeated. The best time for it is early in the morning on a windless day. It is advisable that it be warm enough outside - 16–20ºС.

The last treatment with copper sulfate is carried out in the fall. The concentration of the drug is increased to 2%. If in the summer the plant is severely damaged by diseases and pests, the soil around the bush is shed with a 5% solution. But such treatment is not recommended for chernozem - it negatively affects soil fertility.

Copper sulfate can be used not only as a means to prevent and combat diseases, but also as a fertilizer. Copper, like many other microelements, is necessary for the normal development of plants. Once every 5–6 years in the fall or spring, the powder is added to the soil during deep loosening of the soil at the rate of 1 g/m². You can judge copper deficiency during the active growing season by the following signs:

unnatural dark green hue of the leaves, sharply contrasting with the yellowish-white border along the edges;
the rigidity of the leaf plate and the tip that bends downwards;
metallic sheen or bluish-purple tint, clearly visible in the sun.

Copper deficiency on the leaves of berry bushes is very pronounced.

In this case, the bushes are sprayed with a weak solution of copper sulfate - 1-2 g per 10 liters of water.

This drug can also be used for disinfection. The sections remaining after removing dry, broken, diseased branches are a “gateway” for all kinds of infections. Therefore, before covering them with garden varnish, it is useful to wash the “wounds” with a 2% solution.

Video: using copper sulfate in the garden

Bordeaux liquid

Gardeners have been using Bordeaux mixture since the mid-19th century. It was then that the French botanist Pierre-Marie Millardet discovered that the mixture he prepared very effectively destroys mold fungus on grape leaves and shoots.

Bordeaux mixture is a remedy known to gardeners for more than a century; its effectiveness has been tested by time.

Gooseberries are treated with Bordeaux mixture to protect against rust, scab, anthracnose and all kinds of spots. You should not overdo it - this negatively affects the taste of the fruit and inhibits the growth of new shoots.

Quicklime for preparing Bordeaux mixture must be fresh, otherwise it will not dissolve, but will harden in lumps

Bordeaux mixture (one percent) is easy to prepare yourself. To do this, you only need water, copper sulfate and quicklime:

100 g of copper sulfate is diluted in a glass of hot water, then 5 liters of boiling water are added. The container should not be metal.
In another 10 liter container, pour 150 g of quicklime into 5 liters of cold water and mix well.
Very carefully, in a thin stream, pour the contents of the first container into the second (in no case vice versa).
Using litmus paper, check whether the solution is suitable for spraying plants. If it turns blue, then there is too much lime and the product is ineffective. The red color indicates an excess of copper sulfate - such a solution will destroy not only fungal spores, but also gooseberry leaves. Errors are corrected by gradually adding lime “milk”. An ordinary nail can also be used as an “indicator” - a coating of the corresponding shade will appear on it.

The components of Bordeaux mixture are diluted with water in separate containers and mixed only by adding a solution of copper sulfate to lime milk

The maximum concentration of Bordeaux mixture is 3% (300 g of copper sulfate and 400 g of lime). Gooseberry bushes are sprayed with this solution in early spring or late autumn. A bluish coating remains on the shoots for a long time after the procedure, this is normal. If in the spring the buds have already “woke up”, turning into green cones, the optimal concentration is 1%. The consumption rate per bush is 1.5–2 liters.

Video: how to properly prepare Bordeaux mixture

Chemicals

If fungal spores infected the crop in the spring, before fruiting began, then chemistry is considered the most effective method of control. It leaves no chance for the disease to survive, so the fungi stop multiplying and then quickly die. There is still a negative point when treating with chemicals: they can accumulate in the soil and fruits, so it is better to treat gooseberries with them no later than a month before the expected harvest. It is unsafe to use chemicals during fruiting. The following solutions are considered the most effective against powdery mildew:

copper sulfate. For 5 liters of water you will need 20 g of the drug. Add 100 g of grated laundry soap there. Beat the emulsion until smooth and spray the bushes before flowering. The latest time for processing is the period of ovary formation;
"Topaz". During flowering, gooseberries affected by powdery mildew can be treated with this drug. You need to dilute it according to the instructions, and then spray the damaged areas with the solution;
Bordeaux mixture. Prepare a 5% liquid solution, pour it into a spray bottle and treat the plantings;
"HOME." For 10 liters of water you will need 40 g of dry matter. Dissolve the sample in water and apply once, before the appearance of inflorescences or during flowering.

Chemicals should be used according to the manufacturer's recommendations. You cannot change the concentration or increase the number of procedures yourself, this will undermine the health of the bush.

Gooseberries have varieties that are immune to powdery mildew, so they are weakly affected by it: Salut, Russian Yellow, Ural Thornless, Kolobok, Komandor, Beryl, Krasnoslavyansky, Ural grapes.

Prevention: is it possible to prevent white plaque?

It is easier to prevent diseases than to fight them later. Therefore, it is necessary to take antifungal measures for gooseberry bushes.

The plant needs regular thinning.
It is necessary to remove old foliage.
Watering is carried out as the top layer of soil dries.
You should not get carried away with feeding gooseberries with nitrogen fertilizer.
Gooseberries need timely phosphorus-potassium nutrition.
As a preventative measure, in early spring the bushes are scalded with boiling water through a watering can sprayer.

If you start preventive measures before the plant wakes up, then in spring and summer you will not have to deal with fungal diseases.

Biological products

The group of biological products includes substances containing microorganisms that prevent the proliferation of fungi. When beneficial bacteria enter the affected areas, they destroy spores, but are safe for the crop itself and do not affect the quality of the crop: the taste characteristics remain the same. The most popular biological products are:

Trichodermin. A 1% solution is prepared from the concentrate and sprayed every week. The drug is suitable for preventive treatment. It not only fights powdery mildew, but also increases productivity, enriches the soil with nutrients, and stimulates the growth of shrubs;
Planriz. The dietary supplement contains soil bacteria of a specialized strain. For treatment, prepare a solution with a concentration of 0.5%, and then spray the crop;
Pentafage S. It is based on 5 different stamps of bacterial viruses. Dilute the drug according to the instructions attached to it. The solution can be used for preventive purposes: it improves the quality and quantity of the future harvest;
Fitosporin M. Even fruit-bearing shrubs can be treated with it. Dilute the drug according to the instructions and treat the plantings.

When preparing solutions, observe safety precautions. Concentrates and their solutions can cause an allergic reaction, so the use of gloves is mandatory.

Symptoms by which the disease can be recognized

Powdery mildew, like scab on gooseberries, appears on the bush at the end of flowering. At this time, young leaves and shoots may begin to turn white. The plaque that appears has a loose structure and can easily be erased from the leaf plates.

Powdery mildew on phlox: how to get rid of it

You can also suspect the disease based on the following symptoms:

Loose white mold quickly turns into a brown felt crust.
Damaged shoots become bent, stop growing and dry out.
The leaf plates begin to curl and acquire a fragile structure.
The berries may become covered with bloom, stop growing and crumble.

If powdery mildew is suspected on gooseberries, control measures must be started immediately. If left untreated, the bush will die within 2-3 seasons. In addition, during their development, spores are carried by insects and wind, affecting an increasing number of crops.

Important! The fungus can withstand severe frosts, so its control must be carried out comprehensively, from early spring until late autumn.

Powdery mildew control by season

The disease progresses in late spring and summer, so when fighting it you need to adhere to the following deadlines:

In the spring, the ground is dug up and loosened near the tree trunk. If there are damaged branches or leaves, cut them off. The land is treated using one of the methods proposed above, and after a week the procedure is repeated;
In summer, moderate watering is maintained, since excess moisture creates a favorable environment for the development of fungal disease. Weed the ground to remove weeds in a timely manner. If plaque continues to appear on the crop, treatment is carried out using folk remedies or fungicides;
In the fall, old leaves are collected and burned, as they can carry the fungus. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied near the tree trunk. Spray with a solution of chemicals or fungicidal additives.

Powdery mildew can easily overwinter in an unharvested area and become active in the spring, so you should not assume that the spores will freeze out with the onset of frost. In the spring, they enter the active stage and quickly invade new plantings.

Gooseberries should be processed in dry, windless weather. If it rains after irrigation, the procedure is repeated.

Preventive measures (timing, actions)

Preventive treatment against powdery mildew is carried out based on the maturation time of fungal spores that form in spring and summer. To protect gooseberries, spraying is carried out three times during the growing season:

before flowering begins,
after its completion,
during leaf fall.

In autumn, it is important to remove the foliage under the bush, in which the fungus overwinters. The soil around the plant also needs to be cultivated. Leaves and branches must be thoroughly moistened during processing, checking each leaf and its underside. Most often, Fitosporin-M is used for preventive work, which is safe and is a bacterial preparation. It can prevent the disease, but if powdery mildew has already settled on the plant, it will not help.

It must be taken into account that the fungus loves damp climates, dense plantings and depleted soils, so the necessary preventive measures are:

pruning old, twisted branches that give a poor harvest;
digging up the soil and enriching it with nutrients (feeding);
laying nightshade tops under the bushes and watering them with EM preparations containing microorganisms;
timely removal of weeds;
refusal to irrigate using the sprinkling method in cloudy, cold weather.

Important: You should buy healthy and strong seedlings for planting that are adapted for growing in a certain climatic zone.

Prevention of powdery mildew on gooseberries

The pathogen begins to develop when there are errors in planting and care. To prevent powdery mildew from affecting gooseberries, the following preventive measures must be observed:

Plant bushes at a distance of 1.5 m from each other. Plants should be well lit from all sides. The fungus does not like the sun.
Thin out the bushes in a timely manner, making sure that the planting is not too thick.
Trim damaged, dried out, diseased pagons 2 times a season. Remove fallen leaves. Burn the collected plant residues.
In March-April, pour with a soft pinkish solution of potassium permanganate, heated to +90 °C. Instead, you can use baking soda (2 tbsp per bucket). These products prevent the development of fungal infections and destroy the eggs of pests.
In the fall, after the growing season, dig up the soil around the bush to a depth of 15 cm. Fungal spores in the soil will fall to the surface and freeze in winter. Additionally, the soil can be watered with the purchased drug Fitosporin-M.
Loosen the soil next to the gooseberries throughout the growing season. Branches and fruits should not reach its surface.
Periodically spray with a solution of wood ash. To prepare it, you need to pour 1 kg of product into a bucket of water. Leave for 4 days and add 30 g of soap shavings. Spray 3 times with an interval of 24-48 hours.
Water the ground around the bush with tansy infusion: pour 300 g of the plant into 10 liters of water. Leave in a dark room for 1 day. After this, simmer over low heat for a couple of hours. The product can only be used after it has cooled.
Do not use manure as top dressing. It may contain mycelium spores. Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are also not recommended. This element increases the crop's susceptibility to powdery mildew. It can be used no more than once a year in early spring, when the bush is in dire need of it. It is better to give preference to mineral mixtures with low levels of this substance.

Compliance with the listed requirements, of course, cannot protect against powdery mildew 100%. However, thanks to the recommendations, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of fungal infection.

Disease prevention

The golden rule that it is easier to prevent any disease than to treat it also applies to gooseberries. Prevention measures are simple:

proper planting of crops on the site, maintaining distances between plants;
timely spring and autumn pruning of plantings, removal of diseased, deformed and old shoots on bushes;
compliance with fertilizer application standards. Particular attention is paid to nitrogen fertilizing, which weakens immunity to fungal infections. Priority is given to potassium and phosphorus compounds, but dosages are also not forgotten;
cleaning the area after picking berries and falling leaves;
soil mulching;
digging the trunk circle;
planting healthy cultivars purchased from reliable suppliers in specialized nurseries;
growing gooseberry varieties and hybrids resistant to powdery mildew.

Preventive spraying is required: start in the spring, continue in the summer and autumn, after leaf fall.

Gooseberry septoria

A disease caused by a fungus affects leaves and berries. Brown spots with a white, transparent core and a dark border form on the plates. The peak of disease development occurs at the beginning of June. These spots are the sphere of development of fungal spores.

Favorable conditions: humid, hot weather and very dense branches. Due to septoria blight, leaves fall, and next year you may lose the harvest.

You will have to fight septoria in the following way:

Dig up the soil around the bushes;
Collect fallen leaves and berries in spring and fall;
Thin out the branches so that there is no thickening inside the bush;
Apply potassium-phosphorus fertilizers;
Spray with Fundazol, Fitosporin, Ordan, Abika-pik, Profit Gold.

Gooseberry anthracnose

Anthracnose is a fungal disease. It is carried by wind, insects and rain. It develops under humidity and heat, a deficiency of potassium and phosphorus fertilizers, and high soil acidity.

Anthracnose appears as dark spots on the leaves. This is a dangerous disease that can deprive you of your harvest. It develops in hot and humid weather. Young branches become bent, dry out or rot. Spots appear on the berries, the peel bursts and rots. The plant may die.

Signs of anthracnose development are:

Dark spots appear on the leaves;
After the leaves fall, the disease spreads to the berries;
The shoots are deformed, there is a lot of dry and fallen leaves.

Before the buds appear, the branches need to be treated with Bordeaux mixture. Repeat spraying after harvest. Such drugs as Ordan, Fundazol, Abika-Pik, Profit Gold,