In order for red currant to please juicy ripe berries every year, you need to know its enemies in the face. Diseases and pests can not only destroy the entire crop, but also destroy an adult plant. One of these enemies is powdery mildew on currants.
This disease affects healthy leaves, shoots, stalks, and even currant berries, covering them with a white coating like flour. The causative agent is a powdery mildew fungus. Infection occurs quickly enough. Spores of the fungus are transferred from the diseased plant to healthy tissues by the wind and, with the help of special suction cups, spread throughout the bush. In addition, powdery mildew is able to affect gooseberries, grapes, melons, strawberries, cucumbers. Therefore, it is important to prevent infection of plants in the garden.
To combat powdery mildew is a must!
If your currant in the country began to become covered with brown spots, which then turn black, and a spider-like, powdery or felt coating appeared on the fruits, then an ambulance is required. Powdery mildew on currants depletes the plant, prevents the wood from ripening, and the bush remains unprepared for harsh winter. Usually affected shoots freeze, and the bush noticeably loses productivity. Here is the powdery mildew that captured the currant bushes, photo:
By the way, disputes overwintered in marsupial fruit bodies during the winter ripen, and with the onset of spring they swell and burst, becoming again the focus of infection.
Methods of controlling powdery mildew in a summer cottage
In order for powdery mildew on currants not to destroy the plant, they begin with prevention: pruning old branches and harvesting fallen leaves. An excellent remedy for this parasite is spraying in spring and autumn with a solution of 1% Bordeaux fluid. Spraying with potassium permanganate is also effective (1.5 g are taken per 10 liters of water), which help with many other diseases.
However, if there is already powdery mildew on the currant, targeted action is required:
- One of the effective methods is the use of rapeseed oil (1% solution). It is environmentally friendly and very effective. The number of viable mushrooms is reduced by 200 times! Rapeseed oil dissolves well in water (10 ml per 1 liter of water), and within two weeks after treatment, all visible signs of powdery mildew disappear.
- The ash solution will also save the affected bush. For this, 1 kg of wood ash is bred in 5 liters of hot water, infused for 24 hours. To achieve the result, several sprayings are carried out with an interval of 10 days.
- An effective proven tool is a soda solution with which a bush is sprayed if powdery mildew appears on currants. In 10 liters of water, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of soda, grated laundry soap (50 grams) is added, infused for 1 hour until the soap is completely dissolved. This solution is watered by bushes from a watering can.
- Special chemicals simply destroy powdery mildew. However, you must strictly adhere to all directions on the packaging, choose a specific time and weather, use personal protective equipment. That is why most gardeners choose less dangerous and more environmentally friendly methods of controlling powdery mildew.