Blackcurrant is a perennial berry bush that grows well and bears fruit on moist soil with an elevated level of groundwater. The plant prefers shaded areas. Currants easily tolerate winter frosts. The bush in height can reach 1.5 m, and in diameter grow to 1.5 meters. The culture is early, a year after planting it begins to bear fruit. The most fruitful time is the age of 4 to 8 years. After 10 years of life, yields decline. By this period, blackcurrant diseases and viruses are fully manifested. Of course, with careful care, the fruiting period can be extended, but it is more advisable to plant a new bush.
The berries of this shrub take the third position after rose hips and sea buckthorn in terms of vitamin C, carotene, vitamin P, tannins and pectin, phosphoric and organic acids.
Blackcurrant Disease: Photos
Kidney tick
The main pest of currants is a kidney tick, which causes bloating of the kidneys into which the female tick climbs. When the foliage falls, such buds are visible very well. They need to be collected and burned - this is the most effective way to combat the tick. If most of the bush is infected, then cut down and burn the entire bush. But if the buds open, and the bush is not harmless, then the pests will leave their homes and infect neighboring bushes. They will do it very quickly, because one kidney can hide up to 10 thousand tick larvae! Blackcurrant is very attractive for this parasite. Diseases of the bush that arise due to it are commonly called terry.
Blackcurrant sawfly
Very often the blackcurrant sawfly strikes this bush. The parasite makes egg laying during the formation of ovaries. Larvae live inside them and feed on seeds. Berries as a result ripen much faster and become clearly visible on the bushes. Such fruits are collected and destroyed, otherwise the caterpillar will come out of the fruit and descend on the cobweb into the soil for wintering, so that to enjoy the fruits from this bush for the next season. So it becomes inedible blackcurrant. Diseases of this species cannot be treated with pesticides, since the larva develops during the appearance of greenhouses, but you can spray the bush with such means as Fitoverm or Agravertin.
Gooseberry moth
The firewinter winters right under the bush. Before the flowering of the currant from the parasite pupae, butterflies appear and are born to leave offspring on the flowers. Black currant is very much loved by gooseberry moth. Disease from this parasite develop on the flowers of the bush. All ovaries are gnawed by larvae. Berries differ in that they are completely entangled in a cobweb. They are collected and burned, and cellophane is laid on the ground under a bush. It is permissible to use preparations such as Fitoverm or Iskra-bio.
Glassmaker
This parasite also eats blackcurrants with pleasure. Diseases spread from bird cherry, so it is not recommended to plant currants near these trees. Glass moth butterflies appear at the time of raspberry bloom, so measures should be taken at the same time. A bush of black currant should be sprayed with a solution of onion husks or tansy, wormwood or needles, as well as stepsons of tomatoes. Branches of needles and tomatoes can be spread in the currant bushes.
Have a good berry harvest!