If you have planted a luxurious gooseberry bush in your garden, you need to provide it with proper care. One regular watering, of course, is not enough, you also need to carefully monitor that it does not show signs of a bacterial or fungal disease. One of these obvious symptoms of a lesion is the deformation and yellowing of the leaves, as well as a white coating on the gooseberry. This plant is subject to the same parasites and diseases as the currant. It is only worth noting that the degree of its defeat, as a rule, is stronger, and the infection spreads through the bush much faster. If you do not take the necessary measures in time, you can not only be left without a crop, but even destroy the bush.
If in early spring a white coating is found on young leaves and tops of shoots, on gooseberries the shoots become twisted and gradually dry out, then it is highly likely that the bush was struck by the so-called American powdery mildew. Black, white and red currants are also susceptible to this phytoinfection. But, of course, the gooseberry plant suffers most from it. As the disease develops, a red bloom will appear on the fruit formations of the bush, it covers the stems and leaves, leading to their death. The felt cover of the leaves will acquire a dirty white hue. Powdery mildew inevitably leads to the death of the plant.
Most often, white bloom on gooseberries is found during prolonged cloudy and rainy weather. It is at high humidity that the disease progresses and affects all new parts of the bush. In the heat and with prolonged drought, the development of this fungal infection stops and fades into the background. The causative agent of powdery mildew spends the cold season in fallen leaves and fruits or on the plant itself. And from the beginning of the new season, as soon as new sprouts begin to appear, gardeners and gardeners will again inevitably find white bloom on gooseberries.
It is very difficult to destroy a pathogenic phyto-fungus, since it overwinters not only in plant debris, but also on the living shoots themselves. Firstly, it is necessary to buy young seedlings not in the markets from the hands, but in specialized nurseries and stores that have phytosanitary control acts and quality certificates. Secondly, it is necessary to constantly carry out preventive work. So, the most common way to prevent the development of the disease is to scald the bush. In the spring, the tops of the plants are abundantly sprayed with hot water heated to a temperature of 90 degrees. In the event that externalparasites on the gooseberry have already shown themselves, it is urgent to remove the affected parts of the bush with pruners. All cut material is taken out of the garden area and completely burned. In autumn, all fallen fruits and leaves are raked out from under the plant.
If powdery mildew outbreaks have already been noted on the site, then the following actions must be performed. Before flowering, the bush is treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur: per 1 liter - 4 grams of the substance. In the second half of summer, it is not recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers to the soil, but phosphorus and potash fertilizers will be very useful, they will bring tangible benefits and strengthen the plant's immunity. Copper sulphate has proven itself well against powdery mildew in 1% concentration.
