Content
Powdery mildew on currants is one of the types of fungal diseases that affects berry bushes. The disease manifests itself in the form of a white-gray spotted coating on young twigs, leaf petioles and leaf blades. One of the main reasons for the occurrence and development of fungi on currants is unstable weather with sharp temperature fluctuations and frequent rains. The mycelia of the fungus, which for the time being are in a state of remission, under such conditions begin to rapidly multiply, capturing more and more surfaces on young currant growths.
Protecting currants from disease
Currant bushes are low, compact, very easy to care for and harvest. The fruits of black, red and white currants are healthy and tasty; they can be used to prepare excellent juices, compotes or jams. Currant leaves are suitable for brewing green teas - aromatic and unusual-tasting drinks. For these reasons, many gardeners grow different types of currants in their gardens, but it is not always possible to get a good harvest from a berry bush if powdery mildew appears on it.It is urgent, without waiting for the disease to become widespread, to take drastic measures to combat this disease, otherwise you may lose not only the harvest, but also the plant itself.
Definition of disease
By biological definition, powdery mildew (ash or white) is nothing more than a fungal disease of currants caused by tiny spores of the powdery mildew fungus of the Erysiphales family. This family contains more than 700 species, grouped into 19 genera. For some reason this disease, which manifests itself on plants, is also called in Russia "American powdery mildew"It is not known exactly what this is connected with.
The two concepts should also not be confused: powdery mildew or downy mildew. Today we are talking only about the real species, downy mildew is rarely found on currants, it is caused by a completely different pathogen and its symptoms differ from the symptoms that we mentioned above.
It is worth noting that all types of fungus powdery mildew They prefer to reproduce on certain types of plants. A fungus that has settled on a currant does not spread to an apple or pear tree; it will not move from the leaves of cucumbers to tomato or eggplant bushes. Infection occurs according to the family principle, that is, apple trees from apple trees (regardless of the variety), pears from pears, currants from currants, and so on are infected from each other.
Symptoms
Signs of currant disease with powdery mildew appear on plants in the same way, but this happens quickly. Gardeners did not notice any manifestations yesterday, but the next day the upper young shoots and leaves are already covered with a white coating.
Symptoms of infection:
- in the first stages of the disease, the leaves of young currant growths on the front side are covered with small whitish spots, as if the leaves were sprinkled with flour;
- then (in the absence of the necessary treatment) the spots become increasingly larger, spreading to leaf petioles and twigs, currant leaves curl, shoots become thinner;
- the entire apical part of the young growths curls into an ugly lump of dry foliage, the leaves fall, the petioles and branches become brittle, the growth of shoots stops;
- Having destroyed the young parts of the plant, the fungus “occupies” the fruit ovaries and the fruits themselves, drying them out and turning them into hard balls, which also fall to the ground;
- having not received proper treatment during the season, the currant has to overwinter weakened and unprotected;
- many plants cannot withstand this condition and die from cold or lack of nutrients, the supply of which to the currant bushes is completely blocked by the harmful overgrown fungus.
The top photo shows the condition of currant leaves at the initial stage of powdery mildew. In the video attached to this section you can clearly see how infected currant bushes look compared to healthy plants.
Causes
Let's move on to the next section of our article, for what reasons and why berry plants become infected, be it black, red or white currants. Experienced gardeners believe that the main reason for the spread of powdery mildew in the garden is insufficient care of plants and violations of the technology for growing garden crops.If we add to such conditions frequent and sharp changes in air temperature during the day and night, heavy rains with rare sunny days, it will be simply a “paradise” for fungal diseases.
Basic prerequisites for infection:
- The presence of a large amount of weeds on the site.
- Exceeding the planting density of currants beyond permissible technological standards.
- Excessive soil and air moisture (excessive watering or precipitation in the form of rain).
- Lack of moisture and nutrients.
- There is a big difference between night and day thermometer readings.
- Lack of preventive measures to combat plant diseases and pests.
Only by eliminating the presence of all these shortcomings, except for weather conditions, of course, which do not depend on a person, can one begin to implement measures that promote the treatment of already infected currant bushes or measures that prevent the emergence of new foci on young growths of berry bushes.
Prevention and treatment
Most gardeners and gardeners keep their plots in perfect condition; they know that in order to grow any garden, fruit and berry crops, it is necessary to follow the technology of planting, caring for the plant and carry out preventive treatment against diseases and pests. Beginning gardeners sometimes pay insufficient attention to these activities. We want to give some recommendations to young plant growers who have no experience in gardening.
- It is necessary to constantly maintain cleanliness in the garden and vegetable garden, promptly remove and mow weeds, chop them up and add them to the compost heap.Plant waste: fallen dried leaves and branches, spoiled and infected fruits of currants and other shrubs that have fallen to the ground should be burned or disposed of in any other way.
- In spring, autumn and throughout the summer season, carry out preventive treatment of all garden plants against harmful insects and various diseases.
- If you have just recently started planting your garden, then buy and propagate currant seedlings that are resistant to powdery mildew; there are plenty of such varieties on sale these days.
These first preventive steps will help prevent the spread of fungal diseases on currants, in particular, such as powdery mildew.
Methods of combating powdery mildew on currants and methods of treatment:
- at the first stage of the lesion, when whitish spots appear on rare leaves and there are very few of them, you can get rid of them by removing them from the bush, tearing off and burning the remains, then prepare means for treatment and immediately spray the currants, repeat the treatment after 7-10 days;
- if you missed such a moment or did not notice powdery mildew for 2-3 days, then the mycelium of the fungus during this time can already cover a large area on the plant, in this case it is impossible to remove some parts of the currant without causing harm to it. The plant must be immediately treated with chemicals 2-3 times at intervals of 7 days;
- Let's say that you did not have the opportunity to visit your garden during the summer, and the currant bushes are very badly affected by powdery mildew, they are almost impossible to save. There is one treatment method, risky, but very effective. It is used by experienced gardeners to save valuable varieties of currant bushes.In early spring, they treat the plant with hot water, at a temperature not lower than +70-80°C. There is a risk, but the plant would have died anyway, but with this method there is a chance to save the currants and give them a second life.
In specialized gardening stores there is a wide range of chemicals that help fight powdery mildew on any crops; you just need to choose the one that effectively performs its functions.
Lovers of environmentally friendly gardens who do not accept the use of chemicals can use folk remedies in the fight against powdery mildew; we recommend the recipe for one of them:
- dissolve baking soda in water in the proportion of 3 level tablespoons per 10 liters of water warmed to air temperature (place the bucket in a sunny area),
- Dissolve 50 g of laundry soap in a small amount of water to the consistency of a thick slurry, add to the soda solution, mix everything thoroughly;
- You need to use the resulting product within 3-4 days, spraying all plants, starting from the tops;
- such treatments must be carried out 5 to 8 times per season, at intervals of 7-8 days.
You can learn about other folk remedies by watching the attached video, which describes many recipes for their preparation.
Conclusion
Gardeners who love their garden and all the plants living in it will not allow even one single sprout to die from some kind of powdery mildew. They are always ready to fight any adversity in order to preserve the health of their green pets. Taking a break from such a struggle in a shady gazebo, they will drink tea with currant leaves and a snack with blackcurrant jam and will again be ready to defend their garden.Let's wish them good luck in all their endeavors.
