Black currants dry out: what to do

A well-groomed and healthy currant bush, as a rule, is little vulnerable to pests and diseases, and regularly pleases with its beautiful appearance and rich harvest. If a gardener has noticed that the currant leaves in his area are withering, turning yellow and drying out, fruit-bearing branches are deteriorating and breaking, and the berries are shriveling, then you need to figure out why this is happening. Mistakes made during planting or further care, unfavorable climate, mechanical injuries to the plant can weaken it and cause damage to diseases or parasites. It is important to understand that you can lose not only a significant part of the crop, but also the entire bush, if you do not take measures to eliminate the problem as soon as possible.

Why do currants dry out?

The reasons why currant branches, leaves and even fruits dry out can be different:

• unfavorable environmental conditions (poorly chosen place for planting, unsuitable mineral composition of the soil, dry summer or, on the contrary, prolonged rains);
• errors in care (insufficient or excessive watering, improper fertilizing, no or insufficient attention is paid to mulching the soil, pruning shoots, preventing diseases and pests);
• currant diseases;
• activity of insect pests.

Adverse climatic conditions

If the place for planting a currant bush was initially determined incorrectly, the plant will weaken, dry out and ultimately may die.

When allocating an area in the garden for currants, you should be extremely careful about all its preferences:

• the landing site should be sufficiently illuminated by the sun, although slight shading is possible, and be protected from strong gusts of wind;
• the soil (ideally sod-podzolic or loam) must be well-drained, with normal acidity and no stagnation of water;
• The groundwater level should not be higher than 1 m to avoid rotting of the plant roots.

It often happens that currant leaves dry out en masse during the dry, hot summer, when there is no rain for a long time. During this period, additional watering should be provided so that the plants receive the required amount of moisture. It will be enough to water the currants once a week, using 1.5-2 buckets of non-cold water that has settled for 24 hours per bush. Additionally, you can shade the bushes on the south side using homemade shields made of thick fabric stretched over supports; this will protect the leaves from the scorching sun.

Excessive humidity will also harm currants.A prolonged period of rain may well lead to the fact that, due to excess water in the tree trunks, the young roots of the plant will begin to rot and die. As a result, the currants weaken, the leaves begin to turn yellow and dry. In this case, you can improve the outflow of water from the roots by digging additional grooves around the bushes at a distance of about 60 cm. They should be filled in when the rain stops.

If the soil on which the currant grows does not contain enough nutrients, the leaves of the plant also turn yellow, and then wither and dry out.

A lack of certain microelements can be expressed as follows:

A properly organized feeding regime will help solve the problem.

Improper care

If there are no complaints about the area in the garden where currants grow, the reasons why the leaves on the bushes dry, turn yellow and wither may lie in violation of the rules of planting and care.

A young plant purchased for planting on the site must have the following characteristics:

• no injuries or damage;
• the presence of 4-6 strong shoots;
• developed root system.

When planting a currant bush in the ground, all shoots should be cut short, giving the plant the opportunity to direct its energy to the growth and development of new, high-quality shoots. If this is not done, a large number of formed leaves can destroy the young seedling. The green mass of the bush will begin to turn yellow and dry out in whole shoots.

It is not advisable to plant currants next to large fruit trees; they shade the bush from the sun, and their roots draw nutrients from the soil. Another undesirable “neighbor” is gooseberries. It suffers from the same diseases and pests as currants.

It must be remembered that currants, especially black currants, are very demanding regarding the degree of soil and air moisture. Even in years when there is no severe drought and long rains, by the time the fruits ripen, the natural supply of moisture to the plant is usually not enough. This is manifested in the fact that the yield of the bushes decreases, the currant berries become smaller and dry, they form a dense thick skin and relatively little pulp.

In years without noticeable weather “whims”, currants are watered approximately 4-5 times:

• in June, when the ovaries form, 1 time;
• in July, at the stage of berry ripening, – 2 times;
• in August, when the harvest has already been harvested - 1 time;
• in September - 1 time.

It is preferable to organize irrigation in furrows or by sprinkling, adhering to the norm of 4-5 buckets per 1 square meter. m.

It is recommended to feed currants annually with potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers. If the acidity of the soil increases, lime should be added to it.

From the first year of currant life, formative pruning should be carried out. Branches that are dry, damaged or diseased are usually pruned in the spring. Weak, excess shoots that thicken the bush are removed in the fall. A healthy adult blackcurrant bush should have 15-20 branches, the age of which does not exceed 5 years. After reaching 5 years of black and 8 years of red and white currants, old shoots are regularly pruned in order to rejuvenate the plant.

Incorrectly done or not done at all pruning of currants will lead to the fact that within a few years the bush will become so dense that the fruiting branches will not have enough nutrition, free space and light. The plant will weaken, begin to dry out, and become vulnerable to pests and diseases.

In addition, the key to currant health will be periodic loosening of the soil in tree trunk circles, regular weeding, as well as inspection of plants and carrying out preventive treatment against diseases and parasitic insects.

Diseases

Very often, currant leaves, shoots and even berries dry out as a result of the plant suffering from a disease caused by a virus or fungal spores.

Striped (veined) mosaic

Dangerous viral disease of currants. Its carriers are ticks and gall aphids. Occasionally, infected grafting material can become a source of plant infection.A characteristic feature of this mosaic is the appearance of light yellow or orange stripes along the main veins on the leaf blades. The bush weakens, its productivity drops sharply. Gradually, yellowness spreads over the entire surface of the leaves, they dry out and die.

Currants can be replanted in place of uprooted bushes no earlier than after 5 years.

Anthracnose

The popular name for this fungal disease is “fly beetle.” Appears on young shoots, leaf blades and cuttings. The surface of the infected currant organ becomes covered with small brown spots with tubercles, which over time begin to merge, affecting an increasingly larger area. Leaves curl, dry out and fall off prematurely.

The spread of anthracnose is facilitated by prolonged rains or frequent fogs.

Cercospora

The source of cercospora is diseased fallen leaves. Otherwise, this disease is called “brown spot”. In mid-summer, spots of dark brown or chestnut color with a thin light border along the edge appear on currant leaves. Small spots gradually grow, and a dark velvety coating (spores of the causative agent of the disease - fungus) grows in their places on the underside of the leaf blade. If the damage is severe, the leaves quickly dry out and fall off.

Powdery mildew

There are two widely known types of powdery mildew:

1. American, or sphere library. It mainly affects black currants. At the beginning of summer, both old leaves and the tops of young shoots, ovaries, and berries are thickly covered with a gray-white coating of a powdery texture.Gradually it acquires a brown color and becomes like felt. Infected leaves quickly dry out and fall off, the shoots become bent, and the berries lose their taste and presentation, becoming unsuitable for food.
   
2. European. This variety is not as common as the previous one, but if young branches with berries dry out on a red currant or gooseberry, it may well be the “culprit.” Initially, a loose white coating, similar to a thin cobweb, can be seen on the affected plant organs. Gradually it thickens and darkens, forming a rough brown crust. The leaves quickly turn yellow, curl and dry, the shoots become deformed and die, and the berries crack and fall off before they have time to ripen.
   

Tuberculariosis

This fungal infection is otherwise known as “branch dieback.” During the flowering period of currants, small red dots appear on the bark or back of the leaves, which over time grow into convex tubercles of a darker color. After the fungal spores mature, damaged leaves and areas of bark turn black and dry quickly.

Rust

There are two common types of this fungal disease that affect currants:

1. Columnar rust. It usually appears in early August on both sides of the leaf blade: numerous yellow or orange specks appear on top; the lower part is covered with brown growths - tiny “columns” in which fungal spores mature. Diseased leaves dry out and fall off en masse, shoot growth slows down, and the plant weakens.
   
2. Glass rust. It can be found during the currant flowering period.On the back of the leaves, as well as on the flowers and ovaries, convex yellow-brown pads appear, similar to “glasses” or warts, which contain spores - a fine brown powder. The yield of a diseased plant drops sharply, the affected organs turn yellow, dry out and die.
   

Pests

If the leaves, shoots and fruits of currants dry out, the cause may well be the activity of a number of parasitic insects.

Gall aphid

Small (up to 2 mm) pale green insects that feed on leaf sap. They settle in spring on red and white, and a little less often on black currants. The peak of their harmfulness occurs in June. Some of the female gall aphids, the “spreaders,” have wings and are able to quickly move from bush to bush when the affected plant is no longer able to feed the expanded colony.

Initially, characteristic yellow or dark red bumpy growths, “tumors,” appear on the leaves. Then the leaf blades turn yellow, become deformed, dry out and die. Often, even after the destruction of aphids, young currant shoots continue to lag behind in growth and development, and they bear much fewer berries.

Spider mite

This microscopic pest is extremely dangerous not only for currants, but also for other berry plants. Initially, round light dots appear on the leaf blades, which gradually grow into large, colorless spots.If the degree of damage is great, the leaves become “marbled”, dry quickly and fly off. The presence of this type of mite is indicated by a thin white cobweb on the back of the plate.

Currant glass

A small dark fly, slightly reminiscent of a wasp, with transparent wings and three transverse yellow stripes on the body. It affects all types of currants after flowering, laying eggs under the bark of the plant in places of cracks and damage. Having hatched, the caterpillars eat through the passages inside the shoots, feeding on their soft core. In the first season, the damage is not particularly noticeable, but the leaves and berries on such branches become smaller. But next spring, during the period of leaf blossoming, it becomes obvious which shoots are affected, they wither and dry out. When such branches are removed, a longitudinal dark cavity can be seen at the cut site, often with excrement of larvae.

You can imagine what a currant glass larva looks like, see exactly how the shoots affected by it dry, and get some useful tips on how to combat this pest by reading the story:

Gall midges

Currants, mainly black ones, are seriously harmed by gall midges - small (up to 5 mm) winged insects of a yellow-brown color that look like a mosquito. Two types are especially common:

1. Shoot gall midge. As a result of the activity of the larvae of this pest under the plant bark, shoots that initially looked healthy begin to suddenly dry out and break off easily. Just below the dried area you can notice a depressed area and darkening of the bark.
   
2. Leaf gall midge. Damages mainly the tops of young shoots. Such leaves are deformed, torn, look “wrinkled”, quickly turn brown and dry out.Having unfolded the affected plate, you can often see a white or yellowish larva inside.
   

Gooseberry moth

This small (up to 1.5 cm) gray-brown butterfly parasitizes red and black currants. The moth overwinters in the ground next to the bushes. In the spring, she gets out, laying eggs in flowers and currant ovaries. Its larvae are 16-legged caterpillars of a pale green color, which darkens to gray over time, with a black head and chest shield. They bite into the ovaries and feed on the juice and seeds of the berries. Due to this, the currant fruits acquire a bright color too early, quickly darken and dry out. They are entwined with a thick layer of cobwebs, in which the excrement of the larvae is clearly visible.

What to do if currants dry out

Having identified a disease that causes currant leaves to dry out, the fight against it should begin as soon as possible. The sooner the necessary measures are taken, the greater the chance of saving the diseased plant, if possible, and minimizing the negative consequences for both the currant planting and the rest of the orchard.

The same applies to parasitic insects:

Preventive actions

In order to prevent currant branches, leaves, flowers and berries from drying out, it is necessary to take care of the health of the plant throughout the year, create favorable conditions for its development and growth, and minimize the likelihood of disease or pest damage.

This can be ensured by a set of preventive measures:

• the right place for planting currants;
• use of healthy and strong seedlings;
• regular inspection of the plant to identify leaves, shoots, flowers, ovaries, fruits that are drying or sick;
• annual autumn pruning of weak, dry and damaged currant branches, thinning of thickening shoots, timely rejuvenation of the bush;
• disinfection of cut areas with garden varnish;
• weed control around currants;
• in spring and autumn - digging up the earth in the tree trunk of the plant;
• collection and destruction of fallen leaves;
• regular watering of the plant, avoiding both excessive dryness of the soil and stagnation of moisture at the roots;
• timely application of fertilizing (in early spring - nitrogen fertilizers, in summer - potassium and phosphorus compounds, in autumn - mainly organic);
• at the beginning of spring, twice - before buds open and before flowering - carry out mandatory treatment of currant bushes and the soil under them with a solution of karbofos or nitrophen (2%).

Conclusion

Having noticed that currant leaves are drying up in the area, young and old branches are dying off, or the berries are spoiling, the gardener should not ignore these alarming symptoms. If measures to identify the cause of the problem and eliminate it are not taken in time, you can lose the harvest, destroy the plant, and in the worst case, allow the spread of a dangerous infection or pest throughout the orchard. At the same time, the correct choice of place to plant the bush and proper care for it, including preventive actions aimed at protecting currants from diseases and pests, will allow the plant to successfully grow and develop, increasing healthy green mass and delighting with generous harvests.

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