How, when and with what to treat gooseberries against caterpillars if there are already berries
Gooseberries are a delicious berry that is eaten fresh or used for preservation. But in order to reap a rich harvest at the end of the season, you need to ensure that the plant does not get sick or suffer from pests. The latter can destroy an adult bush in just a few days. Preventive measures and a combination of various pest control methods will help prevent this. How to treat gooseberries against caterpillars if you already have berries, we will tell you in the article.
Signs of gooseberry damage by caterpillars
If you detect the pest in a timely manner and take measures to combat it, you can save the harvest and gooseberry planting as a whole.
How to recognize a pest
A visual inspection helps determine whether the gooseberry is affected by pests.
Main features:
- small cobwebs and a whitish coating appear on the leaves and stems;
- bite marks can be seen on the leaf blades;
- when digging up a bush, insect larvae, nests and traces of mechanical damage are found on the roots of the plant;
- the plant is depressed, the foliage turns yellow and falls off;
- Gooseberry fruits are eaten away by insects, turn black and fall to the ground.
What types of caterpillars eat gooseberries?
Who eats gooseberry leaves and fruits:
- Sawfly. A dangerous and voracious pest. A winged insect with a black head and yellow legs.This pest waits out the winter in the pupal stage, and in the spring adult insects emerge and lay eggs on the underside of the leaf. After a couple of weeks, larvae hatch from them, which first actively feed on leaves and buds, and then move on to berries.
- Gooseberry moth. This is a small gray butterfly with brown stripes on its wings. In spring, the female lays eggs in the ovaries. They hatch into small green caterpillars that devour the flowers. If the damage occurs gradually, the caterpillars move on to the fruits, gnawing the pulp of the berries from the inside. In this case, the fruits begin to turn red ahead of schedule and then rot.
- Currant glass. The butterfly attacks the plant at the moment when buds form on the gooseberry. The hatched white caterpillars with a brown head ignore the foliage, their goal is to penetrate inside the shoots and feed on the sap, gnawing out all the insides.
Butterfly currant glass - Moth. It feeds on plant foliage. It waits out the winter in the upper layers of the soil, and with the onset of warmth it begins to actively feed. After flowering, the caterpillars pupate, and within a month new butterflies hatch, laying eggs on the back of the leaf blade. During the season, the colony is renewed 3-4 times, and with severe infection, the foliage is completely destroyed within a few days.
Damage caused
In addition to destroyed crops, caterpillars are dangerous for other reasons.
Firstly, the pest can spread to neighboring plants and destroy not only the gooseberry crop, but also, for example, black currants. In addition, the plants become weaker and may not survive the cold winter. The same bushes that produce green leaves in the spring will not be able to form ovaries and fruits, depriving the gardener of a second harvest in a row.
Ways to get rid of caterpillars on gooseberries during fruiting
It is best to combat caterpillars on and inside berries in a comprehensive manner, combining various methods.
Chemicals
When bushes are severely damaged by pests, insecticides are used. In this case, the berries are eaten only a month after the last treatment, so that harmful substances decompose.
Apply:
- "Decis". It affects caterpillars an hour after treatment; the protective effect lasts in clear weather for up to two weeks. Can be used no more than 2 times in one season.
- "Kinmiks." Begins to act an hour after application, protects up to 3 weeks if there has been no rain. Also used no more than 2 times per season.
- «Iskra-M" A popular product that fights pests of various types. Protective properties last up to 3 weeks.
If caterpillars appear shortly before harvest, it is recommended to use biological products that are safe for humans and can be easily washed off with water. These are “Lepidocid”, “Bitoxibacillin”, “Fitoverm”.
Keep in mind that the effect begins gradually, so the result will be noticeable after 5-6 days. All procedures should be carried out strictly according to the instructions, taking into account the specified temperature conditions and cooking proportions.
Traditional methods
To prevent worms from laying eggs and nibbling leaves and berries, gooseberry bushes are moistened with water and then sprinkled with ash.. The procedure is carried out regularly, immediately after the ash is washed off by rain.
Use and tobacco infusion. 1 kg of tobacco dust is infused in 10 liters of water for 24 hours, filtered and the bush is sprayed once a week.
Pests are also repelled by an infusion of dry mustard. 3 tbsp. l.mustard is diluted in 5 liters of water and left for 24-48 hours. After straining, add another 10 liters of water and a small amount of liquid soap (2-3 tablespoons), thanks to which the infusion will stick to the leaves and berries. Spraying is carried out once a week or after each rain.
Important! The described means are used regularly. With a single use the effect is insignificant.
Agrotechnical techniques
Gooseberry bushes are regularly inspected for the appearance of cobwebs or plaque, curled or chewed leaves. Fallen branches, fruits and leaves are collected and burned so that the larvae remaining on them do not go underground for the winter or move to other plants.
Watering is done at the root level, and the mulch is changed every 2-3 weeks to avoid contamination of the soil and re-invasion of the pest next year.
Important! Don't neglect sanitary pruning. Sometimes removing a few diseased shoots saves the harvest.
When planting, maintain the recommended distance between bushes and rows. Strong thickening leads to the rapid spread of a colony of caterpillars. Plant oregano nearby, garlic, mustard and green onion – the intense smell of these plants repels pests.
Mechanical methods
Before treating bushes with insecticides, biological products or folk infusions, it is recommended to reduce the number of pests by mechanical action.
When frightened, the caterpillars curl into a ring and fall down, which allows them to be collected and destroyed. To do this, a cloth is spread around the trunk, and the bush is shaken vigorously several times. The fabric containing the fallen pests is rolled up and burned.
If the gooseberry is affected by the moth, this method is not used.Damaged berries and those that are just showing signs of caterpillar activity are picked by hand and burned. This will prevent the pest from moving to new fruits and will reduce damage.
Features of pest control in different periods
Methods of controlling insects largely depend on the period of development at which the pest attack occurred.
During the dormant stage, you can use chemicals, but during flowering, only mechanical methods and traditional methods are used.. The active substances that make up pesticides are dangerous for bees, which affects the pollination process and the formation of ovaries.
Chemicals can also be used during the fruiting period, but not before harvesting. At least a month must pass after the last treatment, otherwise there is a risk of harming your health.
How to fight if caterpillars have eaten leaves and berries
In addition to pesticides and biological products, ammonia is considered an effective remedy. Its specific smell repels pests.
Before using the solution, some of the caterpillars are removed mechanically (manually or by shaking the bush). Then stir 2 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. ammonia. The bushes are sprayed 2-3 times with a break of 7-10 days.
What to do if caterpillars are inside berries
In such cases, all damaged berries are collected by hand and burned so that the number of pests will be smaller next year.
All fallen berries must also be destroyed so that the larvae do not move into the soil for the winter.
After this, the bushes are treated with biological products or folk remedies to save part of the harvest and stop the spread of caterpillars throughout the garden.
Read also:
Gooseberry varieties resistant to caterpillars
To reduce the risk of pest infestation, plant varieties on your site that are resistant to insect attacks:
- Early ripening varieties - Ural Emerald, Prune, Rodnik.
- Mid-season - Grushenka, Kolobok, Northern Captain.
- Late ripening - Defender, Cooperator, Leningrader.
Preventive measures
At the end of autumn, all plant debris is raked into a heap and destroyed. The earth is being loosened. If there have been a lot of pests this season, the top layer of soil (about 10 cm) is replaced with a new one.
To prevent insects that remained in the soil for the winter from getting to the surface and harming the plant in the spring, the tree trunk circle is covered with dense black agrofibre in the fall. Immediately after the snow melts, the soil is spilled with boiling water, which will destroy the larvae of pests that escaped death from frost.
Immediately after this, dry, old and diseased branches are removed, and the sections are sprinkled with wood ash. Loosening the soil is carried out after each watering. Even tiny weed sprouts are removed. The tree trunk circle is mulched with straw or humus.
Important! In a well-kept garden, plants suffer less from pests and diseases.
Helpful Tips and Mistakes to Avoid
Experienced gardeners do not recommend planting gooseberries in an area where black currants previously grew. These crops have common diseases and pests.
Select varieties that are known to be insect-resistant, and do not neglect preventive measures at the beginning of the season. Be sure to treat the shrub with Inta-Vir before the flowers appear. This is an effective insecticide that destroys larvae at the very beginning of their development and does not allow them to reproduce further.
Conclusion
Remember that a lot depends on soil preparation in late season and early spring. Cleaning up debris, covering the tree trunk circle with film and pouring boiling water on the soil will not allow the surviving larvae to get to the surface.
If gooseberry damage does occur, select methods of control based on the period in which the pest became active. Improper use of chemicals can destroy the crop even at the beginning of its formation. Conduct regular inspections of your plantings to identify insects at the very beginning of their appearance, preventing the colony from spreading.