What to do if the gooseberries dry out

Gooseberries are hardy and can grow in all regions of our country, both wild and cultivated. The shrub is unpretentious and requires minimal gardener intervention. However, if care rules are regularly violated or unfavorable weather factors are constantly present, the plant may die.

One of the negative signs is drying out of the bush. The problem often affects not only leaves, but also berries. The plant dries out for several reasons - improper care, unfavorable external factors, infection with diseases and pests. What to do if gooseberry leaves dry out - read on.

Reasons for drying of gooseberries and their berries

Gooseberry - a fairly unpretentious plant, able to withstand winter frosts, prolonged rains, and some errors in care.

But when there are too many unfavorable factors, the condition of the bush worsens. Its leaves and shoots turn yellow, begin to curl, wither and fall off. The berries begin to fall from the bush. And in order to save the plant, it is important to understand the reasons in a timely manner.

Why do berries wither and gooseberry branches dry?:

1. Lack of lighting. For proper development and ripening of berries, the plant must be located in a well-lit part of the garden. If the bush is shaded, photosynthesis deteriorates, causing the leaves to dry out and fall off. A similar problem can also be caused by a too thick crown, which prevents the penetration of sunlight.Another factor that creates shading is dense planting.
2. Drafts. Despite the fact that gooseberries are a frost-resistant crop, they begin to shed their leaves in a draft. To prevent this from happening, it is planted in an area protected from the wind.
3. Heavy ground. Gooseberries love loose, nutritious soil, through which air can easily flow to the roots. Heavy clay soils are mixed with sand.
4. Fluid stagnation. Overmoistening causes root rot and changes in the composition of the soil.
5. It happens in case of violation of watering rules or with close proximity to groundwater. To reduce the likelihood of moisture stagnation, drainage is poured into the bottom of the hole when planting.
6. Nutrient deficiencies. If the plant does not have enough fertilizer, it will definitely shed its leaves. This happens especially often during fruiting, when most of the nutrients go into the berries. If gooseberries lack iron, chlorosis develops, in which the leaves turn yellow and unripe fruits fall off.
7. Winter frosts. Despite the frost resistance of gooseberries, in severe frosts without snow cover, its shoots will freeze. In this case, in the spring they begin to dry out.
8. Scorching sun. The problem also occurs on very hot days, especially in windy weather - the leaves get burned.
9. Diseases and pests. When gooseberries are affected by a number of infections and pests, a symptom such as drying out of the bush occurs.

How to care to save the plant

To save the plant, you need to understand why the gooseberries dry out. Once harmful factors are identified, they are eliminated.

The list includes rules that will help avoid drying out of the bush and save it:

1. Landing. The problem is prevented even at the stage of planting seedlings.For the plant, choose a sunny place protected from the wind. The soil and planting material are disinfected, for example, with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Fertilizers are poured into the hole. The distance between bushes should not be less than a meter. If the gooseberry dries out and turns yellow due to a mistake made during planting (dense planting, shaded or windy area), the bush is either replanted or negative factors are eliminated, for example, plants that create shade are removed, a structure is installed that will protect from the wind.
2. Watering. If the summer is dry, then the gooseberries are watered weekly; if it is rainy, then the plant is not watered. After each watering, loosen the soil. Drainage placed at the bottom of the hole will help to avoid stagnation of liquid. If the problem arose due to lack of watering, water the plant by adding Epin or Kornevin to the solution. If the soil is waterlogged, stop watering until the soil dries out. Then the bush is watered with a solution of copper sulfate or “Fitosporin”, then “Kornevin” is used. In hot summers, spray the above-ground part of the bush with water at room temperature.
3. Weeding. Weeds carry diseases and pests. The area around the bush is cleared of plants. To slow down their growth, the soil is mulched. A layer of hay, peat, straw or humus will protect the plant not only from weeds, but also from diseases, insects, cold weather, and stagnation of liquid.
4. Trimming. Formative and sanitary pruning is carried out regularly. Remove weak and diseased shoots, branches with damaged bark and parts that thicken the crown.
5. Feeding. Three feedings are applied per year: at the beginning of spring, at the end of spring, after flowering. Alternate mineral and organic fertilizers.If the leaves are pale or yellow, use iron sulfate.
6. Wintering. In winter, the bush is covered with snow. If there is no snow, then spunbond is used.

If the plant has been flooded, stopping watering does not always help.. In this case, the bush is dug up, rotten roots are removed, the remaining root system is treated with a solution of copper sulfate and transplanted to a new location. At first, the gooseberries are watered with a solution of a root formation stimulator (Kornevin, Epin) and sprayed with water with a growth stimulant, for example, Energen.

Interesting things on the site:

Caring for gooseberries in the fall and preparing the bush for winter

The main stages of caring for gooseberries in the spring after winter

How gooseberries propagate - all the ways

Diseases and their treatment

On gooseberries, the berries turn yellow and dry along with the leaves when infected with certain diseases. To save the plant, it is important to promptly identify the pathogen and begin treatment.

Spheroteka

Spheroteka is a fungus that causes powdery mildew. Despite the fact that many gooseberry varieties with resistance to the pathogen have been bred, the disease has not been completely overcome. The fact is that even plants with immunity are sometimes affected by this disease.

The fungus is most active in warm and humid environments. The highest risks of infection are in shrubs with a dense crown, planted close to each other. The pathogen overwinters in fallen leaves and other plant debris.

It is powdery mildew that often causes gooseberries to disappear. The following symptoms indicate it::

1. Leaves, fruits and tips of shoots are covered with a translucent whitish coating. At the initial stage, it is easily erased with a finger.
2. Gradually, the spots grow and merge, the plaque becomes denser, then acquires a brown tint. The berries seem to be shrouded in a brown crust, which peels off in some places.
3. The berries become limp, the leaves and shoots begin to dry out and then fall off.

When infected with powdery mildew, photosynthesis is disrupted, the bush begins to dry out, the fallen fruits become unfit for consumption. The frost resistance of the plant decreases, and it often dies in winter.

To save, all affected parts of the bush are torn off. Then it treated with one of the means:

1. Fungicides (antifungals). They are used if the plant is sick, when the berries have not yet appeared or have already been collected. One of the effective fungicides is Fundazol.
2. Preparations containing copper. For example, copper sulfate. They are used no later than two weeks before harvest.
3. Folk remedies. This is the safest method of combating diseases. They use different means, one of them is a mixture of milk and iodine (take 2 liters of milk and 30 drops of iodine per bucket of water).

Plants are sprayed with preparations. Water the soil around the bush.

Note! An important rule of prevention is the autumn removal of fallen leaves from the site. Most pests and diseases overwinter in plant debris.

Anthracnose

Anthracnose is a fungal disease that often develops in July. The fungus is spread throughout the area by wind and insects. Overwinters in plant debris.

It affects the leaves of the plant. Because of this, they dry out and fall off. Immunity and winter hardiness decrease. Few fruits are produced, which are formed incorrectly. The shoots stop their development.

With anthracnose, the leaves of the plant become covered with brown spots.. Gradually they increase in size and merge. The leaf dries out. In this case, the fungus often does not touch the leaves at the tops of the shoots.

What to do to get rid of the disease? First, remove all affected foliage. Healthy parts of the plant are sprayed with a fungicide or a solution of copper sulfate (1 tablespoon of copper sulfate is dissolved in a bucket of water). Folk remedies are also used, for example, a mixture of one piece of grated laundry soap, 100 g of soda and 10 liters of water.

Advice! It is better to prevent a disease than to treat it. To do this, in early spring before flowering and in autumn after harvesting, gooseberries are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture.

Rust

Rust – a fungal disease that is transmitted to gooseberries from intermediate hosts. They are considered conifers, sedge and some other weeds. The fungus is spread throughout the area by wind and insects.

Rust can be glass-shaped or columnar. The list shows the main symptoms:

1. With goblet rust, yellow convex formations form on the inside of the leaf, and spots on the outside. With columnar rust, red spots form only on the outside of the leaf.
2. The spots increase and spread to the shoots.
3. Red powder begins to fall out of the convex formations. Columnar rust produces rusty fibers that separate from the plant and hang from the bush.
4. Leaves and shoots begin to dry out and then fall off.

To cope with the disease, cut off all damaged parts. Then the bush is sprayed with fungicides or preparations with copper. The treatment is repeated at least three times.

Note! To avoid infecting plants with rust, remove weeds around them.Some weeds become intermediate hosts of the fungus.

Septoria

Septoria is another fungal disease. It affects the foliage, causing it to dry out and fall prematurely.

At the beginning of the disease, small gray spots with a dark outline appear on the leaf blades. Then dark spots (ripe fungal spores) form in them. After this, most of the leaves are covered with spots.

The affected leaf blades dry out first at the edges and then completely. They curl and fall off.

Treat the disease with fungicides, for example, the same “Fundazol”. Before this, all affected parts of the plant are cut off.

Alternaria blight

Alternaria or dry spotting also leads to drying out of gooseberries. The causative agent is a fungus.

When infected, dry gray spots appear on the leaves of the plant.. Over time, they increase in size, their centers crumble and holes form.

Over time, the entire plate turns yellow and dries out.. Premature leaf fall is observed.

Fungicides are used to treat the disease. The most affected parts of the plant are cut off.

Pest Control

Some pests can lead to sudden drying out of the bush. In addition, they are considered carriers of viral and fungal infections.

Note! With many pests, prevention is more effective than treatment. Preventive measures include: sanitary pruning, autumn cleaning of the site, deep loosening, mulching the soil, pouring boiling water over the bush, treating the plant with insecticides (Fufanon) before and after flowering.

Gooseberry moth

The gooseberry moth is a butterfly whose caterpillars feed on the berries of the plant.. The larvae have a green body with hairs and a dark brown head.

The caterpillar eats the pulp and seeds of the fruit, enveloping them in a web. This leads to the berries drying out and falling off.

They fight the pest by treating the bushes with insecticides. However, this is not always effective. It is important to follow the rules of prevention, which include harvesting leaves in the fall, scalding the bush and the soil around it with boiling water in the spring, and treating the plant before flowering.

Gallica

The gall midge is a small insect. Small white larvae pose a danger to gooseberries.. Depending on the species, they affect the buds, shoots or leaves of the plant. When attacked by shoot gall midges, swellings form on the branches, in which the pest lives.

A plant infected with a pest begins to deform and dry out.. The diseased parts fall off.

Fight gall midges with insecticides, for example, “Fufanon” or folk remedies. One of the options for homemade preparations is a decoction of tomato tops (4 kg of fresh chopped herbs per 10 liters of water, infused for 3-4 hours, then boiled for 30 minutes, cooled, 1 part diluted with 4 parts water).

Currant borer

Currant borer is dangerous both in the form of an adult insect and in the form of larvae. Narrow green beetles with a metallic tint and long antennae gnaw the edges of leaves, and their larvae eat away the tunnels in the shoots. This leads to drying out of the entire bush.

If you break off the affected branch, brown powder will fall out of it, which is a waste product of the larva.

To get rid of the pest, remove all affected shoots. The bush is sprayed with insecticides, for example, “Aktellik” (three weeks after flowering) or infusions, decoctions of bitter herbs (7 tbsp per 1 liter of water).dried wormwood - leave for half an hour, filter and dilute in a bucket of water). Another way: a dried wormwood broom is placed in the middle of a gooseberry bush - it repels insects.

Spider mite

Spider mites are insects that feed on gooseberry juice.. This leads to drying out of leaves and shoots.

This is a small bug, which, depending on the species, can be black, red, yellow, green, brown, gray. A characteristic sign of a spider mite is parts of the plant shrouded in cobwebs..

Fighting ticks with folk remedies. Before this, the leaves in the web are removed.

Folk remedies against spider mites:

1. Pepper with soap. Add 0.5 kg of hot pepper pods twisted in a meat grinder to a bucket of water. The mixture is infused for two days, then a piece of grated laundry soap is added.
2. Orange peels. The peels of six oranges are ground in a meat grinder. Infuse for three days in a bucket of water. Add 40 g of liquid soap to the infusion.

Aphid

Aphids are another reason why gooseberries spoil. This is a small green, brown or black insect that settles on the underside of leaves and young shoots of a plant and feeds on sap. Because of this, branches and shoots turn yellow and dry out.

It is not difficult to recognize the pest. If you carefully examine the leaves and shoots, you will find a large number of small insects on them. with wings and without wings.

Aphids are easily removed using folk remedies. For this the most affected parts of the plant are torn off, and the rest are sprayed with one of the means:

1. Infusion of onion and garlic. Grind 1 kg of onion and 300 g of garlic in a meat grinder. The vegetable pulp is placed in a bucket along with the peelings and filled with water. Leave for three days, then filter and use for spraying.
2. Soap with ash. A bar of soap and 1 kg of ash are dissolved in a bucket of water. The product is infused for a day and used for spraying.
3. Decoction, infusion of bitter herbs. Wormwood, dandelion, yarrow, etc. are suitable.

If folk remedies do not help, then use insecticides. For the most part, they are poisonous not only to insects, but also to people and animals.

Conclusion

If a gooseberry's leaves, berries or shoots dry out, it needs treatment. This symptom indicates that the plant is on the verge of death. If the problem is not corrected in a timely manner, it simply will not survive the winter.

The reason for the drying out of the gooseberry bush can be various factors: violation of the rules of care, unfavorable weather conditions. To save the plant, it is inspected for insect infestation and infections, care is reviewed, and then all factors that could lead to the problem are eliminated.