Spots on currant leaves: why do they appear and how to treat diseases?
Many gardeners plant currant bushes on their land plots. But not everyone knows that this berry is often exposed to diseases, the action of various parasites. Today we will talk about how such plants can be cured if spots appear on their leaves.
Causes of diseases
If colored spots appear on currant leaves, they dry, fall off, then the plant is sick and needs special treatment. Leaves may become pale green. This indicates that the bushes do not receive the required amount of fertilizer or chlorosis has appeared on them.
Light green leaves can become due to a lack of nitrogen or potassium. Therefore, in this case, fertilizers containing such elements should be applied. Currant bushes often turn yellow. This suggests that the plant could have been affected by a veined or striped mosaic, a dangerous virus. If it starts to progress, then in the future all the spots will merge into one, and the places between the veins will turn white and dry.
Also, the leaves can be red, brown or brown. Spots of this color are formed on plants due to the formation of a fungus. As a rule, it appears when the soil in the area is too moist, and this often leads to currant diseases. Often, small swellings may appear on the plants.
Brown and brown spots can also form due to ascochitosis. It also appears due to the development of spores of imperfect fungi Ascochyta viciae Libert.If the plants are not treated, then all the leaves will quickly fall off and the bush will die.
When the spots on the leaves turn orange, burgundy or red spots, you should check the plants for the presence of aphids. Such a pest most often appears in the hot and dry period of the year. If you notice scarlet spots on currants, then you will also have to fight this parasite. In this case, treatment should be started immediately.
Separately, experts note that if small orange swellings form on the underside of the currant leaf, this indicates the appearance of columnar rust. This disease develops due to the fact that spores of the fungus Cronarium ribicola Dietr begin to germinate under the bark of currant bushes.
In addition to columnar rust, there is also goblet rust. Bright orange swollen spots form on flowers and leaves. Such a disease develops due to too high a level of soil moisture. Another cause of the disease is the close proximity to sedge, which favorably affects the formation of the fungus. The causative agent is the fungus Puccina ribesii caricis Kleb.
Spots of similar colors can also appear due to anthracnose. This infectious fungal disease progresses rapidly and leads to the complete destruction of the leaves. It is caused by special imperfect mushrooms Gloesporium ribis Mont.
This disease is favored by a humid climate, so seedlings planted on too moist soil most often suffer from it. Anthracnose begins to develop in young shoots of plants.
On the leaves of a diseased currant, you can also see a white coating. This indicates that the bushes are sick with powdery mildew. This disease is caused by special marsupial fungi Erysiphales.Also, when a plant is affected by this pest, the leaves begin to curl down along the edges. If left untreated, the entire trunk of the shrub may become covered with a mold-like coating.
On the bushes you can sometimes see scatterings of black dots. Often, in the middle of the dark dots, white areas also form over time. They appear due to the activity of pathogenic fungi Septoria ribis in the soil. Damaged parts in the future begin to quickly crumble, and the kidneys dry up sharply. This disease is called septoria (white spotting).
Sometimes it happens that at first small white spots form on the leaves, and then they begin to darken sharply. The reason for this is the appearance of a spider mite on the site.
Some gardeners notice that the flowers on the currant bushes become double (reversion). Its cause is phytoplasma. This infection leads to the fact that the process of bud break and flowering is significantly slowed down, and the leaves and flowers are severely deformed. The veins subsequently become rough, and chlorosis may appear on the leaves.
Holes on the leaves indicate the activity of caterpillars and moth butterflies. Soon they begin to fall off, the bushes die. Especially often such damage appears in June, when these insects are most active.
Often on currant bushes you can see columns of small caterpillars and fruits completely entwined with cobwebs. These signs indicate that a moth has appeared in the garden. It looks like a small gray butterfly. Affected plants can no longer be cured.
If you notice that small white larvae are crawling through the bushes, and the core of the branches is significantly damaged, then you have a currant glass box on your site. She is a pest butterfly.These insects live inside the berry branches, which subsequently leads to the drying of the plant and its death.
Treatment
Today, gardeners, in order to cure currants, use both folk remedies and professional chemicals.
The first group includes the following methods of struggle:
- The use of a solution with soda. For one bucket of water, take 50 grams of soda and the same amount of laundry soap. The resulting composition is sprayed with diseased currant bushes. You need to do this only 3 times with a break of 8-10 days.
- Preparation of a solution of iron sulphate. To make such a composition, you need to take 10 liters of water and 300 grams of vitriol. Spray the bushes with this liquid.
- Treatment with tobacco infusion. Water (10 liters) is poured into 400 grams of dried tobacco leaves. All liquid must be insisted during the day. Then the solution should be filtered and diluted with water.
- The use of infusion of garlic. Garlic also helps fight plant diseases. To prepare the composition, take 10 liters of pure water and 400 grams of freshly ground garlic heads. All components are thoroughly mixed. The resulting liquid can be used immediately, without insisting it.
- Treatment with infusion of celandine. You can treat currants with such a weed. After all, it has strong insecticidal properties. To prepare the infusion, you will need 3-4 kg of shoots and 10 liters of water. The solution must be infused for 1-1.5 days.
- Spraying with decoction with ash. This method is most effective in the fight against powdery mildew. It is necessary to completely fill 300 grams of wood ash with 10 liters of water. After the liquid insist 2 days. It is permissible to add a little laundry soap (40-50 grams) to the solution.
- Application of a decoction of tansy.To make such a composition, 1 kg of the plant (only fresh sprouts are taken) should be placed in a container with 10 liters of clean water. All this is then boiled for 2 hours. You can add a little laundry soap to the broth.
- Processing with infusion of tomato leaves. You need to take 3 kg of dried tops, pour it with 10 liters of water and let the solution brew for 3-4 hours. After the future infusion is boiled over low heat for 30-40 minutes. Then everything is cooled and filtered.
- Spraying with a decoction of horsetail. To make it, you need to place 1 kg of fresh horsetail in a container with 10 liters of water. Then he insists during the day. Before this, the solution should be boiled over low heat for 2 hours.
- Watering with boiling water with potassium permanganate. Many gardeners are sure that if currant bushes are scalded, then all pests will die. A solution of potassium permanganate will only enhance and speed up this process.
- The use of whey. This folk method is used to get rid of powdery mildew. To prepare the necessary composition, 1 liter of whey and 10 liters of water are taken.
- Manure handling. To do this, put 1/3 bucket of manure in 1 full bucket of water. All this is insisted for three days, stirring occasionally. After the liquid is filtered and diluted with water (the proportions should be 1: 10). Often gardeners use humus instead of manure for infusion.
Many gardeners in the fight against pests prefer only chemicals.
- "Acaricide". Most often, such a drug is used when currant bushes have been affected by a spider mite. With a strong degree of damage to the leaves, spraying with this agent is best done several times. Often, for efficiency, the substance is added to a solution of chlorophos.
- "Actara". This remedy is best when the bushes have been damaged by aphids.You need to spray the plants with this remedy several times. It is a powder. To prepare a solution, you need to mix 2 grams of the substance with 10 liters of water.
- "Inta-Vir". This tool is able to quickly destroy the parasites that appeared on the currant. The main component of the substance is cypermethrin. It can be dangerous to humans, so the treatment should be carried out in a special protective suit. To spray the plants, you only need 1 tablet and 10 liters of water.
- "Actellik". This tool is universal for the destruction of insect pests. The components of the substance are able to completely paralyze the pests, which further leads to their death. The product is available in the form of ampoules. To prepare the composition for spraying, you can take only 1 ampoule and 2 liters of water.
- "Kinmiks". This drug is also presented in ampoules. You can take just one such container and 10 liters of water to prepare a spray liquid.
- "Fitosporin-M". This remedy is used to get rid of red spots on currant leaves. It is able to quickly suppress the development of the pest fungus. To prepare a solution, a total of 5 grams of such a substance is taken per 10 liters of water.
- Bordeaux liquid. This mixture is the most popular fungicide. The composition of this liquid includes the following components: copper sulfate, milk of lime (slaked lime). Best of all, the solution helps to get rid of rust on the leaves, late blight and anthracnose.
- Biotlin. It is best to use this drug against aphids. She dies just a few hours after treatment. First, the product is diluted in 1 liter of water, and then, if necessary, add more. It is not subject to storage, it must be used immediately after purchase.
- Aliot. Such a substance is capable of destroying various types of parasitic insects. Only 10 ml of the drug is taken per 5 liters of water. Shrubs are sprayed with this solution during their growing season.
- "Oxyhom". It is a fungicidal powder. Before use, it must be moistened. The main component of the substance is oxadixyl. It penetrates the bush and gradually begins to act on parasites, reducing their activity. For 10 liters of water, 30 grams of the substance is required. It is necessary to spray the seedlings with a solution 3-4 times with a break of 20-12 days.
- "Nitrafen". It is excellent for the treatment of anthracnose. Use a 3% solution of the drug. 1.5-2 liters of such a composition will be enough to spray 10 square meters. m plot.
When working with such chemicals, it is imperative to take precautions, because almost all of them are dangerous to human health. This is especially true for those gardeners who will independently spray large areas of their land.
Experts advise gardeners to use some general rules for currant treatment. So, do not forget to remove damaged shoots of seedlings in a timely manner. Do regular top dressing (zinc, ammonium and potassium nitrate, copper sulphate). Treatment of affected plants must begin immediately, otherwise they will quickly fall off and die.
Prevention
Experts say that currant bushes need to be periodically processed so that they are not exposed to various diseases. It is recommended to fertilize the soil regularly.
We must not forget that every year the bushes must be cut and tied up. The soil on which the plants are planted is recommended to be mulched and loosened.
The first treatment of currants should be carried out immediately after the snow melts. This is done in order to kill all the parasites that hibernate on the branches of bushes and in the ground.
To do this treatment, you need to bring a bucket of water to a boil. After that, pour everything into a watering can and scald the bushes with boiling water. The following treatments can be carried out after bud break on plants.
To carry out the prevention of currant bushes, they can be regularly sprayed with infusions of kefir and milk, celandine, wormwood. All these decoctions prevent the appearance of parasitic insects.
Be sure to keep an eye on watering. After all, too much water leads to waterlogging of the soil and the formation of a fungus that harms plants. And too small portions of water lead to the fact that the earth becomes dry, which also leads to the development of harmful organisms.
We must not forget about choosing a suitable place for planting currant bushes. It is best not to do this in dark areas. Also, when planting, remember that there should be some space between the plants. Otherwise, the garden will be too dense.
If you have already planted currants in inappropriate areas, then you should thin out the seedlings so that they can receive more sunlight. It is also better to fertilize the soil with ammonium nitrate (you need to make it in early July). Next year, it is also recommended to add potash and organic fertilizers. Do not forget that fertilizers can only be applied after pre-moistening. Otherwise, the seedlings can get a serious burn.
What to do if red spots appear on currant leaves, see the next video.