We have known the taste and aroma of blackcurrant since childhood. These berries are a storehouse of vitamins. But with improper or insufficient care, when the bushes get sick or are attacked by pests, the currant harvest suffers. To avoid this, you need to follow a number of simple recommendations.
The need for processing currants in spring
Spring treatments are the main condition for proper care of currants. Most pests winter well in the soil under the bushes and in old leaves, even in spite of severe frosts. It is important to have time to neutralize insects before they multiply and harm the plant. Timely preventive measures taken will save you from unnecessary trouble and guarantee a good harvest. It is much easier to spend a little time in spring than to fight diseases or insects for a long time.
Treatments of bushes in early spring are most effective, as pest activity increases with warming, and it becomes more difficult to deal with them.
When to process bushes
Pests wake up with the first spring warmth. As soon as the snow has melted and constant temperatures will not exceed 0 ° C, inspect the stands. It is important to have time to process the currant bushes before the buds swell, when the bush has not yet woken up completely and has not moved. During this period, it is easier to neutralize pathogens and destroy insect larvae.
The bushes should be in a dormant state with non-swollen buds.
It is not necessary to tighten the treatment of bushes, as currants release buds very quickly. It is impossible to predict the exact date, focus on weather conditions and carefully monitor the temperature.
How to handle
There are many methods for controlling pests and diseases of currant:
- folk methods (pouring boiling water, spraying with various infusions, burning with fire, etc.);
- agrochemical preparations (Bordeaux liquid, urea, Aktara, Karbofos, Iskra-M, etc.);
- biological products (Gamair, Pentafag, Trichodermin, Nemabakt, Fitoverm, etc.).
Folk "grandfather" methods
The advantages of folk methods: accessibility, easy feasibility and effectiveness.
Boiling water treatment
An extremely effective and almost free method for processing currant bushes, which has been successfully used for more than a dozen years.
Processing boiling water has several goals:
- the destruction of a currant tick that hibernates in the buds of a bush;
- powdery mildew spore elimination;
- stimulation of plant immunity throughout the growing season;
- improving the taste of berries and increasing productivity;
- accelerating the awakening and growth of the bush;
- extermination of aphids.
A kidney tick is the most dangerous pest of currants, it is very difficult to fight with it. Traces of his presence are found in swollen kidneys. Before starting work, remove obviously damaged kidneys, and then be sure to burn them.
The root system of the bushes needs to be slightly covered with boards, sheets of iron or other improvised materials to avoid burns. Provide access to plants in advance, consider the sequence of actions, as the water cools quickly. It is useless to water bushes with cooled water.
Tie the branches with a rope or wire in a bundle to reduce water consumption.
It is better to water the bushes from a metal watering can, because boiling water will lead to plastic deformation. The optimum temperature is around 70-80 ° C. Water with a temperature above 80 ° C can cause burns to the plant, and colder than 70 ° C - can not cause death of pests.
Pour boiling water into the watering can, since the water will cool to the desired temperature during transfusion and delivery to the place of work. To improve the results, add several crystals of potassium permanganate, salt or copper sulfate to the water. You need to water quickly and efficiently, trying not to miss a single branch, do not linger in one place for more than 5 seconds.
Then free and spill the earth around, because noxious insects hibernate in the topsoil. In this case, pouring boiling water directly on the roots of the plant should not be, as this will lead to burns and the death of the bush.
It is necessary to pour boiling water on all branches without missing a single
The consumption of hot water per bush is usually 5-6 l. But everything is determined by the size of the plant. Processing with boiling water is an extremely effective and environmentally friendly method, since chemical preparations are not used during operation.
You can not spill the bush again, even if you missed something. It can harm the plant.
Ash solution
Experienced gardeners recommend another safe, but very effective way to combat diseases of shrubs (including powdery mildew). Plants are sprayed with an ash solution.
It is very simple to prepare an ash solution:
- In 10 l of water add 1 kg of finely ground wood ash.
- Leave the solution for 3-7 days, stirring occasionally.
- Carefully drain the fertilizer, being careful not to agitate the sediment.
- Add a small amount of diluted laundry soap to the composition so that when spraying it sticks better to the branches.
Ash solution must be mixed periodically
Sprinkle the currants with a freshly prepared solution on a dry, calm day, preferably in the evening.
If there is no sprayer, it is convenient to work with a soft, wide brush.
It is necessary to process carefully, without ignoring a single leaf, each branch and each leaf on both sides. A similar procedure is carried out three times, taking a break for 1-2 days. The sediment deposited in the bucket is diluted with water and poured directly under the bush.
Fire treatment
At the very end of winter, when the snow has not yet melted, and while the currant is still sleeping, the bushes are decontaminated with fire. For this, a gas torch or blowtorch is suitable. Direct fire at branches from a distance of 8-10 cm. Do not stay in one place - just hold it with flame 2-3 times. The procedure very well burns ticks, aphid eggs and other insects.
Burning is a very effective preventive measure.
Be careful: do not burn the branches, but only slightly burn. Not all gardeners recognize this treatment method as safe.
Video: spring pruning and processing of currant bushes with fire using a blowtorch
Herbal infusions
It is possible to process currant bushes with various means prepared on the basis of insecticidal plants. They are also quite effective, but in the early spring are not always available.
In early spring, not all herbs are still grown, but onion peel is almost always at hand.
As a prevention, you can use the following recipes:
- Garlic tincture. Add 100 g of chopped garlic to a bucket of water, leave for 20-25 hours. Treat the bush with a fresh solution.
- Onion peel. In a bucket of very hot water, soak 1.5 kg of husk, strain after 2-3 days. After diluting the infusion in half with water, spray the currant three times with a break of 5-7 days.
- Dandelion. 1.2-1.5 kg of the plant (with rhizome) pour 10 liters of warm water. After 2-3 hours, you can already spray the currants.
- Coniferous extract. Dissolve 1-2 tbsp in 10 l of water. l extract and spray the plants immediately. After 7 days, repeat the procedure.
- Marigolds (can be dry). In a bucket of boiling water, brew 30-40 g of plants. After cooling, process the branches and water the ground under the bush.
Agrochemical treatment
Preventive treatments are a guarantee of a good harvest. Timely spraying with any of the agents mentioned below can significantly facilitate all subsequent care for currants.
Urea
Experienced gardeners treat currants, in which leaves have not yet blossomed, with a solution of urea with the addition of copper sulfate. On a ten-liter bucket of water, take 700 g of urea (urea) and 50-100 g of vitriol. Such a composition will kill the larvae and eggs of insect pests, and also destroy the spores of fungi and scab.
Urea is both an insecticide and fertilizer
The mixture is an excellent nitrogen fertilizer and serves as foliar top dressing. The solution is absorbed through swollen, but not yet opened buds and bark of twigs, thereby awakening the plant and accelerating the beginning of the vegetative period. This treatment has a positive effect on the taste of berries.
It is very important to choose the right concentration of the solution and not spray the young leaves, as they will receive a chemical burn.
If it was not possible to do the treatment on time, then the urea concentration must be reduced by 10 times (50-70 g per 10 l).
Inkstone
Iron sulfate is an effective tool for the destruction of harmful insects. Spring treatments with a 1-3% solution are very effective in fighting currant anthracnose. Processing with vitriol is carried out twice with an interval of half an hour. It is important to catch time before flowering begins, and even better - before the buds open. Spray the bushes in the evening in calm, dry weather.
Iron sulphate can process young leaves of currant
Iron sulfate helps in the fight against pests, their larvae and various fungal diseases (spotting, powdery mildew). But it is also a good fertilizer that can make up for iron deficiency.
Bordeaux fluid
To prevent currant disease with anthracnose, spotting and rust, a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid is used, which is an aqueous solution of a special mixture of copper sulfate and quicklime. Pests spores winter in the litter under the bushes, so be sure to cultivate the soil in the near-stem circle, after removing old leaves and debris.
A solution of Bordeaux mixture - a very effective drug against anthracnose currants
Bordeaux fluid is a universal remedy for combating a large number of diseases.
Blue vitriol against powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a very dangerous fungal disease caused by ectoparasites. It weakens the plant, practically deprives the crop and, in the end, can destroy the bushes. This is a contagious disease that is transmitted by insects, wind, and also when watering or processing. Powdery mildew spores winter under bushes on plant debris (fallen berries, leaves, twigs).
Powdery mildew spores are spread with tools, garden tools, gloves and shoes.
Copper sulfate solution helps against powdery mildew
It is completely extremely difficult to destroy powdery mildew, but the harmful effects can be reduced by taking preventive measures. For example, you can sprinkle currants in early spring with a 3-5% solution of copper sulfate. This should be done before the buds open. Carefully process each twig from all sides and the soil under the bushes.
Can be used for spraying 3% Nitrafen solution. The procedure is recommended to be repeated one more time before flowering.
Pesticides
For reliable destruction of all types of insects, chemical preparations are used. In the early spring or before budding, the bushes are treated with colloidal or dispersed sulfur. Excellent results are given by spraying with drugs:
- Aktara
- Inta Vir,
- Kinmix
- Sulfaride
- Chlorophos
- Karbofos.
Chemical spraying of currants is a reliable way to get rid of pests.
Pesticides are toxic substances, so they should be used only if all other pest control methods have been ineffective.
Biological products
Biological products have an undeniable advantage over agrochemicals. They are safe for humans, birds and animals. However, they begin to show their properties a few hours after processing. Biological products achieve maximum efficiency at a temperature of at least 15 ° C, so at lower temperatures it is recommended to wrap the bush in a film for 2-3 days to create a greenhouse effect.
Biological products are effective at temperatures above 15 ° C and are harmless to humans, birds and animals.
Examples of biological products:
- Actofit;
- Fitoverm;
- Bitoxibacillin;
- Nemabact;
- Trichodermin;
- Gamair.
It is necessary to use biological products in strict accordance with the attached instructions, otherwise their effectiveness in controlling pests of currant bushes can be much less.
Spring preventative treatment of currant bushes is extremely important. This is a guarantee of plant health and a guarantee of a plentiful harvest. Protecting currants in advance from pests and diseases is easier than then making significant efforts and using toxic drugs. Carefully monitor the condition of the bushes to take quick and effective measures against diseases and parasites.
