How to process currants when twisting leaves, what means to fight
The external state of its growth speaks about the fertility of the culture. Therefore, when currant leaves curl, you need to know how to process it. Otherwise, the sick berry bush will not be able to give the desired amount of crop production. Moreover, without measures of struggle, he will eventually die.
Causes of currant leaf curling
An indicator of the health of a currant is its appearance. The following factors indicate pathological processes that negatively affect plants:
- In a garden culture, the upper leaves are twisted.
- Shrub foliage changes color and becomes depigmented.
- The greens of the plants are rolled into a cocoon or boat.
- The leaves are compacted and take on a constricted appearance.
There are several causes of damage to the appearance of the bush. As a rule, insect pests and fungal diseases are the main culprits. Every cause requires immediate attention. Otherwise, the gardener will not only not get the desired yield result, but will also lose the plants themselves.
Pest parasitic symptoms
The juice of the currant leaves attracts many insects. Therefore, the berry bush can become a tasty morsel for more than 80 types of pests. Some of them are quite rare. Their appearance, as a rule, is served by untimely agricultural technology. But there is a species of insects of the first category, which, regardless of weather conditions and rules of care, can be encountered by every summer resident.
Consider the TOP of the most common insects, due to which the garden culture begins to dry out, and the symptoms for recognizing them.
Spider mite
The spider mite is a rather small insect. The size of adult pests does not exceed 0.5 millimeters. Moreover, at a young age, they have a green color. In this regard, it is quite difficult to notice the appearance of a spider mite on currant bushes. These insects can only be recognized by the appearance of the greenery. As a rule, a small cobweb on the back of twisted foliage will indicate the presence of ticks..
Gall aphid
Gall aphid is considered the most dangerous pest for currants. With its raids, berry bushes lose their immunity to fungal and infectious diseases, which leads to their death.You can recognize the appearance of insects by abnormal neoplasms on the foliage of the currant. First, green growths appear on the greenery of plants, which eventually begin to turn red.
Currant glass
Glaziers are small butterflies with long transparent wings. Adult insects do not pose a threat to plants. Great harm to berry bushes is caused by their larvae - caterpillars, which feed on the pulp of the trunks and greens of plants throughout the entire phase of the life cycle. In the initial stage of the appearance of insects, currant parasitism is barely noticeable. When the grown caterpillars begin to eat abundantly, blackened holes appear on the shoots of plants, the tops of the leaves curl and envelop in cobwebs.
Leaf roll
The small butterflies of the leafworm, as well as the glassworms, lay their eggs on the currant bushes. After hatching, insect caterpillars actively eat the pulp of plants. When the time for pupation comes, they begin to roll the leaves around them to envelop. To attach the leaf roll, a sticky substance is isolated. The presence of a viscous cobweb will indicate that the currants are affected by these pests.
How to deal with pests
All of the above pests are very dangerous for currants. When they appear, berry bushes lose nutrients that are so necessary for fruit set. At the same time, dehydration leads to deformation and wilting of the culture, which is the reason for its death. To avoid such negative consequences, at the first symptoms of parasitism, you need to immediately start pest control measures.
Insect control products
Currant pest control can be carried out in several ways. Among them, the most common are:
- the use of chemicals;
- the use of organic insecticides;
- folk remedies.
When using the first method, the active substances of chemical preparations actively cope with pests and their larvae. This prevents currants from curling up. However, the elements of the chemicals have a negative effect not only on the insects, but also on the plant itself. In this regard, when eating berries, the risk of harm to the person himself increases.
Organic insecticides are safer. They paralyze the digestive system of pests, while remaining harmless to other insects, plants and humans. But they do not always cope with the larvae and eggs of pests.
Terms of processing
It is necessary to fight insect pests throughout the entire growing season of the currant.
The optimal processing times are:
- early spring;
- before bud break;
- during active flowering;
- 2 weeks before the start of fruiting;
The final processing of the horticultural crop is carried out in the fall, after the harvest. Moreover, each stage provides for certain means.
Important! In cases where currants are affected by a colony of parasites, the treatment of plants should be carried out every 2-3 weeks.
Processing technology
The first control measure is aimed at the destruction of insect larvae. It is carried out before the budding phase and includes the following activities:
- pruning affected shoots;
- removing all suspicious leaves;
- digging and disinfection of the trunk circle;
- whitewashing the trunk.
Subsequent treatments are carried out with chemical, biological or folk remedies to destroy adult pests.
Chemicals
Recommended chemicals for currants include:
- Aktara;
- Spark;
- Inta-vir.
These funds are considered the fastest and most effective. However, due to negative effects, they should be applied before the beginning of fruiting currants.
Biological preparations
Among the most popular biological products, in which currants will stop curling, are:
- Aktofit;
- Bitoxibacillin;
- Lepidocide.
All these drugs are based on living organisms, so they do not pose a threat to plants and humans. However, unlike chemicals, biologics are less effective at killing insect eggs and larvae. They are used at all stages of the growing season.
Folk remedies
Traditional methods in pest control are considered the most harmless, but at the same time, quite effective. In addition, when using them, the family budget is saved.
For processing currants, there is a proven folk method based on garlic. It is prepared from 1 head of chopped garlic and 1 liter of boiled water. The resulting concentrate is first infused for 1 week, and then it (60 milliliters) is diluted in 10 liters of water.
Types and signs of diseases
Although the horticultural crop is classified into white, red and black varieties, they are all subject to the same diseases. Each pathology in its advanced form leads to the death of the berry bush. Therefore, it is very important to recognize the disease in a timely manner and start taking appropriate measures.
Here are examples of the most common pathologies of currants and their signs.
Anthracnose
The causative agents of this disease are Colletotrichum orbicular mushrooms. The first signs of infection are observed in the middle of summer. With anthracnose, first the leaves turn red on the currant, then they dry up and fall off.
Goblet rust
Infection of berry bushes with goblet rust can be seen in the first half of the growing season. The first signs of illness are orange pads on the underside of the foliage. When the pathology becomes severe, the berries of the bush are deformed and become one-sided. At the same time, they stop growing and fall off the bush.
Columnar rust
When a currant is affected by columnar rust, its leaf on the underside is covered with orange horny spores. These signs of pathology are noticeable in the first half of summer. Then the lesions turn brown, and by the end of August they cover all sides of the greenery.
Spheroteka
The first signs of the spheroteque can be seen in May. The symptom of the disease is a white bloom that covers greens, shoots and currant berries. Later, the "pollen" turns into mold and becomes dark brown. As a result, currant berries lose their taste, and diseased bushes die.
How to process currants from diseases
In order for the currants to stop curling and quickly restore their health, at the first signs of the disease, you must immediately start processing it. Fighting disease is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. But before carrying out it, you need to know the timing, and what funds will be needed.
Preparations for therapeutic measures
To date, there are various drugs that can cope with the main diseases of the berry bush.
Of these, the most benign are:
- 3% solution of copper sulfate;
- 1% Bordeaux liquid solution;
- Topaz;
- 5% solution of ferrous sulfate.
As a folk remedy, ash infusion can be used. It is made from 100 grams of ash and 1 liter of water. First, the concentrate is infused for 3 days, then filtered and diluted with 3 liters of water.
Scheme and processing time
The processing of horticultural bushes is carried out at certain times.
Disease control stages and scheme:
- Early spring. During this period, all fallen leaves are removed from the garden plot, the soil is loosened, currant bushes are sprayed with copper or iron sulfate.
- Budding stage. As soon as the first buds appear on the currant bushes, they are treated with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
- After flowering and harvesting.At this stage, the currants are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.
In the event that the processing of currants was not carried out within a certain period, the dosage of drugs cannot be increased. To do this, it is best to spray the bushes as quickly as possible using a product such as Topaz.
Prevention measures
In order to prevent the development of diseases and the appearance of insects, several rules must be followed..
Preventive measures include the following:
- As soon as the snow melts, all dried and diseased branches must be removed from the currants.
- In the spring, it is recommended to clear the garden area from fallen leaves and other organic matter.
- The branches of the shrubs should not touch the ground, for this they should be supported.
- Collect and destroy insect pupae in a timely manner.
It is also recommended to treat the soil with urea in the fall.
So, having considered the reasons why currant curling occurs, as well as what to do at these moments, each gardener will be able to take appropriate measures in a timely manner. As you can see, they are not that difficult and do not take up a lot of free time. However, using them, it will be possible not only to save berry bushes from death, but also to increase their fertility.
