The most effective folk remedies for powdery mildew on currants

Currant is one of the most unpretentious fruit and berry bushes. One of the few causes of plant death and loss of yield is considered to be infection of plants. The most common currant disease is powdery mildew.

There are many special preparations for powdery mildew. They are highly effective, but almost always contain chemicals that are harmful to human and plant health. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to solve the problem with folk remedies. Which of them are the most effective - read on.

What is powdery mildew

Powdery mildew is a disease caused by a parasitic form of the fungus. The pathogen hibernates in the soil, near the roots of plants. In summer, the fungus is activated and, under suitable conditions, begins to multiply, affecting the ground part of the currant.

The spread of the disease begins in June. Epidemics develop in July or August. It was during this period that special attention should be paid to protecting the garden from fungal infections.

Powdery mildew negatively affects not only the appearance of the plant and the taste of its fruits. The disease leads to loss of yield, as the affected berries fall from the bush, not having time to ripen.

Leaves covered with a dense layer of plaque, which prevents full photosynthesis. Not receiving adequate nutrition, the currant stops developing and begins to dry out.

The parasitic fungus reduces the immunity and frost resistance of the shrub - a sick currant may simply not survive the winter.

Note! Powdery mildew most often affects precisely black currant... The red variety is less susceptible to this disease. White currant has the highest resistance to fungus.

Symptoms of the disease

To cope with the disease, it is important to identify it in a timely manner, since most folk recipes are effective only at an early stage of the development of the problem.

The fact that the currants were struck by powdery mildew is evidenced by the following signs:

1. Small areas with a white, translucent bloom appear on the leaves of the affected plants. It cannot be wiped off the greenery with your fingers. The first signs of damage appear on the lower part of the bush, gradually rising to the top.
2. Leaves become denser... Tiny droplets of water form on the fungus, making the leaves appear damp.
3. The currant stops growing. Growth points are gradually destroyed. The bush's resistance to cold snaps decreases.
4. Over time, the leaves fade wither, curl and dry up. Then they start to fall off.
5. The berries are covered with a whitish bloom... Then the light spots turn brown. The fruits do not ripen and fall off.

It is quite possible to notice powdery mildew at an early stage. The disease is easily identified by a light bloom on the leaves, which is considered the first sign.

Causes of occurrence

The main reason for the development of powdery mildew on currants is the defeat of plants by a fungus. However, the spores of the pathogen are activated only under certain conditions. It is they who provoke the infection of shrubs:

1. Infected planting material. Fungal spores remain on the seeds and seedlings of infected plants.
2. High humidity. The problem occurs with excessive watering, frequent rainfall and stagnant fluid.
3. Sudden temperature changes. This factor becomes especially dangerous at high humidity.
4. Improperly performed anti-aging pruning... Currants are often contaminated during pruning at the wrong time.
5. Excessive introduction of nitrogenous fertilizers... Nitrogen fertilizers promote the development of not only plants, but also fungal infections.
6. Lack of sunlight. Powdery mildew grows best in the shade. This is facilitated by both an insufficiently lit place on the site, and thickened landing... Another reason for too dense plantings is the rejection of sanitary and formative pruning.
7. Rare watering. Drought leads to a decrease in the immunity of the currant.
8. Violation of root air exchange and fluid stagnation. This is facilitated by too heavy soil or refusal to loosen after watering.
9. Weeds. They are considered the main breeding ground for infection.
10. Insects. Spores of the fungus spread.

Powdery mildew is caused by the fungus Sphaerotheca morus-uvae Berk. The factors described in the list weaken the immunity of plants and increase the activity of the fungus, increasing the chances of infection.

Folk remedies for powdery mildew on currants

Folk remedies for powdery mildew on currants are considered the safest. After their use, harmful substances do not accumulate in the berries.

Many preparations for fighting powdery mildew are prepared from available tools that most people have in the kitchen or pantry. The list contains the most effective drugs:

1. Onion peel... An infusion is prepared from it. For this, the bucket is filled with onion peel by a third, and the rest of the volume is added with boiling water. The tool is insisted for a day. The solution is sprayed with currants for prevention or to get rid of the disease at the initial stage of development.
2. Ash and soap. A piece of laundry soap is rubbed into a bucket of boiling water and a kilogram of ash is added. The mixture is insisted for two days. Ash solution is carried out every 2 weeks. Before use, the drug must be shaken. The composition is sprayed on plants.
3. Tansy. 300 g of dry tansy are poured into a bucket of boiling water. The broth is infused for a day, and then boiled for 2 hours over low heat. The mixture is filtered and used for watering currant bushes.
4. Soda-soap solution... For its preparation, a glass of soda and 1 piece of grated soap are poured into a bucket of water. The solution is sprayed with currants immediately after cooling. The procedure is repeated every 7 days.
5. Fermented milk mixture. For a 10 liter bucket, take 1 liter of whey or kefir and 9 liters of water. The resulting product is sprayed on plants every 3 days. The drug forms a film on the plant, which limits the access of oxygen to the fungus, due to which the latter dies. To make the fermented milk mixture effective, processing is carried out in dry weather.
6. Iodine with milk. 2 liters of milk and 20 drops of iodine are poured into a bucket. The rest of the volume is made up with water at room temperature. The remedy is used to treat the disease at an early stage. The currant is sprayed with it once every 7 days.
7. Rapeseed oil. Add 10 ml of rapeseed oil to a 10 l bucket of water. For treatment, the shrubs are sprayed with the composition 1 time in 3 days.
8. Field horsetail... In 5 liters of water, 0.5 kg of chopped horsetail is soaked for a day. Then the infusion is boiled for 2 hours, filtered, cooled and put into the refrigerator. The plant is sprayed once a week. Before treating currants, the broth is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5.
9. Garlic infusion... Garlic arrows are washed and cut into large pieces. They fill the bucket by a third. The rest of the volume is poured with warm water. The mixture is infused for a day. Used to spray diseased bushes every week.
10. Mullein. Mullein is mixed with water in a 1: 2 ratio. The mixture is infused for 4 days. The resulting concentrate is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. The tool is sprayed on the bushes and water the soil around them.
11. Potassium permanganate solution... To combat powdery mildew at an early stage of its development, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate. To do this, take 0.5 tsp of the drug for 5 liters of water.
12. Dry mustard. Mustard powder is diluted with warm water in a ratio of 1: 5. The tool is insisted for a day. Used for spraying currant bushes.

Advice! Folk remedies are especially effective in the early stages of the development of the disease. Each of the described recipes is also suitable for the prevention of disease.

Rules for dealing with the use of folk methods

In order for traditional methods of treatment to be effective, it is important to know the basic rules for dealing with powdery mildew. Otherwise, even with a successful solution to the problem, the currants will get sick again:

1. Before processing, the plants are inspected for affected areas. All leaves, shoots and fruits showing powdery mildew symptoms are removed. Places of cuts are treated with ash.
2. The cut bush is watered from a hose with water, trying to wash off the remnants of the mushroom spores. The pressure must be strong enough.
3. Next to the diseased plant, as well as near the shrubs located next to them, the top layer of soil is removed. Instead, soil treated with copper sulfate is poured.
4. Plants are treated with an antifungal folk remedy according to the instructions.
5. It is advisable to process not only the infected currant, but also the plants that are next to it.

Precautions

Despite the fact that folk recipes for combating powdery mildew are considered the safest, if used incorrectly, they will harm the plant.

The list contains basic precautions:

1. Wear gloves and face shield during processing. Some folk remedies irritate the skin and mucous membranes.
2. Before you start processing currants with a new tool, apply it to part of the bush. If after a day the condition of the green cover on the sprayed area does not worsen, treat the entire bush.
3. Currant processing is carried out early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is not active. Otherwise, burns will appear on the leaves.
4. When preparing the drug, it is important not to violate the concentration indicated in the instructions. Higher concentrations are dangerous for the plant.
5. Currants that have been affected by powdery mildew need especially careful care. The first year after recovery, she has a reduced frost resistance. Therefore, for the winter, it is recommended to mulch the bush and protect it with a covering material.

Prevention

Dealing with powdery mildew is not easy. And even if you notice it in the early stages and cope with it, in the first few years after treatment, the currant will have a reduced immunity and low frost resistance.

To avoid infection with a mealy race, it is important to follow the rules of prevention:

1. Disinfection. With a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate, planting material, soil before planting currants and garden tools are treated.
2. Loosening. Loosening the soil after each watering and precipitation destroys the earth crust, which prevents full air exchange and promotes moisture stagnation.
3. Weed removal. They shade plantings and spread the infection.
4. Mulching. If you cover the soil around the currant bushes with rotted straw, hay or sawdust, the growth of weeds will slow down, loosening the soil after watering will become unnecessary, and the roots of the plant will be protected from moisture stagnation.
5. Drainage. It is poured into the bottom of the hole for planting currants. This layer will prevent moisture stagnation.
6. Sanitary pruning... Performed every spring. All dry and damaged branches are removed. If the bush is overgrown too much, cut off some of the shoots to open up access to the sun.
7. Choosing the right place. The area where the currants grow should be well lit. It is important that the groundwater is not too close to the surface.
8. Preventive treatment... Plants are sprayed in spring, July and autumn with a solution of copper sulfate. It is prepared from 1 tbsp. l copper sulfate and a bucket of water.
9. Insect protection. For this, folk or purchased drugs are used.
10. Scheduled fertilization... Nitrogen fertilizers are applied once a season - in the spring. In autumn and summer, they prefer mineral fertilizers.
11. Compliance with the watering schedule... Currants are watered once a week. If the summer is hot and dry, then twice. For irrigation, use settled water at room temperature.
12. Selection of varieties with resistance to fungal infections. Hybrids have especially strong immunity to fungal diseases.

Conclusion

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects all parts of the plant. It appears as white spots on leaves, fruits, and shoots. The danger of infection is that in plants affected by it, immunity decreases, photosynthesis and frost resistance deteriorate. All these factors lead to the death of the plant.

In the fight against powdery mildew, folk remedies show their best side. They do not contain substances harmful to health and the environment and remain effective in the fight against fungal infections. The main thing is to apply them correctly.