Why gooseberry berries and leaves crumble and how to deal with it

Gooseberry are appreciated for their simplicity in care and a rich harvest. Thorny bushes take up little space and do not require special attention. Jams and preserves are prepared from the fruits, compotes and vitamin drinks are made. However, sometimes even the most productive and strong plants begin to dry out and shed their berries. This can be accompanied by yellowing of the leaves and deformation of the fruit. Why gooseberries fall on a bush and what to do about it, we will tell in the article.

Why do gooseberry berries crumble without ripening

There are several reasons for shedding unripe berries. The most common of these are agricultural mistakes, diseases and pests..

The first group includes errors in watering and dressing, irregular loosening and mulching of the soil. Sometimes the berries crumble due to an excess or lack of moisture, a deficiency of trace elements. It happens that the fruits fall for several reasons at once. For example, when the bush has not been watered or fertilized for more than 3 weeks.

Of diseases allocate septoria and rust. They arise from hot and rainy weather, contaminated soil. If the disease is not detected in time and the treatment is not started, most of the berries will be on the ground.

Of insect pests on the gooseberry can be found moth or spider mite. They suck the nutritious juice from the plant, which is why metabolic processes are disrupted in the bush and immunity is weakened.

Also berries fall without ripening, due to climatic features of the region, for example, severe frosts and frequent winds. This is especially true for central Russia and the north.

What to do if berries and leaves fall

If there are 2-3 berries on the ground, this is not scary... But if the fruits fall abundantly and often, then you need to take action.

Care rules

First of all, gardeners pay attention to the rules of care. Correct the regime of watering and feeding, if necessary, as well as regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds.

Watering

Frequency and abundance of watering depend on the weather... If it often rains in summer, it is enough to water the gooseberries once every 3 weeks. In dry weather, the plant is moistened once every 10 days. Drip irrigation and sprinkling method are used. The water is pre-heated in the sun. Watering with cold water can provoke the development of diseases. To prevent water from getting on the fruits and leaves, the stream is directed directly under the root.

Attention! There is an easy way to determine if a bush needs watering or not. Take a lump of earth near the roots and squeeze it with your hand. If the soil is crumbling, then the moisture level is in order.

When irrigating, water should penetrate to a depth of 40-45 cm... To do this, grooves 15 cm deep are pulled out along the diameter of the gooseberry, into which water is poured. Before this, the soil is loosened so that a dense crust does not form on its surface.

Top dressing

Often the reason for the shedding of berries lies in the deficiency of trace elements... If the gooseberry has not been fertilized with organic matter for more than 2 years, a solution of mullein (1:10) or bird droppings (1:20) is added under the bush. They make up for the lack of nitrogen in the soil and increase the frost resistance of the bush. It is recommended to carry out the procedure early in the morning so as not to burn the plant roots. When feeding mullein solution per bush takes 5 liters, bird droppings - 2.5 liters.

With a lack of potassium and phosphorus, gooseberries are fertilized with a mineral complex.They use drugs "Gumi-Omi", "Aminosol", "Magic Leica" - they increase the yield, eliminate the cause of falling berries, protect shrubs from diseases and pests. When using mineral complexes, gardeners follow the recommendations for dosages and preparation. The interval between dressings is at least 20 days.

Disease and pest control

If the berries wither and fall off the gooseberry, the reasons lie in diseases and pests... The causative agents of fungal and bacterial diseases live in soil or plant debris, get on the bush with water or garden tools.

Insect larvae inhabit nearby plants and are carried by the wind. Leaves may turn yellow and fruits may fall off.

Rust

Rust is a fungal disease that affects not only fruits, but also stems, leaves, ovaries... It occurs on young and adult shrubs, actively spreads in rainy and hot weather. Spots of an orange-brown hue appear on the plant, which, when opened, become like glasses.

Stricken the leaf turns red and falls off. Further unripe fruits fall off, and then the whole bush dies. To combat rust, use a Bordeaux liquid solution (10 g of substance per 10 liters of water) or the drug "Oxyhom".

Septoriasis

Sometimes it seems that the gooseberry is covered with frost - this is white spot, or septoria. Leaves and berries develop gray-brown spots with a yellow rim... Septoriosis first affects the lower part of the shrub, then slowly spreads to the entire plant. With time spots increase and turn white.

The disease especially loves weakened plants, affects bushes with weak immunity... To combat white spot, remove all affected leaves and shoots, burn them. The remaining parts of the plant are sprayed with "Fitosporin" or copper sulfate.

Attention! Preventive measures help to save gooseberries from falling berries and diseases. Summer residents recommend planting bushes at a distance of 2 m from each other, regularly remove weeds and loosen the soil. Diseases like overgrown and unkempt areas, therefore gooseberries are cut annually and form - remove old and dry shoots.

Alternaria

Alternaria occurs in late spring. Affected shoots and leaves are covered with light and yellow spots with a silvery bloom, which eventually turn brown... The berries are deformed, lose their elasticity and juiciness, and fall off. It is impossible to eat such unripe fruits - the pulp becomes very sour.

When the first signs of infection appear, gooseberries are sprayed drugs "Bravo", "Ordan" or "Quadris". Fungicides treat the plant and prevent new symptoms from developing. It is important to process the bushes at least 2 weeks before harvest.

Sawfly

Sawfly caterpillars can destroy the entire crop - they gnaw the leaves of the plant to the very veins... The berries grow small, underripe, some of them are formed prematurely. Shoots slow down in growth, gooseberry immunity and winter hardiness decrease.

It is easy to recognize the sawfly - the caterpillar reaches 1 cm in length, the color is greenish-blue or gray... It lives on the outside and inside of the leaf, loves damp and cool weather. In the fight against the pest, use the drug "Lepidocide" (25 g per 10 liters of water) or treatment with "Iskra".

Moth

For gooseberries, both caterpillars of the moth and adults - butterflies are dangerous... The pest is frost-resistant, at the end of March appears on the bushes and eats leaves. If measures are not taken in time, the moth will destroy the entire gooseberry crop and move to neighboring shrubs.

For preventive purposes, an ash solution is used.: 3 kg of dry matter is dissolved in 10 liters of water and sprayed on the bush. In medicinal products, drugs "Actellik", "Iskra", "Karbofos" are used.

Currant goldfish

Not only red and black currants, but also gooseberries are amazed. Appears in the garden in late May or early June. Goldfish larvae gnaw shoots, due to which the metabolism is disturbed. Leaves and fruits do not have enough nutrition, they dry out and fall off.

If a currant goldfish is found, it is recommended to burn all damaged shoots and 2-3 times with an interval of 7 days to treat the plants with the preparation "Gomelin". Before the procedure, gooseberries are abundantly watered and the soil is loosened.

Attention! Effective and proven folk remedy - tobacco infusion. 1 kg of tobacco dust is poured into 10 liters of water and infused for 24 hours. Spray gooseberries in dry weather.

Mite

If the gooseberry berries turn yellow and crumble, the cause may be the appearance of a spider mite.... A small greenish beetle sucks sap from the plant. Over time, gardeners notice that the shrub dries up, the shoots lose color and elasticity, the fruits turn yellow and fall off.

It is difficult to find a spider mite - it merges with the color of the leaves, therefore, summer residents carefully examine the plants, carefully lifting each leaf. In the fight against insects, a solution of copper sulfate or "HOM" helps. Processing is carried out every 2 weeks.

Aphid

Small white or green insects live in colonies... Find them on the inside of the sheet. Aphids are dangerous because they multiply quickly and are immune to folk remedies. The leaves are covered with yellowish spots, the berries do not have time to ripen, they begin to fall.

You can help gooseberries with drugs "Decis", "Fufafon" or "Iskra". They stimulate the ripening of fruits and strengthen the immune system. It is also recommended to water the gooseberries with boiling water in early spring to kill the larvae of aphids.

Conclusion

Gooseberries can dry out and disappear for several reasons: lack of nutrition and moisture, disease, the appearance of insect pests on the bushes.

Experienced gardeners recommend regularly examining the plants and starting treatment at the first symptoms. It is also important to feed the plant with organic and mineral fertilizers and water it with water heated in the sun. It will not be superfluous to carry out preventive measures - they help gooseberries to ripen no problem.