Gooseberry Pests. Part 1

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Photo: Christian Jung / Rusmediabank.ru

Gooseberries are grown by many summer residents. At the same time, gooseberries are very often regarded as a culture that is unpretentious to care for. However, due attention should always be paid to the entire growing process, because only in this case it will be possible to get the desired harvest. In this article, we will talk about all the possible gooseberry pests and how to deal with them correctly and when to start taking care measures.

The first dangerous pest will be the pale-footed gooseberry sawfly. Its larvae are painted in green tones, which will eat up all the leaves, with the exception of only their veins. In the event that the leaves of the gooseberry are completely affected by the pest, the bushes may remain without leaves at all. In winter, the larvae climb into the upper layers of the soil, where they spend this period of time in cocoons. In early spring, the larvae will pupate. Sawfly insects will appear from the pupae. These insects will be colored black with small light specks. The females of this insect lay their eggs in the tissues of young leaves in the upper parts of the shoots. Insects gnaw small holes in the leaves, over time, the insects increase in size and completely devour the leaves. In one season, this pest is able to develop in three generations. It should be noted that the first generation of the pest has a destructive effect on red currants: this culture will bloom slightly earlier than gooseberries. The second generation of the pest damages not only gooseberries, but also currants. The third generation will only harm gooseberries.

In order to protect against such a pest, you should dig up the soil in the fall. Such an event helps in moving the cocoons, which are in the upper layer of the soil, to a greater depth. All of this will prevent butterflies from flying out in the spring season. In addition, you can shake off the larvae on the litter from the bushes: this can be done throughout the summer season. For prevention purposes, the treatment of gooseberries with a drug called Spark will help: at the rate of one tablet or ten grams per ten liters of water. Such processing should be carried out in three steps: the first time it is carried out even before flowering, and the second time after flowering, and, finally, the last time - already in the fall after the harvest has been harvested. Among other things, treatment with infusion and decoction from tobacco and wormwood will also become quite effective.

The gooseberry moth is a fairly common and dangerous pest. The butterflies will fly out when the leaves begin to bloom. The wings of this butterfly are painted in gray tones: the front wings are supplemented with transverse, and the hind ones - with longitudinal brown stripes. This pest will lay its eggs right inside the flowers. The caterpillars will be released in about a week: then gooseberry berries are formed. Caterpillars will grow for about thirty days, their maximum length can reach two centimeters. The caterpillars seem to entangle the gooseberry fruits with cobwebs, then the pest penetrates the berries and begins to feed on them. Infected berries change color, rot over time and subsequently dry out. Pupae of this pest spend the winter season in the upper layers of the soil.

Timely harvesting and destruction of those berries that ripened very early and in which caterpillars live will become very important in protecting the gooseberry from this pest. In the fall, you should dig up the soil, as well as hilling bushes at a height of about fifteen centimeters. Currant bushes can be treated with a drug called Iskra Bio: at the rate of twenty milliliters per ten liters of water, or with Fufanon: at the rate of ten milliliters per ten liters of water. This treatment should be done before and after flowering. Also in this case, 0.3 percent karbofos is also suitable, which should be used at the same time. As for folk remedies, then you can advise the infusions of wood ash, mustard and tomato tops.

Continued - Part 2.