Why do gooseberry leaves turn yellow
Gooseberries are quite unpretentious in their care and are excellent for growing them in the difficult conditions of the Russian climate. But this does not mean that various diseases are not at all afraid of gooseberries. Gooseberry leaves turn yellow. The presence of white spots on foliage and fruits.
The presence of cobwebs or powdery coating and rust indicates that the plant, unfortunately, has been subjected to some kind of disease. By the characteristic signs, you can understand what kind of disease arose in the plant and begin appropriate measures to combat it.
But sometimes it happens that there is no apparent reason. However, the leaves of the gooseberry begin to dry out and fall off. How can the leaves turn yellow, how to prevent and stop this process. The reasons for this phenomenon can be different.
Possible reasons why gooseberry leaves turn yellow
There are natural factors associated with the life cycle of a plant. And there are specific diseases. Or insufficient care. Let's take a closer look at everything.
Insufficient watering
The first thing summer residents might think about when they see that gooseberry leaves turn yellow is that the plant may not have enough moisture. Gooseberries can tolerate drought well and should only be watered in extreme drought.
But if your shrub is still very young, then it just needs a sufficient amount of moisture. When planting, it is necessary to add at least 2 buckets of water to the planting pit. Mulch the soil with compost, peat, or whatever weeds you cut.
Within 1 month after you plant the gooseberry, you can water the plant only once every 7 days. Gooseberries do not require strong and frequent watering, unlike raspberries and currants. For central Russia, rainfall will be enough.
If your shrub is already old enough and has a fairly thick layer of mulch, then it practically does not need watering.
Withering due to seasonal causes
If you notice that the leaves have started to turn yellow at the end of the fall period, then there is nothing to worry about. This is the natural state of many crops, including gooseberries. This will mean that the gooseberry is starting to shed its leaves for the reason that it is starting to prepare for the winter season.
Why do gooseberry leaves turn yellow: nutritional deficiency
If the foliage of the gooseberry began to change color to yellow at the very beginning of the season and you have no problems with watering, then the summer resident needs to think carefully about what could cause this phenomenon.
This is a rather bad sign that may indicate that the plant is suffering from some kind of vital processes. It is the nutritional deficiency that can be expressed in the color change in the leaves.
If during planting you followed all the rules, and also added humus, a glass of ash, a little mineral fertilizer to the planting pit. Then this will be quite enough for 3 years for the full development of the gooseberry. It is for the 3 year of its life that the gooseberry can bring a good harvest, so it needs additional feeding.
If you do not see any specific reasons for this phenomenon. Watering is normal, the plant is not sick with anything, this may mean that the gooseberry is deficient in nitrogen.
This may be accompanied by the following:
- Oxygen shortage begins.
- The leaves are starting to turn yellow.
- The berries are starting to fall.
In this state, the gooseberries will not be able to dry out, but they will be quite weakened. This is due to the fact that nitrogen is essential for building cells.In order to correct the situation and replenish the missing nitrogen, you can use saltpeter, which is very quickly absorbed by gooseberries.
Nitrate can be used both in spring and summer. It is enough just to scatter saltpeter (20 g of substance per 1 sq. M.) And walk with a hoe throughout the entire area. If your area has good and hot days, you can use urea and ammophos.
These drugs are well absorbed precisely at high temperatures. In the summer, you can use any substance. Fertilizers are able to quickly deliver the necessary nutrients to the plant. But at the same time, while remaining on the surface of the soil, they are able to saline it to a large extent.
Therefore, it is better to use organic fertilizers as a top dressing. It is not advisable to use mullein infusion, since a fungal infection can form. It is best to use a green weed infusion.
This will help not only nourish the plant, but also protect it from many pests. But it is important to remember the fact that complex fertilizers can be added throughout the season, you just need to know the correct concentration for different times.
Various diseases
The best method for controlling various pests is disease prevention. It is for this purpose that it is recommended to carry out spraying with the help of special protective equipment at the beginning of the season.
Spheroteka (American Powdery Mildew)... This is perhaps one of the most dangerous diseases for gooseberries. It is this that can serve to the fact that the old varieties of gooseberries, with large fruits, rich harvest and tasty berries, have been lost.
The presence of this disease can be detected on young shoots and foliage by bloom, which will have a white color. The whole plant is infected at a tremendous rate, especially if the weather is cold. Over time, the plaque begins to acquire a gray color, which begins to resemble felt.
The shoots begin to turn black and dry, the foliage turns yellow, and the fruits fall off. Parts of the bush that were affected by this disease must be cut off and burned, and the soil under the bush must be carefully dug up. With the beginning of spring, before the buds bloom, the following treatment must be carried out:
- Drizzle with boiling water.
- Spray with mullein infusion (1: 3).
- Drizzle with ash infusion (boiled).
- Treat with special preparations such as Isofen.
Such treatments need to be done more than once. After flowering ends, it is necessary to spray with soda for preventive purposes (50 g of soda should be taken for 10 liters of water). This procedure should be carried out 3 times every 10 days.
Many summer residents use a folk remedy that has proven itself well in the fight against powdery mildew.
It is necessary to take 1 kg of dry hay or weeds that have dried in the sun and soak them in 10 liters of water. The resulting mixture must be left in the sun for 10 days until a characteristic rainbow film appears on the surface of the water.
This will mean that lactic bacteria have appeared in the water, which will fight well against powdery mildew. Strain the resulting mixture and apply by spraying several times after 10 days. Due to the fact that bacteria do not tolerate light, the mixture is bottled and kept in a dark room.
Verticillary wilting. This disease is quite common. It can harm strawberries, eggplant, tomatoes, grapes and other crops. Unfortunately, it is possible to understand that the culture is sick only after 1-2 years after infection.
Those plants that have undergone the disease begin to lag significantly behind in growth. The foliage begins to turn yellow and wither, at first from below, and then throughout the bush. Young shoots are the first to die, and after 2-3 years the whole plant also dies.
The cause of this disease is fungi, which penetrate through the roots into the vascular system of the plant. If you break a branch and see that it has turned brown, it means that the plant has been affected by this disease. Fungi begin to infect the root and vascular systems of the gooseberry.
For the development of infection, the temperature must be + 17 ... + 22 degrees. When the temperature is much lower, the fungus cannot develop and the plant can recover. Most often, the infected bush is cut off, and the soil is well disinfected.
If the disease has just begun, then you can use special drugs that will help save the plant: Benlatom, Vitaros.
When choosing a variety for planting, rely not only on taste, but also on the tolerance of various diseases. Otherwise, you may simply not get a good harvest.
Gooseberry. Leaves turn yellow due to the attack of pests. What to do?
If you notice that the gooseberry leaves began to turn yellow and fly around in the middle of summer, then this may mean that the bush has been attacked by a spider mite. The harvest is getting much smaller. If you notice that spider nests have appeared on the tops of the shoots, then the plant has been attacked by a spider mite.
Hot and dry weather encourages it to spread throughout the bush. To avoid meeting this insect, a thick layer of mulch must be applied under the bush before the season starts. For spraying, you can use the following products:
- Infusion of garlic.
- Onion infusion.
- Infusion of potato or tomato tops.
- A solution of ammonia.
- Turpentine in the form of a solution.
- Tar, solution.
The following drugs can be used against adult ticks: Fitoverm, Alarin, Actellik. But there will be no effect on the eggs. The nests will need to be assembled by hand and simply burned.
If you begin to notice that the leaves of the gooseberry have begun to turn yellow. The bush itself began to lag behind in development and growth, the ovaries began to crumble, this will mean that the plant has undergone some kind of disease. Or it was attacked by some kind of pest. Or it may be deficient in nutrients.
If you take good care of the gooseberries, feed them with various fertilizers, then you can get a rich and healthy harvest of these useful berries.