Powdery mildew treatment for gooseberries

Gooseberry is a culture that has been cultivated in Russia since ancient times. The first written mentions of this berry are found in the chronicles of the XIV century, the weight of the fruits reached 20 grams.

Columbus from South America brought new varieties of berries to Portugal in the 16th century. Then the gooseberry spread throughout Europe. Together with new varieties of gooseberries, the navigator brought to Europe a new disease - "seroteka" or "American powdery mildew". It spread to the territory of Russia, killing varieties of Russian large-fruited gooseberries that are unstable to this disease.

All modern berry varieties are descendants of the American gooseberry, but even they are vulnerable to this disease.

Powdery mildew

Seroteka - gooseberry diseasethat infects gooseberry leaves. It appears as brownish spots, which then turn black and the leaf dries up. If the bush is neglected, then the disease can spread to the gooseberry fruits. This disease is very similar to apple scab. American powdery mildew affects only gooseberries. But over the course of several centuries, the seroteca mutated into downy mildew, which already affects many other plant species. Therefore, in order to preserve the gooseberry harvest, the shrub must be treated with chemicals such as Topaz.

Processing "Topaz"

Gooseberries are processed in early April, when deciduous buds begin to swell. Treatment with "Topaz" is done very carefully, in calm clear weather, not a single branch and not a single flower bud are missed. The base of the bush is also carefully sprayed. The remedy will work six hours after spraying, the duration of action for the treatment of powdery mildew is three days. The prophylactic effect of the drug lasts 7-8 days.

Operating principle

The drug is sold in the form of a suspension or ampoules, so there is no need to filter the solution. For 10 liters of water, you need to dissolve 9 ml of suspension or one ampoule of the drug. "Topaz" is absorbed into gooseberry leaves and kills powdery mildew spores. The fungicide is effective at high temperatures, that is, under conditions favorable for the development of powdery mildew.

The second fungicide treatment is carried out after the end of the gooseberry flowering. The shrub is sprayed two to three days after the formation of the first ovary. If you did not manage to process the plant a second time, then you can spray on green berries. Processing, in this case, needs to be done not two, but three times - on green berries and a month and a half before harvesting.