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Gooseberry, Leaf Fungus
ArleneJ
Posts: 7
in Fruit & veg
I have a gooseberry which is laden with fruit but the plant has become infected with what seems to be a leaf fungus. The leaf gets 'blotches' on it that are brown (in a way similar to black spot on roses), they enlarge, get purplish edges then the leaf turns yellow and falls off. How can I treat this as I'm afraid that it is weakening the plant and I'll lose the crop?
0
Posts
There's a gooseberry disease called "gooseberry leaf spot" or "gooseberry anthracnose". If you look it up on line you could see if the photos match your problem...
Hi Liriodendron, indeed that is the problem. How can I treat it. So many fungicides state that they are not for use on edible crops?
The RHS says no fungicides are available to non-commercial growers. I don't think I'd want to use chemical controls on edible crops anyway.
The same RHS site where I found the above info, says rake up and burn fallen leaves (you could pick off any which haven't fallen but are affected), and feed, water and mulch the bushes so they can "grow out of it". They suggest a foliar feed like a seaweed spray too.
These fungal infections are often weather-dependent, so providing you can clear up the dead leaves on which the spores would over-winter, it probably won't happen next year.
Gooseberries are very tough shrubs. I'm sure they'll be ok - and that your crop of fruit won't be lost either.
Thanks Liriodendron. I agree in terms of using chemical controls on edible crops as I keep my garden as 'chemical free' as possible. I have taken your/RHS advice and cleaned fallen leaves, picked as many as I can of those affected, mulched and watered. On the weekend I'll get a foliar feed too. Unfortunately our weather is not helping. Dublin has had cloud cover and high humidity for weeks on end with only sporadic patches of sunshine! Thank you so much for your help!
You're very welcome, Arline!
My daughter moved with her OH and young family to Galway 18 months ago. It's wonderfully green, but clearly that comes at a price... lots of rain! They rented for a year, then moved into a newly-built house. The lawn was sown by the developer last month, and planted them some nice trees, plus some shrubs in the front garden, so they're looking forward to making it theirs at last.
Sorry, mis-spelled your name... I have a friend who spells it with an "i".
No problem re the spelling ... in Ireland it is an uncommon name so everyone calls me Eileen. Indeed the country is green and indeed the price is the rain. But gardening is incredibly easy as virtually anything can be slipped. It really is a case of stick it in the ground and it grows! For me it took some getting used to as I grew up in South Africa!