Measures to combat rust on currants, treatment with drugs and folk remedies

In almost every country house and garden plot you can see a currant bush. This plant is quite unpretentious in care, but at the same time it gives a good harvest. But sometimes the bush starts to hurt. Red spots appear on it, which quickly grow. And in order to save the plant, you need to know what kind of rust occurs on currants, and what measures exist to combat it.

Types of rust and signs of appearance on red and black currants

Rust is a bush fungal disease that causes great harm to the plant itself. The main cause of this disease is considered to be coniferous trees growing near currants.

Glass rust

Most often, goblet rust affects shrubs growing in areas near pine or cedar forests. First, a fungal spore lands on a pine or cedar branch, then it develops and multiplies under the bark of the tree.

As soon as spring arrives, bubbly growths appear on the surface of the bark, each of which turns into a red spot.

Inside it are spores of a fungus that first attacks the sedge, and then the currants. The infection process itself occurs with the help of wind and insects, which carry the fungus on their paws. This disease progresses from May to early June.

Columnar rust

This type of rust affects the upper part of the leaves of currant bushes. On the outside they are covered with yellow spots, but on the inside the leaves seem to be covered with orange dots. There are fungal spores inside them. This disease progresses most in July and August. It is during this period that rusty spots may appear on the currants.

Causes

The cause of rust on currant leaves is a fungus that develops only in humid and warm climates. When it comes to dry summers, during such a period the disease rarely appears on the leaves of the bush.

Most often, rust affects currant bushes growing in low-lying areas and where plants are densely planted. Other provoking factors that contribute to the appearance of rusty spots on currant leaves include:

1. Infestation of leaf aphids. This insect can be recognized by the small black dots that appear on the back of the leaf. The aphids begin to feed on the sap of the plant, which is why it becomes covered with bright yellow swellings. The shrub grows poorly and gradually dies.
2. Spider mite. Another pest that causes currant rust. This insect settles on the leaves of the bush, as a result of which a swelling appears on them, which has a rusty tint. After some time, the leaves become completely colorless, after which they fall off.
3. Currant gall midge. This insect also causes plant rust by laying yellow-brown eggs on it. After extensive damage, the bush dies.

What danger does currant bushes pose?

Rust is a dangerous fungal disease. By affecting the currant bush, it contributes to its gradual death. If left untreated, by the end of summer the lower part of the leaves becomes covered with rust. The spots grow and change their shade to brown and red. The fungus covers the entire affected area.

The currant bush begins to change in appearance. The leaves become hard and terry. The berries are covered with an orange coating. They can no longer be eaten. Then the fruits dry out and fall off. The bush, due to the disease, is greatly weakened. In this state, he goes to winter. As a result, in the spring the shoots remain frozen and cannot subsequently begin to ripen.

Cause of Columnar Rust

The main cause of columnar rust is a fungal spore, the intermediate host of which is sedge.

If this herb grows near a currant bush, then in the spring it will be infected.

Another reason for the spread of spores is considered to be trees such as pine and cedar. And given that currants are very susceptible to fungal pathogens, there is a risk of infection. In this case, it is better to choose such resistant species as the black variety Selechinskaya currant or Primorsky Champion, Eighth Denisova and Chulkovskaya.

Measures to prevent the spread of fungus

Preventive measures aimed at combating rust on the currant bush should be carried out at the beginning of the spring period, before the buds have yet appeared. As a preventative measure, the soil under the bush should be fed. To do this, it is better to use phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. As soon as the leaves begin to bloom, they, along with the branches, need to be sprayed with Bordeaux water.

Under no circumstances should currants be planted near coniferous and pine trees. As soon as autumn arrives, currant branches are treated with a two percent Karbofos solution.

How to process currants

Currants can be treated with both chemical preparations and biological agents and solutions prepared independently. If a currant leaf is severely affected by rust, then you cannot do without the use of chemicals.

But as a preventive measure, you can use biological products or adopt some folk recipe for preparing a solution.

Store products

Fitosporin-M is considered a good drug. It is capable of fighting thirty types of fungus. It can be used both during flowering and fruiting.

Other store-bought products that can resist rust include:

• copper oxychloride;
• drug Abiga Peak;
• Cuproxat;
• Strobe;
• Byleton;
• Vectra;
• Oksikhom;
• Ordan;
• Topaz.

Folk ways to combat rust

Before the buds open, currants can be treated with a decoction based on onion peels. Then the bush should be sprinkled with an infusion of garlic and tobacco. To do this, 200 grams of tobacco dust must be diluted in two liters of boiled water, into which six heads of garlic are first chopped.

The solution is infused for three days, after which it is used to treat the diseased bush. The sediment that remains after the solution must be distributed under the bush, sprinkling it with a little earth.

Rules for carrying out therapeutic measures

In order to save the bush, you need to know how to deal with rust that appears on currants. First, you should collect all the fallen leaves, which must be burned. This will stop the spread of the fungus itself. Then you need to dig up the soil under the bush.

A solution prepared with garlic water and tobacco dust will also help fight rust.

The currant bush can be treated with biological agents that can fight not only fungus, but also pests. This:

• Planriz;
• Gaupsin;
• biological product Fitosporin;
• Trichodermin;
• Chistofor;
• Propy Plus.

Processing times

The spraying procedure will depend on how much the bush is affected by rust and what drug will be used to treat it.

If infection has occurred, the first treatment should be carried out before flowering, when the leaves are just beginning to bloom.

The second spraying should be during the formation of buds.And the third treatment takes place when flowering ends. If the bush is severely affected, you will have to do a fourth spraying ten days after the third.

Bush spraying scheme

Spraying schemes for a currant bush will depend on what exactly it is being treated with. If this is an infusion of onion peels and garlic solution, then first the bush must be treated with garlic water, and then, two weeks later, it is sprayed with onion peels.

The currant bush is treated with copper oxychloride and Bordeaux mixture three times, with an interval of four weeks. It is recommended to do this during the growing season.

With drugs such as Strobi, Oxychom, Kuproxat, Ordan, Vectra and Topaz, spraying is done twice, with an interval of ten days. Chistofor and Propi Plus are treated three times a season. Treatment is carried out either in the spring - before the leaves bloom, or after flowering.

Methods for preventing the disease

Methods for preventing the disease can be divided into:

• mechanical;
• chemical;

Mechanical control involves treating the bush with hot water. This method will eliminate pests and increase the plant’s resistance to various diseases.

After this, all dry branches should be cut off. If a large, thick branch is cut, then the cut area is smeared with garden varnish. All removed branches and leaves are destroyed. This measure helps protect the shrub from fungal infection.

The chemical method consists of treating the bush with prophylactic drugs. In March, it will be useful to spray the bush and the soil under it with Nitrophen or Fundazol. They will help protect against the development of rust and defeat currant bush disease.