Topic: white fluff on gooseberries

[deboydoyd]

I've just taken over a plot with some magnificent gooseberry bushes, and while I was inspecting them yesterday I noticed that a few of the berries are covered in white fluffy mouldy stuff. Are they doomed?

[moonbells]

Probably American Gooseberry Mildew. Prune bushes in winter to an open goblet shape, spray if you're not organic with a fungicide.

(Pain in the neck to me - I'm organic and there's not a lot I can do once it hits!)

moonbells

[deboydoyd]

Thats probably it then because they won't have been pruned for years. I'll look forward to being sliced to ribbons in the winter!

[Lady Cosmos]

Is it a bit like white powder on the new leaves?If It looks like that is a sign of not correct fertilization. I always gave my gooseberries  some nitrogen and some potassium every year to avoid mildew. May be that will help ??? ???

[Mrs Ava]

I know this is probably a really daft thing to say, but don't forget young goosegogs are hairy.  Just wanted to make sure you weren't mistaking hairy baby gooesgogs for baby poorly goosegogs.  :-\

[deboydoyd]

they are definitely poorly, the affected berries are mushy. Noticed it on other bushes around the plots too, on the unpruned ones. Need to get in there and give 'em a good cutting back.

[misterphil]

I remember reading something in one of Bob Flowerdew's books: Basically, if you pick them now and tumble them in a container with water and something a bit abraisive to wash it off, they can then be used for cooking - I'm off to the allotment on Saturday to bleed and collect my whole crop to make jam with because of this pesky fluffy stuff.

A watering can of bordeaux mixture does seem to bave halted it's progress however, and has prevented it spreading to another bush, but I need the berries from that for jam making anyway ...

[saddad]

They do make great jam don't they! As berry Winham's industry is my favourite but it does suffer from Mildew...
  :(

[Merry Tiller]

Dig 'em up and get yourself some of these, you'll save yourself allot of messing about for not much reward  ;)

http://www.keepers-nursery.co.uk/product.aspx?id=ROKULA

[deboydoyd]

Didn't realise it was so bad, should I really start jamming?

[telboy]

The best prevention is NOT to give too much nitrogen. Pick off & burn affected shoots, and spray in midsummer with a mixture of 1/2 lb.soft soap/1 lb. washing soda in 5 galls. water.
Good luck!

[Merry Tiller]

Somehow the thought of eating something that has been covered with soap & washing soda puts me off a bit  :-\

[telboy]

M.T.
It's called help?

[misterphil]

Have just finished making 10 lbs of jam (Yummy!) - added some elderflower for extra flavour.

The whole crop bar 10 or so were really mildewed. I got a bag that my wife uses for washing delicate fabrics (looks like a fine net bag) and loaded them into that with a large handful of gravel. Put them in the machine for a 1hr wash (no detergent) and managed to salvage around 60% of the crop straight off (all the really small ones were wasted) and boosted that up to around 75% with a bit of judicious topping and tailing.

This winter I'll prune heavily and see what happens - they are thicker than most hedges at the moment, and obviously have never seen a pair of secateurs!

PS, just finished off 15 lbs of rhubarb jam too!

[maureen]

I have goosberrie bushes, But this year I was struck with goosberrie sawfly..never encountered this before we have had our goosberrie bushes for five years .,we take cuttings every two years,,goosberry sawfly is a horrendous threat to goosberies and currant bushes they almost took out the  young goosberries bushes ate all the leaves  till it was almost bare happened overnight..so look out for this pest and be prepared watch your redcurrants and your flowering ornamental redcurrants bushes..they look like a small catapiller..