Help with gooseberries

[MEL78]

Hi need advcie just got my allotment about a month ago have just been up there today and the gooseberry bush on the plot has white (mold) fur all over the fruit....what is this and how should I deal with it...think that its maybe mildew and it so do I need to dig up the plant and will it effect other plants on my plot.

Mel

[oldjerry]

Mel,if it's only a single bush,personally,I'd dig it up and get rid.Gosgogs
aren't hugely expensive(I'd wait till the back end then get a couple of bareroot replacements),best start with some decent stuff.BW.

[MEL78]

thanks am I right in thinking that its mildew!!!!

[oldjerry]

Yeah, sounds like it,all soft fruit is worth replacing in time.It's incredibly easy to propagate by hardwood cuttings(which explains why they're cheap(ish)to buy.)

[Odsox]

It's called American Mildew and is made worse by soft sappy growth, usually by fertilising or possibly caused by warm humid weather.
It's not fatal, although this year's crop will probably be affected, but a spray with a fungicide like Bordeaux mixture will help. Next year it should be OK, but don't give it any fertiliser.

[julie_lanteri]

"fungicide like Bordeaux mixture"
I'm so disappointed... I only garden on my tiny balcony and so I'm very impressed when I read about nettle/comfrey tea, garlic spray and I thought it was the same with bordeaux mixture! I was picturing all of you with a bottle of wine: 1 glass for me, 1 glass in the bucket for the bordeaux mixture... haha!

[MKG]

Unfortunately, Julie, it's a mixture of lime and copper sulphate. Not, definitely not, a good thing to drink. But I agree about the romanticism of names. Even Jeyes Fluid sounds exotic to me. And fish, blood and bone always conjured up images of pirates, even though fish, blood and bone is exactly what it says on the tin. Ah well

Mike

[Millymollymandy]

I don't think I can even spell it in French (let alone pronounce it ) but you may have heard of it as bouillie bordelaise? It was what the French developed to combat mildiou (blight) on grape vines.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouillie_bordelaise

[julie_lanteri]

thank you Mike and MMM (I'd never heard of bouillie bordelaise either). the name makes sense now! mixture from Bordeaux or "bordelaise" to protect the grapes for the wine... learn new things everyday!

[MEL78]

hi a friend has suggested cutting the bush right back and then hopefully it will be ok next year if this good advice...also what should I do with the effected branches can they compost at all (or should I bin them or maybe they would be ok for the council compost bin) don't want to spread the mildew (if that is possible)
Thanks

[Odsox]

You can cut it right back by all means, but you won't get any fruit next year.
I think that you are being a bit too concerned about it to be honest, just give it a fungicide spray and it should be fine.
If it's a variety that's susceptible to mildew then it's probably going to happen every year anyway, so just learn to live with it and spray it early next year and then keep an eye on it.

I had 4 gooseberry bushes when I lived in the UK that got mildew every year without fail, I sprayed Bordeaux mixture once after flowering and again about mid-May and always had a clean crop of fruit.

[Millymollymandy]

Anyway good to know about the B. Mix as I have just acquired a load of softwood cuttings of red gooseberries. Only want two bushes (and don't even know if I like gooseberries ) but haven't even really read up anything about them yet - never thought they would need spraying like the fruit trees and spuds and toms!

Does anyone know if there is a difference in taste between regular and red goosegogs?

[boboff]

I have red ones, and although this is subjective, I think they taste a bit sweeter, and if anything have a hint of blackcurrant them.( Although that might be a washing up issue as I did pick and pack both at the same time!)

[oldjerry]

Sorry but I reckon this is a lot of hassle (and chemicals) to save one bush,which is probably old overgrownand knackered,and possibly riddled with all sorts of other stuff.If you get a 2 or 3yr old replacement bareroot next Nov,and plant it in a different part of the allotment, it'll probably fruit next year AND with luck have been initially pruned in such a way as to minimise mould( Largely described as 'goblet shaped' but in practice you just open up the middle to let air in and thus minimise mould.)Some varieties are more susceptible to mould than others,and I agree with Boboff,the red ones are really good tastewise.BW

[Millymollymandy]

Ahhhh thanks you two, well we will see, probably have to wait a year or two for fruit......