Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi,

I have a problem with a red currant bush that I wondered if someone could shed some light on. I have a red currant and black currant bush in a large planter which have been growing well for the last two summers. The black currant one is currently doing fine, plenty of black currants growing on it. However the red one has been stripped, leaving only the skeleton of the leaves and a couple of berries. I haven't seen any insects on it and there is no sign of any type of creatures. Does anyone know what could have happened to it and why its not affected the black currant? Do I need to spray it with something to get rid of the invisible invaders? Any help would be much appreciated as I don't want to lose my black currant one too.

Thank you!

Julie

It sounds like gooseberry saw fly which also attacks red and white currants so your blackcurrant will be alright I guess. My gooseberry was stripped in the same way you described almost overnight by tiny green caterpillars. The advice from the RHS is:

Regularly check the plants from mid-April onwards for sawflies and pick off the larvae by hand.

Alternatively, spray when young larvae are seen with an insecticide approved for use on gooseberry/currants. Suitable insecticides are thiacloprid (Provado Ultimate Bug Killer Ready To Use) or an organic pesticide such as rotenone* (Bio Liquid Derris Plus*) or pyrethrum (Py Garden Insect Killer, Scotts Bug Clear Gun for Fruit & Veg, Gem Stop Bugs or Doff All in One Bug Spray).

Your currant should survive but will be weakened and if it grows more leaves look out for more of the pesky critters.

Meg

Almost certainly sawfly caterpillars - surprisingly difficult to see until you spray the bush and they start to drop like rain!! Having said that, I grow 4 currants and 2 gooseberries and only the gooseberries are ever affected.
There is a chance that it is leaf-cutter bees (fascinating creatures - please try to tolerate them), but the damage sounds far too severe.

Yup, me too, my red current dosn't sound as bad as yours, but i've been hand picking little green caterpillars of for weeks now.. my gold fish love them, don't despair its only one season and it will grow next year.. and you'll know what to look for then.. its still not a nice thing to happen though, Good Luck for next season

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Thanks for the replies I'll get some bug spray and do both bushes just in case. In the meantime I'll keep a close eye on them for unwanted visitors!

if you don't pick off the caterpillars, they will drop to the ground and pupate in the soil, to re-infest your plants next year

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~ "I would rather do a good hours work weeding than write two pages of my best; nothing is so interesting as weeding" ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

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Hi

I spotted some stripped leaves on a currant yesterday and ended up picking off 40 odd little green caterpillars. The clue was the gravel on lower leaves which I presume was caterpillar poo!

morris

Mmmm, frass. Especially tasty in a pea

__________________
~ "I would rather do a good hours work weeding than write two pages of my best; nothing is so interesting as weeding" ~ Robert Louis Stevenson

I promise not to mention the rather excellent Search function again. Feel free to slap me if I do

I'm not a fan of spraying anything we eat with insecticide. It's probably too late for this year, but at the first sign, I chuck a handful of peanuts under the bush(es). It usually coincides with birds looking for food for their chicks. They find the peanuts, and while they are at it, they clear the bushes of caterpillars.

valmarg

Just wondered whether the soapy water treatment would have worked (to late now!)
I've sprayed soapy water over my blackcurrant tips which were being attacked by white and fly .............and it got rid of them!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
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