Dying plants & some observations

[goosander]

Often get mushrooms growing out of new layed turf. The spent mushroom compost is used as a fertilizer so perhaps that could explain were they came from.
Bob.

[Snoop Puss]

I often get fungi of assorted varieties growing on muck, which is what yours look to be doing. Local advice is: under no circumstances eat them.

[ameno]

Don't eat the mushrooms!

They'll probably be gone by now, anyway. Inkcaps only last a couple of days before dissolving into black ink (hence the name).

[Forage420]

Are you growing at an allotment? Can you set yourself up with more water butts to collect over winter? Even strawberries need a good drink while fruiting.

Hi, yes it's a concern and I think it'll be a wider concern of everyone with an allotment in the near future. There are many water storage options but space is a primary concern isn't it?

[Forage420]

Most fruit and veg need a fair amount of water - obviously butts are one way of making sure you have enough - alongside this it is also the case if you can get enough organic matter in to the soil and also get a good mulch on at the right time then that helps a lot by holding rain water in the soil.

there are a lot of details in gardening what with weather, soil, plants etc all varying - so to take blackcurrants they do need water but its only critical for a few months in the Late Spring/Early Summer when they are both growing new shoots and leaves, while also trying to produce fruit. Blackcurrants are also the sort of fruit which respond while to heavy feeding, hence FYM.

You could go through each type of fruit and they all would have somewhat different needs at different times - if it helps you could say growing fruit and veg is a bit like keeping animals - each type of animal needs different conditions and you won't do well if you treat your tigers to the same regime in terms of food etc., as you do your chickens.

So if you can give your blackcurrants an approximation of the conditions they prefer then odds on the other disease and pest problems will no longer be an issue, on the other hand if you can't give them the requisite conditions then quite possibly growing something-else in their place would be a better choice for you.

BTW ordinary tap water is fine for most plants including blackcurrants - its only blueberries and other acid loving plants you sometimes need rainwater for and then only in areas where the tap water is on the alkaline side.

Hi nick, that's good advice.

This is what the root ball looks like on all the blueberry bushes. They all popped out of the ground with one lever action of the fork. They clearly ceased growing the moment I planted them, poor things.

We've had a fair amount of rain here over the past week or so and the currants seem to have perked up a bit. Subsequently I decided not to do anything about the leaf spot , but I will go around and pick off the dying leaves, unless someone thinks this is not a good idea. Research online has suggested I take the leaves off. Thanks for your input.

[Forage420]

Often get mushrooms growing out of new layed turf. The spent mushroom compost is used as a fertilizer so perhaps that could explain were they came from.
Bob.

I mulch my pathways with woodchip from a local landscaper, I suspect it's likely from that, although I did mulch with spent mushroom compost the year before last so perhaps ..

[Forage420]

Are you growing at an allotment? Can you set yourself up with more water butts to collect over winter? Even strawberries need a good drink while fruiting.

Sadly yes. It makes getting hold of and building things much more difficult because everything has to go through a committee, often comprised of people who don't know much about horticulture!

[Forage420]

They'll probably be gone by now, anyway. Inkcaps only last a couple of days before dissolving into black ink (hence the name).

Ha I've learnt something there.

You're quite right - here one day gone the next. I didn't even realise they weren't there until I had a look today, how funny.

[Forage420]

Looks like I'm dealing with some pests now some of my legumes and alliums are established.

Can anyone help me identify this chap?

[Forage420]

I'd like to identify this chap, last seen on my broadbeans :

A book I'm referencing suggests it may be pea and bean weavil ? The antenna and gnawed leaf margins are evident here.

[Forage420]

Holes in my rocket and mustard leaves.

Can anyone help identify the perpetrator ?

[Derbydal]

think they are baby ladybirds, re using wood chips has a mulch round bushes and trees quite a lot trees are cut down because they are diseased ! something to think about , atb Dal.

[Forage420]

My runner beans & french beans have suffered some major losses.

Should I suspect slugs or birds? If birds are responsible I'll need to get netting on them ASAP.

[Derbydal]

Holes in my rocket and mustard leaves.

Can anyone help identify the perpetrator ?

that could be flee beetle

[Forage420]

Lastly, this looks horribly like onion eelworm.

Only a very small amount of my onions are affected at the moment.

The book says to dig up the infected onions and not plant alliums in the same place next year. What do you all think?