It has been suggested that recycled beer (pee) prevents American mildew (Sphaerotheca mors-uvae) on gooseberries. You can spray it undiluted before the leaves open, then dilute it once they are open. I’m all for a natural remedy that does not cost the Earth.
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| My two year old gooseberry bush in the corner of the potato bed. |
I sprayed my gooseberries with Bordeaux mixture, which was supposed to prevent American mildew but didn’t. I got a lot of fruit off before the gooseberries were affected but lost a lot more. You can wash or scrape mildew off the fruit but it takes a lot of time. I can do recycled beer no problem but I think that the fruit will have to be washed particularly carefully before putting into a pie.
I eventually gave up on the gooseberries and buried them – as is my want. The new gooseberry is Xania, which is a red, sweet heavy cropping variety resistant to mildew. I have also moved the gooseberry row to another part of the allotment in the hope that the new ground will not have mildew spores. The lesson I have learnt from this is don’t leave gooseberries in the same ground for 30 years.
