When and how to process currant bushes with boiling water in spring

To save your berry bush from unnecessary problems, it is very important to use modern insecticidal and fungicidal preparations. However, do not forget the folk ways of processing currants. One of these well-known methods of pest and disease control is the treatment of currant bushes with boiling water in early spring.

We will talk about the term and features of this eradication procedure later in our article.

Why process currants in spring with boiling water:what pests and diseases helps to fight

Spraying currants in spring with boiling water serves the following purposes:

• To eliminate one of the main parasites of currant bushes - kidney mite. 
• To combataphidswintering on a bush (in its buds).
  

  Note! With others ways to combat aphids on currants you can read here.

• Some even say hot water kills glass bowl (very unlikely indeed).
• A hot shower stimulates the plant to “awakening "after hibernation.
• Dousing with hot water hardens the plant = improves it immunity and resistance to disease.
• It is also believed that the treatment of bushes with boiling waterincreases the number of peduncles.

Of course, the most important advantage of currant irrigation with boiling water is the indisputable fact that it is a relatively safe and one might say “ecological” method of treatment against pests and diseases (as opposed to chemicals).

However! It should be understood that the real effectiveness of this procedure is much lower than the use of chemical insecticides and fungicides.

On the Internet, you can find very positive reviews, besides, some summer residents do only such processing at all and their bushes are clean, and the harvest is excellent. But, whatever one may say, boiling water alone cannot completely rid your bushes of pests and diseases!

Therefore, be sure to spend full-fledged spring treatment of currants from diseases and pests using various chemical and biological agents.

When to process currants with boiling water in spring: timing

It is recommended to water the currants with boiling water while the last snow is still lying or it has already begun to gradually disappear.

Advice! But still desirable carry out such processing when there is still snow on the street. And all because not to knead the dirt after the beginning of its convergence (melting).

At this moment, the plant is still guaranteed to be in hibernation, and it does not yet show signs of the beginning of life (sap flow has not begun, the buds are also sleeping; as a maximum, they have just begun to swell).

Note! If you are late and the buds have already begun to bloom, then in this case there will be a high probability of damaging the buds themselves and causing serious damage (burns) to your shrub.

Thus, when choosing the date for the processing of currants with boiling water, first of all, you need to focus on the state of the bush: it should not wake up, or even more so, buds bloom.

Concerning approximate processing time, then, for example, for the Middle Lane - this is the end of March - the first half of April, for the Leningrad Region - the second half of April. In the South of Russia even earlier - in March, and in Siberia and the Urals - at the end of April.

However! Once at a time it is not necessary - spring comes unexpectedly every year, so first of all you focus on the appearance of the bush.

Video: processing currant bushes in early spring with boiling water

Interesting! It is believed that the treatment of currant bushes with boiling water in autumn (in October, when the bushes are already completely naked) can cause serious damage to aphids and spores powdery mildew... However, you will not be able to get a currant tick in the fall, because he hid in a tightly closed kidney.

Technology of processing currants in spring with boiling water from pests and diseases

Spring pouring boiling water over currant bushes should not be carried out spontaneously, but ahead of time, carefully preparing and planning the event.

How to properly handle currants with boiling water in spring? Let's figure it out!

How to prepare for boiling currant processing:

• Conduct spring pruning shrubunless of course you have spent pruning in autumn.
• Carefully examine bushes for abnormally swollen buds (mite buds) and remove them mechanically, i.e. manually pinch off all infected kidneys.

Of course, boiling water will work on them too, but hand picking is guaranteed to get rid of the tick. Naturally, all the collected kidneys must be taken away and burned.

• Prepare an iron or plastic spray can.

As a rule, modern plastic watering cans are designed for 100-degree liquids, but it is better to check (usually the permissible temperatures are indicated on the bottom).

• So that boiling water gets to all problem areas and destroys all pests, it is desirabletie all branches into a single sheaf (tie the bushes with rope in a circle and pull them together).

This will reduce the consumption of the boiling water itself and make the procedure more effective.

• Some gardeners believe that it is necessary to additionally protect the root system and lay boards, plastic oilcloth under the bush, and mulch. However, this is completely pointless. You will not damage the roots when watering with boiling water.since it is not boiling water that will reach them, but just warm water.
• And the most important thing is to prepare boiling water!
• While you boil the water, pour it into the watering can, bring it to the place and begin the process of spilling the bushes, the water will cool down somewhat. This is normal (70-80 degrees).

How to directly process currants with boiling water:

• With confident movements of the watering can up and down, go around the bush from all sides, evenly irrigating the branches, while the exposure time on one area should not exceed 3-5 seconds.

Important! During processing, it should be controlled that all branches are evenly watered with hot water.

• As for the consumption of boiling water for 1 bush, it is important to pour over all the branches.

If the bushes are compactly tied (which is highly recommended), then 1 bucket of water will be enough for 2-3 bushes.

Video: treatment with a currant bush in early spring with boiling water

Video: the result of pouring hot water over currants

Alternative methods of heat treatment of currants

Inventive gardeners use other methods of exposing currant bushes to high temperatures:

• For example, it is believed that usingsteam generator and it will be more economical at all.
• Some cultivate bushes at all blowtorch (lightly burn).

Video: what needs to be done with currant bushes in spring - processing the bushes with a blowtorch

Thus, watering and spraying currants with boiling water in early spring is a relatively effective and free old method of combating pests and fungal diseases of the shrub. In addition, such an effect can increase the protective properties of a culture (its immunity - resistance to various diseases).

And still! Scalding currants with boiling water is only one of the components of the package of measures for processing currants in spring, in other words, it not a panacea from all pests and diseases.

In general, the site already has an article about how and how to process currants in the spring from diseases and pests.

Video: processing currants from kidney mites and other pests by pouring hot water over the bushes in early spring