Young shoots of raspberries wither and die with proper watering - the reasons and what to do about it

Raspberries are a useful berry loved by many people, found in almost every country house and in every garden. However, sometimes when examining the garden, summer residents notice that young raspberry shoots wither and die. If all growing conditions are suitable for the curtain, and watering is regular and correct, then the reason is most likely an infection or parasite attack.

Causes of the disease

First, it is worth figuring out why young shoots of raspberries wither:

• gall midge,
• raspberry fly,
• purple spot.

It is necessary to carefully examine the affected bush, on which leaves and shoots wither, in order to choose the most appropriate treatment.

We fight the gall midge

Most often, gall midge - a dangerous pest of many types of berries - is most active in July, on the hottest summer days.

Important
The very first sign of a gall midge attack appears in early spring, when the raspberries are not yet covered with leaves. On the branches at the roots, thickenings, galls appear. At this stage, the bush can still be saved.

The larva survives the escape from the inside, which leads to its death. By the time of the first leaves, the worm turns into a small fly, with a black back and lays eggs. During one summer, several generations of the parasite are replaced, and each subsequent one causes more and more damage to raspberries. Many plants die.

The only way to combat the pest is to destroy the affected shoots. Until the eggs break open under the bark, raspberries have a chance. It is necessary to cut off the shoots at least 2-3 cm below the last gall and burn.

Prevention:

1. It will not be superfluous to spray the plantings with Bordeaux liquid even before the buds bloom.
2. If the bushes are covered with leaves and even began to bloom, then it is better to use less dangerous folk remedies (infusion of wormwood, nettle or walnut leaves).
3. The mullein infusion also gives a good result.
4. Experienced gardeners plant onions and garlic in raspberries - pests do not like their smell, and they will not populate the curtain.

Advice
It is preferable to spray in the evening, because gall midges fly out to fish at night.

Solving the problem of purple spotting

A common and very dangerous fungal disease, due to which young growth of raspberries quickly bends and dries up - purple spot. Leads to the death of almost half of the affected bushes, if not taken action. Fungal disease weakens plants, making it an easy prey for many parasites, for example, the same gall midge.

It all starts with vague spots on raspberry stems. They grow rapidly, and at the last stage, the fruits, tops and leaves dry out.

Control measures must be decisive and tough:

1. Infected stems are cut to the root and burned.
2. In the spring, thinning is necessarily performed - due to the excessive crowding of the bushes, stuffiness arises, provoking the rapid spread of the fungus.
3. Humidity levels are well controlled, as excess water leads to faster growth and reproduction of the disease.
4. Only 100% healthy seedlings of raspberry varieties resistant to purple spot are used for planting.

The following drugs are effective against the disease:

• Bordeaux mixture
• nitrophene,
• azophos.

Important
Fungicides should be used before flowering or after harvest.

What to do with a raspberry stem fly?

If the tops of your raspberries are drooping and the leaves are blackened and dead, there is a high probability that a raspberry fly has appeared in the garden.An adult spends winter in the soil in order to fly out at the end of May and lay the larvae in the axils of the leaves at the tops of the stems. The larvae gnaw through the passages in the shoots, because of which the latter wither and die.

The affected areas must be cut off and burned, leaving the pests no chance of survival. It is advisable to treat sick (and not only) bushes with karbofos solution in a timely manner - before the buds appear.

To reduce the risk of infection, remember to remove all debris, leaves, and fallen shoots from under the bushes in the fall. In the spring, the land where the fly appeared last year should be treated with Nitrofen solution. This should be done in mid-April, before the pest has time to lay eggs.

The most important preventive measures are thinning and garter. With good lighting and ventilation, raspberries grow strong, produce large berries in large quantities and, not unimportantly, are less susceptible to disease and pest attacks. Dangerous insects are also scared away by onions, garlic, mint. They do not prevent bees and wasps from pollinating the curtain.