Good evening caller, you're on the air:
"Do you have any tips on how to stop the little b***8rd caterpillars eating my gooseberry bush? I’m thinking a can or petrol and a match might do the job, but have consequences..."
Oh! Oh! I think I know this one!
We had the exact same problem a few years ago & I remember Carol Klein covering this on Gardeners World. I think she said they were sawfly larvae &, this might sound weird, they don’t like a breeze.
The answer is to prune the bush into an open ‘bowl’ shape by removing the stems in the middle. As well as helping the air get in, this has other advantages:
- It gets plenty of light into the middle of the bush, so hopefully more/better fruit.
- It reduces the number of prickly branches that are crossing each other & so stops them chewing each other to bits. This means healthier stems which means a healthier plant, so again, hopefully more/better fruit.
A bit of Internet digging shows Gardeners World covered this again, June this year, in Jobs for the weekend, so here it is from the horse's mouth:
"Sawfly can strip redcurrants, whitecurrants and gooseberries of all their leaves in a matter of days. And a good way to deter them is to keep the centre of the bush clear of new shoots. This discourages the adults from laying their eggs, and the green, caterpillar-like larvae from hatching out and munching their way through the plant."
Anyhoo, I hope this option is as successful for you as it has been for us. Let me know how you get on.
Happy pruning :D
I don't really like gooseberryies anyway.
ReplyDeleteThey make terrible wine!
Hmm... Gooseberry booze... Hadn't thought of that.
DeleteTBH I'm no fan of guzgogs either, leaving hubby to enjoy the glut. But there's only so much fool you can enjoy before your arteries harden.
I wonder if gooseberries would respond well to the hedgerow champagne treatment? Maybe with a little elderflower thrown in too...? Further investigation required...
Yes, they do. But make the wine first, then dose it with a spoonful of sugar (leave a little of the sediment in-tact) and it will fizz up. Works with most wines, but taste results can be variable...
Delete