My gooseberry bushes have cropped well. However they have been stripped bare
of foliage probably through caterpillars. Are the bushes likely to recover
or is it time to think about replacing them?

Kath

"Roger" wrote in message
...
My gooseberry bushes have cropped well. However they have been stripped
bare of foliage probably through caterpillars. Are the bushes likely to
recover or is it time to think about replacing them?

Kath

It's amaziing how quickly this happens, gooseberry sawfly is a pest even in
my book. Nothing seems to eat it!

The bushes will recover but next year be vigilant. Look for tiny
caterpillars UNDER the leaves even before any damage occurs and squash them.
If you see the slightest damage turn over the leaf and get the creature.

Others will have more detailed instructions no doubt.

Mary

Kath
To help (though not eliminate) next years sawfly troubles, in the
autumn, clear all debris, leaves, mulch from under the bush. I have
found that this does make a difference. The open ground rakes over
seems to allow cold, birdsor what ever underneath. Why it works I
cannot say, just seems to
Regards
Clifford
Bawtry, Doncaster, South Yorkshire

Roger wrote:
My gooseberry bushes have cropped well. However they have been stripped bare
of foliage probably through caterpillars. Are the bushes likely to recover
or is it time to think about replacing them?

Interestingly, the older a gooseberry bush gets, the less attractive
it is to the sawfly. So look forward to the problem diminishing.

Jim

"Jim Jackson" wrote in message
...
Roger wrote:
My gooseberry bushes have cropped well. However they have been stripped
bare
of foliage probably through caterpillars. Are the bushes likely to
recover
or is it time to think about replacing them?

Interestingly, the older a gooseberry bush gets, the less attractive
it is to the sawfly. So look forward to the problem diminishing.


???

Ours must be twenty years od!!!

Mary

Mary Fisher wrote:

"Jim Jackson" wrote in message
...
Roger wrote:
My gooseberry bushes have cropped well. However they have been stripped
bare
of foliage probably through caterpillars. Are the bushes likely to
recover
or is it time to think about replacing them?

Interestingly, the older a gooseberry bush gets, the less attractive
it is to the sawfly. So look forward to the problem diminishing.


???

Ours must be twenty years od!!!

Ditto. And in their youth were regularly stripped bare each year,
unless we waged a regular war on the caterpillars/larvae. For last 7-10
years not seen sawfly damage - except on a newly planted gooseberry.
BTW I've come across the "sawfly don't like old gooseberry bushes" in
several places, including on GQT. My experience supports this.

On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 21:03:46 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:


"Jim Jackson" wrote in message
...
Roger wrote:
My gooseberry bushes have cropped well. However they have been stripped
bare
of foliage probably through caterpillars. Are the bushes likely to
recover
or is it time to think about replacing them?

Interestingly, the older a gooseberry bush gets, the less attractive
it is to the sawfly. So look forward to the problem diminishing.


???

Ours must be twenty years od!!!

and mine are more than 30y old (planted by previous owner) and still
get sawfly, unless I run bantams underneath,
but then they sometimes get taken by fox, it's a constant battle
!)

so we have a while to wait to see if Jim's theory has validity ( sry
Jim!)

But yes, they will recover.