Kitchen Garden Forum

My redcurrant bushes seem to have some sort of leaf disease or pest. There are large reddish brown blisters, or deformations on some of the leaves. They are fruiting and otherwise healthy. Any ideas?

Monty Don to the rescue

If your redcurrant leaves become covered with puckered purple blisters, this is a reaction to leaf-blistering aphids and does not affect the crop. Many of the leaves can be removed during the summer prune and the plant will not suffer.

Full article:-

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/magazine ... 07,00.html

As he says, don't worry - they'll fruit. I have had the same problem every year for decades.

Alan

Thankyou Alan,
thats a huge relief, as it looks to be a bumper crop this year!
Emma.

Cover them quick!! The birds go nuts for them and will clear a bush in a blink of the eye. Don't seem to like my black currants though.

Thanks Malk, thankfully, they are in a ramshackle fruit cage, so should be OK, the only problem is the bindweed. grrrrr!

I've just inspected my bushes and find that they too (including a blackcurrant bush) have also been similar affected by this infection. There are too many affected leaves to snip them off at this point and the fruit still seems to be unaffected so I will keep my fingers crossed. As we're currently dealing with a family bereavement away from home, I'm afraid they and the vegetables will will have to take their chance if nature's calamaties occur over the next few days.

Mine too...they seem to be affected at the tops of the bushes but not too severe.

My red currants are well tucked up in a fruit cage well away from the sky raiders...the fruit seems to be setting well and I have a few that are turning red already ..amazing