Among the many folk ways for combating pests and diseases on currants, treating them with boiling water is one of the most famous. And although some gardeners are skeptical about the effectiveness of the procedure, many believe in the cleansing power of boiling water and carry it out regularly. Let's try to approach this problem impartially.
Purposes of heat treatment of currant bushes
Unfortunately, there are no currant varieties that are immune to various diseases and pests. Very often, shrubs are affected by bud mites, aphids, and old varieties by powdery mildew. A bud damaged by a mite will not produce leaves, flower stalks, or new shoots. In addition, the tick itself is a carrier of viruses and bacteria.
A massive accumulation of aphids on leaves and shoots can greatly weaken currants, as can the spread of spores and mycelium of the pathogenic powdery mildew fungus. Pouring boiling water over currants can, if not completely destroy the source of infection, at least reduce the damage from it.
It was also noted that this operation can increase the number of peduncles. It is often written that heat treatment helps to harden the plant and increase its immunity. Maybe, but the qualitative characteristics of any object are more difficult to confirm than the quantitative ones, so we can only take them on faith.
All types of currants can be subjected to the procedure: black, red, white.
Objects affected by heat treatment, photo gallery
A kidney damaged by a tick can be easily identified by its round shape 
Colonies of aphids literally suck the juices out of the plant 
Powdery mildew is characterized by a whitish coating
Timing of the operation
Primum non nocere (Latin) - first of all, do no harm.
Hippocrates
This phrase, attributed to Hippocrates, comes in handy here. Hot water can burn a plant that is in the active growing season. It is useless to name specific dates when it is worth pouring boiling water on; spring does not come to spring. Therefore, it is better to navigate the snow cover and start processing when the snow is actively melting, but in some places it still lies in your garden. This will guarantee the absence of sap flow in the currants.
Is it possible to carry out this procedure in the fall? - the opinion of most gardeners here is skeptical, since currant buds before winter are less permeable to external influences, namely, pests hibernate in them.
The procedure for performing heat treatment
Despite the apparent simplicity of the operation, it requires compliance certain rules. It has been experimentally established that the water temperature should be in the range of 70–80 0 C. Otherwise, either the effect of the procedure is not achieved, or the currants will get burned by boiling water.
Therefore, it is advisable to arm yourself with a bath thermometer and conduct a small experiment first.
When carrying out work, be careful and dress appropriately for the situation!
- Decide on the place where the water will be boiled, take the bucket of boiling water to the bush and pour it into a metal watering can. The watering can must be metal, most of the plastics used in the manufacture gardening tools, not designed for high temperatures.
- Place a thermometer in the watering can and note the time the water cools to a temperature of 80 0 C and the period of time when its temperature drops another 10 degrees. Now you know how long you will need to wait so as not to scald the currants, and how much time you have to process them.
Sequence of work, step-by-step instructions
- If you haven't trimmed your bush in the fall, do it now. Cut out old, broken branches and shoots that thicken the bush.
- Carefully inspect the bushes and, if possible, remove buds affected by the mite. If a branch has more such buds than healthy ones, it makes sense to cut it out completely. Boiling water is good, but manual collection of infected buds is guaranteed to remove the mite. The diseased buds and branches collected in this way must be burned.
Such buds must be removed
- For ease of processing, it makes sense to tie spreading bushes with twine to make them more compact.
- Currant roots lie shallow, so to avoid burning them, cover the bush with mulch: straw, peat, compost. This will protect the roots and kill many insects wintering in the surface layer of the earth.
Mulching the tree trunk circle will protect root system currants
- By moving the watering can up and down, the bush is moved around from all sides, and the time of local exposure should not exceed 3–5 seconds.
The currant bush is evenly doused from all sides
Watering currants with boiling water - video
And from other methods of influence high temperature There is also processing of bushes using a blowtorch.
Alternative heat treatment of black currant - video
At first glance, it’s a little scary for the bush, but due to the large difference in the thermal conductivity of water and air, the latter method, all other things being equal, is more gentle.
Gardeners' opinions on the effectiveness of currant treatment with boiling water
And yet, there is no clear opinion among gardeners whether it is worth watering currants with boiling water. The discussion below, which unfolded on the pages of one of the Internet resources, is about this.
Using boiling water (while you pour it into the watering can, while you are carrying this same watering can to the bushes, the temperature of the boiling water should drop to 70 degrees) pour currants for healing. I practically do not use any drugs for many years after I began to shed currants very hot water. Tie the bush in a circle with a rope to make it more compact and carefully pour water from the watering can with quick, precise movements, trying to capture all the branches. The second time, watering already on wet branches is excluded. Therefore, watering should be carried out very carefully and quickly, without returning.
Baba Galya
I want to add a fly in the ointment to the topic. I never treat currant bushes with boiling water. If I spill it properly, then to prepare boiling water, I will need to burn half a bottle of gas. Because a bush requires approximately 10 liters of watering can. And I have 10 bushes. They are as tall as me. 1.5 m. And if you spray it a little, there’s no point in bothering with this nonsense. But what I want to note. My neighbor pours boiling water on all the bushes every year. And harvests in bowls. I harvest almost a bucketful from a bush.
LuLyu
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/6036/page-15
The kidney mite is located inside the kidneys and is inaccessible to boiling water. And only after the buds swell and open slightly does it come out from there. And pour boiling water on the hatching buds - you can guess what will happen. Only pinching off infected buds when the tick is all located there. Boiling water is like drinking Borjomi when your buds have fallen off. Fashion is like this now. “What, you haven’t poured boiling water on your currant bushes yet?” I have never doused and will not douse.
LuLyu
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/6036/page-15
When there are one or two bushes for eating, perhaps you are right and you can put up with the voracious tenants. And when it’s sick, and even cuttings, then you don’t want diseases to spread at all. Any drug only affects moving individuals. The tick begins to move along the branches at an air temperature of plus 10 degrees. The number of wandering people is only 5% of the total. The rest sit in the kidneys. So you can count how many times and days you can spray in order to destroy as many of these creatures as possible. Therefore, I recommend 1. Select resistant varieties. 2. Mechanical collection, if the number of pests does not go off scale and the damaged buds do not exceed 10–15% of the total. Otherwise, you’ll pluck out all the buds and then what...? 3. Creation of highly fertile soil and powerful fertilizing for development strong plant. The tick does not like powerful and healthy bushes. 4. Systematic pruning for renewal. 5. Well, after all, dousing with hot water. After all, when the struggle goes on as a whole, then a positive result is obvious. And dousing is one of the components of a set of measures.
Baba Galya
https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/6036/page-15
So is there any benefit from heat treatment currants? If the treatment is carried out correctly and on time, then this, in combination with other elements of plant care, will have positive influence for currants. This procedure is certainly not a panacea for pests, but if it is possible to carry it out, why not do it.
Almost every self-respecting summer resident or gardener has several red or black currant bushes on his plot. And everyone wants to get the largest possible harvest with minimal care and without spraying with various chemicals against diseases and pests. Is it possible? Yes, it's possible. If in certain time Use boiling water to water the currants.
Why is this operation needed?
Everyone knows that currants are “loved” by many diseases and pests, such as powdery mildew, aphids, mites and many other diseases and harmful insects. If you spray chemicals to combat pests and diseases, then there will seem to be a harvest, but you can no longer eat it, since it is poisoned with pesticides. And watering with boiling water (rather, not boiling water, but very hot water) will help rid the currants of pathogens and various pests without any chemicals.In addition, bushes treated in this way have good immunity, are less susceptible to various diseases and tolerate spring temperature changes and night frosts much easier than untreated plants. And such an operation also affects the yield; there are significantly more berries than on bushes that were not watered with hot water. By the way, as an experiment, you can water some of the bushes on the site, and leave some untreated.
When to process?
Currant bushes must be processed in early spring, when the buds have not yet swelled, and the snow has barely melted from the ground. In principle, you don’t have to wait for the snow to completely melt; it will not be an obstacle to processing. In terms of timing, this is approximately the end of March - mid-April. Be careful, if you carry out the treatment in warm weather, you can simply destroy the bushes, scalding them almost and the root system. So if for some reason you do not have time to water on time, then it is better to postpone it for another time.But if you didn’t have time to carry out the treatment in the spring, then don’t worry, this year the berry harvest will, of course, be smaller, and the bushes may get sick, but prepare for next year It is possible by watering with boiling water in late autumn, when it is already cold. However, be careful! If there are leaves left on the bush at the time of treatment, then with a 99% probability they will be burned with hot water.
How to pour boiling water correctly?
First, prepare a large container in which you will boil water. Calculate quantity required boiling water, based on the fact that one currant bush will require an average of 5 liters of water. Also prepare a metal watering can (you shouldn’t use a plastic one, as too hot water can damage it), salt or potassium permanganate; they will need to be added to the water right before watering. By the way, it is not necessary to heat water using gas or electric stove, you can light a fire in the yard and warm it up. Firstly, savings, and secondly, you won’t have to constantly run from home to the street and vice versa. In addition to all of the above, we will need a water thermometer, since the temperature of the water for irrigation should not be higher than sixty-five degrees.So, put the water on heat and bring it to a boil. Why not heat it up right away? desired temperature at 65 degrees? Because when you overflow from a boiling container and walk along the street to the area with currants, some of the heat will be lost. Immediately after boiling, pour it into a metal watering can and go process the bushes. Be sure to measure the temperature of the water before watering; if it is still too hot, allow it to cool to the desired temperature.
Carefully pour over the entire bush, thoroughly. Without missing a single branch, so as not to leave the pests a single chance of survival. Treat each shoot (bush) for no more than five seconds. Please note that re-processing is not permitted! So if for some reason you missed several branches when watering, then do not carry out the operation again, otherwise you may ruin the currants.
Why do you pour boiling water over currants at the end of winter? Here I am reading moon calendar gardener and gardener, and that’s what it says there. Will this make my bushes worse? Of course they are stunted, but they are still alive! Tell us about the processing!
What is currant treatment with boiling water?
Watering red, black and white currants with boiling water falls into the category of “grandmother’s advice.” You are unlikely to find such recommendations in the scientific literature. But nevertheless, this method of controlling bush pests has a right to exist. Let's figure out why it is used.
As you know, fruit bushes, which include currants, are susceptible to diseases and pests. Gardeners annually carry out a whole range of measures aimed at combating them and increasing productivity. Such measures include treatment with fungicides and pesticides, and the use of folk remedies. And here we will destroy all gardeners who love to eat healthy berry into two camps: those who are for chemical methods protection, and those who resort exclusively to folk remedies. Opponents of chemical treatments just saved watering for themselves fruit bushes boiling water as the only possible and the right remedy from unwanted insects.
Which pests are more dangerous than others?
Pests of black, red and white currants include:
- currant kidney mite,
- leafy gall aphid,
- spider mite,
- currant bud moth,
- blackcurrant fruit sawfly,
- narrow-bodied currant borer,
- currant glass,
- gooseberry sawflies and aphids.
Examples of pests in the photo
Gooseberry sawfly caterpillars 
Leaf gall aphid 
Spider mite 
Currant bud moth 
Currant glass 
Currant narrow-bodied borer 
Currant bud mite 
Blackcurrant fruit sawfly
All these insects overwinter in the organs of the plant or in the soil underneath it. They can spend the wintering period in different phases:
- caterpillars,
- dolls,
- butterflies,
- larvae,
- eggs,
- adults.
For example, leaf gall aphids, which damage plant leaves, overwinter as eggs on shoots near the buds. Currant bud moth butterflies lay their eggs in unripe berries, the seeds of which their larvae feast on. Having had enough of the fruits, the grown caterpillars go to spend the winter, and in the spring they penetrate the buds. Currant glassworm caterpillars overwinter inside the shoots. They penetrate there from the buds, making passages and damaging the tissue of the branches. But the main pest of currants - the bud mite - spends a period of rest in the buds themselves, which over time increase in size and dry out. This type of tick is a carrier of dangerous viral disease plants - terry.
Here we looked at those insects that, in principle, can be fought with boiling water, because They spend some developmental phases directly on or inside the plant.
How to properly water bushes in spring
The treatment of fruit bushes with very hot water is carried out until the buds open and the green cone of the leaf emerges. IN different regions In our country, the timing will also be different. It all depends on the speed of snow melting, soil thawing and the beginning of sap flow. It is very important not to miss this moment, otherwise you can greatly harm the plant.
Treatment is carried out only on dormant buds! Carrying out the procedure in the fall will not give any effect - the mites hide in tightly closed buds.
Consumption of boiling water is approximately 10 liters for two young bushes. It is better to take a metal watering can with a sprinkler attachment, pour boiled water into it and use it to treat each shoot on the bush. If the plant is mature and large enough, the consumption will increase. Insects overwintering on shoots and in buds will die during treatment.
This method of treating pests with boiling water is recommended in the spring.
Other ways to control pests
It should be noted that there are pests that overwinter in the soil or leaf litter, for example, the gooseberry moth, which damages currant and gooseberry leaves, or the gooseberry sawfly, which overwinters in the larval stage in the soil under the plant. Such individuals need to be blocked from leaving the soil so that they lose time to reproduce. This is done by covering the ground under the bushes with dense material, for example, roofing felt, the edges of which are sprinkled with soil. Only after flowering can the shelter be removed.
If you don't trust the above methods, try others folk remedies, for example, treating plants with infusions of tobacco, shag, yarrow, garlic, spraying with a 1% decoction of red hot pepper. This is done in the spring when the larvae emerge from the eggs, when the leaves bloom. For mites, you can try spraying currants with this infusion: 40 grams of laundry soap per 10 liters of water with the addition of one glass of crushed onions and dandelion leaves.
Those who are too lazy to bother and are not afraid of any kind of chemistry are allowed to use Fufanon, Fitoverm, Iskra, Actellik. And a recommendation to everyone without exception: attract insects to the garden that are the enemies of our enemies. In the natural environment, lacewings, two-spotted ladybugs, predatory mosquito larvae, and hoverflies are unfriendly to currant pests. The larvae of these insects can be looked for at plant protection stations. In addition, insects such as bud mites can be almost completely destroyed by removing (breaking out) the buds they damage. Infected buds are easy to identify: they are highly swollen, looking like small heads of cabbage. Removal takes place in October or early April. If the mite has spread greatly, it is better to get rid of the damaged shoots or the entire plant, so as not to infect neighboring specimens.
And one more piece of advice: try to purchase in garden centers currant varieties resistant to diseases and pests. Don't forget to spend sanitary pruning, watering and feeding plants on time is the key to their health and productivity.
Treating currants with boiling water is an effective and time-tested way to protect bushes from pests. Many gardeners remember how their grandmother scalded the bushes with slightly cooled boiling water, after which the branches literally broke under the weight of the berries, and this was at a time when industrial insecticides no one heard. How effective is this technique now, why, how and when to pour boiling water over currants? You will receive comprehensive answers to these questions from this article.
Also, treating black currants with boiling water in the spring allows you to deal with fungal diseases. Previously, gardeners treated only the soil with hot water, believing that fungal spores from fallen leaves entered the soil. But some of the spores still linger on the shoots, and as soon as it gets a little warmer, they begin to show their activity. That is why it is recommended to water not only the soil, but also the bushes in early spring. And if you add a little salt, potassium permanganate or copper sulfate, then the result can exceed all expectations - the bushes will be lush, and the yield will increase significantly.
The use of boiling water also provides a number of other advantages, such as warming the soil and increasing the resistance of plants to adverse external factors. Shrubs treated with boiling water experience a kind of stress, as a result of which their immunity, productivity, appearance, taste and commercial qualities of berries. 
The main thing is to know exactly when to pour over the currants. Theoretically, spring and autumn are suitable for this, but processing in early spring is preferable, since the procedure to a certain extent contributes to the awakening of currants.
Video “Treatment with boiling water”
From the video you will learn how to properly process currants with boiling water.
Heat treatment technology
It is better to water currants with boiling water when the snow has not yet melted - in this case there is a guarantee that the buds have not begun to develop. Before scalding it is necessary to carry out preparatory activities so as not to be distracted by trifles:
You should know that you cannot scald currant bushes with 100% boiling water, as the plants can get burned. The water temperature should be no more than 80 °C, but, as a rule, when poured and in contact with branches, it cools to 70-60 °C. This temperature is ideal in order not to harm the bushes and destroy pest larvae and fungal spores.
The thermometer is used to measure the temperature of the working fluid. The normal range is 80-60 °C - a higher degree will cause harm to the bushes, and a low degree will not give the desired effect. To spray boiling water on the bushes, it is better to use a watering can, since pouring boiling water from a bucket is not rational. 
Thermal treatment of currant bushes is carried out as follows: water brought to a boil is poured into a watering can and, hurrying until the water cools down, they go to where the currants grow. You need to pour the branches evenly and thoroughly, without missing a single one. The distance from the watering can to the branches should be approximately 10 cm. Each bush is doused for 5 seconds.
Currant bushes are often affected by many pests and diseases. Among them are powdery mildew, mites, and aphids. To combat these pests, gardeners use a wide variety of pesticides. However, there is one catch - treating shrubs with chemical solutions and mixtures can negatively affect the harvest (berries watered with pesticides cannot be eaten).
However, experts have found an effective and absolutely safe treatment method for plants against such pests - watering the plants with boiling water. The causative agents of these pests and diseases are very sensitive to heat treatment and will die under such exposure. When is the best time to carry out work? Plants need to be treated immediately, as soon as the snow under the bushes melts and the ground warms up a little. Most often this is the beginning or middle of April, depending, of course, on weather conditions.
Watering the plant with boiling water
If you carry out the work later, there is a high probability of burning the root system of the bush, which will lead to its death.
If you were unable to heat treat the currants in the spring, you can postpone the work until the fall, when the plant stops blooming and begins to dry out. Best period– mid-November. At the same time, carefully inspect the bushes before watering - if there are still green leaves on the branches, boiling water can burn them.
In order for the heat treatment method to be as successful as possible, you need to know not only when to carry out the work, but also how to do it:
- Pour boiling water into a suitable container or bucket and, without delay, go to the garden where the currants grow. By the time you reach the bushes, the water temperature will drop to about +80 °C, and upon contact with the branches, the water will lose about 10 °C more and will be between +60–65 °C. That is why take a thermometer with you to monitor the temperature of the liquid - if the temperature drops too low, the effect of watering will be zero (using too much hot water may harm the plants themselves).
- Additionally, to enhance the effect of the solution, add salt or a little potassium permanganate to the water.
- Scald the branches evenly, trying not to miss any of them, so as not to give pests any chance. The soil around each bush should also be treated with boiling water. But you should not pour hot liquid directly onto the roots of plants. To protect the root system, use iron sheets.
- Keep the watering can about 10cm away from the branches. Water each shoot for no more than 5 seconds. One bush requires approximately 5–6 liters of water.
- When spraying with boiling water, do not forget that you can water each bush only once - if you notice that you have not treated all the shoots, it is prohibited to carry out the work again.
Scalding currant branches
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in treating bushes with boiling water. But it is worth remembering that if currants suffer from frost in early spring, then it is better to postpone treatment with boiling water until the fall, when the plant’s buds are in the stage of forced dormancy, which means they will not wake up as a result of a “hot shower.” By the way, in addition to fighting diseases, treating with boiling water will help you make plants even more resistant to diseases, increase productivity and make the berries taste more “rich.” In addition, you can also process raspberries and...
But to avoid having to water the bushes with boiling water or apply other pest control measures, remember about preventive measures. For example, in early spring it is necessary to treat currants with a solution of nitrafen.
Nitrafen solution for pest control
You also need to carefully examine the bushes - before buds form, you need to cut off dried and diseased shoots using pruning shears or a sharp hacksaw. should be carried out in such a way that after carrying out the work there are no places left on the branches where pest eggs could theoretically remain. If the bushes are too badly damaged, they will likely need to be removed completely.
After flowering ends, the bushes need to be treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. To consolidate the result, repeat the work after two weeks. If you want to protect your plants from the dominance of powdery mildew, you need to treat the currants at least twice a season with a solution containing soda ash or ammonium nitrate. And, of course, don’t forget to collect garbage and fallen leaves after winter (where pests usually hibernate) and burn them.