Gooseberry plants devastated by saw beetle

[petefj]

My two new gooseberry plants have been devastated by saw beetle.  All of the foliage has been stripped off and the plants are looking terrible.

I've sprayed them with Provado Ultimate bug killer as per the RHS advice.
Is there anything else I can do to assist the plant?  I realise that the chances of fruit are gone for this year.  But next?

Peter

[petefj]

[saddad]

Hi Pete...
If you were going to get any fruit... they would be formed and obvious now. The sawfly are a pain but don't really harm established plants. A nitrogen feed should encourage new leaf growth... once you have got rid of the beasties.. keep the soil under the bushes hoed/cultivated is supposed to help.  :-\

[macmac]

We've got a touch of sawfly taking leaves and a touch of the 2 legged help yourselves brigade pinching the fruit  >:(

[aj]

My two new gooseberry plants have been devastated by saw beetle.  All of the foliage has been stripped off and the plants are looking terrible.

I've sprayed them with Provado Ultimate bug killer as per the RHS advice.
Is there anything else I can do to assist the plant?  I realise that the chances of fruit are gone for this year.  But next?

Peter

I swear by pruning in a globe shape so that no branches are in or cross the middle.

Not had sawfly since and picked first ripe fruit last night.

[Digeroo]

Did someone suggest putting rhuabarb leaves underneath.  I can't remember why but I did this last week as a precaution there are several gooseberries with this problem on site though so far mine are ok.

[shirlton]

I swear by the rhubarb leaves. Since we have been doing it we havent had a single saw fly attack.

[SPUDLY]

Hi petefj,

I had the same problem with my gooseberry plants. Last year was the worse. As it happens, i was planning to move the plants to another part of my plot. Having read up on gooseberry saw fly, on the internet, i discovered that the saw fly larvae survive in the soil at the base of the plant. I dug the plants up in october, then using a high pressure hose, washed all the soil from the plant roots. Out of five plants, three have done well this year, the other two have had a slight attack from the saw fly, but nothing like last year. I have never tried rhubarb leaves, but will try this next year. The only spray i used had the result of killing the plants leaves and no fruit at all.

Good luck.

[garrett]

My parents' gooseberry bush always get eaten to a twig each summer so I planted broad beans around it this year as I'd read that as a companion plant it helps to deter sawfly. I also pruned out the middle growth to form a "goblet" shape (as Monty always says) and so far we've had no signs of sawfly so fingers crossed.