[bigben]

Last year I was given some goosberry cuttings that I planted and they came up but produced little fruit and were then savaged by saw fly lavae. Over winter I pruned them back and tried to open up the plants and they seemed to be growing fairly well.

This year I have sprayed to avoid the saw fly problem but noticed today that a number of the decent sized berries are covered in white stuff. Is this mildew? Can I do anything to redeem the situation as it is on a most of the plants. I have been watering with a hose recently from above - would this cause it?

[realfood]

it is probably mildew and it is unlikely to have anything to do with your watering. Gooseberry Mildew can be reduced by keeping good air circulation round and through the bush, and choosing varieties that have some resistance.

See here for further information on organic and chemical solutions

[Yorkie]

Realfood, I have edited your post to replace some of the text with the weblink from which it originated.

For copyright and site protection purposes, we prefer links to be provided rather than copy and paste 

[bayleaf]

yes it is mildew - i have planted three Lancashire Lad bushes which are supposed to be partly resistant to American mildew and they have it. The answer is either to spray or grow a totally resistant variety like Invicta - that's what I'll be doing next year as i don't like spraying.