Hi, what should I treat black rot on my grapes with? Thanks.

Hi Sean, Black Rot in grapes persists if not treated and is hard to stop once established. The leaves will have yellow circles and then they turn brown and spread. The fruit is usually half way developed before they show signs of infection. The best thing to do now is minimise the spread for next season. The key time to treat Black Rot is at bud break and up to 4 weeks after flowering. Your local garden centre will be able to recommend a suitable fungicide spray, something a bit more hard hitting than a copper based fungicide spray will be required. Prevention is key, clean up fallen leaves and fruit, remove the mummies (shriveled fruit) from the vine and ground and dispose of in the rubbish or burn, do not place in the compost. Cut out infected areas of the vine, next spring remove leaves that start showing up with lesions and spray at bud burst. Lianne.