In article , jane
wrote:

On 7 May 2003 14:50:16 -0500, Merlin wrote:

~For the last couple of years (ie including now) my gooseberries have a
~brown grey coating. The bushes themselves seems heathy. Can anyone
~suggest what it might be please and - better still - tell me how to fix
~it for next year?

Sounds like it might be American Gooseberry Mildew though this is usually
described as being powdery grey and on all surfaces.

organic solution (from the HDRA Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening)
"In spring, look out for mildewed shoots and leaves, then developing fruit.
Cut it out. "

Prune it carefully to have good airflow and an open centre. This stops the
mildew forming in moist, dank air.

inorganic solution ( from RHS Fruit and Vegetable Gardening)
Cut out affected branches as seen: use a general fertiliser instead of a
high nitrogen one: grow cultivars with some resistance,
dust with sulphur or spray with fungicide containing carbendazim or
myclobutanil.

Thank you Jane. A couple of points:

There are no mildewed shoots / branches, it seems only to be the fruit
which is affected.

If, as seems implied by what you say, it is damp conditions which cause
the problems thenI have difficculty in matching that to the weather
this year which has been exceptionally dry. Am I missing something?

Is it OK to spray after the fruit has formed, or even during late
flowering? I know that some sprays are "not recommmended" during such
times.

Merlin