The boiling water treatment is designed to kill pests and pathogenic bacteria. This treatment can only be carried out strictly on a dormant shrub and only in the first half of spring, when the buds have not yet swelled or spread, there is no sap and sap flow and the soil has not yet swelled and softened. After the buds have swollen and the tips of the leaves have emerged, watering with boiling water is no longer an option, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the plant and scalding the young tissues and the sensitive acne system.

Older generations of gardeners are convinced that watering with boiling water “eliminates the three kiški”:

• kills lodged insect-pest eggs (especially aphids);

• disinfects berry bushes against harmful bacteria, spores, fungi and pathogens (mainly powdery mildew);

• stimulates bud awakening.

Practitioners of boiling water irrigation are assured that the berry bushes receive additional protection and the method itself is eco-friendly and chemical-free. However, it is important to take into account that boiling water cools quickly and is unlikely to have the necessary killing effect on pests. This is especially so as the water will be needed in large quantities and the treatment will leave mud puddles under the bushes. Boiling water alone will not fully and reliably protect the shrubs from disease and pests.

It is almost impossible to scald the bush's šacne system with boiling water – by the time the water reaches the šacne, it will have cooled down enough. A greater danger to the plant may be caused by excessive overwatering.

Some gardeners organise a “karšto dušo” treatment for shrubs in autumn. But in autumn, the shell of insect pests is harder and it is more difficult for the water to destroy it. In spring, the eggshell is softer and more delicate, so the hot pilling treatment is many times more effective. The boiling water not only disinfects the berry bush's eyes and buds, but also the soil beneath the bush.

And at first glance, such a simple procedure may seem to require no special skills, so it will not be difficult even for novices. But is this really the case? There are certain conditions for watering a karšto, otherwise the procedure can be harmful.

Rules and conditions for boiling water irrigation

Only shrubs that are sufficiently mature and not less than 1 m tall may be watered with boiling water.

The boiling water should not be poured from a bucket but from a metal watering can.

Sanitisation with boiling water should only be carried out in early spring, at a time when the berry bushes are not yet showing any signs of life, strictly before the onset of fruiting, before the buds have budded. If you sprinkle boiling water on the bush at a later time, you risk destroying not only the parasitic pathogens and pests, but also the bush itself.

Only the buds and stems can be watered. Do not add hot water to the bottom of the bush šalia šacne.

The water applied should be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the shrub. In order to reduce the amount of water used and to facilitate access to the šacres and shoots, it is better to water the bush with a špagate – this allows for even watering of all the shoots and šacres. This will then allow the šwells and stems to be evenly irrigated with boiling water from the š watering can.

When watering, keep the watering can about 0,5-1 m from the tips of the šackles. At this distance, the boiling water will allow the suckers to cool down a little and will not scald the buds and the peel of the petioles.

The temperature of the boiling water used should not exceed 80-90°C. To kill all overwintering pests on the bush, you will need water that is almost boiling rather than hot. A temperature of 80°C is believed to be sufficient.

If heavy snow and snow are still present in late March/early April, it is better not to water with the hot water. Otherwise, the risk is that the buds will be awakened from their dormant state at the wrong time, they will spread over the altar and the leaves will shrivel up and die.

The watering with hot water should be very short – up to 5 seconds. The same number of seconds shall be given to the other part of the shrub that remains unwatered. Longer watering for two seconds may damage the bush.

How much boiling water is needed? 10 litres (1 watering can) is enough for a 1 m tall berry bush with 6-7 &scaron eyes.

Disadvantages of boiling water treatments

It is difficult to maintain the right temperature. It is easy to notice that if you do not boil the water, it tends to cool down. It will only be easy to ensure that the water is at the right temperature when the berry bushes are growing šnext to the heating point. If the plot is large and the garden is located away from the house, the chances of the boiling water reaching the shrubs without cooling down are reduced to almost zero. There is no point in disinfecting shrubs with only boiling water.

Large amounts of water. For one thing, if there are only a few berry bushes growing on the plot, then it is possible to water them all with boiling water. It is quite another thing when several bushes require treatment. Not every summer house owner has that much water available all year round.