Decorating the garden with gooseberries is very correct solution which will require the gardener to know the basics the right choice seedlings, selection of planting site, fertilizing, watering, propagation and pruning. Knowledge of the rules for combating diseases and pests will help keep the plant healthy and the harvest consistently tasty.
Gooseberries are often called “northern grapes”. Gardeners love it for its high yield, unpretentiousness and pleasant dessert taste.
And the comparison with grapes is not accidental. Gooseberries not only contain a huge amount of vitamins, but they also make wine no worse than grape wine!
Gooseberries are a traditional berry crop, without which it is difficult to imagine a garden plot. In count ascorbic acid its fruits are superior to many others. It contains a large number of sugars, organic acids, calcium, phosphorus and iron.
Gooseberries begin to bear fruit quite quickly and are capable of producing up to 30 kg of berries from one bush. At good care it can bear fruit for more than 15 years. The berries are very diverse in taste, size and color from emerald green to purple-black. They ripen 1.5-2 months after the start of flowering.
How to choose seedlings correctly?
As soon as the snow has melted, but the buds have not yet awakened, it’s time to buy gooseberry seedlings! After all, we must plant it as early as possible!
In the nursery, choose seedlings with a good root system: highly branched, fibrous, 20-25 cm in size. A healthy seedling should have 2-3 main shoots.
When and where to plant?
Gooseberries bear fruit well in almost any soil. The only things he doesn’t like are waterlogged, heavily podzolized, too sour and cold. Flooding of the site with spring waters is also unacceptable. Gooseberry roots are located shallow in the soil and, when overwatered, quickly begin to rot. Therefore, it is better to place bushes in elevated places, protected from cold winds.
Gooseberries can be planted in the spring, before buds open, or in the fall. For planting, we select free areas, preferably not occupied fruit trees. When shaded, the bushes are severely affected by powdery mildew, reducing the yield and quality of berries.
We plant young seedlings at a distance of 1-1.5 m from each other in a row and 2 meters between rows. I do not recommend planting several gooseberry seedlings in one hole. So it quickly thickens and ages, and caring for the thorny thickets becomes impossible.
We prepare the soil for planting gooseberries in the same way as for currants, only we dig a deeper hole.
When planting, add 8-10 kg of humus or compost, as well as a good dose of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (up to 100 g of active ingredient per 1 sq. m). We use a mixture of phosphate rock or bone meal with superphosphate as a phosphate fertilizer, and wood ash as a potassium fertilizer. We thoroughly mix all the fertilizers with the soil removed from the hole and fill it with this mixture. Such feeding will provide the growing gooseberry with nutrients for the first 3-4 years.
We plant the gooseberries somewhat deeper than they grew in the nursery, and at an angle (for better formation of additional roots and new basal shoots). To ensure good survival and branching, we cut off the above-ground part of the bush after planting, leaving 3-4 buds on the shoot.
How to care?
The main task in the first years after planting is to ensure rapid rooting of seedlings and create conditions for active growth. Therefore, we keep the soil around the bushes moist and loose and regularly free it from weeds. To retain moisture in early spring After loosening the soil, be sure to mulch it. You can mulch with compost, which in the fall, when digging, is simply buried in the soil.
To improve the illumination and ventilation of the bush, we lift the branches hanging to the ground on supports in the summer, and remove them from them in the fall. This way we create conditions for the retention and accumulation of snow. Gooseberries are less winter-hardy than currants and need more protection in winter period. In harsh winters with little snow, gooseberry roots may freeze. Plants need help to survive the cold without loss! Therefore, as soon as the snow falls, we carefully shovel it under the bushes - the more, the better! Covered with a fluffy blanket of snow, the bush will overwinter well and in the spring will produce many new root shoots. Gooseberry flowers and ovaries, as a rule, do not suffer from frost.
When and what to feed?
In the spring and summer (from bud break to the end of shoot growth), gooseberry bushes need feeding. The need for nitrogen is especially great at this time. In the second half of summer and until late autumn, plants need more phosphorus and potassium.
Good results are obtained by fertilizing with solutions of bird droppings, mullein, slurry or mineral fertilizers. To prepare mineral fertilizer, take 30-50 g of ammonium nitrate, 50-80 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium salt in a bucket of water. We feed the plants once during the formation of the ovary.
When and how to water?
Although gooseberries are quite resistant to temporary drought, high yields of large berries are possible only on sufficiently moist soil.
We do the first watering of gooseberries after flowering - during the period of increased shoot growth and ovary formation. The second - during the ripening period of the berries, and the third - after harvesting, for the formation of future flower buds.
In a dry autumn, abundant moisture-replenishing watering is necessary to enhance root growth and improve the overwintering conditions of plants. To ensure proper watering around the bush, we dig a ditch running approximately along the perimeter of its crown. We supply 30 liters of water into it for each bush. When the water is absorbed, we level the groove. After watering and loosening the soil around the bushes, we mulch each time.
How to prune?
We prune gooseberry bushes in order to give the plants the correct shape. In addition, proper pruning will protect the bush from thickening and will contribute to a bountiful harvest. You may be surprised, but even a newly purchased bush, consisting of only 3-4 branches, should be pruned! On each of them you need to leave 2-4 buds, and the rest can be safely removed. Don’t worry, next year the bush will grow rapidly and, perhaps, will already produce its first harvest!
in spring next year, as soon as branches from the roots begin to grow from the ground, leave 3-4 of them and remove the rest. We choose only powerful, well-developed shoots. Their tops will need to be cut off so that side branches appear. However, for varieties with a high degree of branching, this procedure does not need to be done: everything will work out by itself. Remember that the degree of shortening of the shoots should correspond to the degree of their development. The basic rule: the more branching, the more moderate the pruning.
If you stick a branch into the drainage hole of the pot in the spring, then by autumn you will have a new plant
Do you want your gooseberries to be larger? Then in the summer, do additional pruning of green shoots, leaving no more than six leaves and one berry in each tassel.
This simple technique allows you to obtain gooseberry fruits of a much larger size than usual.
How to propagate?
I make a cut on one or several branches close to the ground. I bend the branch to the ground, dig a shallow hole, and lower the branch into it. Then I fill the hole with soil and water it. All summer I keep the soil in wet. By autumn, roots form in the section of the branch. In the spring of next year, I separate the rooted seedling from the mother bush. The new plant is ready to plant!
We cut cuttings from root shoots or annual growths of fruiting branches. Each cutting 20 cm long should have at least 4-5 buds.
To root gooseberry cuttings, we prepare a “school”. We dig trenches up to 30 cm deep in open ground and fill them with coarse river sand. A greenhouse can also be used for a nursery.
Before planting, pre-soak the cuttings in water or a solution of a root formation stimulator for a day. Then we plant it in the nursery obliquely, according to a 5x10 cm pattern, so that one bud remains on the surface.
After planting and watering, mulch the soil with a small layer of humus (up to 5 cm thick). During the growing season (until the end of August), we periodically feed the seedlings with solutions of mineral fertilizers: 40 g of ammonium nitrate per bucket of water, 20 g each of superphosphate and potassium salt (sylvinite, kainite).
Gooseberries can produce adventitious roots from below, at the base of the branches. Therefore, bushes can be propagated by division.
In the fall, we dig the bush out of the ground and divide it into parts that have their own roots and shoots. At the same time, we remove the old branches and shorten the young ones.
How to deal with pests?
When a gardener decides to start growing gooseberries, many questions arise that need to be studied (where and how to plant, what insects to protect from, how and when to prune). The most important question is the care and cultivation of gooseberries.
The primary task for the gardener is to choose a suitable place for planting young gooseberry shoots. This plant loves a lot of light, so it needs to be planted in an open area, away from tall trees.
It is best to plant gooseberry bushes in the soil in late September - early October. This is done in order to adapt to a new place before the onset of frost. In early spring, a young bush can use the full potential of nutrients and soil moisture reserves. Already by autumn, when proper care behind the gooseberries, the bush will grow noticeably.
Autumn planting is more related to Western European varieties of Grossularia reclinata (Z) Mill (Warshavsky, Industry, Brazilian, bottle, Seedling Murera, green). They differ in average height. The buds in these varieties awaken early (April 3-20), when the air temperature does not exceed 10 0 C. According appearance The fruits are large, the leaves are small, the bushes are small.
In order to provide the plant with proper care, it is necessary to have information about some principles and features of the development of fruit and berry crops.
Care Tips:
Using a wealth of knowledge about the principles of caring for gooseberries, you can get the desired result within two to three years after planting.
Spring gooseberry care
An important point in caring for gooseberries in the spring is the timely application of fertilizers to the soil. When, what and how much fertilizer needs to be applied depends entirely on the type and condition of the soil on the garden plot.
If the soil is depleted, it is necessary to apply once a year. For moderately fertile soils, it is enough to apply the fertilizer once every two years. For good fertile soil - once every three years.
Phosphorus and are applied in two doses. The first procedure is carried out in early spring, and the second after harvesting.
Very important point is the application of potassium fertilizer in the spring. An excellent organic source of potassium is. This is not only a fertilizer, but also an excellent tool in the fight against various insect pests and protection against powdery mildew.
How to properly care?
Every gardener wants to receive a large harvest every year from a plant he personally planted. To ensure a positive result, you need to know how to properly care for gooseberries.
It is possible to achieve high rates of gooseberry fruiting only if the bushes are pruned in a timely manner. There are a number of ways to trim gooseberry shoots, which allow you not only to get a large harvest, but also to give the bush a decorative shape.
The classic method involves. By this time, annual shoots grow from the bush. The gardener should select about 5 of the strongest and strongest branches. It is desirable that they diverge in different directions and be at a distance from each other. All other shoots should be removed with pruning shears as low as possible, approximately at soil level (leaving branch “stumps” is not recommended).
With the appearance of new strong shoots, all weak shoots and those lying on the ground are removed annually. This process will allow already in the fifth year of the plant’s life to obtain a properly formed bush with branches of different ages, which contributes to high productivity.
Rules for pruning gooseberries - video
The “Stlanets” method is used in harsh climatic conditions or for growing varieties that do not like cold weather. When using it, expect big harvest It’s not worth it, because the bush needs to be trimmed so that no more than 2-4 shoots remain on it. In addition, branches should be allowed to grow wider, not longer.
Method of forming a bush “One-shouldered cordon”. This is essentially one shoot that is overgrown with side branches. The yield when using this method is small.
Method of forming a bush “Two-arm cordon”. It represents the growth of two shoots from one root system. The branches are arranged horizontally. Vertical shoots are already growing from them. The yield of this method is quite high. Thanks to this method, you can plant gooseberry bushes in a small area, near walls or fences. It is very difficult to form a bush in this way, but if it works, the effort will be worth it.
The “Trellis” method has several interpretations. This best option planting gooseberries both in terms of yield and from a decorative point of view. Plants are planted opposite each other in two stripes, at least one and a half meters between the bushes. Thus, two rows are formed. The trellis method can be used on small summer cottages with limited area.
An important point in caring for gooseberries after harvest is pruning old shoots and preparing for the winter.
How to properly care for gooseberries (video)
If you want to get a rich harvest of berries, you will have to devote time to fruit bushes throughout the year. Caring for gooseberries in spring begins with sanitary pruning, fertilizing, loosening the soil and removing weeds. But even during the summer and autumn, the shrub requires certain care to maintain high yields.
This article will describe the main features of growing and caring for gooseberries at home. You will learn how to keep your shrub healthy in the spring, and how to grow it in personal plot.
Caring for gooseberries in spring
There is nothing difficult in caring for gooseberries in the spring, despite the fact that this crop has certain growing characteristics. For example, in early spring, when the ground is still partially covered with snow, preventive treatment of shrubs against diseases and pests is carried out.
Figure 1. Spring treatment of shrubs with boiling water The most effective prophylactic Watering with boiling water is considered (Figure 1). Hot water is poured into a hand sprayer and the bushes that are still dormant are evenly treated. Hot water is capable of destroying the larvae of pests and pathogens that could overwinter on stems, leaves or soil.
Peculiarities
Treatment with boiling water is far from the only feature of spring care. In May, when the buds awaken and the branches are covered with young leaves, the soil is loosened superficially and weeds are removed.
Note: Deep loosening of the soil around the bushes cannot be carried out, since in this case the roots of the plant located close to the surface can easily be damaged.
In the spring, it is also necessary to feed the bushes with mullein infusion or mineral potassium and nitrogen fertilizers. This stimulates the growth of young shoots and gives the bushes the opportunity to develop more actively.
Rules
If you have not grown gooseberries before, you will benefit from the advice of experienced gardeners regarding caring for the crop in the spring.
Spring work with plantings is like this(Figure 2):
- Regular watering vital for the crop, as it is very sensitive to lack of moisture, especially in the spring months. It is best to use root or drip irrigation, since in this case the moisture goes directly to the roots. However, waterlogging and compaction of the soil should not be allowed, as this can cause root rot and the development of fungal diseases.
- Loosening and mulching carried out after each watering. Loosening allows you to saturate the soil with oxygen, and mulching prevents moisture evaporation and weed growth.
- Sanitary pruning is carried out very early, in March, since the plant belongs to early crops, and its buds begin to awaken with the arrival of the first warm days. Until this point, you need to remove all damaged, dry or frozen shoots, as well as branches that thicken the crown.
Figure 2. The main stages of planting care: watering, loosening and pruning Mature bushes grow actively, and their branches can intertwine, forming dense growth. In this case, it will be difficult to care for the shrub, so it is advisable to tie young shoots of shrubs to trellises or other supports.
Caring for gooseberries in spring: video
From the video you will learn how to properly care for plants in the spring to maintain high yields and prevent plant diseases.
Growing gooseberries in the garden
Many gardeners prefer to grow gooseberries in their garden plots, since this crop is characterized by high yields, but does not require special care.
If he is landed in right place, it will successfully bear fruit for 20 years, but for this you need to regularly thin out the crown and rejuvenate pruning. Let's take a closer look at the main features of growing this crop in the country.
Secrets of cultivation
Seedlings can be planted in open ground not only in spring, along with most other fruit crops, but also in autumn. Experienced gardeners advise planting in the fall, since in the spring it is easy to miss the right time for planting.
Note: Spring planting is carried out only at a time when the soil has thawed, but the buds have not yet swelled. As a rule, this period is only a few days. If you miss the right time, the plant will not take root well in the new place or will not take root at all.
In the fall, it is easier to choose the moment to plant. It is carried out about a month and a half before the onset of frost. Gooseberries quickly form roots, so young seedlings will have time not only to acclimatize to a new place, but also to take root well.
It is important to maintain the optimal distance between bushes. It depends on the variety: for compact ones one meter will be enough, and large varieties planted at a distance of two meters from each other. Only under such conditions will the plant’s root system be able to receive sufficient quantity nutrients from the soil.
Selecting a location
Gooseberries belong to crops that are demanding on the lighting of the site. The plant should be planted in well-lit places. There should be no drafts in the garden bed, but it is advisable that the area be ventilated (Figure 3).
Note: Shaded areas are not suitable for culture, because if there is insufficient sunlight the berries become small, and the yield of the bush decreases overall.
Swampy lowlands and areas with close groundwater are not suitable for cultivation. Heavy clay soils are also not suitable for the plant. In conditions of high humidity and soil density, the risk of root rot and fungal infection increases.
Arrangement
In order for gooseberries to bear fruit regularly and abundantly, you need to properly arrange the bed for it and provide optimal growing conditions.
The basic requirements for growing crops are:
- When planting in a hole, you need to add fertilizers: rotted manure or compost, wood ash and superphosphate. This mixture will provide the seedlings with all the necessary nutrients for rooting and growth.
- Before planting, the seedling is inspected and all damaged and dry branches or parts of roots are removed. It is also recommended to prune the bush, leaving five buds on each branch.
- During planting, each layer of soil that is sprinkled on the seedling must be compacted so that voids do not form around the roots. After planting, the soil around the bush is watered abundantly and mulched.
Figure 3. Preparing the site for planting seedlings It is also advisable to install supports or trellises near each bush, to which young branches of the plant will be tied in the future. This will form the crown of the correct shape and prevent branches from intertwining.
In the video you can find expert advice on caring for this plant.
Is it possible to grow gooseberries from seeds?
Most gardeners prefer to plant gooseberries with ready-made seedlings purchased in specialized stores or nurseries. But, like other crops, it can be successfully grown from seeds.
The basic rules for growing from seeds are:(Figure 4):
- Seeds are collected only from very ripe fruits. They need to be thoroughly cleaned of pulp and dried.
- Finished seeds cannot be stored. They are immediately sown in the ground.
- In pots that will be used for germinating seeds, you need to make a layer of drainage at the bottom to remove excess moisture.
- The soil mixture for seed germination consists of fertile soil, humus and sand in equal proportions.
- Seeds are sown to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm and at a distance of 5 cm from each other.
Figure 4. Growing gooseberries from seeds The seeds are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil on top, watered abundantly, covered with film and placed in a cool room. In the future, you need to ensure that the soil does not dry out. When the seedlings grow up, they are picked and transplanted into fertile soil.
Standard gooseberry: how to grow
Standard gooseberries, unlike ordinary varieties, are distinguished not only by their practical, but also by their decorative value. For example, such a shrub can be used as a central element to decorate a flower bed with low flowers.
In addition, standard varieties are much less likely to be affected by powdery mildew, and their fruits are one and a half times larger than the berries that can be obtained from ordinary bush varieties. However, it should be borne in mind that standard species require more careful care. Most varieties are not resistant to low temperatures and easily freeze in winter, so special shelters need to be provided for the shrubs. In addition, the shape of the crown must be regularly shaped by pruning, since young growth easily thickens the crown.
Peculiarities
To grow a standard crop, you need to choose the standard itself - a small trunk with a height of 60 cm to a meter. Having planted a crop correctly, you can significantly facilitate its care, since it is much easier to collect fruits and prune on a bush raised above the ground (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Growing gooseberries on a trunk The main feature of growing a standard plant is that this technology Great for small areas. Using boles, you can raise the bush above the ground. As a result, even an adult large shrub will take up little space, and harvesting and pruning will be easier than with conventional bush forms.
Growing rules
As in the case of bush forms, the cultivation of a standard type is carried out according to certain rules.
Firstly, you need to choose the right variety for growing on a trunk. Ordinary varieties are covered with snow in winter, and shrubs raised above the ground can easily freeze and die. That is why you need to choose frost-resistant varieties.
Secondly, you need to choose a suitable standard. In this case, there are several options: growing a trunk from the bush itself or pinching a seedling to the trunk golden currant. In the first option, the seedling is grown for two years and, when the plants receive the necessary strength, the entire above-ground part is removed. After this, young shoots are formed, from which one of the strongest shoots is selected, and the rest are removed. Next spring, almost all the buds are removed from the shoot, leaving only the 5-6 strongest ones in the upper part. They will become the main ones for the formation of skeletal branches. In the case of using the trunk of a golden currant as a standard, the usual pinching of the bud is carried out on the selected standard.
Planting standard gooseberries is carried out in the same way as conventional varieties. Requirements for lighting and soil also remain unchanged.
Among modern methods The trellis method of growing crops is considered one of the most popular and convenient (Figure 6).
Growing gooseberries on a trellis cannot be called simple, but with some care you can significantly increase the yield of the crop and extend its fruiting period. In addition, the berries are evenly heated by the sun and receive the same amount of nutrients, and are not contaminated, since there are no branches lowered low to the ground with this growing method.
Peculiarities
To increase productivity, you need to properly manufacture and install trellises. These are special support structures to which plant shoots are tied.
Figure 6. Trellis for gartering and growing gooseberries By correctly placing trellises on the site, you can save space in the garden. Ordinary shrubs grow widely, and it is not always possible to remove young shoots. If the gooseberry is fixed on a trellis, it is much easier to control the growth of young shoots, and it is more convenient to collect the fruits.
Landing technique
You can use wooden poles or metal pipes height of at least two meters. Three rows of wire are stretched between the supports, located one above the other.
In spring or autumn, seedlings are planted, placing them at a distance of a meter from each other. About a week after planting, you need to prune the seedlings. In this case, all branches located near the ground are removed and only strong upper shoots are left.
The branches are tied to the wire of the first level. The next year, the length of the shoots increases, and young shoots are tied to a second wire. A year later, the procedure is repeated, tying the shoots to the third wire. Subsequently, all the growth formed near the root collar is removed, and young shoots are shortened or cut off so that the bush remains compact.
Pros and cons of technology
The technology of growing gooseberries on trellises has both pros and cons. Among the advantages are the compact placement of shrubs on the site and the ease of caring for them. A shrub attached to a trellis is much easier to trim, and the fruits are evenly warmed by the sun. In addition, shrubs on a trellis are easier to harvest, and the berries are larger in size.
The disadvantage of growing on a trellis is the large labor costs for arranging the site. You need to choose the right supports, install them and stretch wire between the posts to secure the shoots. In addition, when growing a crop on a trellis, a lot of attention needs to be paid to pruning, since all the young growth that forms near the root collar must be regularly removed.
Advice from experienced gardeners will help you successfully grow gooseberries in your garden, even if you have never cultivated this crop before.
First, you need to choose the right site for the plant. This culture does not tolerate shady and too wet places, so it is better to immediately choose a well-lit area with fertile soil.
Secondly, seedlings should be placed at a distance of 1-2 meters from each other (depending on the variety). Crowded planting will result in weakened plants and increased susceptibility to disease.
Thirdly, it is better to plant in the fall rather than in the spring. The buds of the crop awaken very quickly after winter, so it’s easy to miss the right time for planting. In autumn, planting is carried out about a month before the onset of frost. Gooseberries very quickly form young roots and manage to take root by winter.
In addition, the shrub needs to be regularly fed with organic and mineral fertilizers, and this should preferably be done in the spring, when the plants need nutrients most.
In order to annually obtain a harvest of ripe and large berries, regular and consistent care of gooseberries is necessary. I will tell you about the basic rules for feeding and pruning shrubs, as well as what pests and diseases of gooseberries you should be wary of, and how to protect yourself from them.
After fertilizing and watering, I try to regularly loosen the soil and remove weeds. Mulching with sawdust or vegetable compost is recommended.
During the period of active fruiting, adult gooseberry bushes need good nutrition. When pouring berries, I use a nitrogenous fertilizer in the form of a weak solution of nitrate. This has a positive effect on the sweetness of the berries.
After harvesting, I feed the bushes with nitrogen. This is necessary to help develop fruit buds that will affect next year's yield.
At the end of summer, it is also worth adding phosphate rock and wood ash to the soil to saturate the soil with phosphorus and potassium. If the soils are acidic, I recommend adding limestone (chalk or flour). In the first years, I apply fertilizer locally under the bush, and then scatter it throughout the area.
You can read more about feeding gooseberries in August in our material.
Gooseberry diseases
The most common and dangerous disease of gooseberries is powdery mildew. If measures are not taken in time, then there is a risk of losing not only this year’s harvest, and even more than one plant. Powdery mildew affects many crops and spreads rapidly among berry bushes.
I examine shrubs especially carefully in warm and humid weather, since these are optimal conditions for the development of the disease. It is easily recognized by the whitish coating on the leaves and berries, which turns into a brown crust over time.
To prevent powdery mildew, I use the drug HOM, or TOPAZ; other copper-containing products are also suitable. I prepare the treatment solution according to the instructions and thoroughly spray the plant.
Pest Control
Most often I have problems with gooseberry moth and shoot aphids. The butterfly moth emerges from the ground at the beginning of flowering and lays eggs in the flowers. Towards the end of flowering, caterpillars emerge from them, capable of destroying the crop.
When infested by aphids, the leaves of the plant curl and fall off, the shoots stop growing, and the berries become smaller and fall off without ever ripening. To combat these pests, I use drugs: Actellik or Fufanon insecticides.
Gooseberries also need to be protected from glassware; read our article on how to do this.
Preparing for winter
In the southern regions, gooseberry bushes do not need shelter, but I recommend mulching the soil in late autumn. If you live in a region characterized by low temperatures, I advise you to carefully bend the branches of the bush to the ground, spread them in different directions, and secure them with wooden spikes. The crust of snow will cover the gooseberries, and it will become reliable protection branches from frost.
Gooseberry is a delicious berry with many beneficial properties. To get maximum results when growing, choose zoned varieties that are adapted to your area and have protection against major diseases. Using my experience and recommendations, you can get a bountiful gooseberry harvest every year.
Sereda Anna Evgenievna, gardener
Subject to optimal growing conditions, gooseberries can bear fruit for 20-25 years, and this is far from the limit. There are cases when gooseberries delight with their fruits for 40 years in a row. Of course, to achieve such results, planting gooseberries alone will not be enough. It is necessary to pay due attention to the plant and periodically carry out agrotechnical measures. More information about growing and caring for gooseberries will be discussed in this article.
This is a low shrub, the height of which is no more than 120 cm. Gooseberry has exfoliating brown or gray bark and thorns - thin spines located on the cylindrical shoots of the plant. Small 6-centimeter leaves can be ovoid or round in shape. Their surface is painted bright green, and there are blunt teeth along the edges.
Gooseberries bloom in May with axillary green or red flowers. The fruits of this crop are small, only 10-12 mm in diameter, but there are also varieties in which the size of spherical or oval berries can reach 45 mm. Colored green, red, white or yellow, gooseberries can be completely naked or covered with small bristles. Gooseberries are not only a decoration for your garden, but also useful plant, since its fruits contain many vitamins, tannins, metals and organic acids.
On a note! Gooseberries are early honey plants, which is why they attract the attention of many pollinating insects. In addition, this culture is self-fertile. This means that even a single plant growing in the garden will bear fruit regularly. The main thing is proper care.
Optimal time for planting
Experienced gardeners recommend planting gooseberries in spring or autumn period, but the most suitable time for planting the plant is considered to be the second half of September - early October. You can plant later, but starting from the second half of autumn, the gooseberries will not be able to take root.
On a note! Spring planting, as a rule, has a bad effect on the properties of the plant - growth and fruiting are an order of magnitude worse.
Before starting to grow gooseberries, the gardener must decide whole line important issues regarding the choice of planting site, time to prune the plant, protection from pests, and so on. In addition, you need to know how to plant berry crops correctly. Let's consider each point separately.
Selecting a location
Most berry crops, including gooseberries, are very demanding on lighting in the area. If you plant a plant in a shaded area, then good harvest there will be no question (the number of berries will decrease every year, as well as the size). In addition, you need to choose a place where the soil is not too waterlogged, because this can harm the gooseberries. The risk of rotting will increase, which will lead to the inevitable death of the bush. To prevent this from happening, try to select areas for planting that are well lit, preferably with low-lying groundwater. Avoid heavy clay soils; it is better to plant some other crops in this place.
Selection of seedlings
Most often on the market you can find annual gooseberry seedlings with an open root system. Such plants have a small above-ground part. When buying seedlings, you need to pay attention to the root of the plant, or rather, check its condition. The root of gooseberry seedlings should not be dry, and you also need plants with a sufficiently developed root system. If we talk about shoots, they should look fresh and not have any damage. Having decided on the choice of seedlings and location, you can proceed to the next stage.
Landing
The process of growing gooseberries is not particularly difficult for those who have previously encountered this plant. Beginners in this business need to follow certain rules of agricultural technology - this will greatly simplify the planting process.
Table. Step-by-step instruction on planting gooseberries.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| Make special markings on the prepared area. To do this, place a long beam on the ground and drive a stake every 110-130 cm - there will be holes in these places. You can also use a rope for marking; this is not so important. |
| Dig the required number of holes for the gooseberries. They should be shallow, to the size of the plant’s root system. As a rule, the depth of the hole is 25-30 cm. |
| Trim the roots of the seedlings with pruning shears: if they are white at the cut site, it means the plant is alive. Before planting, seedlings should be soaked in water for at least 24 hours. |
| Fill the planting hole with nitroamphoska (highly effective mineral fertilizer). Each hole should take approximately 200 g. Also add 2-3 shovels of rotted manure. Mix these components thoroughly with the soil from the hole. To do this, use a shovel. |
| Place the seedlings in the holes so that not only the root system is underground, but also 3-5 cm of the plant stem. |
| After carefully filling the hole with the gooseberry seedling and lightly compacting the soil, fill it with a bucket of water. This should be done immediately after planting. |
| Fill the hole with several shovels of manure after all the liquid has been absorbed into the soil. This will protect the plant from frost. |
Aftercare
For good fruiting, you need to properly care for gooseberries. Moreover, regular watering alone will not be enough.
Soil treatment
Regular loosening and digging of the soil is the key to the active development of the bush and stable fruiting. Depending on the soil structure, the intensity and depth of treatment may vary. When growing a crop on dense soil, you need to use a shovel for digging, but on loose soil it is not needed. It is enough to cultivate the top layer of soil using a garden fork.
Since the gooseberry root system is located close to the surface, processing areas located next to the crown must be carried out with extreme caution. Try not to touch the lower layers of the soil by deepening gardening Tools no more than 6-7 cm. This applies only to the perimeter of the gooseberry crown, and treatment of other areas of the site can be carried out more intensively.
On a note! Do not forget about removing weeds when cultivating the soil. They help increase soil moisture near the bush, which can lead to the development of various viral diseases.
Top dressing
After planting gooseberries, there is no need to apply fertilizer in the first year. Just start next year by preparing special remedy from manure and ammonium nitrate. Bird droppings can also be used instead of manure. Each gooseberry bush requires 1 bucket of solution, which should be poured not on the bush itself, but under it. Starting from the third year, a mixture of potassium sulfate, superphosphate and manure is used for feeding.
In subsequent years, fertilizing must be done twice a year. As an alternative, you can use organomineral fertilizers for fertilizing, the most effective of which are considered to be “Bioprotect”, “Agrecol”, “Sinta” and others. These are long-acting fertilizers that need to be applied to the soil according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Trimming
No less important stage The process of caring for gooseberries involves pruning, which in the first years should consist of forming the base of the plant. In this case, the main part of the root shoots must be removed, and the skeletal branches must be shortened by about half.
After the fourth year, the features of pruning change radically, because now it is to prevent thickening of the bush. All improperly growing, dried out and weak gooseberry shoots must be removed with pruning shears. The formation of the bush should begin before the buds begin to open and after the leaves have completely fallen off. Gardeners are engaged in shortening green shoots in the summer to increase plant productivity. In this case, 5-6 leaves should remain on each gooseberry branch, and the top itself must be cut off. This method promotes the growth of the largest possible fruits.
Pests and diseases
Like many plants grown in the garden, gooseberries can become victims of pests, including sawflies, aphids and moths. To combat them, it is necessary to treat the crop with a special ash infusion prepared from water and wood ash. If you do not have the desire or ability to prepare a home remedy for pests, then you can buy biological products or karbofos in the store. It is advisable to process gooseberries in the spring, but if necessary, the procedure can be repeated at the end of the flowering period.
As a rule, gooseberries are attacked by various diseases and pests in early summer or spring. During this period, regularly inspect the plant and monitor its development. In the second half of March, it is necessary to pour boiling water over the bushes of the plant - this will destroy pathogenic fungi, for example, powdery mildew. If we talk about the fight against more serious pests (bud mites, aphids), then appropriate (more serious) measures are taken for this. Before flowering, you need to treat the plants with mullein infusion. To prepare it you will need cow dung (1 part) and water (3 parts).
On a note! If you find symptoms of any disease, then you need to immediately treat the plant with special preparations, including Iskra, Fufanon and others. You can also use infusions of wood ash or tobacco to process.
With the onset of winter, when the ground is covered with a layer of snow, the gooseberries must be covered with linoleum or other dense material. This is done in order to destroy all pests overwintering in the soil. After the end of the flowering period, the cover must be removed.
Common gardening mistakes
- Do not water the bushes from above; it is advisable to provide the plant with drip watering. As can happen with many plants, watering from above often results in rot.
- Thanks to a thick layer of mulch, you can significantly reduce the number of necessary waterings.
- Use a hoe or rake to loosen the soil, as using a shovel can damage the root system.
- When adding mineral or organic fertilizers It is necessary to take into account the filling of the planting hole. If you added organic and minerals, then in the first few years there will be no need for fertilizing.
- Do not trim all neglected bushes at one time - this takes time. For example, to put one crown in order, for an experienced gardener need at least 2 years. Otherwise, you risk destroying the plant.
Video - Planting and caring for gooseberries
