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What to do with gooseberries in spring. Spring chores: caring for gooseberries. Typical Care Mistakes

If you want to get a rich harvest of berries, you will have to devote time to fruit bushes throughout the year. Gooseberry care in the spring begins with sanitary pruning, fertilizing, loosening the soil and removing weeds. But even during the summer and autumn, the shrub needs some 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 the bush healthy in the spring, and how to grow it on personal plot.

Gooseberry care in spring

There is nothing complicated in caring for gooseberries in the spring, despite the fact that this crop has certain growing features. 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 preventive measure is watering with boiling water (Figure 1). Hot water is poured into a hand sprayer and shrubs that are still dormant are evenly treated. Hot water capable of destroying larvae of pests and pathogens that could overwinter on stems, leaves or soil.

Peculiarities

Boiling water treatment is far from the only feature of spring care. In May, when the buds wake up, and the branches are covered with young leaves, they carry out surface loosening of the soil and removal of weeds.

Note: Deep loosening of the soil around the bushes cannot be carried out, since in this case plant roots close to the surface can be easily damaged.

In the spring, it is also necessary to feed the bushes with mullein infusion or mineral potash and nitrogen fertilizers. This stimulates the growth of young shoots and will give the shrubs the opportunity to develop more actively.

rules

If you haven't grown gooseberries before, here are some tips from seasoned gardeners on caring for the crop in the spring.

Spring work with plantings such(picture 2):

Regular watering vital for the culture, as it is very sensitive to lack of moisture, especially in the spring months. It is best to use basal or drip irrigation, since in this case moisture comes directly to the roots. However, waterlogging and soil compaction 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 the evaporation of moisture and the growth of weeds.
Sanitary pruning carried out very early, in March, as the plant belongs to early cultures, and his kidneys begin to awaken with the advent of the first warm days. Up to this point, you need to remove all damaged, dry or frostbitten 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 a dense growth. In this case, it will be difficult to care for a shrub, so it is advisable to tie the young shoots of shrubs to trellises or other supports.

Gooseberry care 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 backyard

Many gardeners prefer to grow gooseberries in their backyard, as this crop has a high yield, but it does not require special care.

If it is planted in the right place, it will successfully bear fruit for 20 years, but this requires regular crown thinning and anti-aging pruning. Let us consider in more detail the main features of growing this crop in the country.

Growing Secrets

Seedlings can be planted in open ground not only in spring, along with most of the others fruit crops but also in autumn. Experienced gardeners advise planting in the fall, as it is easy to miss the right time for planting in the spring.

Note: Spring in the ground is carried out only at a time when the soil has thawed, but the buds have not yet swollen. As a rule, this period is only a few days. If you miss the right time, the plant will not take root well in a new place or not take root at all.

In autumn, it is easier to choose the moment for planting. 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 in a new place, but also to take root qualitatively.

It is important to observe the optimal distance between the bushes. It depends on the variety: for compact ones, one meter will be enough, and large varieties are planted at a distance of two meters from each other. Only under such conditions root system plants can get enough nutrients from the soil.

Location selection

Gooseberries belong to cultures that are demanding on the illumination of the site. You need to plant a plant in well-lit places. There should be no drafts in the garden, but it is desirable that the area be ventilated (Figure 3).

Note: Shaded areas are not suitable for culture, because with a lack sunlight the berries become small, and the yield of the shrub decreases as a whole.

Wetlands and areas with a close location of groundwater are not suitable for cultivation. Heavy clay soils also not suitable for the plant. In conditions high humidity and soil density increases the risk of root rot and fungal attack.

Arrangement

In order for the gooseberry to bear fruit regularly and abundantly, you need to properly equip the garden for it and ensure optimal conditions growth.

The main requirements for growing a crop are:

When planting in a pit, fertilizers must be applied: rotted manure or compost, wood ash and superphosphate. This mixture will provide 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 the roots are removed. It is also recommended to prune the shrub, leaving five buds on each branch.
During planting, each layer of soil with which the seedling is sprinkled must be compacted so that voids do not form around the roots. After planting, the soil around the bush is abundantly watered and mulched.

Figure 3. Preparing a site for planting seedlings

It is also desirable to install supports or trellises near each shrub, to which young branches of the plant will be tied in the future. This will allow you to form a crown of the correct shape and prevent the 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 from specialized stores or nurseries. But, like other crops, it can be successfully grown from seed.

The basic rules for growing from seeds are(picture 4):

Seeds are collected only from very ripe fruits. They must be thoroughly cleaned of pulp and dried.
Ready seeds cannot be stored. They are immediately sown in the ground.
In pots that will be used to germinate 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 not more than 0.5 cm and at a distance of 5 cm from each other.

Figure 4. Growing gooseberries from seeds

From above, the seeds are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil, watered abundantly, covered with foil 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 dive, transplanting into fertile soil.

Standard gooseberry: how to grow

The standard gooseberry, unlike ordinary varieties, differs not only in practical, but also in 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 berries that can be obtained from ordinary bush varieties. However, it should be borne in mind that standard species need more careful care. Most varieties are not resistant to low temperatures, and freeze easily in winter, so you need to equip special shelters for the shrub. In addition, the shape of the crown must be regularly shaped by pruning, as young shoots easily thicken the crown.

Peculiarities

To grow a stem type of culture, you need to choose the stem itself - a small trunk from 60 cm to a meter high. By properly planting a crop, it is much easier to care for it, since it is much easier to collect fruits and prune on a shrub 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 stems, you can raise the shrub above the ground. As a result, even an adult dimensional 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 species is carried out according to certain rules.

First, 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 stem. In this case, there are several options: growing a bole from the bush itself or pinching a seedling to the golden currant trunk. In the first option, the seedling is grown for two years and, when the plants receive the necessary strength, the entire aerial part is removed. After that, a young growth is formed, from which one of the strongest shoots is selected, and the rest are removed. The following spring, almost all buds are removed on the shoot, leaving only 5-6 of the strongest in the upper part. They will become the basis for the formation of skeletal branches. In the case of using the trunk of golden currant as a stem, the usual pinching of the kidney is carried out on the selected stem.

Planting a standard gooseberry is carried out in the same way as ordinary varieties. Requirements for lighting and soil also remain unchanged.

Among modern methods of growing crops, one of the most popular and convenient is the trellis method (Figure 6).

Growing gooseberries on a trellis cannot be called simple, but with certain care, you can significantly increase the yield of a crop and extend its fruiting period. In addition, the berries are evenly warmed by the sun and receive the same amount of nutrients, and they are not polluted, since there are no branches lowered low to the ground with this method of cultivation.

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. Tapestry for garter and cultivation of gooseberries

Properly positioning the trellis 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 fruits.

landing technique

As a support, you can use wooden poles or metal pipes with a height of at least two meters. Three rows of wire are stretched between the supports, 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 shoot increases, and the young shoots are tied to the second wire. A year later, the procedure is repeated, tying the shoots to the third wire. In the future, all the growth that has formed near the root collar is removed, and the 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 pluses and minuses. Among the advantages are the compact placement of shrubs on the site and the convenience of caring for them. A shrub attached to a trellis is much easier to cut, and the fruits are evenly warmed by the sun. In addition, it is easier to harvest from shrubs on a trellis, and the berries are larger.

The disadvantage of growing on a trellis can be considered a large amount of labor for arranging the site. It is necessary to choose the supports correctly, install them and stretch the wire between the posts to fasten the shoots. In addition, when growing a crop on a trellis, much attention should be paid to pruning, since all the young shoots that form near the root collar must be regularly removed.

The advice of experienced gardeners will help you successfully grow gooseberries in the 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 humid 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). Overcrowded planting will result in weakened plants and increased susceptibility to disease.

Thirdly, planting is best done in the fall, not in the spring. The buds of the culture wake up very quickly after winter, so it is easy to miss the right time for planting. In autumn, planting is carried out about a month before the onset of frost. Gooseberries form young roots very quickly and manage to take root by winter.

In addition, the shrub needs to be regularly fed with organic and mineral supplements, and it is advisable to do this in the spring, when the plants need the most nutrients.

Common gooseberry (lat. Ribes uva-crispa), or rejected, or European- a species belonging to the genus Currant of the Gooseberry family. The gooseberry berry comes from North Africa and Western Europe, it also grows wild in Central and Southern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North America. The gooseberry was first described by Jean Ruelle in 1536 in his book De natura stirpium. In Europe, the gooseberry became known in the 16th century, and already in the 17th century it became such a popular berry crop in England that active breeding work began, which resulted in the appearance of several varieties of gooseberries, and to XIX century there were already hundreds of them. At the same time, American breeders set to work, who managed to develop gooseberry hybrids that are resistant to powdery mildew, the main enemy of the plant. Now gooseberries are grown in almost all gardens of the world. We call this berry northern grapes.

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Planting and caring for gooseberries

Landing: possible in spring, but better from late September to mid-October.
Lighting: bright sun.
The soil: sandy, sandy, loamy and even clayey, neutral or slightly acidic.
Mulching: in May after watering and loosening the soil around the bushes.
Watering: drip or subsoil, 3 to 5 waterings per season. The method of sprinkling is categorically not suitable.
Garter: hanging branches are lifted from the ground with a net or stretch marks.
Pruning: before the buds swell - for sanitary purposes, the main pruning - in the fall, during the period of leaf fall.
Top dressing: 1st - at the beginning of the growing season, 2nd - immediately after flowering, 3rd - 2-3 weeks after the second.
Reproduction: dividing the bush, perennial branches, cuttings, layering and grafting. seed propagation used mainly in breeding experiments.
Pests: shoot aphids, gooseberry moths, sawflies, moths, gold beetles, glass cases, currant gall midges and spider mites.
Diseases: anthracnose, powdery mildew, septoria, goblet rust, viral mosaic.

Read more about growing gooseberries below.

Gooseberry bushes - description

Gooseberry is a small shrub up to 120 cm high with exfoliating grey-brown bark and spines of leaf origin. On young cylindrical shoots, thin needles are gooseberry thorns. Rounded or heart-shaped-ovate gooseberry leaves up to 6 cm long - dull, shortly pubescent, on petioles. Leaf plate with three to five lobes and blunt teeth along the edge. Flowers, reddish or greenish, axillary, bloom in May. Gooseberry fruits are oval or spherical berries up to 12 mm long (although there are varieties with fruits up to 40 mm long), naked or covered with coarse bristles, with obvious venation, yellow, white, red or green, ripen in June-August.

Gooseberries are not only tasty, but also healthy, because they are rich in organic acids, metal salts, tannins and vitamins. Gooseberries are an early honey plant that attracts many pollinating insects to the garden. In addition, it is a self-fertile culture, that is, even if you have a single bush in your garden, it will still bear fruit.

Planting gooseberries

When to plant gooseberries

Planting gooseberries is carried out both in spring and in autumn time- from the end of September to mid-October, and experienced gardeners prefer autumn planting, arguing that before the onset of winter, the bushes have time to take root and form strong roots. Before planting a gooseberry, choose a place for it in accordance with the requirements of agricultural technology: the root system of the plant is long enough, so do not plant it in a lowland so as not to expose the gooseberry to the risk of fungal diseases.

Select a sunny place for it on a hillock or on a flat area, protected from cold northern and eastern winds, with neutral or slightly acidic soil, the pH of which is close to 6. Gooseberries grow well on loamy, sandy, sandy and clay soils, but the latter require when growing gooseberries frequent loosening.

Planting gooseberries in autumn

The soil around the gooseberry is inconvenient to weed because of its thorns, so in early autumn you need to clear the area where you intend to grow gooseberries from root weeds - for example, from wheatgrass.

Before planting gooseberries, the site is dug up, carefully choosing the rhizomes of weeds from the ground, then level the surface of the soil with a rake, breaking up the lumps.

2-3 weeks before planting, so that the earth has time to settle, they dig holes with a depth, length and width of 50 cm: the upper, fertile soil layer is removed and set aside, then the lower, infertile layer is laid to the other side. About 10 kg of rotted manure or humus and 50 g of potassium sulphate and superphosphate are added to the fertile layer and fertilizers are mixed with the soil - this supply of microelements will be enough for plants for several years. If the soil on the site is clayey, add a bucket of river sand to the pit. The distance between two bushes should be from a meter to one and a half, and between rows - about three meters.

For planting, you need to take annual or biennial gooseberry seedlings with a well-developed root system - the roots are 25-30 cm long, and the ground part should consist of several strong shoots. Before planting, soak the roots of seedlings for a day in a solution of organic fertilizers at the rate of 3-4 tablespoons of sodium humate per five liters of water. Seedlings are placed in the pit straight or slightly inclined so that the root neck is a few centimeters below the ground level, the roots should be well straightened. The earth is poured into the pit in parts, each portion of the earth is compacted.

The planted bushes are watered with a bucket of water, and when it is absorbed, the area is mulched with a two-three-centimeter layer of peat or humus - this measure will reduce the evaporation of moisture and prevent the formation of a crust on the soil surface. After planting and mulching the area, prune the shoots, leaving only a segment of each about five centimeters long with five to six buds.

Planting gooseberries in spring

We will not take your time describing how to plant gooseberries in the spring, since this procedure is no different from autumn planting. The only thing I want to add to the above: if you have a choice, plant gooseberries in the fall, because plants planted in spring have a slightly worse survival rate and shoot growth than bushes planted in October. And one more thing: gooseberries actively begin to bear fruit only in the third or fourth year, and this activity, with proper care, lasts 10-15 years.

gooseberry care

Gooseberry care in spring

Planting gooseberries and caring for them are not particularly difficult, especially for those who already have experience in growing this plant, but for beginners, growing gooseberries, subject to all the rules of agricultural technology, will not be a punishment. At the very beginning of spring, still in the snow, gooseberry bushes are treated with boiling water through a sprayer. This "hot" treatment of gooseberries in the spring is carried out as a preventive measure against infection of plants by pests and diseases.

In May, the soil is loosened around the bushes to a depth of 8-10 centimeters and mulched to avoid frequent loosening in the future, at the same time, if necessary, gooseberries are fed with manure infusion or a solution of potash and nitrogen fertilizers.

The plant is very sensitive to the lack of moisture in the soil, especially in spring, during the flowering period, and in summer, when gooseberries ripen. The most effective are subsoil and drip irrigation methods, since they allow moisture to be delivered directly to the roots of the plant - to a depth of five to forty centimeters. During the growing season, it is necessary to carry out from three to five such irrigations. Do not water gooseberries by sprinkling, especially cold water. If you mulched your yard in May, you won't have to fight weeds often and loosen the soil with the prospect of scratching yourself on the sharp gooseberry thorns, but be prepared to perform this feat if necessary.

If the gooseberry is planted in rows, hanging branches are lifted with nets or stretch marks stretched between rows at a height of 25-30 centimeters on both sides of the row.

Gooseberry care in autumn

In the fall, gooseberries are prepared for winter - they are fertilized so that the plant has food for laying fruit buds for the next year, they are cut off so as not to do this in the spring with a risk to the health of the plant.

How to feed gooseberries

Gooseberry bears fruit long years, choosing a significant amount of nutrients from the soil, therefore, the annual application of both mineral and organic fertilizers becomes necessary. In the spring, half a bucket of compost, 50 g of superphosphate and 25 g of ammonium sulfate and potassium sulfate are added under each bush. If the bush is very large and abundantly fruiting, double the rate.

Fertilizers are applied to the soil along the perimeter of the crown- it is in this diameter that the gooseberry roots lie - and are embedded by loosening the soil. Immediately after flowering, and then another 2-3 weeks later, top dressing is carried out with a solution of mullein in a ratio of 1: 5 at the rate of 5-10 liters for each gooseberry bush.

gooseberry pruning

Pruning gooseberries in spring

In early spring, before the buds swell, gooseberries are pruned - unproductive, weak, dry, diseased or broken, as well as shoots frozen over the winter, are removed; in addition, you need to remove the basal shoots and slightly trim the weakened tips of the branches to healthy tissue. But before you cut the gooseberries, make sure that the sap flow in it has not yet begun: the gooseberries wake up very early, and you may not have time until the damage to the branches becomes dangerous for the plant - by late pruning you will only harm the plant, weakening it . That is why responsible people prefer to do the main pruning of gooseberries in the fall.

Pruning gooseberries in autumn

Pruning must be carried out annually, otherwise, by the third year of life, the bushes thicken, and poor quality fruits are formed in the thick. Yes, and it is much easier to treat gooseberries for diseases and pests if the bush is not overgrown. The most valuable branches on the gooseberry bush are five to seven years old, and the ramifications are of the first three orders, the rest of the branches and ramifications are unproductive. Based on this, branches older than 8-10 years are subject to pruning to the base - they are almost black. This measure will allow the bush to form zero shoots, which will eventually replace the aging ones.

The tops of the shoots are cut off only when small low-quality berries begin to form on them, but it is also better to cut off the shoots that grow too low or too far. How to process gooseberries after pruning, especially cuts on thick shoots, with a diameter of more than 8 mm, so that the juice of the plant does not flow out through these wounds? It is best to do this with garden pitch.

Gooseberry is a thorny shrub with interesting multi-colored fruits. In order for the gooseberry planting to be successful, you need to purchase high-quality seedlings, determine the right time for planting and carefully prepare the seat. When planting several bushes, try to keep the distance between them, and after planting, pay attention to proper and proper care for gooseberries. With timely watering, weeding, pruning and top dressing, the gooseberry will very soon begin to bear fruit and will delight with fruits every year for a long time.

Planting gooseberry seedlings

I advise you to purchase seedlings exclusively in nurseries with a good reputation. When buying, be sure to inspect the roots so that they are not torn off or dried. The optimum root length is approx. 25 cm. The aerial part - 2-3 shoots - should also be without damage, and the shoots should be alive, not dried up. I advise you to buy exactly two-year-olds, since one-year-olds are weaker and require careful care.

Gooseberry planting dates

It is more convenient to buy gooseberry seedlings in the spring, I advise them to be planted during the same period. Then, during the warm period, the seedlings will take root well, take root in a new place and endure the winter without any problems.

Planting site for gooseberries

Under the gooseberry, I advise you to choose a secluded place so that its thorns do not cause inconvenience. The site for planting gooseberries should be well lit, protected on the north side by the wall of the house or a large bush with a dense crown, for example, shadberry. Such protection will allow the gooseberry to endure the winter without problems, because this crop does not have good frost resistance.

When choosing a place for gooseberries, give preference to leveled areas, without depressions and depressions. Well, if it is cool enough there, melt or rain water accumulates. The groundwater level should be no closer than 1.5 m to the soil surface, and the soil itself should be loose, moisture and breathable and nutritious.

Gooseberry planting scheme

If you plant several plants on the site, you need to observe the distance between the gooseberry bushes when planting. Step back 1.5-2 m from one bush to another - it will be easier to cultivate the soil, cut plants, and harvest.

When laying several rows of gooseberries, it is advisable to leave approx. 3 m of free land.

5 rules for planting gooseberries

1. Fertilization
If the soils in your area are depleted, be sure to fertilize before planting, preferably in the fall. It is necessary to scatter peat, humus or well-rotted manure on the soil surface in the amount of 5-6 kg per square meter. m, scatter wood ash (500-600 g per sq. M) and nitroammofoska (1 tbsp. per sq. M). If it was not possible to prepare the soil in the fall, then apply fertilizer in the spring as early as possible - 2-3 weeks before planting.

2. Digging the soil
Dig up the soil to a full bayonet of a shovel, level it, breaking all the clods. Only after that prepare the landing pits. From myself advice - be sure to carefully remove weeds when digging the soil, especially the roots of wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is the very first competitor to gooseberries, it suppresses its growth, does not allow plants to ventilate, from which they begin to suffer from fungal diseases and be affected by pests.

3. Preparation of planting holes
It is difficult to say the exact size of the planting holes, because it all depends on the size of the purchased seedling. The main thing is that the root system is freely located in the hole without creases and bends. As a drainage, I advise you to use expanded clay - a couple of handfuls is enough so that the water does not stagnate at the roots during wet seasons. At the base of the planting hole, add a mixture of fertilizers, consisting of equal parts of peat, humus and river sand. Pour a bucket of water on top, and place the roots on a nutritious and moist mixture, gently straightening them.

4. Planting a seedling
Gooseberries should be planted carefully so as not to damage the roots. Sprinkle the landing site with earth and carefully compact it with your hands so that there are no voids between the roots and the soil. Pay attention to the root neck - after planting and subsidence of the soil, it should be located at the level of the soil or be deepened by 1-1.5 cm, no more.

5. Watering and mulching
After planting and compacting the soil, the bushes need to be watered with another bucket of water, then the soil surface should be mulched with peat or humus with a layer of 2 cm.

gooseberry care

Caring for gooseberries is not complicated and consists of watering, weeding, loosening the soil, pruning and top dressing.

Watering gooseberries

Watering is necessary, as crops will be weak on dry soil. It is advisable to water the soil if there has been no rain for at least 4-6 days in a row. It is better to water the plants in the evening under the bush, and not on the leaves. Young plants need 1 bucket of water, and bushes older than 3 years need 2 buckets during watering.

Gooseberry top dressing

As a top dressing at the beginning of the growing season, I advise you to add 1 tbsp. l. nitroammofoski under each bush, after loosening and watering the soil. After that, it is advisable to water the soil again and mulch it as when planting.

During the flowering period, gooseberries can be fed with superphosphate and potassium chloride by mixing these fertilizers to make a total of 1 tbsp. l. The order of entry is the same. After harvesting, I advise you to once again feed the plants with phosphorus and potash fertilizers in the same quantities and proportions.

Weeding and removing weeds on gooseberries

Do not forget about the removal of weeds - it is better to keep the bite zone clean throughout the life of the gooseberry bush. I advise you to combine weed removal with loosening the soil (depth no more than 5-6 cm) and watering.

gooseberry pruning

You should not be smart with pruning, sanitary-thinning is enough. It is best to do it in March before bud break, when the snow settles, exposing the bushes. Remove, cutting into a ring, all old shoots over 5 years old, broken and dry branches. To thin out the bush, you need to cut off the shoots that grow deep and thicken the crown.

When gooseberries bear fruit

Usually, on good soil, with sufficient nutrition, moisture and proper care, gooseberries will give the first fruits for 3-4 years of planting. The berry bush will bear fruit regularly for at least 10 years. It is better to collect fruits as they ripen. If you want to eat the berries right away, then wait for the pulp to color and soften. If the fruits need to be transported, then pluck early.

In early spring, as soon as the snow melts and the earth dries out, it is necessary to remove all last year's garbage around the bushes - fallen leaves, dry twigs, the remains of crumbled berries and old mulch. This must be done not so much for aesthetics, but in order to remove all pests and their larvae that hibernated in this shelter.

Further care for gooseberries involves pruning. It is important to do this before bud break in order to injure the plant less and, moreover, during this period it is easier to determine the branches to be pruned. So, on healthy, prosperous branches, the buds will swell together, and sick, frostbitten or broken ones will lag behind in development. You can’t wait for berries from such branches, so they need to be removed so that they do not obscure or thicken the bush.

Pruning is one of the main ways to care for gooseberries to increase their yield and stimulate development. The method and intensity of pruning depend primarily on the age of the plant, so you should know the main stages of the work:

Pruning a seedling in the year of planting. In order for the gooseberry bush to form correctly, it is necessary, in addition to removing weak shoots, to shorten the strong ones, leaving 3-4 buds on them. Experience shows that it is enough to leave no more than three main shoots, from which both the crown and basal shoots will grow.
Second year after planting. The first harvest of berries should be expected on the branches of the second growth, which are formed in next year after landing. Therefore, when pruning, they are left, and weak and basal shoots are cut out. By the end of this summer, the bush already has, in addition to three main two-year-old shoots, another 3-5 new annuals with branches.
In the third year, the gooseberry bush already consists of 25-30 branches, which are left as the basis of the crown. Now all the young shoots need to be removed.
Further pruning is to maintain a healthy state of the plant: cut out old branches, leaving younger branches to replace. Many gardeners have noticed that, starting from the age of seven years, the bush, on the branches of the 4th and 5th order, there is practically no harvest. They only weaken the plant, but their timely pruning will stimulate the development of new, promising shoots. Also remove diseased, broken, frozen, cutting them completely or to the first living kidney and prevent thickening of the bush. And after eight years, when the bush is already noticeably aging, it needs drastic measures. Leaving three or four of the strongest branches as a new, rejuvenated skeleton, everything else is cut off. From this moment, the process of bush formation begins again.

Pest control and disease prevention

Gooseberry care also involves measures to protect it. In the spring, all measures must be taken to prevent pest attacks. One of the most effective and environmentally friendly ways - spraying or dousing the bushes is very hot water(but this is only until the buds open, otherwise young leaves can be destroyed). With such treatment, both pests that have already managed to get out of the soil and their overwintered larvae die.

By the way, all these insects can not be released “into the light” at all, having covered the soil under the bushes with dense material since autumn - pieces of roofing material or old plastic wrap folded in several layers. Especially helps with protection against gooseberry moth.

Gooseberries are often affected various types aphids, which can be fought by spraying the bush with a solution of tar soap and garlic or by using an effective biopreparation Fitoverm. If, nevertheless, the pests remain, which will be seen from the reddish swellings on the leaves (gall aphid) or twisted leaves on the growth of the current year (shoot aphid), then it is necessary to collect and destroy all damaged parts, and generously treat the plant with an ash-soap solution and powder with tobacco and ground hot pepper. These procedures should be repeated every 7-10 days, otherwise it will not be possible to get rid of aphids.

Another dangerous pest is the scale insect. The complexity of the fight lies in the fact that these insects are very difficult to notice - they are tightly attached to the branches and practically merge with them, and the damaged parts of the plant wither and dry, seemingly for no apparent reason. From this misfortune, a soap-kerasin solution is used, which is applied to the branches and left to dry. But in the case of the shield, it's more likely preventive measures, for its destruction, modern biological products are still more effective.

As for the prevention of diseases, including the most common - powdery mildew, the following solutions have proven themselves among gardeners:

2 tbsp soda ash + 50 g of grated soap (household or tar) per bucket of water;
Increase the immunity of gooseberries against fungal diseases and the introduction of potash fertilizers. In this case, an infusion of wood ash is suitable - 1.5 kg is poured into 7 liters of water and insisted for a day. Then filter, add 50 g of crushed soap and use for spraying.
Good preventive results are given by dousing the bushes with boiling water in the spring with the addition of potassium permanganate. This destroys pathogenic spores not only on plants, but also in the soil.
You can also use the traditional solution of ferrous sulfate - 100g per 10l of water.
And, perhaps, the most “organic preparation” is mullein infusion: half a bucket is poured with a bucket of water, insisted for a week, and after filtering, plants are sprayed with it.

Watering and feeding

An adult plant rarely needs watering, except in the case of dry weather. More often, gooseberries are watered during top dressing to improve the distribution of fertilizers in the soil.

For the same reason, many people prefer to fertilize directly on the melting snow. In early spring, about 2 tablespoons are scattered under each young bush. nitrophoska and a couple of handfuls of wood ash. For mature plants, this dosage can be doubled. Fresh manure crushed between plantings of gooseberries accelerates the melting of snow, and together with moisture delivers all the nutrients to the roots. If the moment with snow has already been missed, the manure is covered with pitchforks into the soil at a distance of 25-30 cm from the base of the bush.

But you should not get carried away with fertilizers, the first two years after proper planting, the gooseberries do not need additional feeding. But starting from the age of three, you can add the following infusion when watering:

2 tbsp ammonium sulfate + a glass of wood ash + half a liter of manure (or a little less bird droppings) - per bucket of water.
All this, stirring occasionally, is infused for 3-4 days.
After filtering, it is used for irrigation: 2-3 liters for young bushes and 5-6 liters for adults.

The humus scattered under the bushes is both a mulch for the soil and a supply of plant nutrients. As a balanced and complete top dressing, gardeners use a popular fertilizer - nitroammophoska. But with its introduction, you need to be careful - observe the dosage and frequency of use so that the soil is not saturated with harmful nitrates.

Let's continue our conversation about gooseberries. In we learned about what a useful berry isgooseberry , as well as how to choose the right seedlings and how to prepare the soil for planting this wonderful plant.

And now I want to tell you directly about it. cultivation and care for gooseberries.

The best time for planting gooseberries is the end of September - the first half of October. Indeed, before the soil freezes, it must have time to take root, then in early spring the plant can fully use the entire soil moisture reserve and will noticeably grow by autumn.

This primarily applies to European varieties, as they awaken very early buds (approximately from April 3 to 20). At this time, the average daily air temperature rises above 5 o C, and the soil has not yet warmed up enough.

Hybrid varieties can also be planted in the spring, but this must be done very early, as moisture leaves the soil quickly. And if we are late with planting, then the gooseberry will take root worse and will not grow for a long time.

There may be no growth at all if the summer turns out to be dry, and some of the plants die without having time to take root. This is due to the fact that the gooseberry has a very early vegetation, which is much faster than the growth of the roots.

Let's start landing

We choose a place for planting gooseberries, taking into account several factors: firstly, since it leaves the dormant state early and blooms early, it is necessary to avoid low places, since cold air can accumulate there, and it is also desirable that the site be protected from cold winds .

Secondly, the gooseberry does not tolerate waterlogged soils; in such areas it grows very poorly, gets sick more and in most cases dies. Therefore, it is best if the standing groundwater is no closer than 1.5 m from the surface of the earth.

Thirdly, gooseberries are very picky about light and react negatively to darkening and thickening of the bush. At the same time, the branches are stretched and exposed, the berries become small and smaller, besides, they do not ripen at the same time and stain worse.

Based on these requirements, we select a site, prepare the soil, as described in the previous article, and mark out our plantation.

If we plant varieties with powerful bushes (Senator, Belarusian sugar, Northern captain, Nezhny, Malachite, Serenade), then the distance between bushes in a row should be 1.2-1.5 m. On good fertile soils, this distance can be increased to 2.0 m, since gooseberries always develop better on such soils.

And, planting early-growing and compact varieties (Jubilee, Baltic, White Nights, Muscat, English yellow), the distance between the bushes can be reduced to 0.9-1.0 m. At the same time, we must try to avoid excessive thickening, because fruit buds are laid only with good lighting of the bush.

Planting pits are best prepared in advance, approximately 1.5-2 months before planting (for spring planting - in autumn) and they need to be made so wide and deep that after we fill it with all the necessary fertilizers, there would be room for free placement straightened roots of seedlings.

The approximate size of the pit is 50 cm in diameter, 30-40 cm deep. We fill the pits with the following organic and mineral fertilizers: humus or compost (2 buckets); peat (1-2 buckets); superphosphate (200 g); potash fertilizer (20-30 g). It is best to use potassium sulfate or wood ash (200-300 g).

Potassium chloride is applied only when there is no other potash fertilizer and no later than 20-30 days before planting, since gooseberries do not tolerate excess chlorine very well, especially if the soil is light.

It must also be remembered that the plant is very sensitive to a lack of potassium, and with a lack of it, a physiological disease develops - “leaf burn”.

If your soil is sandy, then it is better to make the planting pits shallow and put a mixture of manure and clay on the bottom. It is desirable not to use high doses of fertilizers on such soils during planting, but then during the growing season, top dressing should be carried out more often.

After refueling, the contents of the pit must be thoroughly mixed with the ground and moistened well.

Before planting, we cut off non-lignified tops and leaves, damaged or too long roots from seedlings. In order for the plant to take root better, the roots can be dipped in a clay mash, and if the seedlings have dried up a little, then they must be kept in water for about 1 day.

In the planting pit, we carefully and slowly straighten the roots, then fill them with fertile soil, compacting the soil around the plant so that there are no voids left.

We plant seedlings with a slight depth (3-5 cm). And those varieties (most often from the European group) that have a weak or medium shoot-recovery ability are best planted obliquely, since this forms more additional adventitious roots and basal shoots. On soils of heavy mechanical composition, this technique also gives good results.

If your site has high groundwater, then plant gooseberries on hills or shafts 1 m wide.

After planting, water the plant well, and then be sure to mulch the soil around the bushes. As mulch, you can use humus, straw, peat, chopped tree bark, mowed young grass.

When mulching in the upper fertile soil layer, good conditions for the formation of roots, moisture is also much better retained, the bush is not so thickened with root shoots and the growth of weeds is suppressed.

The shoots of hybrid varieties after planting can be cut short enough, leaving only 12-15 cm above the soil surface. This technique will contribute to the emergence of a greater number of renewal shoots and the fastest formation of the crown.

For seedlings of European varieties, which are weaker, it will be enough just to pinch the tops of the shoots.

How to properly care

In order for the gooseberry to grow well and bear fruit abundantly, it must be properly looked after. What is the care of our northern grapes?

First of all, we follow the soil around the plant. In autumn, we dig it up, preventing damage to the roots, to a depth of 10-12 cm near the bush and 15 cm between the bushes. It is best to do this with a pitchfork and at the same time we plant organic and mineral fertilizers into the soil, and we also pile up gooseberries for the winter.

In the spring, we loosen the soil near the bush to a depth of 6-8 cm, and between the bushes - by 10-12 cm. At the same time, we combine loosening with loosening the bushes and fertilizing.

Then, during the summer, we carry out another 3-4 loosening to a depth of 6-8 cm and, of course, regularly weed weeds.

Secondly maintain the required soil moisture. During dry periods, gooseberries are regularly watered.

The most important periods when the plant needs moisture the most are the time of active growth of the plant, the time of ovary formation (immediately after flowering) and 2 weeks before harvest.

We water the gooseberries as the soil dries up and always under the root, since when watering by sprinkling, the plant can get sick.

Thirdly the plant needs to be fed. How much and what fertilizers we need to apply during the growing season largely depends on the composition of the soil in our area.

So, for example, on poor lands, fertilizers must be applied annually, on cultivated soils they are applied once every 2 years, and on fertile soils, fertilizers can be applied once every 3 years.

We apply nitrogen fertilizers in one step in the spring: in the first year after planting, approximately 15-20 g per 1 m 2 trunk circle, and in subsequent years we increase the dose to 20-25 g. Then we immediately loosen the soil.

Phosphorus and potash fertilizers are best applied in two doses, in spring and after harvest. We introduce them in the following quantity per bush: potassium sulfate - 20-30 g, superphosphate - 50-80 g.

As mentioned above, when growing gooseberries, potash fertilizers must be given special attention. A very good source of potassium is considered to be ash, which is also a means of protection against powdery mildew and pests.

Undoubtedly the best fertilizers are organic, which are good to use for summer dressings. Usually we carry out the first dressing after flowering, and the second - after harvesting. For these dressings, we take mullein or bird droppings, fill them with any container by 1/4-1/5 of its volume and add water. Then when organic fertilizers brew well (3-4 days), we start top dressing, diluting the resulting solution with water: mullein - 4-5 times, bird droppings - 10-12 times.

We make top dressing in the grooves between the bushes or around the bushes in a bucket for each plant.

Trimming and shaping

If we want to get high yields of gooseberries every year, then we cannot do without the correct and timely pruning of gooseberries. And some ways of forming bushes not only increase the yield of the plant, but can also create a very effective decorative shape of the bush.

The gooseberry is quite a plastic plant, so it can be given the most exotic forms. Except classical there are a number of other ways to form gooseberries, for example: in the form stlanza, one shoulder (vertical) and two-shoulder cordons, on a trellis.

Consider at the beginning classic way pruning and shaping the bush. Usually, by the fall of the first year, the gooseberries grow several annual shoots. Of these, we need to select 5-6 of the strongest shoots, which are directed in different directions and are located more conveniently relative to each other.

We leave these shoots, and cut the rest at the soil level. So every year we add no more than 3-4 new shoots, and remove the extra, sick, weak, lying on the ground.

By the beginning of mass fruiting (approximately 5 years), we will have a properly formed bush consisting of 18-20 branches of different ages.

Then, when the bush reaches 6-7 years of age, we begin to annually remove 3-4 old branches that have already begun to bear fruit poorly, leaving them to replace the same number of new annual shoots.

Such pruning is best done either in the fall after harvest and leaf fall, or in early spring before the buds swell.

We shorten the replacement (zero) shoots by 1/3-1/4 of the length, since they usually grow for a very long time, do not have time to prepare for winter and freeze slightly. In addition, with such pruning, the shoots form flower buds much better, ripen and grow over.

For the same reason, we also shorten strong shoots of higher branching orders.

And we shorten the main skeletal branches in order to stimulate the growth of lateral shoots and, thus, we somewhat rejuvenate the branches of the gooseberry bush.

This type of gooseberry bush formation is slate best used in very harsh climates or when growing non-hardy varieties.

And from the point of view of productivity, of course, this option of formation is not interesting, since the total number of branches is very small, which means that the yield is small.

In addition, the berries are low from the soil surface, so there is a possibility of contamination, and the bush takes up much more space than with classical shaping.

Another way to form one shoulder cordon also does not shine with productivity, as it is a stem or branch with overgrown branches.

Two-shoulder cordon- these are already two shoots that are located almost horizontally, with numerous vertical branches. This type of shaping is not suitable for everyone, although the bush looks very impressive and bears fruit well in a very small area near the walls.

But such a formation of a gooseberry bush is very laborious, besides, with the periodic renewal of horizontal branches, the bushes will not produce a crop.

And here is the formation on a trellis much easier and, in terms of productivity, more productive. There are several options for such a formation, but the following is closer to the classical one.

We plant bushes on a strip 1.5 m wide, then we place the strongest and most illuminated branches vertically on two trellises that stand opposite each other.

With this method of formation, the number of branches is also limited and they are located only vertically, so the bush becomes flat. This arrangement of branches is good because it makes it possible to plant gooseberries on a narrow strip of soil, and this is very valuable for small summer cottages.

This method of forming gooseberry bushes still has two significant drawbacks.

First, you have to remove good horizontal branches, which for some reason cannot be directed vertically.

The second - the yield on such bushes, due to the limited number of branches, is lower than potentially possible.

Therefore, the yield of bushes can be increased if we combine the trellis formation with the classical approach, in which the branches are placed at an angle of about 45%.

This form is called "hybrid of tapestry and classics" and is recognized as the most optimal for gooseberry bushes.

I'll tell you a little about the features of this formation. At the initial stage of development of the bushes (approximately the first 2 years), we prune them in the usual classical way, which was described above, and thus form a base of strong branches.

Then, in the third year, we install a temporary square around the bush, and if we have several bushes, then a rectangular fence about 30-35 cm high and evenly distribute the branches inside it.

For the fourth year, we install wooden trellises 2 m high inside this fence. If we have bushes planted with a ribbon, then it is best to make the trellis in the form of the letter “P”, and if one by one, then we make a quadrangular trellis, which will be, as it were, an additional fence located inside basic.

We tie to these trellises that part of the branches that fits the slope of the shoots, so as to cover with them as much of the light space as possible.

Then already in the fifth year, when our bush already had a large number of long strong branches, some of which lean too low, we replace the temporary fence with a permanent one, moreover, we make it higher than the temporary one (about 50-60 cm) and larger in area.

After that, we evenly redistribute all the branches along the fence and, if necessary, we tie some of them to the trellises.

The main advantages of this type of molding are as follows:

increase in yield per unit area by about 2 times;
the quality of the berries increases, as the best illumination of the shoots is achieved;
a large number of strong shoots are formed, which are more resistant to diseases and more productive;
very effective appearance bushes, especially during flowering and fruiting.

And the disadvantages of this shaping option include the fact that, firstly, it cannot be used for non-frost-resistant varieties, since there are no guarantees that tall bushes will be covered with snow before the onset of frost; and secondly, it will take much more time to form gooseberry bushes in this way compared to the classical approach.

In the following articles, I plan to talk about the most common of this culture and about measures to combat them.

And in conclusion, I want to invite you to watch the video "How to grow gooseberries competently." Take a look, I think it will be interesting.