Planting gooseberries and subsequent care for it is almost no different from other garden crops, but has its own characteristics. Subject to agrotechnical rules for growing gooseberries, the fruiting period lasts 20-30 years. Consider how to grow a strong, productive shrub.
Selection of planting material
Seedlings are selected from standard varietal plants. Learn about the best varieties of gooseberries for growing, learn from this article.
In order for the young gooseberry to take root, the following requirements are taken into account:
- the root system should have at least 3 skeletal roots 20-25 cm long;
- the aboveground part should contain 2-3 strong branches measuring about 30 cm;
- seedlings are taken without mechanical damage.
Plants with an open root system are taken without leaves (except the apex), and bushes with a closed root system, on the contrary, are leafy.
Autumn landing
Autumn is a good time to plant. During the winter, the shrub will take root and take root well.
Optimal timing
Gooseberries are planted in late September - mid-October (depending on climate). The event is carried out a month before the first minus temperatures. The roots begin to deepen into the soil at a daytime temperature of + 10 ... + 15 C. In premature frosts, planting is postponed until spring, as the plant does not have time to take root and freeze.
Soil preparation
The shrub loves fertile loose soils in well-lit, ventilated areas, but does not tolerate waterlogging. Therefore, it is not planted in wetlands and the proximity of groundwater.
Gooseberry bushes prefer neutral or slightly acidic soil. If the soil is acidic, limestone or dolomite flour is added. Before planting, the site is dug up and cleared of weeds.
The increased acidity of the soil can be determined as follows: if moss, sorrel and field horsetail grow on the plot, the acidity is high.
In order for the earth to sink, the holes are dug up 2-3 weeks before planting. The optimal depth is 50-55 cm, width is 55-60 cm. 2/3 of the holes are filled with fertilizers (superphosphate, ash, rotted manure).
Step-by-step landing guidelines
Gooseberry autumn landing is carried out in several steps:
- Inspect the bush for damage, remove unhealthy parts, broken roots by secateurs.
- The plant is laid to a depth of not more than 5 cm at the root neck.
- Sprinkle the roots with earth so that there are no voids between them.
- They compact the ground with their feet (not much) to fix the bush on the surface of the soil.
- The trunk circle is watered with 5 liters of water.
- Mulch the soil with peat or humus.
Once every 4-5 days, seedlings are watered (if there is no rain).
10 days after planting, gardeners recommend treating bushes from pests and fungi for prevention. In autumn, seedlings are not pruned.
In the presented video, the gardener shares the experience of planting gooseberries in the autumn:
Is it necessary to insulate for winter?
Gooseberries are a frost-resistant crop. Adult plants do not shelter specially for the winter; snow cover is enough to keep warm. Seedlings, especially in regions where winters are cold, protect against freezing. Plants are covered with spruce branches, fallen leaves or agrofibre.
Spring planting
In the spring, gooseberries are planted before the start of sap flow. If you neglect the terms, you can not wait for a plentiful harvest, the bush will grow weak.
Optimal timing
Favorable spring planting times vary by region. In the warm regions, gooseberries are planted in March, in the northern regions - until the end of April. Planted before swelling of the kidneys.
Soil preparation
It is better to fertilize the earth in the fall. In the spring, fertilizing is difficult due to the high humidity of the soil. The choice of seat and soil acidity does not differ from planting in the fall.
Gooseberries are not planted where raspberries, other varieties of gooseberries and currants used to grow, as these plants are affected by common diseases and pests. Plants where peas, potatoes, and beets were considered favorable for planting.
Step-by-step landing guidelines
Spring planting of seedlings consists of the following steps:
- Seedlings inspect for damage. Sick, dry, rotten roots are removed.
- Bushes are treated with a solution of a biostimulant (Zircon, Epin). So the root system will take root better.
- So that root shoots quickly grow and take root, the plant is laid in a hole at an angle of 45 degrees.
- Tamp the soil around the seedling (not tightly) and watered with water.
- Overhead shoots are cut to 15-20 cm, leaving 3-4 buds.
After planting once a week (until the roots are fixed), shrubs are watered. The trunk circle is regularly weeded. To protect against weeds, the soil is mulched with peat, foliage.
Watch the following video on how to plant gooseberries in spring:
Different ways to grow gooseberries
In addition to the usual bush formation, gooseberries are grown on the stem and on the trellis. Consider these agrotechnical methods.
On the trellis
Growing berry bushes on a trellis has its advantages:
- evenly spaced branches of the bush increase illumination, which contributes to the ripening of berries together;
- vertical planting positively affects the quality of the crop: the fruits grow large and sweet;
- the bushes are less polluted and infected with fungal infections.
Tapestries - reinforced concrete, wooden, plastic poles (pipes) of about 2 m in size are placed on both sides of the row. Between the posts pull the wire at 3 levels. Several bushes (5-6) are planted at a distance of 0.5 to 1 m from each other, the branches are arranged in the form of a fan. Then the plant is tied to the bottom wire of the structure and sent vertically. Seedlings cut to 3-4 buds.
Shoots overgrown from the root neck are removed in the second year to form the wall thickness of the processes and density. The lateral growths grown on the main bushes are shortened over the 5th leaf.
They take care of the shrub as in a normal planting: mulch, water, cut. In the spring, fertilizers are applied.
Gooseberries without thorns
Breeders bred gooseberry varieties without thorns, which are in great demand among gardeners. Such varieties are distinguished by early and rich fruiting. A good crop is harvested in the second year after planting, and an adult shrub gives up to 1.5 kg of fruit.
Skipless gooseberries love fertile soils. In the fall, fertilize with organic compounds, and in the spring - with ammonium nitrate or urea.
The peculiarity of such varieties is that the bushes are poorly pollinated, so they are planted at a distance of not less than a meter from each other. Otherwise, planting and pruning of plants does not differ from other varieties.
The cultivation of standard gooseberries
Gooseberry bushes located in a standard way serve not only to decorate the garden, but also have their advantages:
- the plant receives more light, due to which the berries evenly ripen and grow large and sweet;
- it is more convenient to harvest and take care of a bush in the shape of a tree;
- in small areas, standard landing saves space.
In a standardized way, shrubs are grown with or without vaccination. As a stock, they take the offspring of golden currant, take care of it during the summer. To thicken the stem apical shoots are removed. When the standard is prepared, the ripened gooseberry processes are selected, the thorns and leaflets are removed. Then, the shoot over the third kidney is shortened and vaccinated in a “behind the bark” method.
When grown without vaccination, overhead branches are cut off from a strong gooseberry bush, leaving only one shoot for trunk formation. Side branches are periodically removed to a height of 70-80 cm from the ground. 5-6 upper shoots are left to form a crown.
The best varieties of gooseberries for growing in the standard way:
- Krasnoslavyanskiy;
- "Generous";
- "Spring";
- "Redball";
- "Gingerbread Man";
- "Sadko" and others.
Gooseberry care is the same as when planting in the usual way. In cold regions, standard shrubs for the winter are recommended to be insulated, for example, with frame shelters.
Features of growing in different regions
Climatic conditions are taken into account when growing fruit crops. For each region, breeders developed zoned gooseberry varieties:
- Residents of the northern regions should pay attention to frost-resistant varieties ("Northern Captain", "Bright", "Northerner", "Grushenka", "White Nights", "Finnish", etc.). In the northern regions, large-fruited and later species are planted in a warmer place, protected from the winds. Protection can be fences, trees, buildings.
- For central Russia, Moscow Region, North-West recommend cultivating winter-hardy varieties, varieties with a strong root system and resistance to diseases (Grushenka, Malachite, Cossack, Lefora, Senator, Seedling, Harlequin, etc. .).
- On South it is better to plant drought tolerant, mid-ripening, early varieties ("Kubanets", "Grossular", "Krasnoslavyansky", "Kuibyshevsky"). For early and small-fruited varieties of the southern regions, cool open spaces are suitable.
Gooseberry care in different seasons
In the spring, after the snow melts, the rows and row-spacings are loosened, since the soil at this time is strongly compacted. In order not to hurt the roots, the soil in near-stem circles is loosened no deeper than 5 cm. Spring is the time of top dressing, treatment of shrubs from pests, sanitary and forming pruning.
Summer the soil is loosened as necessary, usually 3-4 times per season. In early August, loosening aisles and rows cease, so as not to provoke the growth of young shoots.
For growth, protection against weeds, preservation of moisture in the summer - trunk circles mulch. In autumn, the procedure is carried out after digging the soil.
Fall - time for preparing gooseberries for winter and pruning time.
We recommend reading an article on how to care for gooseberries after harvest.
Irrigation regularity
Without moisture, shrubs often get sick, the berries are smaller, and the yield is reduced. In dry weather, gooseberries are watered during the formation of young shoots and ovaries. Bushes are also watered during the ripening period of the berries. As soon as the fruits are softer, stop watering so that they gain sugar.
If autumn is rainy, gooseberries are not watered. If there is little rain, in October they carry out water-charging irrigation so that the root system is prepared for winter.
When and how to feed?
In the spring, gooseberries are fed with manure or humus, laying on the ground dug around the bush. During budding, 40-50 g of ammonium nitrate or urea are added under each bush. 4 years after planting, each spring is fertilized with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium compounds.
When the berries begin to set, they are watered with slurry or a solution of mineral fertilizers (1-1.5 kg of ammonium sulfate or nitrate is put on a 100-liter barrel of water).
You can prepare this composition: 4 kg of manure and 200 g of ash are diluted in 10 liters of water and insisted for 5-6 hours. In the evening, this solution is watered with bushes after loosening. After 1-2 weeks, top dressing is repeated. Before the berries ripen, the bushes are fertilized 2-3 times.
In autumn, the plant is fed with potassium nitrate or double superphosphate. Before digging the soil make manure, ash, peat or compost.
Cropping: rules and methods
For proper development and good fruiting, gooseberry bushes are regularly cut. Depending on the goals, formative, anti-aging, sanitary pruning is performed.
Forming Cut serves to create the correct crown and has its own subtleties:
- in the first year of planting, the branches are cut in half, in the second - by a third, in the third - the tops and horizontal branches are cut;
- the adult bush is cleaned of non-viable and twisted branches and cut off young shoots from overgrowing.
Shrubs form up to 8 years. By this time, the bush should have 22-25 strong shoots.
Anti-aging pruning carried out after 7 years of planting as follows:
- old, sick, twisted shoots are cut off, leaving only strong basal stems;
- in plants older than 10 years, only 5 strong branches are left, the remaining branches are removed from the base.
Sanitary pruning used for thickening and for the prevention of infection by diseases and pests. Old, diseased, blackened branches and horizontal shoots are removed.
In the following video, the gardener details the correct pruning of gooseberries:
In the spring, sanitary pruning is carried out before the buds open. Places of large sections are treated with garden var. In the fall, formative, sanitary, anti-aging pruning is performed. The best period is November, after the leaves fall.
Disease control
Diseases have a detrimental effect on the crop and the plant itself. Consider the main diseases of gooseberries and ways to combat them.
Anthracnose - a fungal disease that affects gooseberries, currants, raspberries and other crops. The infection spreads in damp, thick and poorly ventilated places. Symptoms of the disease:
- the appearance of brown spots on leaf plates;
- leaf fall.
Affected plants are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid (10 g of water are taken with 300 g of copper sulfate and 400 g of lime) before flowering. After flowering and harvesting, the concentration of the solution is reduced (100 g of copper sulfate and 100 g of lime are taken per 10 l of water).
In autumn, the fallen leaves of diseased plants are burned. If you do not remove the infected leaves, in the spring the bush will fall ill again.
Septoria develops in warm time. Pathogens - spores of fungi. Symptoms of the disease:
- brownish spots appear on the leaves, which whiten over time, and a brown border appears on the edges;
- leaf fall.
Contaminated soil is treated with copper sulfate, Bordeaux liquid or nitrafen. Spray the plant until buds open.
Sphere library (American powdery mildew) is a dangerous fungal disease.
Symptoms
- leaves in spring are covered with white coating;
- shoots bend and dry.
It is difficult to get rid of this disease, since the mushroom hibernates not only on the leaves, but also on the shoots. In the spring for preventive purposes, the tops of bushes are watered with hot water.
The methods of struggle are the same as with anthracnose and septoria.
Mosaic - viral disease. Insects spread the disease. Symptoms of the disease:
- a yellow pattern appears on the veins of the leaves;
- shoots stop growing;
- the leaves become smaller and wrinkled.
Mosaic is difficult to treat, so it is better to get rid of diseased bushes. For preventive purposes, shrubs are sprayed with insecticides.
Pest control
In addition to dangerous viruses and fungal diseases, pests threaten berry crops.
Currant Glass - a butterfly, similar to a wasp, with transparent wings. The insect lays eggs on the branches. After 10 days, caterpillars emerge from the eggs, which penetrate the core of the branches, disrupting the physiological processes of the plant.
Control measures:
- in the fall, sanitary pruning is carried out with the subsequent destruction of the affected branches;
- in the spring, gooseberries are treated with Iskra M, Kemifos, Fufanon preparations.
To repel glassware, folk remedies are used: infusions of onions, wormwood, tansy, garlic.
Fire - gray-winged butterfly, lays eggs inside inflorescences and ovaries. Caterpillars eat flowers and berries. In mid-June, they turn into pupae in the ground and winter.
Control measures:
- during the appearance of caterpillars, the plant is sprayed with a lepidocide (5-6 tablets per 1 liter of water), after a week the procedure is repeated;
- Fufanon solution (110 ml per 10 l of water) will destroy not only the firebox, but also moths and sawflies.
Shoot aphid parasitizes on tops of shoots, sucking juices from leaves. On the bark, aphid eggs remain until spring. After the buds open, larvae appear from the eggs.
Control measures:
- in early spring, bushes are watered with hot water;
- treated with a three-day infusion of onion feathers or onion husks;
- sprayed with infusion of wood ash (350 g per 10 l of water);
- in case of severe damage before the buds open, “Aktara”, “Rovikurt”, “Fovatoks” and others are used.
Regular examinations and preventive spraying with insecticides will protect shrubs from damage and death.
Gooseberry sawfly - a fly-like insect of yellow or black-red color. Lays eggs on the leaves.
Control measures:
- infected leaves are burned in autumn;
- in the early spring, the soil is loosened, a mixture of ground pepper (1 tbsp.), dry mustard (1 tbsp.), ash (2 tbsp.) is introduced and covered with a film to destroy the pest;
- larvae (caterpillars) are collected manually and destroyed;
- insecticides are treated during the opening of the buds and after flowering.
Regular inspection and preventive treatment with insecticides will protect the plant from damage and death.
How to propagate gooseberries?
Reproduction by cuttings and layering is not difficult for amateur gardeners, but there are ways that require special knowledge or expert advice. Consider the most popular methods of reproduction.
Horizontal layering gooseberries are propagated in March - April (before budding) and in October. Reproduction is carried out in several stages:
- From a healthy 5-6 year old bush take developed branches (from 1 year to 3 years), growing near the ground.
- Annual shoots at the branches are cut by a third.
- Branches are bent to the ground and laid in holes.
- The holes are lightly sprinkled with earth, watered, mulched.
- After the shoots grow to 10 cm, they spud. With the growth of shoots above 20 cm, pinch the tops.
Reproduction in a horizontal way gives a lot of young shoots. In spring, shoots become annual seedlings.
Arcuate layering propagate the plant in early spring. The stages of reproduction are as follows:
- Annual shoots located low to the ground are laid in grooves up to 25 cm deep.
- Layers are pinned and covered with earth.
- The tops are removed in the form of an arc, shortened and spud.
In autumn, the process is separated from the uterine bush and planted. With the arcuate method, only one shoot can be obtained.
Vertical layering rejuvenate planting. In spring, old branches are removed, and young ones are cut. In the summer, as the shoots grow, gooseberries spud. To form a bush in June, pinch the tops.
Dividing the bush propagated in the fall after falling of leaves or in the early spring. The method is usually used if you want to move the bush to a new place. Young bushes are dug up, divided into parts. Branches with a developed root system are planted in pre-prepared pits.
Cuttings propagated in autumn, spring, summer. Depending on the seasons, the technology of grafting varies. In summer, gooseberries are propagated by green cuttings, in autumn and spring - by woody or combined cuttings.
Requirements for propagation by cuttings:
- the stalk should contain at least two buds and two leaves above them;
- the cut in the upper section should be straight, horizontal, and in the lower - oblique;
- the cuttings after a cut are kept for several hours in a growth stimulator.
In addition to these methods, gooseberries are propagated by seeds, shoots, branches. The choice of method depends not only on the personal preferences of the gardener, but also on the characteristics of the variety.
Collection and proper storage
Gooseberries are harvested for processing two weeks earlier than consumer maturity, when the berries are still green and hard, but have reached their size.
For fresh consumption, the berries are harvested fully ripened, sweet in taste and color characteristic of the variety.
Harvested in the stage of technical ripeness (10-14 days before the consumer), stored in a cool place for up to 10 days. An important condition is that the fruits must be intact. Berries collected in the stage of consumer maturity are stored in small baskets for up to 4-5 days.
The fruits are removed from the bush in dry weather. In wet weather, gooseberries are not stored for long. Before putting it into storage, the berries are scattered with a thin layer to dry.
Common mistakes gardeners
If the gooseberry is often sick, gives a small crop, looks frail - it means that mistakes were made during planting and care. Common mistakes gardeners:
- Wrong place. Planting in shaded, poorly ventilated, waterlogged places leads to poor development of the bush and the defeat of diseases and pests.
- Errors during watering. Full hydration of the bush provokes infection with fungi. Water only the trunk circle.
- Damage to the roots. The roots are located close to the surface of the soil. Deep digging and loosening can damage their integrity.
- Neglect of fertilizing and preventive treatment. If you do not fertilize the plant, the quality and quantity of berries will suffer.
Not to say that gooseberry is a moody culture, but it is necessary to follow agronomic measures for cultivation. With proper care, you can grow a plant in any climatic conditions, since there are plenty of varieties now.