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Gooseberry: planting, propagation and care

The gooseberry – Bush berry culture the same family. The tradition of cultivation of this fruit in Russia consist of more than one century. In Ancient Russia the gooseberry was known as "bersen". From here takes its name Bersenevskaya embankment along the Moscow river. According to one version of the toponymic landmarks were located gooseberry plantations. Widespread gooseberries in Russia led to the fact that outside of our country it became known as the "Russian plum".

The gooseberry – garden culture, is successfully cultivated in all regions of Russia. For plants characterized by strong growth, its fruit is a berry, drupe with excellent taste. Stable fruiting Bush shows from the third year of life. The first crop does not disclose all features of varieties over the years, the number of berries increases and can be quite impressive.

The content of the article:


The benefits of berries gooseberry

Gooseberries are considered to be therapeutic, they are part of many foods recommended for the diet. Recipes with fruits of the gooseberry have featured in folk and modern medicine.

Useful properties and applications of gooseberry:

The composition of the pulp of the fruit of the gooseberry:

  • Sugar (glucose, sucrose) – 13%;
  • Pectin is not less than 1%;
  • Malic and citric acid – 1.5%;
  • Vitamin C – 60 mg;
  • Vitamins P,B, A;
  • Trace elements and salts of potassium, copper, iron, calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus.

The growing season of this crop begins with the onset of the steady temperature of +3 to+4°C. Simultaneously with the rapid growth of the shoots is flowering shrub. Under favorable weather conditions and good care, the Bush increases greater vegetative mass. In the dry season, shoot growth is terminated early, even with intensive watering.

The gooseberry is quite high winter hardiness, with the right content it does not suffer from frost up to -25-30. Further lowering the temperature leads to freezing of the shoots. Weakened or young plants do not survive short frosts below -10-12°C. the Resistance of the root system of gooseberry is one of the highest among the berry bushes.

In comparison with currants it is more drought-tolerant, but the above-ground part worse tolerate harsh winters than the shoots of currant. The gooseberry requires moderately moist structural soil, it retains high fertility on all soil types. Not tolerate waterlogged soils with a high groundwater level. Shrub needs good lighting. When excessive moisture affects fungal diseases such as powdery mildew American (American powdery mildew). It is desirable for the cultivation of this culture to take on the plot a separate area.


Planting gooseberries

The main requirements to the site for planting this berry culture – flat ground or a slight slope, protected from the prevailing winds. On a high site seedlings often freeze slightly, as it is difficult to maintain the snow to the shelter of the bushes. Low areas normally too wet for them gooseberries will constantly be affected with fungal diseases.

Caption: the Best time for planting gooseberries is in the autumn, in the middle lane – it's the end of September, October,

Before planting seedlings is soil preparation.

It was thoroughly dug to a depth of not less than 30 cm, make fertilizer:

  • 300 g of complex fertilizer on every Bush;
  • To 10 kg of compost or humus into the planting hole.

One-year old seedlings shouldto have a well-developed root system. They are planted according to the scheme 1,5x1,5 m. At landing is necessary to ensure that the root collar of the seedling was buried in the ground no less than 5-6 cm After planting the young plant abundantly watered, pruned shoots, leaving every 4-6 kidney, a little Spud.

The soil under the seedling should always be loose and free from weeds. The first cultivation is carried out in the early spring after the snow melts.

Depth of tillage:

  • Under the bushes is 6-8 cm;
  • Between rows – 10-12 see

Planting shrubs need regular fertilizer. If the planting hole was well dressed with potash and phosphorus fertilizers, in the first 3 years to make optional.

Fertilizer gooseberry:

  • Nitrogen fertilizer for young seedlings and 10 g of urea in m2;

  • Nitrogen fertilizer for fruit-bearing bushes 30 to 40 g of urea in m2;

  • Organic – 10 kg annually on each Bush;
  • Full complex fertilizer in the fall every 2-3 years to 150 grams per Bush.

The cultivation of gooseberries

In the first 2-3 years the soil between the rows on the plot of land occupied young plants used for cultivation of vegetable crops. Care for them, and with the end of the growing season, treat the soil by deep digging. Aisle for fruit-bearing plantations of gooseberries contain clean from weeds and other plants, homeland is the ground in spring and autumn. At the same time make fertilizers.

Gooseberries tolerate a minor lack of irrigation, but in dry seasons it is in need of irrigation. Soil moisture should not fall below 70-75%.

Watering gooseberry:

  1. The first watering after flowering, during fruit growth (first decade of may).

  2. The second watering – during the pouring of berries (1-2 June).

  3. Third and subsequent – as required, with flow rate of 40-50 liters per plant.

  4. For water loading irrigation is from late September to early October.

At the same time with the autumn vegasredcasino watering make a complete fertilizer (up to 150 g per Bush) and organic matter (5-6 kg). Gooseberries poured in the grooves. Their optimal depth of 10-15 cm, they should be located at a distance of 50 cm from the Bush.


Propagation of gooseberry horizontal layers

If you wish, you can provide your garden a sufficient amount of planting material of gooseberry, as it is easily rooted.

The types of strains:

  • Vertical
  • Horizontal
  • Arcuate.

For reproduction horizontal layers are prepared in advance of the groove in the projection of a Bush. They laid a strong annual branches are weighed down to the ground, securing them with a wire studs. Soon the earth will seem to sprouting green shoots. Their Spud upon reaching lengths of 10 cm, maintain the soil moist. In autumn the young plants separated from the mother nursery and planted in a permanent place. This method is considered the most simple, it is most common among gardeners.

The reproduction of vertical layering gooseberries

Reproduction occurs similarly to the previous method, with the only difference that here the escape is fixed at the ground once, near the top. The very top of the buried soil, leaving under the ground. Seedlings with this method of breeding good quality and powerful, but they grow a bit.

Method of propagation of vertical layering requires a strong crop of liquor. In the Bush leaving short stumps with 5 buds. From buds located below the soil layer, grow shoots. Their Spud moist and loose soil, in autumn, separated from the parent plant. Powerful seedlings planted in the garden, the rest are sent to the rearing in the school.


Propagation of gooseberry cuttings

Valuable varieties of this plant if you cannot use other methods propagated by dividing the Bush, which you need to dig from the soil and divided into several parts, keeping each young shoots and roots. Delenki dipped in clay mash, in which pre-dissolved growth factor, or powdered ash. The plants were then planted in a permanent place, abundantly watered, loosen the soil and hilling.

For green grafting requires a miniature greenhouse with regular watering and mist setting. The optimum temperature for propagation by cuttings– +25+30°C, the temperature of the soil– +18+23°C, humidity – 100%.

The best time for grafting is early July when the tissue of the stalk begin to odrevesnevshie. Green shoots are cut into cuttings with a length of 10-12 cm, while the top is left untouched. The cut moistened with water, then dipped in a rooting stimulator type "Kornevin", and then into the soil, buried about 2-3 cm After 2 weeks on the tips of the cuttings appear rudimentary roots. In winter, the cuttings left on the same spot, covered them, and the soil a deep layer of mulch grown for another year.

Another variant of the grafting – the use of planting material from the "heel", that is part of the escape last year. Such cuttings harvested when the length of a green sprout reaches 10 cm, treated with a stimulator of root formation and they are buried 1.5-2 cm into the soil. And green cuttings, and cuttings with a "heel" is grown in an artificially created microclimate, in terms of heat and of fine water dust for a speedy rooting.

For planting in the ground without shelter, using combined cuttings. They are harvested in late may – early June. Combined stalk is a basal branch with shoots of the current year not less than 5 cm in length. It cut into pieces containing the green escape and escape last year. The planting material is planted in prepared soil to a depth of 3-4 cm, loosened and watered daily.


How to properly trim the gooseberries?

Without regular pruning is conducted according to the rules, it is impossible to control and maintain the level of productivity of the gooseberry. The optimal pruning time is autumn or spring (before Bud break). On the second or third year the plants are conducting sanitary pruning, removing weak, twisted shoots. In total, the Bush should remain for 7-8 shoots, strong and evenly spaced.

In this way, the shrubs are cut for 7-8 years. After this, regularly remove old shoots older than 7-8 years, and branches, disease and crooked copies. To enhance the fruiting branches are pruned older than 4-5 years. This technique helps them to grow lateral shoots. Ideally, the gooseberry Bush should be 2-3 escape age from one year to 8 years.

Stimulation of fruiting is carried out by prisypanija tips of strong shoots. The optimal time for this operation in the South – end of June - beginning of July. This method helps to increase the number of fruit buds, especially iftopping to combine with the thinning of the Bush.

If any pruning removes branches placed on the ground, translating them to the side branch. Bush becomes more permeable to air, solar insolation, is not damaged by fungal diseases.

A gooseberry Bush grows well and bears fruit in one place from 15 to 25 years. If you can not upgrade the landing, you can try to rejuvenate the Bush. To do this, remove the old shoots at the root, at the soil level. In the next 8-10 years, remove only a thin weakened branches and leaves Bush only 15-25 shoots.


Planting gooseberry bushes on the trellis

For growing gooseberries on the trellis should choose tall varieties that do not give a large number of small or zero branching shoots. It is advisable to have been large, brightly colored berries.

First you need to build a trellis, as supports which use pipes, plastic or iron, reinforced concrete or wooden poles with a minimum length of 2 metres. Their pre-treated against corrosion, digged in the earth, if necessary, concreted. In a long series of extra support. The entire design pull 3 rows of galvanized wire, the distance between rows is about 50 cm.

Along the trellis planted seedlings gooseberry on the minimum distance of 1 m from each other. Each seedling should have 4 branches extending from the root. Their tie to the lower wire, having fan-shaped. Subsequently, branches of the sapling is directed upward. Because of the extreme shoots may be stunted due to a large deviation from the center of the Bush, cut them stronger. Significant pruning stimulates shoot formation and high provodimosti the kidneys.

In the future care of the gooseberry is cut for ring branches older than 6 years, replacing them with young lateral shoots that branch. With a shortage of shoots they are replaced by a zero reserve branches.


How to cut standard gooseberries?

Some growers are experimenting, trying to grow gooseberries in the form of a standard culture. However, these attempts were unsuccessful for a long time, as severe pruning led to the thickening of the shoots and the fall in yields. The solution was grafting the gooseberry on the Golden currants.

The duration of the surgery – the beginningSAP flow, which falls in the middle lane in the first decade of April. Method of grafting in the split. The shaft of gooseberries are prepared in advance, storing it in a cool place, not to provoke the SAP flow. Currant stock splits and moves the handle. If the rootstock is thicker than the Scion, stalk move in the same direction, combining the cambium layer of the Scion and rootstock. The inoculation was wrapped in PVC film, slice on the handle coated with pitch.

Shoots emerging from buds of the cutting of the gooseberry is directed where it is needed for the formation of the trunk. All the other shoots at the base to engrave on the ring.

Standard when pruning plants are pruned the Central branch, and the rest pruned in accordance with it, giving the plant the desired shape. On each branch left of 4 fork height up to 20 cm frozen or Old branches are replaced with new. Further care is to rejuvenate, thinning of Bush, sanitary cleaning and stimulation of branching.


The harvest

As soon as the berries typical of the variety in color and somewhat softened, begin their collection. The delay in collecting leads to over ripeness of the fruit and crops will fail. Picking berries is carried out simultaneously, sorting them into Mature and immature specimens. From ripe berries make compotes, jellies, juices with pulp, drink for dessert, cook the wine. Unripe berries are used for jams and preserves. In the opinion of the radiologists, unripe berries promote excretion of radionuclides.

To easily disrupt the prickly gooseberries, use a variety of tools.

Find out more: Varieties of gooseberries