Gooseberry planting and care in the open field for beginners

Gooseberries, planting and caring for which will be discussed in this article, belongs to the genus of currants and appeared in North Africa, as well as in Western Europe. In the wild, this plant can also be found in the Caucasus and North America. The gooseberry was first described by Ruel in 1536. And breeders from America managed to develop varieties that are not affected by powdery mildew.

Today this crop is grown in almost all countries of the world. Further, it will be considered what kind of gooseberry is, planting and care in the open field, as well as pests and diseases of this plant, measures to combat ailments and their prevention.

Description of the bushes

Gooseberry grows as a bush. Its height can reach one hundred and twenty centimeters. The bark of the plant is gray-brown in color and has thorns, the origin of which is leaf. And on cylindrical young shoots, thin thorns can be found. There is also a thornless gooseberry, planting and caring for which will be discussed in more detail below. The leaves of the plant reach a length of six centimeters and are round in shape. Flowers bloom in May and are reddish or greenish. Fruits are oval, smooth or covered with fine bristles. Usually their size reaches twelve millimeters, but there are specimens in which the berries grow up to forty millimeters.

Fruit ripening occurs in July or August. They can be green, yellow, red and even white in color. Berries are very healthy because they contain organic acids and many metal salts. Gooseberry is a self-fertile crop.This means that even one bush in the garden will regularly bear fruit over the years.

Gooseberry varieties

Depending on what kind of gooseberry you grow, planting and care, reproduction and treatment of plants may differ. All varieties of the bush can be divided into two large groups. The first includes European representatives. This group is distinguished by a longer productive period and large berries. But it is more susceptible to attacks by various pests and diseases. The second group is hybrid varieties, or in other words, American-European. Representatives are much more resistant to various ailments. Gooseberry varieties may differ from each other even in the arrangement of thorns or their absence. The thornless species include eaglet, serenade, and tender.

Often in gardens you can find a hybrid plant that combines currants and gooseberries. Planting and caring for him is similar to other members of this genus. The name of this hybrid is yoshta. And he also enjoys considerable popularity.

When to plant gooseberries

If you decide to breed gooseberries on the site, planting and caring in the open field will require some knowledge and skills from you. You can plant a bush either in spring or in autumn, but only from late September to mid-October.

For the plant, it is necessary to choose the right place, since its root system is quite long, you should not plant gooseberries in the lowlands. So you increase the risk of infection with fungal diseases. It is best to find a sufficiently lit place on a plain or hillock. Try to choose an area that is sheltered from the wind. Good results can be obtained by planting shrubs in sandy or clayey soil. It is only important not to forget that such soil requires frequent loosening.

There is one more thing to consider when choosing when to plant gooseberries. Planting and leaving in spring is not much different from autumn activities. Experienced gardeners are advised to choose the autumn time for planting. This is due to the fact that the bushes planted in October have much better growth and survival of the shoots.

Planting gooseberries in autumn

If you have decided what time of year to plant gooseberries (planting and leaving in the fall is more preferable), then we can move on to the theoretical part of this question.

Weeding the soil around the gooseberry bush is very inconvenient: all because of the large number of thorns. Therefore, the site is cleared of weeds in early autumn. For this, the area where the bushes are supposed to be planted is dug up. During this process, it is necessary to remove all weed roots from the soil with special care.

The next step after cleaning is preparation. The soil surface is leveled with a rake. All earth lumps break well. Two weeks before planting the plants, cube-shaped holes are dug. Each face of it should be half a meter. This is done in advance so that the land settles before planting the bushes. The fertile soil layer, which is located at the very beginning, is removed and mixed with fertilizer. If the soil is of clay type, then you need to add a bucket of river sand to the mixture.

Between two adjacent bushes, a distance of one to one and a half meters should be observed. But the distance between the rows of bushes should be at least three meters.

Choose one year old or two year old seedlings. Their root system is well developed and is about thirty centimeters long. The ground part of the plant should be formed by several strong shoots. Soak the roots in a fertilizer solution for twenty-four hours before planting. Prepare it by adding three or four tablespoons of nutrients to five liters of water.

It is necessary to place the seedling in the hole straight, giving it a slight slope. The roots are carefully and carefully straightened, making sure that the root collar is slightly below the soil level.The earth is covered in portions: each part is well compacted.

For one bush, a bucket of water is used for irrigation. After the soil is saturated with moisture, mulching is performed. For this, peat or humus is used. Then the shoots are cut, leaving five or six buds on each segment.

In order for you to eventually grow a beautiful, healthy, and most importantly - well-fruiting gooseberry, planting and care must be carried out in accordance with all the rules.

Spring care

When nature awakens from winter sleep, gooseberries also require some care. Planting and caring for this crop in the garden is not difficult for either experienced gardeners or beginners. The main thing is to comply with all agrotechnical rules. As soon as spring has come, before the snow has even melted, it is necessary to spray the gooseberry bushes with boiling water through a spray bottle. They do this in order to prevent damage to plants by pests and diseases.

In early May, you need to loosen the soil around each bush, deepening ten centimeters, and then mulch the soil. At the same time, feeding is done.

Gooseberry is one of those plants that are too acutely experiencing a lack of moisture in spring and summer. The best irrigation method is subsoil or drip. It is these options that make it possible to transport moisture directly to the root system, which is located at a depth of five to forty centimeters. Thus, the gooseberry is watered about five times during the growing season. Watering the plant overhead with cold water is not permissible.

If you decide to arrange gooseberries in rows in your garden, planting and caring in a set of activities will require the support of low hanging branches. To do this, at a height of about thirty centimeters, stretch marks are pulled between the rows or nets are used.

Autumn care

Autumn care for gooseberries consists in activities that prepare the bushes for wintering. First of all, this is top dressing. Fertilizer allows gooseberries to lay fruit buds by next year. Pruning is also done in the fall. Cutting the bushes in the spring will weaken the plants, which will contribute to the occurrence of various ailments.

Top dressing gooseberries

Since the fruits on the gooseberry ripen for many years, it also absorbs nutrients from the ground in huge quantities. This leads to the need for annual fertilization. Moreover, they must be of a mineral and organic nature. In order for a healthy and prolific gooseberry to grow on your site, planting and care (you can see the photo in the sections of the article) must certainly include measures for the introduction of nutrients.

In the spring, the following mixture is prepared: superphosphate is added to half a bucket of humus in an amount of fifty grams, as well as ammonium sulfate and potassium sulfate. The last substances are twenty-five grams each. If the bush is very large and gives a bountiful harvest, then all components should be doubled.

Nutrients should be applied along the perimeter corresponding to the size of the crown. After fertilization, the soil is loosened. As soon as the gooseberry has faded and after another two weeks, the plant is fed with mullein solution. Mix one part of the mixture with five parts of water. Each bush should have at least five liters.

Gooseberries: planting and care, pruning. What year does it bear fruit

A gooseberry bush planted on the site begins to bear fruit after three years. The plant brings a crop for ten or even fifteen years.

The branching of the bush is strong enough, which does not contribute to a good harvest. This is why gooseberries should be trimmed. This can be done in the spring or fall. In general, the bush should have ten shoots of different age categories.

Spring pruning is done before the buds swell.It is necessary to ruthlessly remove all shoots that, after wintering, turned out to be weakened, dry, diseased or broken. In addition to all the listed candidates for removal, it is necessary to cut off the shoots near the roots and the weakened ends of the branches. All this must be done before the plant awakens, and it happens very early. If you are late with pruning, you will do a lot of harm. Based on this, it becomes clear why experienced gardeners prefer to prune the bushes in the fall. This way you can less injure the gooseberry. Planting and maintenance (pruning) carried out in autumn allows the bushes to better adapt to winter and acquire frost resistance. And also practically negates possible damage.

Autumn pruning is performed annually. If this is not done, then by the third year the bushes thicken to such an extent that the fruits greatly lose their quality. Branches of five and seven years of age are the most valuable. Also branching of the first three orders. All others do not have good productivity. Shoots more than ten years old are black and removed to their very base. Also, do not forget that too long branches should also be shortened. After the pruning is completed, all cuts must be treated with garden varnish.

Gooseberries: planting and care, propagation by cuttings

This culture, like all other plants, needs reproduction. We discussed earlier in the article in what conditions gooseberries should grow. Planting and caring, reproduction and planting - all this requires certain knowledge and skills. Reproduction by cuttings is considered the most time consuming option. And the result is not always positive. Most often, this method is good for breeding American varieties. The workpieces are made in October or even November. Choose annual shoots and cut off the tops with a length of 25 cm. They must be completely healthy, without any signs of malaise. All leaves should be completely trimmed and the sections treated with paraffin wax. This cutting is stored in the refrigerator or buried in the snow. As soon as spring comes, such blanks are buried to a depth of fifteen centimeters. If you plant several copies, then the distance between them should be at least twenty centimeters. When burying cuttings, it is important to follow one simple but mandatory rule. Two buds should be left above the surface of the soil, updating the cut, and four buds are located underground. The land around is compacted, watered and mulched using peat or humus.

You can also propagate gooseberries using cuttings. This is done as follows. Select the branch that is closest to the ground and make an incision on it. We dig a shallow hole in the soil, bend a branch with an incision to it and fix it using a wire bent in the form of a hairpin for this. Sprinkle it all with earth and water it well. As long as the growing season lasts, this place should be constantly humid. In the fall, roots will appear in this section. The next year, as soon as spring comes, the rooted seedling must be separated from the mother bush using a sharp pruner. Now all that remains is to transplant the young bush where it should grow constantly.

Gooseberry without thorns

Gooseberry varieties that are partially or completely devoid of thorns are becoming increasingly popular among gardeners. What is the difference between a gooseberry without thorns? Planting and caring for such plants have their own characteristics. These varieties love fertile soils that contain a large amount of humus. After planting, the bushes are cut in such a way that two to four buds remain above the ground on each shoot. The fruits ripen in the second year, and their number reaches one and a half kilograms of berries from one bush. Reproduction takes place by cuttings.

Thornless gooseberries, planting and caring for which require a lot of attention, needs timely complementary feeding. In the spring (from late March to mid-April, as well as from late May to early June), ammonium nitrate or urea is added to the soil. In autumn, in the first half, organic fertilizers are used. And three years after planting, potassium salt and superphosphate are added to the soil annually in autumn. In hot weather, mandatory watering is required.

Self-fertility of this variety is low. Experienced gardeners recommend planting several bushes at a distance of one meter from each other for pollination.

It is also necessary to periodically spray the plants to prevent the invasion of pests and to avoid damage by powdery mildew. Twice a season they are sprayed with "Karatan" or "Topaz". And during the period when leaves are blooming - with one of the insecticides, for example, "Novaktion".

Gooseberry diseases

Powdery mildew is considered one of the most dangerous gooseberry diseases. Its other name is spherotek. This disease can destroy the entire crop overnight. And if the disease is not treated, then in a few years the end of the whole plant will come. The most dangerous time in this respect is when the weather is warm and humid. The gooseberry is covered with a loose bloom of white color, which appears on the leaves, shoots and set fruits. Later, this plaque transforms into a crust that has a brown tint. The shoots under it bend and dry out, the leaves break, and the fruits do not ripen and crumble to the ground. To prevent the disease with powdery mildew, it is necessary to treat the gooseberries before they bloom with a solution of a preparation containing HOM copper. Forty grams of the drug is used for ten liters of water.

Of the other ailments of the gooseberry, anthracosis, mosaic and goblet rust are most common.

Mosaic refers to diseases of a viral nature. It is impossible to rid the plant of it. If the affected bushes were seen, then they should be immediately dug up and put on fire. The rest can be healed. For this, the plant is treated with "Nitrafen" or copper sulfate. Spraying is carried out two times: first before bud break, and then ten days after the harvest is harvested. To prevent such diseases, it is necessary in the spring to remove all last year's leaves from under the bushes, and also to prevent weeds from appearing in the garden.

We examined how to maintain a healthy gooseberry (planting and care), diseases, as well as ways to prevent them. Now let's talk about pests.

Of the pests, the most common are the shoot aphid and the gooseberry moth. The moth lays eggs in flowers. Caterpillars emerging from eggs eat fruits in all directions. And the shoot aphid, as a result of its vital activity, leads to curling of leaves and curvature of the shoots. The berries are crushed and fall off.

Of course, pests can be controlled using various insecticides. But it is better to carry out preventive measures. Immediately after the snow melts, cover the soil under the bushes with dense material. Sprinkle the edges of the canvas with earth. Then the moths will not be able to crawl out of the ground. After the gooseberries have bloomed, the material can be removed. In autumn, hilling of bushes should be carried out. They do it to a height of about ten centimeters. If you notice fallen berries, and even with caterpillars, then it is better to pick them right away. When the plant has faded, treat it with Lepidocide or another similar agent.

In this article, the gooseberry plant, which is so popular in our gardens, was considered, planting and caring for it, as well as methods of reproduction and prevention of its diseases. Having studied all the simple rules for growing this crop and consistently applying them in practice, you will get beautiful healthy bushes that bring a bountiful harvest of delicious berries for many years.And also in winter you will delight yourself, your friends and loved ones with aromatic gooseberry jam.

In the list of fruit shrubs, especially loved by summer residents, one of the first places is taken by gooseberries: planting and caring for it is not difficult, and many delicious berries ripen. He is also a long-liver. With the right approach to cultivation, the bushes will delight with a generous harvest for decades - from 20 to 40 years.

Site requirements

If there is no experience in growing a shrub, the first step is to figure out how to plant a gooseberry correctly. Best of all, the culture will develop in a spacious, open sun and well-ventilated area, but protected from drafts. The lack of light will not affect the growth of the bushes, but shading will have a bad effect on their yield. There are few berries on them, they will be small, and their ripening will be uneven.

Gooseberry belongs to unpretentious crops, it is successfully grown on almost all soils. The main thing is to regularly enrich the soil with organic fertilizers. This is especially important for European shrub varieties.

The rules for preparing the soil for gooseberries are simple.

• If the soil on the site is heavy, with a large admixture of clay, it is diluted with sand and humus (1 bucket of both per 1 m² of surface). The latter can be replaced with any other organic matter.
• For light and poor soil, regular application of the same amount of organic fertilizers will be required, but it will periodically need to be mixed with clay as well.
• Peat soil is enriched every year with 2 types of fertilizers - organic and mineral, containing a lot of phosphorus and potassium. Sand must be added to it. Experienced gardeners recommend adding sphagnum moss to the soil. It will help the soil stay moist and fertile for longer and will disinfect it. Before being placed in the ground, the moss is prepared by soaking it in a bucket of water in which 10 tbsp is dissolved. l urea.
• Sour soil for growing gooseberries will not be a hindrance. But if the pH is less than 5.5, liming of the soil is carried out. They do this in advance - in the fall during the digging of the site, and even better - 2 years before the gooseberry is planted.

Advice

Light soils contain little magnesium, which is necessary for the development of shrubs. To reduce the acidity of the soil and at the same time make up for the lack of this element, before planting gooseberries, dolomite flour or gypsum is added to the site. You can scatter wood ash over it.

Damp, swampy soils, lowlands and places prone to flooding are not suitable for growing shrubs. In such conditions, rot often affects its root collar, and the gooseberry dies. It is important to consider when planting and the level of groundwater. The distance to them must be at least 1.5 m.

Sapling selection

The answer to the question of how to plant gooseberries correctly is quite simple. If the ideal place for the shrub on the site is found, and the soil is prepared, they proceed to an equally important stage - the choice of seedlings. They are examined, rejecting those affected by pests and diseases, as well as those with mechanical damage and dry. Bushes take root well in a new place at the age of 2 years. It is better to buy from them those whose root system is open. This makes it easier to choose a quality seedling.

It is distinguished by the presence of 2-3 strong 25-centimeter shoots and developed roots, the length of which is at least 20-25 cm. The buds in the sinuses are not dissolved. And the roots are already completely woody and have acquired a dark color. Particular attention should be paid to the tops of the gooseberry shoots, they must be healthy and strong. They may have leaves, but in the correct seedling, most of the central stem and side branches are bare.

Having bought such a bush, you need to take care of its transportation. To protect the roots from drying out, they are placed in a damp burlap. Newspapers can be used instead.A plastic bag is put on top or a protective cover is wrapped with a film. The final step is to securely fasten the resulting structure with a rope.

Potted seedlings can be purchased at any age. It is optimal if the length of their well-leafy shoots reaches 40-50 cm and they have numerous white roots. It is important to check the firmness of the planting of young gooseberries. Its roots should tightly braid with an earthen lump, without coming to the surface and not growing through the bottom of the container, and the bush itself should not be shaken out of it. Such seedlings in the fall can be placed in the ground not immediately, but after 2-3 weeks. The main thing is to regularly water the plant in a pot, preventing the soil from drying out. Be sure to moisturize it before transporting the shrub.

Landing subtleties

Gooseberry planting is practiced in spring and autumn. Professionals advise to postpone the procedure to a later time. When disembarking early, it is difficult to be on time. You need to get into a short time interval when the soil has already thawed, and the buds on the plant have not yet swollen. If they have already woken up, and the soil has dried out, the shrub is harder to take root in a new place.

In the fall, there are no such difficulties. If you plant 1-1.5 months before the first frost (in the middle lane, this is the period from the last decade of September to mid-October), new roots will form in the gooseberry, and it will easily endure the winter. At the initial stages of development, it is important for a shrub to get a lot of moisture. This is another advantage of the autumn planting. In the spring, when it starts to grow, the soil moist after the snow melts will be the key to its intensive development.

Advice

When digging a site, it is important to select the roots of weeds from the ground, paying special attention to wheatgrass and sow thistle. Otherwise, they will quickly grow, depriving the bush of nutrients and moisture, and it will be difficult to weed them out from under the spreading bush, the branches of which are covered with sharp thorns.

The distance between adjacent bushes depends on the cultivar. For low-growing varieties of gooseberries, 1 m of free space will be enough. Tall ones will need 2 times more space. Determining the depth of the planting pit, they are guided by the age and size of the bushes. For several plants, it is best to dig a trench. If the seedlings are 1 or 2 years old, its depth is made equal to 0.5 m.For single bushes, holes are dug with a diameter of 40-50 cm.This is done in advance - in autumn or summer (1.5-2 months before placing the seedlings in the ground) ...

The soil is filled with fertilizers:

• rotted manure or compost (10 kg for each bush);
• wood ash (100 g each);
• double superphosphate (50 g);
• potassium sulfide (40 kg).

Planting gooseberries includes several mandatory steps. They start with a close examination of the future bush. If there are damaged or dry areas on its roots or branches, they are removed. The tops of the shoots are cut off, leaving no more than 5 buds on them. In order for the bush to take root faster, its underground part is dipped into a solution of a root growth stimulator. At the bottom of the pit, a mound is poured into fertile soil. Having installed a seedling on it, gently straighten its roots and gradually cover the hole with earth, not forgetting to compact it so that voids do not form.

It is not necessary to cover the root collar of the shrub with soil, the optimal depth is 3-5 cm. Having planted a young gooseberry, it is watered abundantly, and the soil under it is mulched. It is best to use peat, straw or humus for the procedure, but dry soil can also be dispensed with. 3-4 days will pass, and watering and mulching is carried out again.

Features of tillage

Growing gooseberries on a personal plot will not bring much trouble. For the active development and fruiting of the shrub, the soil under it must be regularly loosened or dug up. The method of treatment and the depth of impact are selected based on the structure of the soil. If the land on the site is dense and heavy, it is better to dig it up.Light, porous soil can be loosened slightly with a garden fork.

The procedure is carried out carefully. Gooseberry roots are located almost at the very surface of the soil, and they are easily damaged. The soil, which is located directly under the crown of the plant, is loosened shallowly - only 6-7 cm, and between the bushes - by 15 cm. In the fall, before the procedure, fertilizers can be scattered over the soil surface. During loosening, they are embedded in the soil. On the eve of winter, the plants are slightly huddled, and in the spring they carefully rake the ground away from their trunk with a pitchfork. Loosening is carried out quite often - 5-6 times per season.

Gooseberry is a rare cleanliness. Its bushes do not tolerate the neighborhood of weeds. To collect a high yield from them, you will have to devote a lot of time to weeding. In no case should the plantings be allowed to overgrow. Due to the accumulation of weeds in the soil, excess moisture is created, which can provoke the development of many dangerous diseases.

Watering and feeding

High yields greatly weaken the shrub. Therefore, during the season, it needs to be fed abundantly. Nutrient formulations are added twice. The first feeding is carried out when the gooseberry has faded. It stimulates the development of its shoots and formed ovaries.

The second time, the shrub is fertilized when the berries have already been collected from it. At this stage of the plant's life cycle, top dressing will guarantee a future harvest. In the fall, flower buds will be laid on its branches. Their number directly depends on the nutrients received by the shrub.

In dry summers, gooseberries will have to be watered regularly. You can start the next procedure if the soil is already dry. Water is poured under the root, carefully making sure that it does not fall on the leaves of the bush. If this happens, the gooseberries can get sick. For this reason, such a widespread irrigation method as sprinkling is not suitable for him. Not only excess moisture is harmful to the shrub, but also its lack. In spring, it should not be allowed during the period of active growth of gooseberries and the formation of ovaries, and in summer, special attention should be paid to watering 2 weeks before picking berries.

Pruning rules

To keep the bushes healthy and attractive, and the berries to be large, gooseberries are pruned. While the plants are very young (at the age of 1-3 years), its goal is to form their base. In the spring, the perennial shoots that make up the skeleton of the bush are left only ½ of the length. The root growth of the gooseberry is removed almost completely. At the 4th year of life and beyond the age, pruning is carried out to thin out the bush. Strong and healthy shoots do not touch. And it is better to get rid of the weak, dry, injured, affected by diseases or pests, beaten by frost and directed into the bush.

Advice

The peak fruiting of gooseberry branches occurs at the age of 3-6 years. Therefore, when pruning, you do not need to feel sorry for the old shoots - you still cannot wait for a generous harvest from them.

The formation of a bush begins in the fall, when it sheds its leaves, or in the spring, while its buds are still dormant. Many summer residents also practice summer pruning, which increases the quality of the crop. The gooseberry shoots are shortened when ovaries appear on them, cutting off their upper part so that 5-7 leaves remain on the branches. After this treatment, the berries on the bush are larger.

Northern grapes - this is what the people call gooseberries. This poetic comparison contains a tremulous love for the bush and a sincere admiration for it. Its advantages can be enumerated for a long time. It is unpretentious, high-yielding, frost-hardy, durable, easy to care for. It is not surprising that it has long become a familiar element of the country landscape.

Even beginners can handle the cultivation of a bush. The main thing is to familiarize yourself with the features of its agricultural technology before planting gooseberries. And then the matter remains small: choose the right site, prepare the soil and purchase high-quality seedlings.

Gooseberry is a shrub plant from the genus Currant of the Gooseberry family, which is found in almost every household plot. Appearing in the 16th century in the gardens of Europe, the berry culture gained such popularity that already in the 19th century more than 100 varieties were bred and breeders were working to create a hybrid resistant to powdery mildew.

Types and varieties

In the gardens, common gooseberries are cultivated, they are European or rejected.

For more than four hundred years of continuous work, breeders have bred many varieties, conditionally subdivided into two large groups:

1. European varieties;
2. American-European, they are also hybrid.

There are also classifications based on various parameters:

• fruit size;
• shape and color of berries;
• ripening period;
• yield;
• the presence of thorns.

Among the most popular varieties that have excellent characteristics, special attention deserves:

• African - a winter-hardy variety with a small number of thorns. Medium-sized berries have a dark purple color and a pronounced currant flavor.
• Russian - a tall variety of early ripening. The average weight of dark red berries is 4 g.
• Malachite - mid-season variety with medium-sized fruits, which, when ripe, acquire a sweet taste with a pleasant sourness.
• Date fruit - a fruitful, late-ripening variety from which up to 12 kg of berries can be harvested during the fruiting phase, with a weight of one in 20 g.

Planting gooseberries in the garden

The future harvest will depend on how competently the planting of young plants in the garden was carried out.

How to choose gooseberry seedlings

First of all, in order for healthy, large bushes to grow, it is necessary to choose high-quality planting material, which should have the following parameters:

• Age - one- or two-year-old sapling.
• The root system is a well-developed root with a length of at least 25 cm.
• Shoots - the presence of at least three healthy twigs.
• Condition - a green seedling without visible manifestations of the disease.

Site and soil requirement

Gooseberries show the best results in sunny areas with light soils, where the groundwater is deep enough. The soil is prepared 20 days before planting the seedlings: the selected area is cleared of weeds, dug deeply with the simultaneous introduction of compost, which has a loosening effect, providing good aeration in the area.

Nuances of planting gooseberries in spring, autumn

Gooseberry planting can be carried out in the spring, but specimens planted in October show the best results.

For autumn planting:

• On the dug and leveled area, planting pits are prepared with a size of 50x50x50 cm with a row spacing of 3 m and a distance between future bushes of 1.5 m.
• A nutrient substrate is prepared from the upper fertile layer with the addition of humus and 150 g of nitroammofoska.
• Seedlings with a well-spread root system are lowered into the pits, after which they are covered with a substrate in such a way that the root collar sinks into the ground by 2 cm.
• The soil in the near-trunk circle is compacted, watered and, after drying, is mulched with a layer of peat of 3 cm.
• Shoots are shortened to 5-7 cm.

Planting in the spring is carried out according to a similar scheme, but the survival rate of the bushes planted during this period is much worse.

Outdoor gooseberry care

It is not difficult to care for gooseberries if you responsibly follow the basic agrotechnical requirements for growing.

How to care for in the spring?

Spring care for bushes involves the following activities:

• Pruning - the procedure is carried out immediately after the snow melts before the kidneys awaken.
• Treatment of bushes - during the period of swelling of the buds, a preventive spraying of gooseberries with tank mixtures is carried out to destroy pathogens and the wintering stock of the pest.
• Top dressing - after waking up, the bushes need additional nutrition, which is provided by introducing nitroammofoska, which contains all the necessary macronutrients.
• Loosening and mulching - at the end of spring, the trunk circle is loosened, and then covered with a layer of mulch to protect against rapid evaporation of moisture.

Summer care nuances

Summer care is the simplest and consists of regular watering, which provides the plant with the necessary soil moisture supply, and two dressings containing phosphorus and potassium.

Gooseberry care in autumn

Autumn care includes harvesting, harvesting fallen leaves and preparing for winter (pruning, fertilizing with phosphorus-containing fertilizers and mulching the trunk circle).

Pruning and shaping bushes

Gooseberry pruning is done in the spring and fall.

Spring pruning

Before the buds awaken, the bushes are sheared for a sanitary purpose: unproductive, injured, diseased branches are removed. And also basal shoots are cut to the base and the frozen ones are slightly shortened.

Autumn pruning

An annual procedure to avoid thickening and the formation of low-quality fruits.

Taking into account the value of five-seven-year branches and branches of the first and third orders, pruning should be carried out according to the following scheme:

1. Branches over 8 years old are pruned to the base, which stimulates the development of zero shoots.
2. Low and far growing shoots are also removed.
3. The tops of the shoots are cut off, on which the fruits began to shrink.
4. Places of cuts, especially on old, thick branches, are processed with garden varnish.

Reproduction methods

Gooseberry propagation, as a rule, is carried out by vegetative methods, which do not cause any particular difficulties during carrying out - cuttings, propagation by layering.

Cuttings

Cuttings are carried out during the period of slowdown in development, which falls on the month of July.

Wherein:

1. Cuttings of the first order up to 20 cm long with 10 internodes are cut.
2. The planting material is kept for 8 hours in a growth stimulator to improve root formation.
3. Prepared cuttings are buried 2 cm into a loose substrate of sand and peat in equal parts.
4. A mini-greenhouse is created above the plantings to ensure the necessary parameters - humidity 90%, soil and air temperatures 20 and 27 ° C, respectively.
5. After 10 days, the film is removed, and the cuttings are planted for growing.

Horizontal layering

With a similar procedure, which is subject to three to four-year-old bushes before the start of sap flow, the following steps are taken:

1. Annual basal shoots are selected.
2. Shallow grooves are dug out next to them.
3. At the selected shoots, the apical part is pinched by 3 cm, after which they fit into the grooves, where they are fixed with wire brackets or wooden pins.
4. For the first time, the layers are sprinkled with soil after germination of shoots from the buds by 5 cm.
5. After the young shoots reach 15 cm, the shoots are hilled almost to the tops.
6. By autumn, up to six seedlings with roots will be formed from one horizontal layer, which can be separated and transplanted.

Gooseberry diseases and their treatment

European gooseberry varieties are susceptible to such a dangerous fungal disease as powdery mildew, the peak of which is observed in warm and humid weather. The disease, developing on all parts of the shrub in the form of a white bloom, and then brown spots, can cause the death of the entire crop. In the future, if untreated, the entire bush may die for several years. In the event of powdery mildew, the plant should be treated with a copper-containing preparation before flowering. If the weather conditions are favorable for the resumption of the development of the disease, then the treatment is repeated.

Also, anthracnose, spotting, rust and mosaic can be noted on the culture, the latter of the listed diseases cannot be cured due to the viral nature. The rest of the fungal diseases are treated with fungicides by double spraying - before the buds awaken and after the harvest.

Plant pests and control

Often, gooseberries are attacked by aphids and gooseberry flames. It is very easy to defeat aphids with an insecticidal treatment. And to effectively protect a plant from a butterfly, you need to know the specifics of its development. The damage to the culture is caused not by the butterflies themselves, but by the caterpillars hatched from the eggs laid by the fire, which begin active feeding after flowering. During this period, it is necessary to immediately spray the bushes with an insecticide.

Harvesting and storage

The berry ripens in the second half of summer: depending on the variety, the fruiting phase can occur in different summer months. The gooseberry is distinguished by its amicable ripening of fruits. However, harvesting can be carried out throughout the month due to its interesting developmental features - the fruits are not prone to shedding even after the onset of biological ripeness.

The tasty fruits of the berry bush are not suitable for long-term fresh storage, but they make excellent jam and jam. If the grower wants to preserve the gooseberry flavor without added sugar, then you can use the freezer or dry the fruit.

Attention! Whole berries that have just reached biological ripeness are used for freezing and drying.

Thus, having carried out a competent planting and observing simple rules for care, the gardener will provide himself with stable, high-quality gooseberry harvests for many years.

One of the many famous cultivated plants that can often be found in summer cottages is the gooseberry. The homeland of this representative of the Smorodinovs is North Africa. It is also common in Western Europe. Wild gooseberry species are widely represented in the Caucasus and North America.

The first information about this plant became available in 1536, when the description of the gooseberry was compiled by Ruel. Subsequently, through hard work, American breeders were able to create hybrids that are resistant to powdery mildew.

Today, gooseberries are widespread, so they can be found in almost every country.

Description of gooseberry bushes

Usually this crop grows in bush form. It is customary to refer to it as a medium-sized plant, given that it can reach 120 cm in height.Gooseberries have a gray-brown bark, the branches are covered with thorns.

During the growing season, young shoots of a cylindrical shape are formed, which are often decorated with thin thorns. At the same time, varieties of gooseberries are known that have no thorns.

The leaves are large in size, can grow up to 6 cm, the characteristic shape is round. Already in May, the gooseberry begins to bloom, at this time of the year the flowers become reddish or greenish.

During the fruiting period, oval berrieswhich are usually smooth or have small bristles. They are small in size - no more than 12 mm. However, there are varieties that can grow fruits up to 40 mm in size.

Gooseberries ripen in July or August. They can have a variety of colors - green, yellow, red and white. The presence in their composition of organic acids and salts of many metals makes the fruits valuable.

Unlike many other plants, gooseberries are self-fertile culture... Therefore, by planting only one bush on the site, you can regularly harvest these berries for many seasons.

When to plant gooseberries

Like any other crop, the gooseberry provides certain features regarding its planting and care in the open field. You can plan the planting of young plants in spring or autumn.In the latter case, the time is chosen in the interval from the end of September to the middle of October.

• You need to be especially careful when choosing a place for gooseberries. This is important because the shrub has elongated roots. Therefore, the lowland is not a suitable place for planting it. Otherwise, you run the risk of facing fungal diseases when growing it.
• Experts recommend placing gooseberries in sunny areas on a plain or hillock. Particular attention must be paid to ensure that the place for the gooseberry is protected from the wind.
• The most productive gooseberry bushes are obtained if they are planted on sandy or clay soil. However, it is necessary to regularly loosen the soil.

You can plant gooseberry bushes in spring or autumn... And, although this process is not much different in agricultural technology, it is still best to plan planting in the fall. The fact is that when young seedlings are planted in October, the chances are increased that they will winter well and start growing in the spring.

Planting gooseberries in autumn

One of the unpleasant operations when planting and growing gooseberries is weeding. It is not very pleasant to do this due to the fact that the plant has many thorns. To save yourself from such problems, it is recommended to remove the weeds in early fall.

But at the very beginning need to dig the groundwhere you plan to plant the bushes. This must be done very carefully as it is important to make sure that no weeds are left in the ground.

After that, they move on to preparing the site for planting gooseberries. To do this, the surface must be leveled using a rake. The soil should be loose, so the earth clods need to be thoroughly broken.

When there are two weeks left until the day of planting the bushes, start to prepare pitsto be shaped like a cube. The length of the sides of the pit should be 0.5 m each. This is done well in advance so that the soil can settle before the planting begins.

It is imperative to remove the bottom layer of the earth and mix it with fertilizer... If clay soil prevails in the selected area, then additionally a bucket of river sand must be added to the mixture.

1. If you plan to plant several gooseberry bushes, it is recommended to place them at least 1-1.5 m apart. It is necessary to maintain a distance of at least three meters between the rows of bushes.
2. It is best to plant bushes at the age of 1-2 years. They usually already have a well-developed root system, reaching a length of about 30 cm. They must necessarily have several strong shoots.
3. Even before planting seedlings, you need to place the roots in a fertilizer solution for a day. To prepare it, you need to take three or four tablespoons of nutrients and stir in 5 liters of water.
4. Young gooseberry plants are placed in the pit so that they are located in it with a slight slope. The roots must be given a natural position, while the root collar should be located slightly below ground level.
5. After that, they begin to fill the pit with earth in small portions. Moreover, from time to time it is necessary to compact it.
6. The planted bush needs to be watered - usually one bucket of water is enough for one plant. When the moisture is absorbed, the soil surface is covered with mulch - peat or humus. After that, the branches are pruned, as a result of which no more than 5-6 buds should remain on each segment.

If you want to get a beautiful, healthy and productive gooseberry bush, then you need exactly follow the landing rules and caring for him.

Spring care

At the first sign of approaching spring, you need to start caring for the gooseberry. Any gardener, regardless of experience, can equally successfully cope with this task. For this, it is only important to know the basic agrotechnical rules and follow them.

When it starts to get warmer outside, but snow will still be present in some places, processing bushes gooseberries with boiling water using a spray bottle. Such a "shower" will help to avoid the early appearance of pests and diseases.

In early May, they spend loosening the soil in the root zone. It is important that the soil is treated to a depth of 10 cm. After that, it must be covered with a layer of mulch. At the same time, they begin to carry out the first feeding.

Spring and early summer are the periods when the moisture deficit is especially acute in gooseberries. To provide the plant with water, it is recommended to carry out subsurface or drip irrigation.

With the help of these methods, it is possible to ensure the flow of moisture directly to the root system, which is located at a depth of 5 to 40 cm. It is necessary to carry out about five such irrigations per season. In this case, it is extremely unacceptable to use cold water.

If you decide to start growing gooseberries, then in the process of leaving you need to take care of creating support for the low hanging branches. Usually for these purposes they use stretch marks or nets, which are set at a height of approximately 30 cm between the rows.

Autumn care

In the process of caring for gooseberries in the fall, the gardener is required to prepare the bushes for winter. A mandatory event at this time of the year is feeding.

As a result of fertilization, fruit buds begin to form in the gooseberries in order to start growing the next year. In addition, in the fall bushes need pruning.

It is not recommended to postpone this operation to the spring, because this will make the bushes weakened, and this makes them less resistant to various diseases.

Top dressing gooseberries

Every gardener who decides to grow gooseberries in his garden should know that in order for the fruits to ripen, it is necessary to take care of the plant for many years. At the same time, in the process of leaving under the bushes, you regularly need to apply fertilizers that he needs in large quantities.

In order to make up for the deficiency of all elements, it is recommended to use mineral and organic feeding... Therefore, if you do not want to regularly fight gooseberry diseases and get a high yield of berries every season, then you need to regularly apply nutrients under the bushes.

As a top dressing, the following mixture is suitable: you need to take half a bucket of humus, mix it with 50 g of superphosphate, as well as ammonium sulfate and potassium sulfate, taken 25 g each.

This fertilizer is sufficient to provide nutrients to a normal sized bush. If the bush is quite large, then you will need to double the indicated components.

The fertilization zone is determined along the perimeter of the crown. Each top dressing must be completed by loosening the soil.

After the gooseberry blossoms, as well as two weeks later, additional add mullein solution... For its preparation, take 1 part of the mixture and dilute in 5 parts of water. At least 5 liters of solution must be applied to one plant.

Gooseberry diseases

Big enough damage can cause gooseberry bushes powdery mildew... It is also known as the spherotek. It is enough for this disease to hit the bush once for the gardener to be left without a crop.

At the first sign of powdery mildew, you must immediately take measures to combat it, otherwise a couple of years will pass and the plant will completely die. The most favorable conditions for powdery mildew occur on days when the weather is warm and humid.

The characteristic signs of powdery mildew are the appearance on all parts of the plant, including berries, loose white bloom... Subsequently, it turns into a brown crust. If plaque appears on the shoots, then over time they begin to bend and gradually dry out.

The leaves become brittle and fall off, and the fruits, before reaching the stage of maturity, crumble to the ground. It is possible to avoid the defeat of the bushes with this disease if, even before flowering, they are sprayed with a solution of a preparation containing copper "HOM". To prepare the product, take 40 g of the drug and dilute it in 10 liters of water.

Also, no less dangerous diseases for gooseberries are anthracosis, mosaic and goblet rust.

Mosaic. This disease is caused by viral pathogens. If the bushes have signs of this disease, then it will not work to help him. In such situations, you need to as soon as possible dig up the affected bushes and burn them.

For other plants, you can try the following treatment. Spraying can help in the fight against mosaic "Nitrafen "or copper sulfate.

Gooseberry varieties

Considering that today many different varieties of gooseberries have been bred, various methods of planting and care, reproduction and treatment are applied to them. The whole variety of plants can be represented as two groups.

It is customary to refer to the first European gooseberry species... A characteristic feature of the bushes is a longer fruiting period, during which large berries are formed. The weak point is low resistance to various pests and diseases.

The second group is formed by hybrid varietieswhich are also known as American-European. They are not so often affected by diseases. Other varieties of gooseberries are also distinguished, depending on the location of the thorns. The most famous plants that lack thorns are:

• eagle;
• serenade;
• gentle;
• pear-shaped studless.

The gooseberry is rightfully popular among many gardeners. After all, it not only can be very productive, but also does not require pollination in the process of growing.

However, still in order to get a lot of berries from gooseberry bushes, they need provide appropriate care... Irrigation is mandatory, which must be carried out strictly in the root zone.

It is equally important to provide the shrub with nutrients, since as the yield increases, the gooseberry's need for various elements also increases.