Gooseberries in the spring. Gooseberry care in spring: advice from experienced gardeners, videos and photos. Video about spring pruning of gooseberries

During spring, caring for gooseberries is extremely important.... It is complex and includes: preparing the plant for further active growth, treating bushes with fungicides (from pests), pruning branches.

The first step is to check the bushes planted in the fall; if necessary, add fertile soil where the soil has subsided.

It should not be forgotten that the growing season of gooseberry bushes is intense, that is, the shoots and branches of the culture develop faster than the roots. Therefore, the gooseberry needs special attention in the spring. If the culture survived the winter cold well and began to develop in the spring, then the care of the bushes was correct.

Weed control

The first step in the spring is to remove all the weeds.

As soon as the ground has warmed up, the gooseberry tree trunk must be cleared of weeds and old foliage.

They are not dangerous at an early stage of plant development, but subsequently they are able to feed on nutrients from the shrub. If the gooseberry has a large number of needles at the base of the bush, then removing such weeds is quite problematic.

That is why, in addition, it is recommended to treat the bushes with the drug " Fusilade Forte ". To prepare a solution, you need to take 20 milligrams of the drug and dilute in 3 liters of water. Some summer residents do not perform spring raking of weeds at all, but simply process the bushes with such a solution.

Pruning bushes

Gooseberry pruning is done in early spring before the young leaves appear.

Pruning gooseberry bushes is a very important part of plant care. In spring, the plant is rather lethargic and weak, and this is a normal state after the winter cold. It is in the spring that you need to prune the bushes..

Pruning the bushes increases the yield of gooseberries.

Spring pruning of a gooseberry bush: a - before pruning; b - after trimming.

Watering

The plant needs to be watered in the spring. But, if the winter was rather snowy, and in the spring there was a lot of rain, then the culture will not have problems with water. But if there was little snow in winter, and there was no rain at all, then it is necessary to water the bushes .

You don't need to water the bushes too often. It is enough to pour 1 bucket under each bush 2 times a week to ensure the water balance for the plant.

There is no need to flood the plant, as the gooseberry does not like excess moisture.

Top dressing and fertilizers

After winter, shrubs begin to wake up. That is why gooseberries are especially in need of useful components during the spring. The yield depends on which components were introduced into the soil.

• Top dressing of gooseberries in the spring requires several stages. But, in any case, it is necessary to use fertilizers that are quickly absorbed. And you also do not need to use fertilizers that acidify the soil.
• As a fast-absorbing fertilizer, you can use nitrogen fertilization ... It is nitrogen that gives the plant strength for the growth and development of the buds. You can use manure, bird droppings. To prepare the solution, you need to dilute 1 part of manure in 10 parts of water and pour 1 bucket of solution under each bush.
• Mineral fertilizer you can make yourself, for this you need to pour 35 grams of ammonium nitrate under each bush and then pour water.
• At the first signs of flowering, under each bush you need to pour 45 grams of potassium sulfate ... If wood ash was introduced under the bush in the fall, then you can refuse this top dressing.

Pest control

The gooseberry is susceptible to attack by harmful insects that can destroy it. It is necessary to treat bushes in the spring from pests during the budding period.

The first preventive spraying of gooseberries is done before bud break.

Disease care

Most often, gooseberries are susceptible to powdery mildew. Such a disease appears in the form of gray spots on shoots and leaves.

To defeat the disease, you need to breed baking soda (5 grams) in 1 liter of water and treat the plant at the first sign of illness ... This procedure can be carried out as a prophylaxis of the disease. For this purpose, you can use ferrous sulfate (3 grams) diluted in 1 liter of water.

Spraying the gooseberry with a baking soda solution helps with powdery mildew.

conclusions

According to most gardeners, caring for gooseberries in the spring is very important, since it is he who ensures the quantity and quality of the harvest in the new season.

The culture is not too whimsical to care for, but timely fertilization, regular watering and pruning of bushes is a guarantee of increased gooseberry yields.

Video about spring pruning of gooseberries

After winter, the gooseberry wakes up one of the first among the berry bushes. Care for this crop begins with the first warm spring, almost immediately after the snow cover melts. All early spring work must be done as soon as possible before the buds swell and foliage bloom.

Gooseberry: Spring Care Highlights

Proper care of gooseberry bushes in early spring includes a whole range of measures, without which it is not possible to get a good harvest of large and sweet berries. It consists of the following actions:

• cleaning the territory after winter;
• sanitizing shrubs from pests and diseases;
• pruning bushes;
• transplant;
• feeding plantings;
• soil processing.

In order for the gooseberry bush to be healthy and bear fruit abundantly, it must be properly looked after from the very spring.

Some procedures do not require annual performance, they are performed as needed. For example, there is no need to replant gooseberry bushes every spring. The culture feels great in one place for 15-20 years.

Removing winter shelter from gooseberry bushes

As soon as the snow melts and you can get close to the bushes, you need to remove the insulation that was used to cover the bushes for the winter. In the northern regions, where the climate is unstable, the shelter is removed in layers. First, the branches or spruce branches are thrown back, then the covering material (burlap, polyethylene, spunbond, etc.).

With the arrival of warmth, the winter shelter must be removed

Last of all, the mulching layer is removed, which acts as a heater in areas with milder and warmer climatic conditions. From under the bushes you need to scoop out all last year's garbage and remnants of vegetation. Spores of fungal diseases and larvae of various harmful insects hibernate in old mulch and plant residues, so all organic waste (last year's leaves, dry branches, mulch residues, etc.) must be destroyed (burned).

All plant debris must be burned

We never cover the gooseberries on purpose for the winter. Usually, it is enough to simply bend the branches closer to the ground. The fallen snow cover completely covers the bushes and perfectly protects them from frost. But in the spring, you need to quickly raise the shoots so that they do not touch the soil.

Preventive spring treatments of gooseberry bushes against insect pests and diseases

The simplest and safest preventive measure for the destruction of overwintered spores of fungal diseases and insect larvae is boiling water. The procedure is carried out in early spring (late March or early April), when sap flow has not yet begun and the buds have not swollen, and the plant is just beginning to wake up from hibernation.

Most of the spring gooseberry care needs to be done before the foliage blooms.

It is extremely important to correctly guess the moment and carry out the treatment on time, otherwise the set kidneys will die from hot water.

You can scald with boiling water only on bare branches, until the buds swell

Gooseberry bushes are spilled with boiling water from a metal watering can with a spray on bare branches. They also water the ground under the plants, because pests like to settle there. On average, a bucket of hot liquid is spent on one bush.

Video: scalding gooseberries with boiling water

Before flowering, the shrub is sprayed with the following chemicals for prophylaxis:

• copper (3%) or iron (1%) vitriol;

  Solutions of copper and ferrous sulfate are actively used in horticulture and horticulture for the treatment of leaves, stems and roots from harmful insects and bacteria

• Bordeaux liquid (3%);

  Bordeaux liquid - a proven remedy in the fight against various plant diseases and pests

• fungicidal and insecticidal complexes (Topaz and Aktara).

  You can use complex preparations of double action

You can use for preventive spraying with biological products:

• From diseases:
• Fitosporin-M and others.

From pests:

Bitoxibacillin;

Lepidocide, etc.

Photo gallery: biologics for gooseberry

Aktofit - insecticide against agricultural pests
Gaupsin is an insecticidal and fungicidal preparation containing two strains of bacteria Pseudomonas aureofaciens, as well as biologically active substances produced by them in the process of industrial cultivation Trichodermin is a new generation agent that will protect plants from diseases, accelerate their growth and increase soil fertility
Fitosporin-M is the only drug that can reduce the bacterial and fungal threat at an early stage.
Bitoxibacillin is an organic powder for the control of a wide range of garden pests
Insecticide Lepidocide is a biological preparation that targets insects of various ages.

It must be remembered that preparations of biological origin are most effective at an ambient temperature of at least +14 ° C. At lower rates, the use of these funds is impractical.

Video: spring preventive spraying for diseases

• For fungal infections:
  • infusion of onion peel - 0.3 kg pour 10 liters of boiling water and leave for 2-3 days;

    The use of onion peel infusion in the garden is quite popular among adherents of eco-farming, it can be used not only for plant protection, but also as a top dressing

  • ash infusion with the addition of laundry soap - 0.9–1 kg of ash is poured with a bucket of water, kept for 5–7 days, then 50–60 g of grated soap is added;

    In order to prevent diseases and pests, it is useful to spray fruit and berry plants with ash infusion on the leaves.

  • soda solution with soap - 10 liters, 50 g each;

    Using a soap and soda solution, they fight against the manifestations of powdery mildew on gooseberries

  • mullein infusion - add 1-1.2 kg of fresh cow dung to a bucket of water, leave for a week, dilute the working solution in a ratio of 1:10 before use.

    Mullein infusion is an affordable and well-known plant nutrition tool that can also be used against fungus.

• From insect pests:
  • mustard infusion - 0.1 kg of powder is dissolved in 0.5 l of water, then the volume is brought to 10 l;

    Mustard infusion works great against moths, sawflies, bedbugs, thrips, aphids, apple moth and other leaf-eating caterpillars

  • tobacco infusion - finely chopped leaves (dry - 0.1 kg, fresh - 1 kg) pour 10 liters of water for 2-3 days;

    Tobacco infusion has a wide range of applications - it is effective against aphids, leafworms, honeydew, cabbage and apple moths, onion flies, and ringed silkworms.

  • infusion of garlic - 0.4 kg of chopped cloves in a bucket of water.

    A pungent garlic smell repels many pests of the garden and vegetable garden

To prevent the emergence of pests from the soil, it is recommended to cover the ground in the near-trunk circle with dense material (pieces of linoleum, roofing material, thick film, etc.) for several weeks.

We have gooseberry bushes planted along the path. In the spring, as soon as the bright sun begins to shine and thawed patches appear, we shovel off the snow so that we can approach the bushes and spill them with boiling water. My grandmother taught me how to water gooseberries and currants with hot water. For greater efficiency, she advised adding a little potassium permanganate to the water to make a light pink solution.

Video: fighting insect pests

Spring pruning of gooseberries: sanitary and formative

Pruning is a fundamental activity that directly affects the yield of gooseberries.... This fast-growing culture is prone to overgrowth. Fresh young shoots grow very actively, forming dense impassable thorny thickets of intertwining branches.

There are few berries on neglected bushes and they are small

In poorly ventilated thickened bushes, fungal infections often progress and all kinds of harmful insects live. The ovary is formed a little, since pollination is difficult. The overgrown shrub bears little fruit, the berries are small and sour in taste, since the sun's rays do not penetrate into the bush. Gradually, fruiting stops altogether.

Excess thickening branches must be removed

Spring pruning is considered sanitary because most gooseberry pruning is done in the fall. In early spring, in the first decade of March, cut out:

• dried, frozen and partially frozen branches in winter (up to living tissue);
• shoots damaged by fungal diseases or insect pests;
• weak, thin and curved twigs;
• shoots growing inside the bush, rubbing against each other and crossing;
• branches located too close to the ground or lying on it.

The gooseberries must be cut off before the sap begins to flow.

Regular shaping pruning is done like this:

1. When planting a seedling in open ground, no more than 3-4 of the strongest and thickest shoots are left on it, which are located in space in the right way. About 4-5 buds are left on each of them. Everything else is deleted.
2. The next year, 5–6 powerful and well-oriented branches are chosen, and they are shortened by a third to stimulate branching. Weaker ones, facing inward or strongly inclined to the surface of the ground, as well as curved and sick ones, cut out.
3. In the third year, when the first berries appear, again no more than 4–5 strong shoots are left, cutting out all that is superfluous. The shoots of the current season are pruned to a third of the length.
4. In the fourth year of life, several successful and strong branches are again left, removing unnecessary ones. The bush at this time should have about 18–20 shoots of different ages (from 1 to 4 years), its crown is considered to be formed.
5. Starting from the fifth year, light anti-aging pruning is carried out.

The formation of the gooseberry crown is carried out for four years.

The cut should be made over the bud located on the outside of the stem. It is important not to damage the flower bud. 5–6 mm recede from the peephole and cut at an incline of 45–50 °. If you cut the branch below, then the developing bud will not have enough nutrition and it will dry out. The cut made above can lead to drying out first of the part of the stem above the bud, and then of the entire branch.

In the spring, there is usually always little time and it is difficult to have time to do everything in the garden on time, so I try to cut the berry bushes in the fall. In mid-March, I only remove branches that have broken under the snow or frozen.

Video: features of spring gooseberry pruning

Anti-aging work for gooseberries

Anti-aging procedures consist in removing branches older than 6-7 years, because their yield gradually decreases and fades away. Starting from the fifth year, during the annual pruning, old shoots are removed, they are distinguished by a very dark, brown, almost black color of the bark. In this case, the same number of new replacement stems must be left. Competent annual pruning allows the shrub to stay young for a long time and give a guaranteed bountiful harvest.

Old gooseberry bush can be rejuvenated with proper pruning

If the gooseberry is neglected and for some reason was not cut off in time, then it is rejuvenated. The procedure consists of the following steps:

1. In late autumn (late October or early November), after leaf fall, all branches are cut from a third of the gooseberry bush. The next year, there will be an enhanced growth of zero-order shoots.
2. A year later, the regrown young stems are shortened and another third of the old branches are cut out.
3. In the third season, all remaining fruiting shoots are removed, and the young are pruned again.

With rejuvenating pruning, old branches are gradually cut out.

There is a more radical way to rejuvenate gooseberry bushes. To do this, remove all shoots completely. Only a few stumps are left, from which young growth will go.

Video: gooseberry rejuvenation

Top dressing gooseberry bushes in spring

With proper planting with a full-fledged filling of the planting pit with the necessary fertilizers, you need to feed the gooseberries only after 2-3 years. All this time, he does not need additional food.

In early spring, gooseberries need nitrogen-containing fertilizers.

At the very beginning of the growing season, the berry bush is fed with nitrogenous fertilizers:

• Urea (urea) or ammonium nitrate. The granules are scattered under the bushes, covered with a rake into the ground to a depth of 5–6 cm and watered well. Application rate for 1 bush:
  
• Infusion of potato peelings. 1 kg of peelings is poured into a bucket of boiling water and covered with a lid. When the water has cooled slightly (up to 45-50 ° C), add 0.2 kg of wood ash. About 3 liters are spent on a bush.

  Some gardeners just scatter potato peels under bushes.

• Bird droppings. Dilute with water in a ratio of 1:20. A bucket of infusion is poured under each plant.

  Poultry manure is one of the best organic fertilizers, but its use requires the utmost care.

• Manure. They are scattered under bushes (even on the snow) with a layer of 6–8 cm.

  Fresh manure is a long-lasting fertilizer

• Humus. Spread in a near-trunk circle (5-6 kg per bush), sprinkle with earth.

  Spread humus under the gooseberry bushes

Nitrogen-containing fertilizers should be applied with caution, since nitrogen causes increased growth of ground green mass. An overdose will lead to the formation of an excessive number of new shoots, which is fraught with a decrease in yield.

Video: spring feeding for gooseberry bushes

Soil cultivation in spring: loosening and weeding

The soil under the bushes is loosened with a hoe or hoe to a depth of 6–8 cm, between the rows it is dug about 10–15 cm. All weeds must be regularly pulled out, preventing them from taking away nutrients from cultivated plants. Usually, they try to combine loosening with fertilization.

The ground under the gooseberry bushes should be loosened regularly.

Mulching is an important step in proper soil preparation. Mulch prevents weeds from growing and prevents the formation of excess root growth, as well as retains moisture. As a mulching material, you can use:

• sawdust or small shavings;
• humus;
• peat;
• cones;
• small pieces of tree bark;
• straw;
• cut grass;
• potato peelings, etc.

Pine cone mulch is not only healthy, but also beautiful.

Gooseberries develop poorly and bear poor fruit on highly acidic, marshy and cold soils. The culture prefers loam and sandy loam, but can grow on sandy and even clay soils. In this respect, she is not at all capricious. Heavy clayey soils need to be loosened more often for better aeration, and sandstones must be enriched with organic matter.

It is very convenient to use grass cut from the lawn as mulch. Small grass dries quickly and becomes an excellent fertilizer for all shrubs. But I always try to shovel it to the side when watering, because gooseberries hate excessive dampness. Then I put the mulch layer back on.

The gooseberry is a richly fruitful crop that severely depletes the soil. And this inevitably leads to a decrease in yield. Therefore, the quality of the land must be regularly improved. For this, natural organic fertilizers are used:

Work to increase the fertility of the soil under the gooseberry bushes is carried out as follows:

1. First, in the near-trunk circle, the weeds are cut down with a hoe and the soil is slightly loosened.
2. Then crushed wood ash is scattered (0.2–0.3 kg).
3. Spread humus on top of the scattered ash (5–6 kg).
4. Mix both components with a chopper or rake, while slightly embedding them in the soil.
5. At intervals of once every 2-3 weeks, the soil is loosened.

Soil fertility is increased by the introduction of organic matter

It is not necessary to specially water the feeding layer, useful substances and microelements will gradually penetrate deep into the earth under the influence of atmospheric precipitation. At the same time, a mixture of ash and humus is also a mulch, retaining moisture and fighting weeds.

Common mistakes in caring for gooseberry bushes

Novice and inexperienced gardeners alike make several very common mistakes in caring for gooseberry bushes:

• Improper watering. It is impossible to water the shrub from above on the leaves by sprinkling, as this leads to the appearance of various fungal pathologies and rot. The culture is very sensitive to drying out of the soil and lack of moisture, but only the soil should be moistened, preventing water from getting on the foliage. Moisture should saturate the ground to a depth of 40 cm, so it is better to do drip irrigation or dig special grooves around the perimeter of the crown.

  Gooseberries should not be watered by sprinkling.

• Insufficient pruning. Overgrown and unkempt gooseberries are often affected by fungal infections and bear poor fruit.

  An improperly cut and thickened gooseberry bush does not bear fruit well often is affected by fungal infections

• Traumatic digging. The gooseberry has a branched and superficial root system, too deep digging injures the delicate roots. Loosening the ground under the bush should only be done with a rake, hoe or hoe, but no deeper than 5–6 cm.

  It is not necessary to loosen the ground under the gooseberry bushes very deeply.

• Illiterate crown formation. Heavy pruning for rejuvenation can kill the plant. It is highly discouraged for inexperienced gardeners to use this method. If you do this in stages over 2-3 years, then the bush will be renewed and the harvest will be.

  It is important not to overdo it with nitrogen fertilizers.

• Late pruning. You cannot cut the plant if young leaves have already appeared. In this case, it is better to postpone the procedure until the fall. Otherwise, the bush will hurt, take a long time to recover and, as a result, bear fruit poorly.

  If you cut the gooseberry with blossoming leaves, then the plant will hurt for a long time.

• Late removal of the winter shelter. Bushes can rot as a result of overheating and the greenhouse effect.

In the early days of gardening, I had the bad experience of growing gooseberries. I did not cut the bush and it got to the point that it was simply impossible to get to the berries because of the many thorny branches. Cutting off a neglected plant was also not so easy, the thorns were very scratched and dug into the skin. Since then, I have tried to avoid this situation anymore.

Video: what to do with gooseberries in spring

Spring care for gooseberry plantings does not take much time and effort. Agrotechnical measures carried out in a timely manner will ensure a future bountiful harvest and preserve the health of the shrub for many years.

In order to get a rich harvest of berries in the garden, you need to start gooseberry care from early spring. He wakes up one of the very first in the garden. Already at zero temperature, the gooseberry bush begins to grow, and at 10-15 ° C it fully grows. The only thing that can cause irreparable harm to it is spring frosts. Therefore, during this period, in order to preserve the buds, it is best to temporarily cover the bush. Flowering can begin at temperatures as low as 7 ° C. This usually happens in mid-May. Therefore, all spring work with gooseberries is best done as soon as the snow begins to melt. As a rule, this is the beginning of April.

2. Diseases of the gooseberry. Treatment methods

Spheroteka (American Powdery Mildew)

Most of all, gooseberries are susceptible to infection by the American mealy race, or it is also called the spheroteca. But Russian breeders have developed a number of varieties that are more than resistant to this disease.

These include the following varieties:

Commander

Ural grapes

Krasnoslavyansky

Plum studless

Ural besshorny

Northern captain

Leningrader

American powdery mildew (spheroteka) manifests itself as follows. It affects the leaves and fruits with a kind of cobweb, which over time transforms into dense brown spots. They are especially noticeable on fruits. Due to the disease, the berries do not ripen and fall off. The growth of the bush slows down, and the leaves are deformed and dry out.

The most dangerous time for infection is warm and rainy weather.

In order to avoid infection with American powdery mildew, it is necessary to pour a bucket of boiling water over the entire bush in early spring, when the buds have not yet formed (approximately the beginning of April). Thus, you can destroy the fungus of this disease in the initial stage. Our grandfathers and grandmothers carried out this procedure with their shrubs, thanks to which they always had a rich harvest. But in no case should you treat the bushes on which buds have already tied in this way, hot water can ruin them.

There are also more modern methods of treating powdery mildew:

Treat the gooseberry bush with copper or iron vitriol, first diluting it in water. The required dosages should be seen in the instructions. It is necessary to carry out the treatment in early spring before the formation of buds.

300 grams of onion husks are soaked in 10 liters of boiling water for 2 days. Then the bush is completely and abundantly treated. This procedure should be carried out before flowering.

70 grams of ammonium nitrate is diluted in 10 liters of warm water. Then the bush is completely and abundantly treated. This procedure should be carried out after flowering with an interval of 2 weeks.

In the same way, you can get rid of most of the diseases that gooseberries are susceptible to. These include:

Anthracnose

Gray rot

White leaf spot (septoriasis)

By following simple rules, you can avoid most of the gooseberry diseases... To do this, in the fall, burn all the fallen leaves, cut off heavily infested shoots and regularly loosen the ground around the bush.

3. Pruning gooseberries in spring

The best time for gooseberry trimmings is early spring. All dry shoots are cut first. Then they cut off all the processes directed into the depths of the bush. And only after that you can cut out healthy branches.

It is important to know that only branches that are from 2 to 5 years old bear fruit. Therefore, all old shoots are cut out, and the rest are left in 4-5 pieces, each year. As for the shoots of the first year, they can be left 2 times more, in case the gooseberries freeze in winter or become infected with diseases. Gooseberry pruning it is recommended to start from the third year after planting.

4. Top dressing of gooseberries in spring

If a young gooseberry bush was planted with the addition of dressings in the pit, it is worth adding nutrients only in the third year of life. Since the oversaturation of some elements can adversely affect the development of the plant.

Start off gooseberry feeding follows in the spring, immediately after the snow melts. This is due to the early waking up of the gooseberry vegetative system.

Ammonium nitrate or urea are considered the best spring fertilizers, they help the green mass of the plant to develop and contribute to a healthier development of the bush. You can read more about fertilizers in the article Mineral fertilizers for plants. You can replace nitrogen-containing fertilizers with organic ones, using compost, green manure (more details in the article Green manure) or liquid manure (diluted with water).

Potash and phosphate fertilizers will also be helpful. It is also worth bringing them in in the spring. You can replace them with an organic fertilizer such as a woody hall.

Potatoes or their tops can serve as a very good natural fertilizer, because gooseberry bushes react very responsively to it and can be used at any period of growth.

»Gooseberry

To get a good harvest, you should pay due attention to each plant, including gooseberries. Plants should be taken care of throughout the year.

This article will talk about caring for gooseberries in the fall. How to prune, fertilize, water, and shelter for the winter.

Some inexperienced gardeners believe that the most important thing is to harvest on time and you can be calm until spring. This is a misconception. Autumn care should be continued for most plants. The same goes for gooseberries. The gooseberry is considered an unpretentious plant, but, nevertheless, depending on how the bushes are prepared for the passage of winter, the size of the subsequent harvest depends.

Autumn care is very important. It was during this period that a set of works is carried out, which helps the bushes to survive in the cold season, as well as prepare the gooseberries for the next season. Autumn care will protect the gooseberries from disease, ensure the correct formation of branches and contribute to the accumulation of nutrients in the soil.

Stages of autumn gooseberry care

Long-term practice of growing gooseberries shows that in order to get a good harvest before the beginning of winter, the following work should be done:

• treatment of the root zone;
• disease prevention;
• pruning;
• feeding gooseberries;
• watering;
• shelter for the winter.

Root zone processing

First of all, you should start by picking up the trash. In the root zone, foliage, crushed and rotten berries accumulate by autumn. All this garbage should be removed and incinerated.

Weeds should be removed in time. Weeds growing near the root system increase moisture, which leads to the development of viral diseases.

Then you should remove all weeds around the rhizome, as well as ordinary wood lice. In order not to damage the roots of the gooseberry, the weeds should not be pulled out, but carefully dug up. Wheatgrass usually sprouts under the bushes. This weed is very depleting of the soil, so it should be removed immediately.

Disease prevention

By the fall, on some gooseberry bushes, foci of various diseases may appear.

If, when examining the gooseberry, the slightest foci of disease are found, then these places should immediately be treated with special preparations.

In order to prevent them from developing in the fall, preventive work should be carried out to destroy painful foci. This work should begin immediately after harvesting, when there are no berries left on the bushes. First, the extent of the lesion should be clarified.

If they have reached such a scale that the plant can no longer be saved, then they should be sacrificed. It must be dug up and burned to form ash. You should not regret the loss, since in this way other plantings are protected from diseases. If the lesions are small, then you can get rid of them by pruning.

In any case, for the prevention of diseases, the bushes and the soil under them should be fertilized with Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate. You can also use the Inta-vir solution. Fundazol and topaz show good results.

As in spring, gooseberries also need fertilization in autumn.

Pruning bushes

Pruning is necessary to keep the shrub well lit. When pruning, the plant is freed from diseased, broken and lying branches on the ground.

Gooseberries should be pruned annually. However, it is recommended to start full pruning when the bush has reached the age of six.

It should be remembered that the crop is concentrated on 3 6-year-old stems. At 4 years old, you can start cutting out the older stems.

It is necessary to cut out underdeveloped branches located in the root part as early as next year. With this pruning, it is recommended to leave no more than 3-4 strong shoots.

A full pruning procedure should be started in the middle of autumn. To do this, you need to stock up on good sharp pruning shears and thick gloves. In order not to transfer foci of disease from one bush to another, you should periodically wipe the pruner with alcohol.

The plant should be examined carefully before pruning. Determine its density and verify the presence or absence of diseases.

First, all the branches that interfere with the development of the bush are cut out, usually when viewed, they are striking. Then all broken branches and those that lie on the ground or are too low from it are cut out. If you leave them, the berries will come into contact with the ground and fester.

The next stage of pruning is thinning. Over the summer, shoots appear on the bush, which thicken the plant. Such shoots usually grow in the very center. A dense bush is weakly blown by the wind, which means that it becomes unprotected from the formation of fungal diseases. And the harvest is tied to the outer branches, and this leads to a decrease in yield. The branches located inside the plant should be cut out, and the cuts should be sealed with garden varnish or special garden paint.

Thus, only young, well-developed stems should be left on the bush. If the age of the gooseberry is 6-7 years old, then 5-6 stems are left on it. They should be placed evenly over the entire crown. It has been verified that it is these shoots that will give a high yield next year.

Gooseberry fertilization

Top dressing should be carried out throughout the plant's care season. The first time you need to feed in the spring. For the first feeding, a solution of nitrophoska with urea is used.

The next top dressing should be before flowering. It consists of wood ash that is sprinkled around gooseberries and potassium sulfate, which is used to feed the roots. At the same time, gooseberries must be fed with organic fertilizers, such as "Berry" or "Breadwinner".

Fertilizer berry for feeding gooseberries

The third fertilizing in the spring and summer is carried out during the period when the first fruits begin to set. For this treatment, nitrophoska and liquid fertilizer "Ideal" are used.

Autumn feeding is of particular importance. The top dressing will be carried out so correctly, the total number of berries, their size and taste depends.

Autumn dressing is also necessary in order to enable the bush to recover after the end of the fruiting period, to strengthen the roots, to prepare the basis for the development of fruit buds.

Autumn feeding should begin in the month of August. The fact is that in order to assimilate nutrients, gooseberries take about 3 weeks. If such top dressing is left at a later time, then the earth begins to cool down and the root system begins to go into a state of dormancy. In this condition, it is not able to absorb and absorb nutrients and feeding will not be effective.

For autumn feeding, the following types of fertilizers are used:

• phosphate. They help to strengthen the root system, as well as to supply the process of sap flow with carbohydrates;
• potash. These fertilizers for the winter period remove excess water from the stems and increase their frost resistance;
• organic. Their introduction increases the yield. Fertilizers such as manure, dung and compost are especially popular;
• wood ash. It is intended to saturate the gooseberry with mineral elements.

Wood ash is necessary for gooseberries both when planting and as they grow.

Watering

Autumn watering is only necessary when autumn is marked by dry and warm weather. If heavy rains are observed in the fall, then such watering is not effective and should not be carried out.

The watering procedure is very simple. To do this, a small groove is dug around the bush and water is fed into it. The amount of water can be at least 30 liters for each bush. After the water has been absorbed into the soil, the groove is covered with a layer of earth.

Watering for each bush should be carried out at the rate of 30 liters.

Good shelter for the winter

To preserve the bush in the winter, it must be protected from frost. This is usually done in late autumn. With the onset of the first frosts, it is necessary to bend the branches to the ground and fix them in the lower position with the help of pegs.

To protect the root system, it must be mulched.... For mulching, peat, leaves or needles can be used.

Practice has shown that plants are best preserved under a layer of snow. To do this, in regions where snowy winters are issued, gooseberry bushes should be covered with a layer of snow. This is done immediately after the first snow falls. In very severe frosts, in order not to freeze the branches, dry grass is pounced on them or they are covered from above with cardboard or plywood shields. The herb is prepared in the fall and must be stored until spring.

Thus, if you correctly follow all the recommendations for caring for gooseberries, including autumn work, you can get good harvests every year. In addition, the autumn processing of gooseberry bushes ensures their preservation for many years. For currants and raspberries, the care is similar.

Gooseberry is a species that belongs to the genus Currant of the Gooseberry family. The plant is native to Africa and also grows wild in southern Europe, the Caucasus, Asia and America.

Did you know?Gooseberries became famous in Europe in the 16th century, and in the 17th they became one of the most popular berries in England. Since that time, breeding work began to improve gooseberry hybrids. It was possible to obtain varieties resistant to powdery mildew.

Gooseberry is a small shrub up to 120 cm, with brown peeling bark, which is covered with leafy spines. Leaves are round, slightly elongated with denticles, expressionless, characteristic of thorny shrubs.

The gooseberry blooms in May with red-green axillary flowers. Gooseberries are spherical and rounded, up to 12 mm(there are varieties with fruits up to 40 mm), covered with needle-like soft scales. The berries are clearly distinguished by veins of green, red and white shades. The fruits ripen in July-August.

Gooseberries are healthy and tasty. They contain organic acids, tannins, metal salts and vitamins. The plant is self-fertile: if you have one bush in your garden, then the gooseberry will still bear fruit, attracting pollinating insects.

Did you know?We call gooseberries "northern grapes".

Everything you need to know about planting gooseberries

When to plant gooseberries

Gooseberries can be planted in both autumn and spring. Most gardeners prefer to plant gooseberries in autumn, explaining this by the fact that after planting the gooseberry bushes have time to form strong roots and prepare for winter.

When planting gooseberries, consider all of its characteristics and needs. The roots of the "northern grapes" are long, so it should not be planted in the lowlands, as it can become infected with fungal diseases.

Gooseberries are best planted on a sunny plain or high ground. This area should be protected from cold winds from the north and east. The soil should be neutral or low acidity. Loamy, sandy, sandy loam and clayey soils are suitable for it.

Planting in autumn

Planting gooseberries in the fall requires some preparation. You need, first of all, to clear the site of weeds and debris; since the bush is prickly, it will be difficult for you to weed it later. Then the already harvested area should be dug and weed roots should be removed, the ground should be leveled with a rake, breaking the lumps.

Many gardeners advise to dig a hole up to 50 cm deep and wide 2-3 weeks before planting, so that the earth has time to settle. The upper, most fertile soil layer must be removed and set aside, the same operation should be done with the lower infertile soil layer. Next, we prepare fertilizers for planting gooseberries: add 10 kg of rotted humus, 50 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate to the fertile soil. Such fertilized soil should be enough for a plant for several years.

Important! If the soil is clayey, then when preparing the soil for the gooseberries, you need to add a bucket of river sand.

If you are planting several plants, then the distance between them should be at least one meter, between rows - up to 3 m.

Annual seedlings with roots 25-30 cm long are well suited for planting. The ground part of the plant should consist of several strong branches. Before planting a plant, its roots must be soaked in a solution of any fertilizer that stimulates growth.

Young bushes of the plant should be planted at an angle so that the root collar is below the soil level; the roots must be well straightened. Fill up the earth in parts, compacting each layer with a layer of peat and humus.

Planting in spring

Planting gooseberries in spring is no different from autumn. If you are wondering whether to plant gooseberries in the spring or fall, then most gardeners advise you to do it in the fall. Planted in the fall, the gooseberry will take root better, the shoots will be stronger and stronger than those of the bushes planted in the spring.

Did you know?The gooseberry begins to bear fruit only in the third or fourth year, and its fruiting can last up to 15 years.

What should be the landing site

Gooseberry is a light-loving plant. Therefore, it must be planted in sunny locations.

Does not like waterlogging (roots begin to rot) and tolerates drought well. Gooseberries should be planted in places with low groundwater levels, at least 1.5 m from the surface. The plant needs to be planted in a place where you and your family members can easily care for it. Pruning the plant shouldn't be problematic for you either.

If you have little space on the site, then the plant can be planted between fruit trees, but at a distance of at least 2 meters. You can also plant it along the fence - not less than 1.5 meters.

Gooseberries do not like highly oxidized soils. The acidity of the soil should not exceed 6 Ph, if the level is higher, then lime must be added to the soil - 200 g per 1 sq. m.

Soil preparation and planting scheme for "northern grapes"

Gooseberries are not picky about the soil. In addition to acidic soils, he also does not like very swampy and cold soil. If the plant is grown on clay soil, then it is necessary to carry out frequent loosening, and fertilize in sandy, sandy loam soil.

After thoroughly clearing the soil for planting a plant, you need to remember to fertilize. We knead fertile soil with manure, humus, compost in a ratio of 4 kg per 1 sq. m plot. If the soil is poor, then you need to increase the amount of organic fertilizers. In such cases, additional urea (20-30 g), superphosphate (50 g), potassium chloride (15-20 g) should be added

For a greater effect, when the soil is poor, organic fertilizers are applied directly to the planting pit. With sandy soil, clay is laid out on the bottom of the pit (up to 7 cm), with clayey - river sand.

Gooseberry care rules

How to care for gooseberries in spring

In gooseberries, the growing season begins in early spring. The plant blooms in May, and the fruits begin to ripen at the end of June and until August.

In the spring, before the buds open, mineral fertilizers - potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen - must be applied to the soil under the gooseberry. During the period when the buds open, feed the plant with manure or compost (12 kg per bush). At this time, you also need to treat the gooseberry with preparations for various insects.

Against aphids, moths, sawflies use a soapy solution with ash- 10 l of water, 50 g of laundry soap and 40 g of sifted ash to insist for a day. The plant is sprayed with this solution in the spring, during the budding period.

It is believed that for fruit and berry bushes, the best pruning time is early spring, but spring pruning of gooseberries can be fatal for its future harvest. The plant wakes up earlier than others: the snow has not melted yet, and the gooseberry is already budding. It is best to prune gooseberries in late autumn when the plant is ready for winter. If you need seedlings, then you need to loosen the ground under the bush, apply fertilizer, make small grooves and fill them with water. Then put 2 gooseberry twigs into these grooves, carefully pressing them into wet soil and attaching them to the ground with hooks. In the fall, you will receive formed seedlings, which must be divided into parts and planted.

Important!Young gooseberries (two years old) require careful maintenance in early spring, they need frequent feeding and moderate watering.

What to do in the summer

In the summer, you need to periodically weed the plant, loosen the ground near the bush (up to 10 cm deep) and water it after each loosening. "Northern grapes" tolerate drought well, but during such periods it draws moisture from its fruits, leaves and shoots, therefore, so that the plant does not deplete its resources, it is necessary to water it well during drought.

Important! Gooseberries need to be watered at the root, as they can get sick with powdery mildew.

Gooseberries, in the period when they begin to bear fruit, need light portions of organic fertilizers. Mix 1: 1 compost, peat or manure with soil and dig the mixture under the "northern grape" bush.

Gooseberry care in autumn

In early autumn, you need to weed the gooseberry bushes from weeds, remove various organic debris that have accumulated over the summer. When the foliage falls, you will also need to remove it near the gooseberry and burn it, as pathogens of various diseases can remain in it for the winter.

Besides, you need to create a soil cushion near the bush, it will protect the plant from pests.

In the fall, it is necessary to treat the plant with fungicides against rust, powdery mildew, anthracnose.

It is recommended to feed the plant while digging the soil. The top dressing should include phosphorus and potash fertilizers - for each bush, 30 g of the drug. Before the first frosts, it is necessary to bring humus with peat up to 10 cm thick under the bush.

At the end of autumn, before the first frost, gooseberry pruning is needed- it will help in the formation of fruit-bearing bushes and remove old and damaged branches. After such pruning, up to 6 strong, evenly spaced shoots should remain on the bush. This is the basis for a good harvest next year.

In December, when the first snow fell, you need to throw it under the gooseberries to protect against the upcoming frost. If winter promises to be with little snow, then you should cover the plant with agrospan or other similar material.

Gooseberry propagation

There are several ways to propagate gooseberries. Each gardener chooses a convenient one for him. The most common and popular ones are:

1. Reproduction by layering
2. Reproduction by arcuate layers
3. Vertical layering
4. Lignified cuttings
5. Green cuttings
6. Combined cuttings
7. Perennial branches
8. By dividing the bush.

Most of these breeding methods can be combined under one species - grafting.

The basic rule for such propagation of gooseberries is the presence of moist soil for plant rooting.

Harvesting and storage

The gooseberry harvest time depends on the variety. The peak of collection falls in July-August. Most of the berries ripen almost at the same time, so that the harvest can be harvested immediately.

There are two stages of gooseberry maturity: technical and consumer. With technical maturity, such fruits are great for cooking jam, compote. They have entered their shape and are beginning to take on a color that matches the variety. But the pulp of the berry is still sour.

Consumer maturity- this is when the berry is fully formed, the color of the fruit began to correspond to the variety, the taste is sweet, with mild sourness, the skin crunches under the teeth.

On average, up to 8 kg of berries can be harvested from one bush.

The storage conditions for gooseberries will depend on their degree of ripeness. If the berries are ripe, then you need to collect the fruits in containers up to 2.5 liters, and they are stored for up to 4 days. Berries with technical maturity can be stored for up to 10 days in a cool room.