Gooseberry
Content:
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Introduction
The plant is a bush with thorns, which gives many shoots. Often this leads to excessive thickening of the plant.
It is known that gooseberries are a light-loving culture.
A large number of extra shoots will not have the best effect on the quality of the crop, namely, the berries will be tasteless and smaller. It is very important to correctly form a bush.
Vertical development of the bush
For a good harvest, careful care is needed, which of course includes pruning.. If you do not devote enough time to this procedure, then the branches will become thin, begin to die, and through dense thickets of thorny branches it will be difficult to get to the dead shoots to remove them.
- Gooseberries are a high-quality raw material for making jams, juices, and excellent dessert wines.
- They contain from 5 to 15% sugars, including 4.4% glucose, 4.1% fructose, 0.6% sucrose; 0.2% hemicellulose, 2% fiber, 0.7% - 1% pectin.
- Fresh berries contain from 30 to 60 mg per 100 g of crude substance of vitamin C, 0.5 - 2 - carotene, 0.56 - tocopherol, 0.03 - pyridoxine.
- Fruits with a dark red color, rich in anthocyanins, which stimulate P-vitamin activity.
- In small quantities, the berries contain folic acid (0.25 mg / 100 g).
Berries are rich in vitamins and minerals
- Due to the content of pectin, gooseberries are natural antioxidants, they help to remove salts of heavy metals from the body, and normalize metabolism.
- The use of fresh berries and gooseberry products has a beneficial effect on the body, heals.
- The fruits contain succinic acid, which removes radionuclides.
Gooseberry flowers are happy to be pollinated by bees, this is a good honey crop
As a dietary, nutritious and tasty product, gooseberries are recommended for children and the elderly with metabolic disorders and obesity.
It is used as a choleretic and diuretic, with anemia, frequent hemorrhages, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The components contained in the fruits normalize blood pressure.
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When creating varieties of gooseberries, European and American species are used for crossing.
- European varieties are characterized by high palatability of fruits, demanding soil fertility, poor winter hardiness. They are affected by powdery mildew and other dangerous diseases.
- American varieties are small-fruited, mediocre berry taste, but less demanding on soil conditions, resistant to powdery mildew.
- Varieties created by crossing European and American species are distinguished by valuable economic and biological indicators.They are resistant to powdery mildew, have high taste qualities of berries, drought-resistant, winter-hardy, and are not affected by powdery mildew.
American varieties are small-fruited but resistant
- European varieties are unusually tasty and large-fruited, but, alas, they are affected by powdery mildew.
- Bushes up to 1-1.5 m high, squeezed, semi-spreading and sprawling.
- In one place, gooseberries can grow and bear fruit up to 30 years, but the most productive period of bushes is up to 12-15 years.
Modern breeding methods have made it possible to obtain large-fruited hybrids that are resistant to diseases.
In a fruit-bearing bush of 8-10 years of age and older, there can be up to 12 fruit-bearing young branches. Their number depends on the characteristics of the variety, cultivation and care of plantings.
stems:
- In most varieties of gooseberries, the stems have thorns. They can be single, double or triple. Some varieties (Pinik, Harvest, Krasavets) have few or no spines on both annual shoots and perennial branches.
- On basal shoots that form near the base of the bush, or on strong annual growth from the lower growth buds of skeletal branches, branches of the first order grow only the next year.
- A year later, second-order ramifications form on these branches. The next year, they develop growths of the third order, and so on. On a perennial branch, there are 5 - 6 orders of branches.
Large-fruited gooseberry without thorns - Gulliver
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How to prune a bush
- Good for this secateurs, you can use a file, as well as use scissors with long handles.
- Do not forget that you need to cut off the branches above the kidney, located on the inside of the branch. This procedure stimulates the growth and development of young branches.
- Hybrid varieties of gooseberries are distinguished by the rapid formation of a bush. Already in 4 - 5 years, the plants are fully formed and begin to bear fruit. By the way, when planting hybrid seedlings, it is necessary to shorten the cuttings greatly. Using this technique, in a year you will get from 4 to 6 shoots of one-year-olds.
- Starting from the fifth year, caring for the plant consists in removing excess shoots that drown out the bush.
- The oldest and poorly located skeletal branches, those that lie on the ground, should be removed.
- It is worth noting that European varieties lay flowers and, accordingly, fruits on older branches.
- Such plants need to be formed with a smaller number of skeletal branches. Leave every year 3 basal shoots, and remove the rest so that the light falls on all branches.
- European varieties of gooseberries form the largest amount of the crop on annual shoots, as well as on 2 and 3 year old shoots.
- The largest yield is given by the classic form of the shrub, but on the other hand, tree-like gooseberries take up less space and look very beautiful.
- It is convenient to harvest from bushes grown on a trellis.
- However, recently, due to the massive separation of the glass, which gnaws through the stems, it is easier to grow a plant with a bush, and a small one at that.
- You need to constantly make a lot of backup layers around the perimeter of the bush in case it hits the central part. You will have young layers. You choose which approach to apply to your plants.
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- With this formation, the gooseberry bush looks like a small tree.
- How to get such an effect?
- There is nothing complicated in this method of formation. At the beginning, the largest shoot is chosen from the bush, which grows vertically. He will be the future trunk, and all other shoots are removed at the base.
- Next, choose the height of the trunk. The most popular is about 1 m.
In subsequent years, they are cut according to the same scheme:
- It is necessary to leave 4 - 6 young branches of this year, and cut the branches of last year by half.
- It is also necessary to remove branches that grow down, broken or very old (more than 7-8 years).
All side branches will be cut to this height.
- Any shoots that appear at the base of the trunk should be removed immediately so that nutrients are not taken from the main one.
- The standard gooseberry has both advantages and disadvantages.
- The most important thing is that it saves space. For small areas, this is a big plus.
- In addition, the berries on such a tree receive light evenly, ripen at the same time and are convenient to pick.
- But there are also disadvantages.
- For standard gooseberries, you need to take frost-resistant varieties: the higher the tree, the less likely it is to withstand a harsh winter compared to a low bush.
- Also, do not forget that one shoot serves as a trunk. Of course he's getting old. Standard gooseberries will last up to 12 years with proper care.
Considering the fragility of the gooseberry stem culture and glass damage, it is recommended to graft gooseberries to form a stem on golden currants. Firstly, it is much more durable and frost-resistant, and secondly, there are no difficulties with the constant removal of shoots, since currants give it much less. In addition, the root of the currant is stronger, so the gooseberries on this bush will be larger.
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Agricultural practices
- To eliminate the first signs of powdery mildew damage, the affected shoots are simply cut out.
- Shoots of wild shoots on fruit bushes are also pruned. Extra young shoots on gooseberry bushes are also removed.
- At the stage of ripening berries, the bushes can be overlaid with straw.
- If shoots have appeared that grow well, but fall and come into contact with the soil, they can be dug up and propagated in this way using rooted cuttings.
- This method is suitable for all varieties of gooseberries.
- Do not rush to cut off the young bushes from the mother plant or dig them out, but simply spread them apart.
Pigging side layers is one of the tricks that helps protect gooseberry shoots from glass. The caterpillar cannot settle inside the thin shoots that form on digging plants.
- Such branches bear fruit stably - they are connected to the bush, and continue to develop as part of it, and even receive nourishment from new young roots, so the berries are larger.
- It is better to water shrubs rarely, but plentifully, the soil should not dry out. With frequent surface watering, there will be a completely different result - only the top layer of soil will get wet. This will lead to the development of a superficial root system, which, in turn, will provoke rapid freezing of the roots in winter frosts, as well as their rapid drying in the summer heat.
- Another rule to keep in mind:
- Fertilize only in well-loosened moist soil, so the beneficial substances reach their goal much faster.
- It is advisable to mulch the shrubs in the area of the root system and water them into the root grooves.
- Systematically remove old low-yielding branches, thereby creating favorable conditions for the enhanced growth of new shoots, which will positively affect the yield.
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Morning water procedures
- Fertilizer for feeding shrubs must be diluted correctly, according to the manufacturer's recommendations.
- A high concentration will not lead to increased development of the plant, but simply burn the roots, which may lead to its death in the near future.
- In general, watering is best done in the morning or before sunset. Under the scorching rays, moisture evaporates very quickly and a dense crust forms on the ground, which prevents oxygen from entering the soil.
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The fruits are rich in potassium, which improves the functioning of the heart, regulates the acid-base balance of the blood, normalizes blood pressure, has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system, and takes part in the water-salt metabolism of the body.
Potassium, which is part of the fruit, is also necessary for the normal functioning of blood vessels, muscles, brain, liver, kidneys.
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bountiful harvest
- On each annual shoot, growth or mixed buds are formed. On growths longer than 40 cm, all lateral buds are growth buds.
- On less vigorous (20 - 40 cm) they are tall and mixed.
- One or two berries and a new shoot grow from a mixed bud.
- On shortened shoots (up to 3 cm) - all the buds are mixed and next year each of them bears fruit and gives a new growth. The same type of bud and fruit twigs.
- The productivity of the branches decreases when they become bare, the growth decreases, the weakened branches finish their growth with the laying of a vegetative bud at the top. This happens on old branches over 7-8 years old.
- To obtain stable high yields, it is necessary to leave the most productive 3-5-year-old branches near the bushes.
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flowering bush
- From mixed buds, an inflorescence grows with two to three flowers (few-flowered raceme), sometimes only one flower is formed.
- In the conditions of the forest-steppe, flowers bloom on April 20 - 25, in a cold and lingering spring - in early May.
- In the same sequence, flowering occurs in other zones - earlier in the south, later in the northern regions.
- Flowering lasts from 5 to 8 days.
- Gooseberry varieties are self-fertile, but flowers are better fertilized if pollinated by pollen from other varieties. Therefore, it is better to grow at least 2 - 3 varieties on a personal plot.
- Bees work well on gooseberry flowers, they are visited by bumblebees, wasps, flies, providing cross-pollination
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- Varieties differ in size, shape, color, taste of berries.
- Fully ripe fruits are light green, pink, red, with different shades. The most valuable, nutritious berries with dark fruit color. They contain more biologically active substances of the anthocyanin group.
- Their average weight ranges from 5 to 20 grams or more.
- Fruits differ in suitability for technical processing and fresh consumption.
- Berries with a thick and dense skin are suitable for making compotes, jams, with a thin one - for fresh consumption, for making juice.
- Depending on the destination, the fruits are harvested in the phase of technical ripeness or fully ripe.
- Harvested not fully ripe, they ripen in a few days. Stored at low temperatures (in the cellar, refrigerator).
Growing seedlings
Planting new seedlings
- Gooseberries are propagated by layering or cuttings.
- Varieties of American origin or crosses between them take root best when propagated vegetatively. They reproduce even with lignified cuttings.
- The varieties resistant to powdery mildew of the American type take root best of all - Change, Russian, Malachite.
- The shoots of new hybrids take root unsatisfactorily. For example, varieties of the European type - Fertile, Ruby are almost impossible to propagate by lignified cuttings.
- Live bait breeds well varieties: Harvest, Russian, Krasavets, Date.
Propagation by woody cuttings
Reproduction by lignified cuttings is not used for all varieties
- Seedlings harvested in autumn are planted in autumn or early spring in a greenhouse, greenhouses or open beds.
- The cuttings are cut 20 cm long. The upper kidney is left at the soil level.
- The soil mixture in greenhouses or beds should be light, free-flowing. To do this, the soil is mixed with humus, peat, fine river sand in equal proportions.
- After planting, water until the soil is completely saturated. Never let the soil dry out.
- Before rooting, greenhouses are not ventilated.
- After the regrowth of the roots, the frames are gradually opened, when entering the phase of intensive growth, the frames are removed. Growing seedlings in the beds.
Planting process
- It is best to plant bushes in autumn, October or early spring before bud break.
- The best survival rate is in standard biennial seedlings with a well-developed root system about 20 cm long.
- In such plants, already in the first year of vegetation, more than 5 strong shoots can grow, which next year will provide productivity in the range of 0.8 - 1 kilogram per bush.
- Planting one-year-old seedlings delays by 1 - 2 years the period of entry of the bushes into the fruiting period.
- The root neck when planting is deepened by 10 cm.
- Planted bushes are well watered. After the water seeps out, the soil is mulched.
Soil care
Gooseberries, like most other plants, bear fruit well only on fertile soils.
A lack of potassium in the soil causes leaf burns, and yields are greatly reduced. The systematic application of fertilizers increases the productivity of the bushes.
Irrigation
This crop is demanding for watering.
With insufficient irrigation, gooseberries grow poorly and bear fruit. In waterlogged areas or in places with close groundwater, plant growth stops due to the displacement of air from the soil.
Excessive moisture inhibits the vital activity of soil microflora, and also removes harmful salts from the soil to the surface.
Harvesting
Harvest fruits 5 days before full ripeness
Gooseberries are harvested in the early phase of ripeness. Berries intended for technical processing or transportation over long distances are harvested 5 days before full ripening.
Varietal diversity
Description of varieties
Donetsk large-fruited
Donetsk large-fruited
- It ripens quite late (second half of summer).
- Plants are tall but compact.
- The branches are strong, dotted with strong hooked thorns, mostly trifoliate. The fruits are heavy, up to 8 7 g, ovoid, light green, sweet and sour.
- When overripe, the pulp becomes mealy, starchy, the fruits crumble.
- Productivity up to 5 kg/bush.
PROS:
- Sufficiently frost-resistant, not afraid of drying out of the soil, affected by downy mildew.
MINUSES:
- In connection with the sprinkling of berries, it is necessary to harvest the crop on time.
Donetsk firstborn
Donetsk firstborn
- It ripens very early (by June 15 - 18). The plant is low, slightly branched.
- The branches are arched, dotted with long prickly thorns.
- Fruit weight 5 g, emerald, oval, crispy flesh.
- Ripe berries do not fall off. It tolerates drought well, but is affected by downy mildew.
Handsome
Handsome
- The berries ripen in mid-summer. The plant is not high in height, the tops hang down in an arcuate manner, there are almost no thorns.
- Berries are ovoid.
- Ripe fruits have a rich red color, sometimes they are brown, sweet, very tasty.
- The yield is satisfactory. During a drought, the fruits become small, the number of berries from one bush decreases.
- Winter hardiness is excellent. Not affected by powdery mildew.
Helpful feedback:
Every spring, until sap flow has begun, the husband treats with a solution of copper sulphate. And that's all. Gooseberries do not get sick after such treatment. And pruning every spring is a must.
Neslukhovsky
Neslukhovsky
- The berries ripen in June.
- The berries are round-oval, dark red, with an average weight of 3.5 g, the stalk is dark red.
- Productivity 4 - 5 kg / bush. The variety is winter-hardy, sufficiently resistant to powdery mildew.
- Delicious, fruitful, sustainable
Kolobok
Kolobok
- A very early variety, medium-sized berries, reaching 6-8 grams, reddish in color.
- Bushes can grow and bear fruit on various soils, yield up to 7 kg per bush.
- With each subsequent year, the yield increases.
- The variety is drought-resistant, not affected by diseases, the bushes are slightly sprawling. The transportability of berries is average, they are delicately sweet in taste with a thin skin, literally melt in your mouth, very sweet.
PROS:
- High palatability
- Resistant to most diseases
- high yielding
MINUSES:
- Many spikes
- Spreading bush, requires a garter
Russian
Russian
- A variety of medium late maturation. There are no thorns on older branches.
- Inflorescences one-, two-flowered.
- Berries weighing more than 4 g, oval, elliptical, dark red, hairless, waxy, tasty.
- Productivity more than 10 kg/bush. The variety is winter-hardy, relatively resistant to powdery mildew, drought resistance is low.
PROS:
- Resistant to most diseases
- Transportable
- frost-resistant
MINUSES:
- Many spikes
- Spreading bush, requires a garter
- small-fruited
Russian yellow
Russian yellow
- Mid-season variety.
- According to morphological and economic characteristics, it does not differ from the Russian variety, the berries are bright yellow.
- Winter-hardy, drought-resistant, relatively resistant to powdery mildew, affected by anthracnose.
Beryl
Beryl
- It ripens quite late (second half of summer).
- Plants are tall but compact.
- The branches are strong, dotted with strong hooked thorns, mostly trifoliate. The fruits are green, up to 7 g, ovoid, sweet and sour.
- When overripe, the pulp becomes mealy, starchy, the fruits crumble. Productivity up to 5 kg/bush.
- Sufficiently frost-resistant, not afraid of drying out of the soil, affected by downy mildew.
- In connection with the sprinkling of berries, it is necessary to harvest the crop on time.
PROS:
- frost-resistant
- Drought tolerant
MINUSES:
- The bush is covered with numerous thorns
- Berries fall off when ripe
- Affected by downy mildew
Commander
Commander
- Plants of medium height, spreading crown, few thorns.
- Young shoots lack thorns.
- Fruit weight up to 7 g, berries are elongated, red, sometimes burgundy with veins. This is a dessert variety, very tasty, sweet.
- Productivity is moderate, up to 5 kg per bush.
- Ripens late, loves moisture. Transportable.
- Fruits well in open sunny places, moisture-loving, resistant to disease and rot.
PROS:
- High palatability
- frost-resistant
- Suitable for standard cultivation
- Well transported
MINUSES:
- Does not tolerate shade or drought
Date fruit
Date fruit
- An old Western European variety - late ripening.
- Plants are tall, branched, with branches hanging to the ground, need a garter.
- Thorns are single, there are double, triple, in the upper part of the shoots are absent.
- When fully ripe, the berries acquire a dark red color, do not fall off.
- Productivity up to 8 kilograms, winter-hardy variety, affected by powdery mildew, especially young plants.
Ambiguous feedback:
Grown for 15 years. The taste is quite good, especially when it does not just turn pink, but becomes dark pink. But no taste will force you to return this hotbed of the sphere library to the collection.
Grushenka
Grushenka
- Late variety, berries are sweet and sour, large, hard skin.
- Transportability is high, berries can be kept fresh for a long time in the refrigerator.
- Bushes tolerate drought well, disease resistant.
- Berries ripen at the end of July.
- A distinctive feature of the variety is that there are practically no thorns, which greatly simplifies harvesting.
- The berries are not very large 4 - 5 g, the shape is in the form of a pear, the color is deep purple.
- It tolerates frost well, is resistant to drought, and is not affected by powdery mildew.
- Good for making stamps.
PROS:
- Resistant to most diseases
- frost-resistant
- Suitable for standard cultivation
- without thorns
MINUSES:
- Spreading bush, requires a garter
- small-fruited
North Captain
North Captain
- This variety is very popular.This is a late variety.
- The berries are dense, sweet and sour, with a dense skin.
- Plants are very fond of moisture, with constant watering, the yield increases.
- A transportable variety, it ripens in early August, when other varieties are already moving away.
- A characteristic feature is high productivity (up to 12 kg from one bush).
- Frost-resistant, not exposed to powdery mildew, bushes are tall.
PROS:
- The most fruitful of the presented
- frost-resistant
- Suitable for standard cultivation
- Well transported
MINUSES:
- Spreading bush, requires a garter
- small-fruited
Amber
Amber
- The plant is tall, sometimes reaching one and a half meters, the branches are bent in an arcuate manner.
- The variety is prone to lodging on the ground, has many thorns, double and triple.
- But these shortcomings are more than offset by excellent taste. Berries are very sweet, almost like honey.
- The color of the berries is bright yellow, the shape is elongated, elongated.
- Fruit weight up to 6 grams.
- Contains a large amount of carbohydrates.
- Record holder for carbohydrate content among gooseberries. Frost-resistant, tolerates drought well, but is affected by powdery mildew.
PROS:
- Record sugar content
- High palatability
- Well transported
MINUSES:
- prone to lodging on the ground
- Requires a garter
- Barbed
Emerald
Emerald
- The bushes are low, with a small number of thorns.
- The berries are glossy, without plaque and pubescence, large, oval.
- The mass of berries is up to 8 - 9 grams.
- Crispy, juicy, sweet and sour.
- Enters fruiting in the third year of life.
- The berries ripen in early July.
- The bushes are compact, form little root shoots.
- They tolerate frosts even down to -30 degrees.
- Suitable for growing in northern regions.
PROS:
- Resistant to most diseases
- Transportable
- frost-resistant
- Suitable for growing in northern regions
MINUSES:
- Many spikes
- Spreading bush, requires a garter
Malachite
Malachite
- The plant is tall, spreading, many thorns.
- Forms a lot of shoots, it is necessary to thin out.
- The fruits are very large, up to 9 grams.
- Berries without plaque and pubescence, rich green color, sweet and sour taste.
- Berries with thick skin.
- The variety is disease resistant.
- The bushes are sprawling, the berries are transportable, it grows well both in the lowlands and on the hills.
- Excellent fruiting in open sunny places, moisture-loving, disease resistant.
- It ripens in early August, when other varieties are already departing.
PROS:
- large-fruited
- Transportable
- frost-resistant
MINUSES:
- Forms a lot of basal shoots
- Many thorns
English yellow
English yellow
- The berries ripen in mid-summer.
- The plant is relatively tall, upright, the branches are powerful, there are singly located spines.
- The fruits are round, light yellow, with a thick skin, crispy.
- Productivity up to 5 kg.
- The variety is resistant to frost, drought, fungal diseases.
- Sometimes cracking of fruits is observed.
PROS:
- Resistant to most diseases
- frost-resistant
- Suitable for standard cultivation
- without thorns
MINUSES:
- Spreading bush, requires a garter
- small-fruited
Consul
Consul
- Mid-season variety. Spreading bushes, especially at a young age, medium height, few thorns.
- The average weight of the berries is about 3 g, they are round or round-oval, red, red-violet, with a slight purple bloom.
- The variety is winter-hardy, relatively resistant to powdery mildew, drought resistance is low.
PROS:
- Resistant to most diseases
- frost-resistant
- Suitable for standard cultivation
- without thorns
MINUSES:
- small-fruited
- Does not tolerate drought well
redeva
redeva
- The berries ripen in June. The berries are round-oval, dark red, with an average weight of 3.5 g, the stalk is dark red.
- Productivity 4 - 5 kg / bush.
- The variety is winter-hardy, sufficiently resistant to powdery mildew.
- Gives a stable harvest.
PROS:
- frost-resistant
- Drought tolerant
- Gives a stable harvest every year
MINUSES:
- Does not tolerate shade
Care and Landing
Gooseberries: description of the 20 best varieties with photos and reviews of gardeners about them
