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THE HIEST HARVEST GOSEBERRY

It happens that the gooseberry bushes look good, there is flowering, but the harvest is small or the berries are small, and there are other problems with fruiting. Why is this happening and what needs to be done to make the gooseberry happy?

1. Lack of light

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Gooseberries are very photophilous, and if the bushes are very thickened or planted too close or in the shade of trees, then the berries may become small and tasteless, and the yield may decline. In addition, the bushes begin to hurt a lot.

2. Damage by disease

The second reason follows from the first. Damage, for example, with powdery mildew leads to crumbling of the berries. They fall off, and if not, they become tasteless.

3. Absence of gooseberry cross-pollination

Most gooseberry varieties are self-fertile. However, there are varieties that need pollination with pollen from other varieties for berries. In this case, the yield will be higher, and the berries themselves will be larger. Therefore, try to be sure to plant at least 3-5 different varieties of gooseberries in your garden.

4. Damage to gooseberries by frosts

Gooseberry blooms early, so it can fall under late spring or morning frosts. Most often this happens if your site is located in a lowland, where the temperature is, in principle, lower than on a hill. At a temperature of minus 5 °, up to 70-80% of flowers die. In addition, if the weather is very dry during the period of cross-pollination, the pollen, even if it gets on the stigma of the pistil, does not germinate and the ovary does not form. This happens especially often with Moscow varieties, as well as Masheka, Krasnoslavyansky, Krasny Novyi, Berendey varieties. Therefore, if during the flowering period there is dry weather or a dry wind blows, spray the flowering bushes abundantly and daily with water starting at 11 am and repeat the spraying every 2 hours.

5. Failure to comply with agricultural techniques

Many gardeners care for gooseberries in the same way as for red and black currants. The agricultural technology of these crops is really similar. The main difference is that the root system of the gooseberry is larger than that of the currant, and the shoots bear fruit longer (4-5 years). The bush retains productivity for up to 20 years. But over the years, the berries can become smaller and their taste deteriorates.

To avoid this, it is important to follow the correct agricultural techniques for the gooseberry. Formation is extremely important, but about it - separately. Let's start with top dressing. The gooseberry reacts very well to the annual application of organic matter. Apply humus or rotted manure and slightly loosen the soil, or dilute slurry or chicken droppings and apply liquid fertilizing. In the spring, be sure to add wood ash around the bush and embed it in the soil. Gooseberries are responsive to ash.

Gooseberries are more drought tolerant than black currants, but if a long dry period sets in, be sure to water the bushes, and water the bushes abundantly - 5-6 buckets for each adult bush.

It is believed that gooseberries are not picky about soils. It grows well both on clays and loams, and on fertile chernozem lands. The only soil he can't stand is acidic and waterlogged. The fact is that the root system of the gooseberry bush penetrates very shallowly into the soil, only 50-60 cm. If moisture in this layer displaces the air, the plants will suffer. If we talk about the preferences of gooseberries, then it grows best on loamy loose soils and in places protected from northerly and easterly winds.

You can prepare the soil for planting gooseberries in the same way as for currants, but do not add lime to the planting pit.

It is very important to weed and loosen regularly. In late April - early May, when plants are actively growing, these manipulations are especially necessary to close the moisture and prevent it from evaporating from the lower layers of the soil, as well as to embed fertilizers deep into the soil.

In the period from the second decade of August to the beginning of September, apply phosphorus and potash fertilizers and embed them in the soil.

You can propagate gooseberries, as well as black currants, by layering.

A few words about watering. During the growing season, it is enough to carry out 3 waterings: the first - during the period of intensive growth (in June), the second - during the ripening of berries (the first decade of July), the third - after harvesting (at the end of August).

Most gooseberry varieties have high self-fertility, but in this case, cross-pollination has a very positive effect. Therefore, if bushes of other varieties grow nearby, then the number of berries set will increase, and, accordingly, the harvest will grow. In addition, cross-pollination increases the quality and size of the berries.

6. Incorrect formation of gooseberries

Every season, gooseberries grow annual shoots, and what they will be depends on various factors: on the variety, soil quality, moisture and nutrient supply.

There are varieties, the bush of which already in the second year of life grows above 2 m. And the bushes of other varieties at the same age only barely reach a height of 1 m. Older shoots must be removed over time. And the yield and longevity of the bush depend on the ratio of these branches of different ages.

Gooseberry bushes WILL BREAK FROM HARVEST AFTER THIS TREATMENT

BASIC RULES FOR CUTTING A GOESBERRY

In matters of pruning, gardeners were divided into two camps. Some believe that the bush should not be cut too much, but only diseased and broken branches should be cut out. Others prune heavily, often overdoing it and removing even those branches that should have been left behind. So how do you find the middle ground?

1. Prune as soon as the snow has melted and before the buds begin to open. Only if the winter was especially harsh, pruning can be postponed to a later date to see which parts of the plant are frozen and remove them. If in the spring you do not have time to completely carry out the correct pruning, then leave some of the work for the fall. In September-October, remove old shoots by cutting them at the very base into a ring.

2. In addition to spring and autumn pruning, you can also prune shoots in summer. You just need to remove the tops of annual growths that do not have time to ripen by the onset of cold weather. Shorten such shoots by 1/4 of the length. In the future, this will contribute to their branching and the formation of flower buds. For the same purpose, shorten very powerful shoots of higher orders. And shorten the main skeletal branches in order to stimulate the growth of the lateral branches. This method is especially effective for old European varieties, in which the shoots branch very weakly. Pinch in early August. This will speed up the ripening of the shoots and improve their overwintering. In addition, fruiting in such bushes usually begins a year earlier than in those that have not been pinched, and the berries are larger on them.

3. Someone might think that adult gooseberry bushes do not need pruning, because the bush is already formed and gives good yields, in fact this is not the case. Indeed, in the first 3-4 years, a young growing bush, even without pruning, can give high yields. However, most modern gooseberry varieties give a lot of basal shoots, as a result, the bush thickens, the branches no longer grow as actively as before, the yield decreases. There is a kind of struggle for survival. Old branches thicken the bushes, interfere with the normal development of younger branches, therefore, the yield decreases, and the berries become small and not as tasty as before.

The fact is that in a properly formed gooseberry bush, about 70% of the yield is formed on annual shoots, 20-25% on two-year-old shoots, and only 5-10% on three-year-old and older shoots. That is why you must ensure the formation of good growth of young shoots and their development.

In the first season after planting, you need to get a bush that will have 4-6 annual shoots. Next year, remove a couple of the weakest shoots from them, and leave 4-6 from young shoots again. How to choose exactly those shoots that we need? They should be not only the most powerful, but also removed from each other so as not to interfere, at least by 10-15 cm, otherwise the bush will begin to thicken.

It should be noted here that the number of shoots that we leave on the bush every year also depends on the variety that grows on your site. For example, varieties of hybrid origin, such as Smena, Russian, Malachite, have a high shoot-forming ability. Accordingly, they can form a fully fruiting bush faster. But there is also another side of the coin. Fruit formations in these varieties are short-lived, therefore skeletal branches must be removed already at the age of 4-5 years. At the end of the 4th year of formation, the hybrid variety should have 18-22 shoots of different ages, and the base of the bush should be at least 60 cm in diameter.

Now let's move on to other varieties - for example, old varieties from Europe, such as English Green or Date. They have very few basal shoots, so it will take about 7 years for the bush to fully form. On the other hand, their fruit formations are more durable, so the skeletal branches bear fruit much longer and they can be cut out no earlier than 7-9 years.

What is the most important thing when pruning gooseberry bushes? Form a balanced bush. To do this, you need to take into account the characteristics of each variety that grows on your site. Based on this, the bush should contain approximately the same number of branches of different ages - from 1 year to 5-7 years.

4. You can often see such a picture. An adult bush has branches with strong branched lateral shoots and good fruits, but with drying tops. It is better to prune such branches and transfer them to strong lateral growths. It is important to remember that such pruning does not rejuvenate the plant, but simply allows you to extend the harvest time from a particular branch by 2-3 years.

5. If the gardener does not take care of his gooseberry for a long time, does not shape it and does not cut it, the bush becomes very neglected. What can be done in this case? The yield from such bushes is usually low, the berries become smaller and become less tasty. It is not at all necessary to uproot the bush and plant a new one. You can restore it to a fruiting state in 2-3 years.

In early spring, prune any diseased, broken branches to healthy wood or lateral branches. Remove old branches as well as root shoots. Shorten those that fall to the ground. This is necessary so that it is more convenient for you to care for the bush, to harvest. After such a radical pruning, the bush will begin to bear fruit abundantly on the growths of last year. However, immediately after harvesting this year, shorten these growths to stimulate the formation of new shoots, which will be the basis of the new bush.

In the first year, when you rejuvenate the bush, pay attention to improving its illumination, and only the next year try to achieve the optimal ratio of branches by age. In the second year, cut out competing branches again and form a bush from young growths, taking into account all of the above.

And, of course, do not forget that with such a strong rejuvenating pruning, plants need additional watering and feeding with both organic and mineral fertilizers.

Trimming young gooseberry bushes

You bought gooseberry seedlings, planted them in the garden, and now the question arises: do you need to cut the babies? Yes, it is necessary. Even if the bush is very tiny, it should be cut to 10 cm from the soil level, leaving 2 buds on weak shoots, and 3 on strong ones. Remember that shoots must be cut so that the buds look inward and upward. Why? So that the adult bush grows more vertically, and the shoots do not hang down to the ground, staining the berries, making it difficult to harvest, as well as weeding.

If you see that the shoots are very thin and weak, just cut them out completely, into a ring.

Vigorous pruning will promote good, vigorous development of the bush. Without it, the bush may remain weak and bear fruit poorly.

The next year, shorten the growth by 1/3, cutting off the bud facing inward. Then select the well-positioned branches of the second order and also cut them off by 1/3. Cut the remaining branches of the second order tightly, leaving only 4 cm in order to stimulate fruiting.

In the same summer, inspect the bush and leave 3-4 young, strongest and well-placed zero shoots. Leave them, cutting off only the tops, and remove the remaining zero shoots, leaving hemp 5 cm high.

Correct CUTTING OF THE GOBEAN for large and healthy berries!

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Dacha with their own hands > Garden plants > Shrubs in the country > gooseberries > Why gooseberries do poorly: 6 reasons + pruning rules

Comment

I. URYUPIN
19/11/2021 (10:54) #

My eco-herb
On my site, different varieties of gooseberries grow - with red, green, and golden fruits.
I look after them like that. In the spring, I treat plants for diseases and pests with chemicals at intervals of 1 week. When the leaves appear, then every week (once) with the help of a broom I spray the bushes with different substances: for one week I spray with an infusion of wormwood, the second week with a solution of potassium permanganate, the third with a solution of mullein, the fourth with milk (I dilute one bottle of milk in a bucket of water), the fifth - kefir (one bottle per bucket), the sixth - laundry soap and soda ash, the seventh - onion infusion, the eighth - garlic infusion. Then I start a series of treatments all over the season.
In the fall, I lay the tops of the tomatoes around the gooseberry tree trunk, and in the spring I sprinkle it a little with earth.

I always plant onions and garlic around the gooseberries.
Under the bushes I bring in any organic matter, in the spring - mineral fertilizers. Gooseberries respond well to feeding with slurry and pigeon droppings, but before them you need to water the bushes well. A bucket of fresh manure (better than horse manure, you can use cow manure, but I never use pork manure) I dilute in 200 liters of water, mix and let it ferment. This is my top dressing for the whole season for all plants. I dilute 1 liter of the resulting slurry in 1 bucket of water and feed the plants.
And here is the recipe for feeding pigeon or chicken droppings: I pour 200 bucket of droppings into 1 liters of water and let it ferment. Then I pour 1 liter of this slurry into 1 bucket of water and feed the plants. A good result is obtained if you alternate feeding with manure and chicken droppings.