Spring is the period when plants, including gooseberries, require increased attention. It is at this time that the most important agricultural activities are carried out. The gardener needs to know and follow them to obtain high yields, as well as to ensure the long and productive life of the shrub.
Gooseberries can be planted both in spring and autumn. In any case, seedlings with an open root system (ROS) should be planted at rest.
Gooseberries are planted in the spring as early as possible - in late March - early April. This culture is one of the first to awaken from winter sleep, and the awakened plants take root worse and take longer. Typically, planting is carried out at an air temperature of +5–7 °C.
Gooseberries love light, warmth and the absence of drafts with good ventilation of the bush. The best place for this crop - a small southern or southwestern slope, on which water will not accumulate and stagnate. It is advisable to have protection from cold winds in the form of dense trees, fence or wall of knowledge located at some distance.
Gooseberries love loose, fertile soil. Grows well on loams, sandy loams, chernozems with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The optimal pH level is 5.5–7.0. You should not plant gooseberries in areas where currants or raspberries grew before them, or next to these plants. It is good if, a year before planting the shrub, green manure (phacelia, legumes, mustard, barley) was grown on the site.
It’s good if green manure was grown on the site a year before planting gooseberries
You can purchase seedlings both in autumn and spring. Both times of the year have their pros and cons:
When choosing a seedling, pay attention to the thickness of the branches and the condition of the root system. There should be at least two or three shoots, with a diameter of 0.6 to 0.8 cm for an annual plant and 0.8–1.5 cm for a biennial plant. healthy root system should consist of fibrous (15–20 cm long) or branched (20–25 cm long) roots with brown bark. The fewer white and dried roots there are, the higher the quality of the seedling.
Plants with a closed root system (CRS) should be quite voluminous, with a large number of leaves. The diameter of the shoots of a one-year-old seedling with ZKS is in the range of 0.5–0.6 cm and 0.6–0.8 cm for a two-year-old one. The plant in the container should sit tightly and not wobble - this indicates that the roots have grown sufficiently and are holding tightly to the lump of earth.
Gooseberry seedlings with a closed root system should have a lot of leaves
The distance between gooseberry bushes, as well as to neighboring plants, is chosen based on the diameter of the bush of the selected variety. On average, we can recommend 1.5 m between plants in a row and 2.5 m between rows. Often, in order to save space, a combined planting method is used - first, bushes are planted at intervals of 0.5–0.75 m, and after a few years they are replanted.
Planting holes are ideally prepared in the fall, but if this is not possible, they are dug in the spring at least a week before planting so that the soil has time to settle. The process consists of the following steps:
In early spring, when they come favorable conditions, start landing:
If the thickened planting method was used when planting gooseberries (see above about the combined planting method), then over time the bushes will need to be replanted. Replanting may be necessary for other reasons, for example, when remodeling a garden. Most gardeners and experts agree that it is preferable to replant gooseberries in the fall: at this time they take root better. But with due diligence, if necessary, you can replant gooseberries in the spring. This needs to be done early, before he wakes up. If the kidneys begin to swell, then better transplant postpone until autumn.
The less the root system is injured during transplantation, the greater the likelihood of a successful outcome of the operation. Therefore, you need to try to remove the plant with a lump of earth. Proceed as follows:
The spring stages of care are the most important for gooseberries.
Bushes need feeding 2–3 years after planting, provided that landing hole the recommended amount was added nutrients. In early spring, gooseberries are fed with nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers. Typically, ammonium nitrate or urea (urea) is used. Fertilizer consumption rate:
You can simply scatter the granules over the surface of the tree trunk and then dig them up, but it is better to dissolve them in water and water the plants. It is advisable to carry out this fertilizing twice with an interval of 10–15 days with half the fertilizer rates. You can also feed gooseberries with humus in the spring, using it to mulch the soil after watering. No other fertilizing is done in the spring.
In spring, gooseberries need nitrogen mineral fertilizers
Spring watering is important for the rapid growth of the leaf apparatus of the bush, as well as for the formation of ovaries and fruits. 3-4 waterings will be required (depending on weather conditions there may be fewer of them). The first watering is carried out in early April and until the onset of summer is repeated at intervals of two to three weeks. It is important that the soil does not dry out and remains moist to a depth of 5–10 cm.
In order for moisture to be better absorbed into the ground, a border of soil is made around the gooseberry bush.
After each watering, the soil should be loosened to ensure air access to the roots. Mulching tree trunk circles will allow you to retain moisture longer and increase watering intervals.
The formation of new shoots should be regularly monitored, otherwise in 2-3 years the bush will become too thick and impenetrable to light. This will lead to crushing of the berries, creating conditions for the development of diseases and attracting pests. As a result, productivity decreases, new shoots lengthen and sink to the ground, and the bush becomes shapeless and weak. Gooseberries need regular thinning and shaping pruning, which experienced gardeners recommend doing. in early spring immediately after the snow melts, before the bushes awaken and the first leaves appear on them. It is not difficult to prune gooseberries, but you need to remember that shoots up to the age of four years. So, the trimming sequence is like this:
When pruning gooseberries, remove all shoots older than four years.
With proper and regular pruning, gooseberries, entering the fruiting season at the age of 3–4 years, can grow and actively produce berries for ten years, and some varieties - up to fifteen years or longer. The most productive bushes are those that are 6–8 years old.
In the spring, all gooseberry propagation methods are available to the gardener, except green cuttings(this will have to wait until summer). Let's focus on the main ones.
This method is used when there is a powerful, dense bush with a large number of healthy one- to four-year-old shoots. This is done in early spring before the buds open as follows:
Often shoots appear around the bush from the roots. Usually they fight it and destroy it, but if necessary, these shoots can be used to propagate gooseberries. For this:
Gooseberry root shoots can be used for propagation
This is the most popular method, which has three options.
Young bushes aged three to four years are suitable for this method. The bush is propagated like this:
The advantage of this method is that the mother bush continues to bear fruit as usual during the process of rooting the cuttings.
The method differs from the previous one in that the branch is attached to the ground in only one place and immediately covered with earth, leaving the base and top on the surface. To stop growth, the shoot is pinched to 10–12 cm. Further care consists of regular watering and hilling. By autumn, such a shoot will produce one but powerful seedling.
By autumn, the arcuate layer will produce one but powerful gooseberry seedling
In this way, bushes aged 6–8 years and older are propagated, which have almost exhausted their fruiting resource and need to be replaced. At the end of winter or early spring, all shoots are older three years cut to the growth point (from which new shoots grow), and the rest are shortened to 8–10 cm. As a result of such drastic pruning, young shoots will begin to actively appear.
When it reaches a height of 10–15 cm, it should be sprinkled halfway with fertile soil, carefully filling the axils between the shoots. During the summer, as the shoots grow, hilling is repeated 3–4 more times, after watering the plant. By autumn, the rooted cuttings are transplanted to a new location or stored until spring. The bush will not bear fruit this season.
Old gooseberry bushes are propagated by vertical layering
At the end of winter and beginning of spring, you should take care preventive measures to protect gooseberries from pests and diseases. If this is not done in time, then there is a significant risk of infection of the bushes with various fungal diseases, as well as attacks by harmful insects.
| Events | Date | Method of implementation | Achieved effect |
| Boiling water treatment | March | Boil water, pour it into a watering can or bucket, water the bush (can only be processed until the buds swell) | Awakening the bush, pest control and disease prevention |
| Sanitary pruning | Late February - early March | Cut out dry, damaged and diseased shoots | Pathogens and possible pests overwintering in dry branches are removed from the plant |
| Eradication treatment with herbicides | Spraying the bush and the soil underneath it with a 3% solution copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. In addition, treatments with DNOC (once every three years) and Nitrafen are effective. | Prevention of all known fungal diseases and pest attacks | |
| Treatments systemic fungicides(remedies for combating fungal diseases) | After flowering |
| Prevention of fungal diseases |
| Treatment with insecticides (pest control agents) | Carry out 2-3 treatments with an interval of 10-15 days. Drugs used:
| Prevention of pest attacks |
Gooseberry agricultural technology in the spring is full of activities, but is not particularly difficult. Planting, replanting gooseberries, caring for them, and protecting them from diseases and pests are quite accessible to any gardener.
Gooseberry is a prickly shrub with interesting multi-colored fruits. In order for gooseberry planting to be successful, you need to purchase high-quality seedlings, determine the right time for planting and carefully prepare seat. When planting several bushes, try to maintain a distance between them, and after planting, pay attention to proper proper care for gooseberries. With timely watering, weeding, pruning and fertilizing, gooseberries will very soon begin to bear fruit and will delight you with fruits every year for a long time.
I advise you to purchase seedlings exclusively from nurseries with a good reputation. When purchasing, be sure to inspect the roots so that they are not torn or dried. The optimal root length is approx. 25 cm. The above-ground part - 2-3 shoots - should also be without damage, and the shoots should be alive and not dried out. I advise you to buy two-year-olds, since one-year-olds are weaker and require careful care.
It is more convenient to buy gooseberry seedlings in the spring; I advise you to plant them in the same period. Then, during the warm period, the seedlings will take root well, take root in the new place and survive the winter without any problems.
I advise you to choose a secluded place for the gooseberry so that its thorns do not cause inconvenience. The area for planting gooseberries should be well lit, protected on the north side by a house wall or a large bush with a dense crown, for example, serviceberry. Such protection will allow gooseberries to endure the winter without problems, because this crop does not have good frost resistance.
When choosing a place for gooseberries, give preference to leveled areas, without depressions or depressions. It’s good if it’s cool enough there, melted or rainwater. The groundwater level should be no closer than 1.5 m to the soil surface, and the soil itself should be loose, moisture- and breathable and nutritious.
If you are planting several plants on a plot, you need to maintain a distance between gooseberry bushes when planting. Step back 1.5-2 m from one bush to another - this will make it easier to cultivate the soil, prune plants, and harvest.
When planting several rows of gooseberries, it is advisable to leave approx. 3 m of free land.
1. Fertilizer application
If the soil on your site is depleted, be sure to apply fertilizer before planting, preferably in the fall. It is necessary to scatter peat, humus or well-rotted manure over the soil surface in an amount of 5-6 kg per square meter. m, scatter wood ash (500-600 g per sq. m) and nitroammophoska (1 tbsp. per sq. m). If it was not possible to prepare the soil in the fall, then apply fertilizers in the spring as early as possible - 2-3 weeks before planting.
2. Digging the soil
Dig up the soil with a shovel full, level it, breaking up all the clods. Only after this prepare the planting holes. My own advice - be sure to carefully remove weeds when digging the soil, especially wheatgrass roots. Wheatgrass is the very first competitor to gooseberries; it suppresses its growth, does not allow the plants to ventilate, which causes them to suffer from fungal diseases and be affected by pests.
3. Preparation of planting holes
It is difficult to say the exact size of the planting holes, because everything depends on the size of the purchased seedling. The main thing is that the root system is located freely in the hole without creases or bends. I recommend using expanded clay for drainage - a couple of handfuls is enough to prevent water from stagnating at the roots during wet seasons. Add a fertilizer mixture consisting of equal parts of peat, humus and river sand. Pour a bucket of water on top, and place the roots on the nutritious and moist mixture, carefully spreading them.
4. Planting a seedling
Gooseberries need to be planted carefully so as not to damage the roots. Sprinkle the planting site with soil and compact it thoroughly with your hands so that there are no voids between the roots and the soil. Pay attention to the root collar - after planting and the soil settles, it should be located at soil level or be buried 1-1.5 cm, no more.
5. Watering and mulching
After planting and compacting the soil, the bushes need to be watered with another bucket of water, then mulch the soil surface with peat or humus with a 2 cm layer. Mulch will retain moisture in the soil, prevent a crust from forming on the surface and inhibit the growth of weeds, allowing the plant to take root in a new place.
Caring for gooseberries is not complicated and consists of watering, weeding, loosening the soil, pruning and fertilizing.
Watering is absolutely necessary, since on dry soil the yields will be weak. It is advisable to water the soil if there has been no rain for at least 4-6 days in a row. It is better to water plants in the evening under the bush, and not over the leaves. Young plants need 1 bucket of water, and bushes older than 3 years need 2 buckets each during watering.
As a top dressing at the beginning of the growing season, I advise you to add 1 tbsp. l. apply nitroammophoska under each bush, after loosening and watering the soil. After this, it is advisable to water the soil again and mulch it as when planting.
During the flowering period, gooseberries can be fed with superphosphate and potassium chloride, mixing these fertilizers to make a total of 1 tbsp. l. The application procedure is the same. After harvesting, I advise you to feed the plants again with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in the same quantities and proportions.
Do not forget about removing weeds - it is better to keep the bite area clean throughout the life of the gooseberry bush. I advise you to combine weed removal with loosening the soil (depth no more than 5-6 cm) and watering.
There is no need to be tricky with pruning; sanitary thinning will suffice. It is best to do it in March before the buds open, when the snow settles, exposing the bushes. Remove, cutting into a ring, all old shoots older than 5 years, broken and dry branches. To thin out the bush, you need to trim the shoots that grow deeper and thicken the crown.
Usually, on good soil with sufficient nutrition, moisture and proper care, gooseberries will produce their first fruits in the 3-4th year of planting. The berry bush will bear fruit regularly for at least 10 years. It is better to pick the fruits as they ripen. If you want to eat the berries right away, wait for the pulp to color and soften. If the fruits need to be transported, then pick them early.
Do you want to collect fifteen kilograms of delicious large berries from gooseberries growing in your garden? Then you need to try to provide the bush best conditions for growth and fruiting. Although some gardeners manage to get a good harvest without making much effort, for a plant like gooseberries, planting and care are of great importance.
Plant young bushes in a lighted area sun rays place, regularly trim old branches, water the gooseberries, feed them, loosen the soil, remove weeds and do not forget about the autumn care of the gooseberries. Thanks to these simple rules you will succeed excellent results- every year the bushes will be strewn with selected fruits, and common gooseberry diseases will avoid your garden.
Plant young bushes in a sunny spot
Throughout the season, caring for gooseberry bushes does not stop. In the spring, remove all frozen and damaged branches, loosen the soil under the bush and add the first fertilizer in the form of an aqueous solution of nitrophoska with urea. Before flowering begins, wood ash is poured around the gooseberry and the roots are fed with potassium sulfate and organic fertilizer “Berry” or “Breadwinner”.
During the summer, weeds are weeded and the soil is loosened about ten centimeters and watered after each loosening. During drought, it is also necessary to water the gooseberries - the care is so that the plant does not have to waste energy on surviving in unfavorable conditions. Only water at the root, otherwise there is a high probability of damage to the bushes powdery mildew. When the first fruits begin to set, you need to feed the gooseberries for the third time; the feeding consists of nitrophoska and liquid “Ideal” fertilizer.
Autumn processing of gooseberries is of particular importance, because you need to prepare the bushes so that they survive the winter well and grow in next season good harvest. Let us dwell in more detail on the procedures that you will need to carry out in the autumn months.
Autumn processing of gooseberries is of particular importance, because you need to prepare the bushes so that they survive the winter well
If you are determined to provide the best conditions for your gooseberries, you will need to complete the following work before the start of winter:
Dig up the ground under the bushes and create a soil cushion within the radius of the crown
From the beginning of autumn, it is necessary to carefully weed the weeds around the bushes, digging out large plants with a bayonet shovel, and remove all accumulated debris (sticks, branches, leaves, etc.) with a rake. Later, when all the foliage has fallen, it will also need to be collected from under the gooseberries and burned so that pathogens of dangerous diseases do not remain overwintering in it. Dig up the ground under the bushes and create a soil cushion within the radius of the crown to protect the gooseberries from pests. Additionally, gooseberries are treated with fungicides in the fall. How to process gooseberries in the fall from the most? For rust and anthracnose, you can spray the loosened soil and bushes with foundationazole, and for powdery mildew with Topaz.
Do not forget to carry out moisture-recharging watering at the end of September to enhance root growth and help the gooseberries prepare for winter
Fertilizing gooseberries in the fall is done while digging the soil. Autumn feeding gooseberry includes phosphorus and potassium fertilizers per bush: 30 g and 20 g, respectively. Before frost, add humus or peat to a 10 cm layer under the bushes.
Don't forget to carry out moisture-recharging watering at the end of September to enhance root growth and help the gooseberries prepare for winter. For this purpose, a hollow is dug around the bush along the perimeter of the crown, and water is supplied into it - up to thirty liters per bush.
Video about caring for gooseberries
In late autumn, without waiting for the first frosts, start by removing all old, damaged, unnecessary branches that bear little fruit. After autumn pruning There should be about five of the strongest young shoots, evenly spaced. These branches will give you a good harvest next year.
We found out how to care for gooseberries in the fall; all that remains is to sprinkle the bushes with snow in December to protect the roots from frost, and you don’t have to approach the gooseberries until spring.
Subject to optimal conditions When grown, gooseberries can bear fruit for 20-25 years, and this is far from the limit. There are cases when gooseberries delight with their fruits for 40 years in a row. Of course, to achieve such results, planting gooseberries alone will not be enough. It is necessary to pay due attention to the plant and periodically carry out agrotechnical measures. More information about growing and caring for gooseberries will be discussed in this article.
This low shrub, the height of which is no more than 120 cm. The gooseberry has a peeling bark of brown or gray and thorns - thin spines located on the cylindrical shoots of the plant. Small 6-centimeter leaves can be ovoid or round in shape. Their surface is painted bright green, and there are blunt teeth along the edges.
Gooseberries bloom in May with axillary green or red flowers. The fruits of this crop are small, only 10-12 mm in diameter, but there are also varieties in which the size of spherical or oval berries can reach 45 mm. Painted green, red, white or yellow, gooseberries can be completely naked or covered with small bristles. Gooseberries are not only a decoration for your garden, but also useful plant, since its fruits contain many vitamins, tannins, metals and organic acids.
On a note! Gooseberries are early honey plants, which is why they attract the attention of many pollinating insects. In addition, this culture is self-fertile. This means that even a single plant growing in the garden will bear fruit regularly. The main thing is proper care.
Experienced gardeners recommend planting gooseberries in spring or autumn period, but most the right time The second half of September - early October is considered to be the time for planting. You can plant later, but starting from the second half of autumn, the gooseberries will not be able to take root.
On a note! Spring planting, as a rule, has a bad effect on the properties of the plant - growth and fruiting are an order of magnitude worse.
Before starting to grow gooseberries, the gardener must decide a number of important issues regarding the choice of planting site, time to prune the plant, protection from pests, and so on. In addition, you need to know how to plant berry crops correctly. Let's consider each point separately.
Majority berry crops, including gooseberries, are very demanding on lighting in the area. If you plant a plant in a shaded area, then there will be no question of a good harvest (the number of berries will decrease every year, as well as the size). In addition, you need to choose a place where the soil is not too waterlogged, because this can harm the gooseberries. The risk of rotting will increase, which will lead to the inevitable death of the bush. To prevent this from happening, try to select areas for planting that are well lit, preferably with low-lying groundwater. Avoid heavy ones clay soils, it is better to plant some other crops in this place.
Most often on the market you can find annual gooseberry seedlings with an open root system. Such plants have a small above-ground part. When buying seedlings, you need to pay attention to the root of the plant, or rather, check its condition. The root of gooseberry seedlings should not be dry, and you also need plants with a sufficiently developed root system. If we talk about shoots, they should look fresh and not have any damage. Having decided on the choice of seedlings and location, you can proceed to the next stage.
The process of growing gooseberries is not particularly difficult for those who have previously encountered this plant. Beginners in this business need to follow certain rules of agricultural technology - this will greatly simplify the planting process.
Table. Step-by-step instruction on planting gooseberries.
| Steps, photo | Description of actions |
|---|---|
| Make special markings on the prepared area. To do this, place a long beam on the ground and drive a stake every 110-130 cm - there will be holes in these places. You can also use a rope for marking; this is not so important. |
| Dig the required number of holes for the gooseberries. They should be shallow, matching the size of the plant’s root system. As a rule, the depth of the hole is 25-30 cm. |
| Trim the roots of the seedlings with pruning shears: if they are white at the cut site, it means the plant is alive. Before planting, seedlings should be soaked in water for at least 24 hours. |
| Fill the planting hole with nitroamphoska (highly effective mineral fertilizer). Each hole should take approximately 200 g. Also add 2-3 shovels of rotted manure. Mix these components thoroughly with the soil from the hole. To do this, use a shovel. |
| Place the seedlings in the holes so that not only the root system is underground, but also 3-5 cm of the plant stem. |
| After carefully filling the hole with the gooseberry seedling and lightly compacting the soil, fill it with a bucket of water. This should be done immediately after planting. |
| Fill the hole with several shovels of manure after all the liquid has been absorbed into the soil. This will protect the plant from frost. |
For good fruiting, you need to properly care for gooseberries. Moreover, regular watering alone will not be enough.
Regular loosening and digging of the soil is the key to the active development of the bush and stable fruiting. Depending on the soil structure, the intensity and depth of treatment may vary. When growing a crop on dense soil, you need to use a shovel for digging, but on loose soil it is not needed. It is enough to cultivate the top layer of soil using a garden fork.
Since the gooseberry root system is located close to the surface, processing areas located next to the crown must be carried out with extreme caution. At the same time, try not to affect the lower layers of the soil, deepening garden tools no more than 6-7 cm. This applies only to the perimeter of the gooseberry crown, and the treatment of other areas of the site can be carried out more intensively.
On a note! Do not forget about removing weeds when cultivating the soil. They help increase soil moisture near the bush, which can lead to the development of various viral diseases.
After planting gooseberries, there is no need to apply fertilizer in the first year. Just start next year by preparing special remedy from manure and ammonium nitrate. Bird droppings can also be used instead of manure. Each gooseberry bush requires 1 bucket of solution, which should be poured not on the bush itself, but under it. Starting from the third year, a mixture of potassium sulfate, superphosphate and manure is used for feeding.
In subsequent years, fertilizing must be done twice a year. As an alternative, you can use organomineral fertilizers for fertilizing, the most effective of which are considered to be “Bioprotect”, “Agrecol”, “Sinta” and others. These are long-acting fertilizers that need to be applied to the soil according to the manufacturer's instructions.
No less important stage The process of caring for gooseberries involves pruning, which in the first years should consist of forming the base of the plant. In this case, the main part of the root shoots must be removed, and the skeletal branches must be shortened by about half.
After the fourth year, the features of pruning change radically, because now it is to prevent thickening of the bush. All improperly growing, dried out and weak gooseberry shoots must be removed with pruning shears. The formation of the bush should begin before the buds begin to open and after the leaves have completely fallen off. Gardeners are engaged in shortening green shoots in summer period to increase plant productivity. In this case, 5-6 leaves should remain on each gooseberry branch, and the top itself must be cut off. This method promotes the growth of the largest possible fruits.
Like many plants grown in the garden, gooseberries can become victims of pests, including sawflies, aphids and moths. To combat them, it is necessary to treat the crop with a special ash infusion prepared from water and wood ash. If you don't have the desire or ability to cook home remedy from pests, you can buy biological products or karbofos in the store. It is advisable to process gooseberries in the spring, but if necessary, the procedure can be repeated at the end of the flowering period.
As a rule, gooseberries are attacked by various diseases and pests in early summer or spring. During this period, regularly inspect the plant and monitor its development. In the second half of March, it is necessary to pour boiling water over the bushes of the plant - this will destroy pathogenic fungi, for example, powdery mildew. If we talk about the fight against more serious pests (bud mites, aphids), then appropriate (more serious) measures are taken for this. Before flowering, you need to treat the plants with mullein infusion. To prepare it you will need cow dung (1 part) and water (3 parts).
On a note! If you find symptoms of any disease, then you need to immediately treat the plant with special preparations, including Iskra, Fufanon and others. You can also use infusions of wood ash or tobacco to process.
With the onset of winter, when the ground is covered with a layer of snow, the gooseberries must be covered with linoleum or other dense material. This is done in order to destroy all pests overwintering in the soil. After the end of the flowering period, the cover must be removed.
When growing any plant in the garden or vegetable garden, it is important to care for them throughout the year. However, plants need the most attention in the spring, when vegetative processes awaken in them. The topic of the article is caring for gooseberries in the spring, the main methods of controlling pests and diseases, necessary feeding and little tricks for caring for bushes.
The spring period is rightfully considered one of the most labor-intensive of the year. On the one hand, it is necessary to have time to prepare all the plants for intense growth, on the other hand, to provide them with protection by thoroughly treating the soil and the plants themselves with fungicides and insecticides. Add to this pruning, fertilizing, replanting, and you can easily understand why in the spring there is so little time to simply enjoy the first warmth of the sun.
Caring for gooseberries begins when the snow has not yet melted. The first step is to trim old, weak, dry branches. It is also necessary to get rid of frozen shoots. WITH high probability no fruit will appear on them, but nutritional elements they will pull from the bush. It is imperative to coat the cuts with garden lime to prevent infection.
Immediately after pruning, the bushes should be sprayed with boiling water using a spray bottle. Thus, you not only awaken it from hibernation, but also disinfect it, killing most pests and pathogens.
With the arrival of May preparatory work are resumed. It is necessary to thoroughly loosen the soil around the bushes, going 10-12 centimeters deep, and then mulch with straw, sawdust or peat. They do this in order to repeat the procedure only a few times in the future. At the same time, the first fertilizing with a solution of potassium and nitrogen takes place to stimulate the growth of green mass.
You can also tie up gooseberry bushes, especially if they are planted in rows. Install guy ropes and stretch a net between them, to which tie the branches of the bush at a level of 30 centimeters. This procedure is recommended if the branches of the bush are dead or drooping.
Gooseberries, due to their drought resistance, do not need regular and abundant watering. Of course, if the summer turns out to be very hot and dry, then even the gooseberry will need support, even after fruiting has ended. It is important to monitor the water temperature. Watering is not allowed cold water, since this has a detrimental effect on the root system and the general condition of the bush. Moreover, this makes the plant extremely vulnerable to the development of many fungal diseases.
Do not forget that almost all fungal microflora prefer high humidity and low temperature or, which is especially dangerous in hot seasons, high humidity and temperature.
That is, watering with cold water not only reduces the gooseberry’s immunity, but also awakens the fungus to harmful activities.
To retain moisture during dry periods, it is recommended to mulch the soil with leaves, straw, sawdust or peat to retain moisture in the soil longer.
But gooseberries need fertilizing, regular and well-formulated. Considering the fact that gooseberries bear fruit every year and rarely change their place of growth, the soil on the site is extremely depleted. This is why it is so important not to skimp on minerals and organic fertilizers to maintain a normal balance of nutrients that are in large quantities They consume gooseberry bushes during flowering and fruiting.
In the spring, under each bush you need to add half a bucket of compost mixed with superphosphate (50 grams), ammonium sulfate (25 grams) and potassium sulfate (25 grams). Moreover, for abundantly fruiting bushes, the dose of fertilizer is doubled.
Proper fertilization is carried out around the perimeter of the crown, since the roots extend underground in this radius.
To feed, gently loosen trunk circle and mix fertilizers into the soil. The next feeding of gooseberries is necessary immediately after flowering to ensure good fruiting. It is carried out using mullein infusion: dilute it 1:5, and then pour at least 5 liters of the resulting solution under each bush.
The fight against diseases and insects that harm not only gooseberries, but also all plants in the garden and vegetable garden is endless. Due to the fact that the same microorganisms that cause diseases easily overwinter in upper layers soil, plant debris and the bark of gooseberry bushes, it is quite difficult to get rid of them once and for all.
The most dangerous disease for gooseberries is powdery mildew. Fungal microflora develops in a humid and warm environment, manifesting itself as a loose white coating on all above-ground parts of the gooseberry. At first, it is quite easy to wipe off or wash away the plaque from the gooseberry, but if this is not done, it will transform into a brown, compacted growth on the green part of the plant. Under the influence of the fungus, the leaves and shoots of the bush wither and curl, the fruits crack and fall off.
The fight against powdery mildew consists of preventive treatment of bushes with the preparation “HOM” or “Zircon M” in early spring, as well as the use of these products at the first symptoms of the disease. The working proportion for the medicinal solution is 40 grams of the drug per 10 liters of warm water.
White spotting, anthracnose, rust and mosaic cause no less inconvenience to the plant. Against them, preventive treatment of bushes and the soil around them is used with the drug “Nitrafen”, a solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture. For any fungal diseases, a good prevention would be to collect fallen leaves and then burn them.
The fight against insects that harm gooseberry plantings is another important stage in caring for the plant. Most often, shoot aphids can be seen on young shoots, and on the eve of flowering, fire butterflies emerge from the ground and lay eggs in the inflorescences. The offspring of the moth spoils the fruits and seeds of gooseberries. The natural, albeit sad, result of their harmful effects is the complete withering of the bush, since it loses a large number of nutrients.
To prevent the appearance of insects near gooseberry bushes in the spring, after the snow has melted, the soil around the bushes must be covered with any dense material, for example, roofing felt. This way, the offspring of the fire butterfly will not be able to get out of the ground to lay eggs in flowers. After flowering ends, you can remove the covering material.
Carry out preventive spraying of bushes and the soil around them with a hot solution of copper sulfate, as well as with the preparation “Bikol”.
From this video you will learn what work needs to be done with gooseberries in the spring in order to get a good harvest of berries.
