Gooseberries: planting in open ground, growing technology, care features, yield

Botanical description and characteristics of the culture

Gooseberry is a shrub that grows up to 120 cm in height. It looks similar to currants. The bark is dark gray or rich brown. Over time, it peels off from the branches. All branches have large thorns, which cause discomfort when harvesting. The characteristics of the shoots indicate a cylindrical shape. The shade is gray.

The leaf blade consists of 3 teeth. The foliage color is rich green. The buds are brown. Their surface is covered with red-colored scales. The buds are located in the axils of the spines.

Gooseberry flowers are green or red. They are bisexual, so the crop has the characteristics of self-pollination. Based on the description, the fruits are oval or spherical in shape. There are coarse bristles on the surface of the peel. Ripe fruits come in different shades: from green to yellow or purple.

Did you know? Some traditional medicine experts recommend eating fresh gooseberries to cleanse the body of radiation. The fruits are also considered dietary products, since 100 g of the product contains only 44 kcal.

How to choose the right variety

The first thing to consider when choosing the right variety is the climate of your region. There are certain varieties that are intended for planting in the northern regions of the country. If you ignore this indicator, you will plant shrubs on the site that will die after the first frost.

Resistance to drought and other adverse factors should also be taken into account. Typically, the higher the resistance indicators, the higher the cost of the seedling. By purchasing a quality product, you will be sure that it will grow and produce a bountiful harvest.

Did you know? Gooseberries contain a large amount of pectin. These are substances that help remove toxins from the body and protect cells from adverse environmental factors.

The best varieties for growing in the Moscow region

The climatic features of the Moscow region dictate special requirements for gooseberry varieties. The plant must withstand both prolonged frosty periods and sudden thaws, adapt to a small number of sunny days and prolonged rainy periods. Currently, more than a thousand gooseberry varieties have been bred, which theoretically can be grown in such conditions. Let's figure out together which of them will give the best results.

The largest-fruited

Large fruits are quick and easy to collect, and they look aesthetically attractive. Many gardeners grow large-fruited varieties:

Defender. The berries of this variety reach 10 grams. The bushes are tall and the branches are strong. The berries are oval, pear-shaped, dark burgundy, almost black.
Cooperator. Pear-shaped berries, at least 7-8 grams. The bush looks very impressive; when ripe, the berries acquire a bright red hue.
Leningrader. Fruits weigh 10 grams, dark red. Those who like sweet and sour varieties will like it.
Spring. The fruits are yellow-green in color, weighing up to 8 grams. Good fresh and in “twists” for the winter. Able to bear fruit during prolonged cold and drought.
Kolobok. The berries are round in shape, with a sweet and sour taste, and are distinguished by a high content of ascorbic acid. It bears fruit for a long time, the berries are transportable and perfectly stored. They get about 10 kg from the bush. berries

The sweetest

Gooseberries are valued for their taste. There are many sweet varieties, the fruits of which seem to melt in your mouth and leave a pleasant aftertaste:

Belarusian sugar. The bush is small, with thorns, the inconvenience of which is compensated by the delicate, sweet pulp and thin skin. Differs in frost resistance.
Amber. Sweet, delicate taste. There is an unobtrusive sourness, but it emphasizes the sweetness and does not interfere with enjoying the delicious fruit with a honey aroma. Color - yellow-orange.
Russian yellow. Resistant to cracking, delights with its taste both fresh and preserved. Pulp with pleasant sweetness and aroma.
Candy. Increased resistance to drought and cold. The fruits are sweet, pleasant, aromatic. It’s not for nothing that the variety has such a name – candy.
White Nights. The berries are quite small, about 3 g, but very sweet, which is an undeniable advantage of the variety. Ripens early, resistant to powdery mildew.

Thornless varieties

Grushenka. It is distinguished by its unpretentiousness to weather conditions, sweet taste combined with the fleshiness of the berries. Doesn't require much attention. Resistant to frost.
Sirius. Good for long-term storage, retains its unique original taste and aroma for a long time. It tolerates freezing well due to its thick skin. The berries are small, bright red. Pulp with pleasant sourness.
Northern captain. Violet-red berries hold well on beautiful spreading bushes. Green leaves may have a red edge. Refreshing sweet taste with sourness.
Eaglet. Aronia gooseberry has a unique color that retains its ruby color in processed products. Belongs to early ripening varieties. The berries are oval-shaped, with a waxy coating.
Commander. The berries are burgundy-brown (raspberry inside) similar to large black currants. Sugary, sour, with a very pleasant aroma. It is distinguished by high yield with good care.
Ural thornless. Sweet tender berries, there is a hint of sourness. The bush is tall, the fruiting shoots are large. The plant is resistant to powdery mildew and many other gooseberry diseases.
African. A high-yielding variety, it’s easy to pick a bucket of sweet and sour fruits with a “currant” taste from the bush. Tolerates spring frosts well. The fruits are black and large.

Planting in open ground, seasonal features

Before planting planting material, it is necessary to prepare the area. First, they dig it up, removing all foreign objects and weeds. After this, fertilizers are applied. You can use both organic and mineral substances. Per 1 m², add 10 kg of humus, 1 kg of superphosphate and 2 kg of urea. The substances are left on the surface, and after 2 weeks the ground is dug up again. After digging, it is necessary to level the ground, removing all lumps. For this, it is advisable to use small rakes, as they cope better with uneven soil.

After 2 days, you can begin preparing the seat. The holes should be 50 cm in diameter and 40 cm deep. The dug soil is mixed with 100 g of potassium sulfate to make it more nutritious. If you live in a region with clay soil, then 6 kg of river sand is poured into each hole. This will allow moisture not to linger and pose a threat to deformation of the root system. The distance between seedlings should be 1.5 m, and between rows 4 m. Thanks to this planting scheme, the bushes will not create shadows for each other.

You may be interested in information about when gooseberries begin to bear fruit after planting the seedlings.

Further planting technology consists of the following steps:

A seedling is placed vertically inside the hole.
The roots are straightened so that there are no tangles.
Sprinkle the hole with prepared soil and compact it.
Water with 10 liters of warm water.
Mulch the tree trunk circle with straw or leaves.

Selecting a location

To plant shrubs, you need to select a high-quality site. All its parameters must correspond to the agrotechnical characteristics of gooseberries. Considering that the root system of the shrub reaches a length of 50 cm, plants cannot be planted in lowlands. In such places, groundwater comes close to the surface of the earth, so the root system will constantly be in conditions of high humidity. As a result, there is a risk of developing permanent diseases and, as a result, death of the gooseberry.

Selection and preparation of planting material

The secret of a high-quality gooseberry harvest lies in a careful approach to the selection of planting material. The main factors to pay attention to include:

Age. It should be between 1 and 2 years old.
Root system. Length from 25 to 40 cm.

Buy seedlings from nurseries, as they monitor the quality of their products.
A week before planting, the plant is placed in a manganese solution (20 g per 10 liters of water) and kept for 5 hours. After this, the seedling is immersed in the growth stimulator "Epin" (100 g per 5 liters of water) so that it takes root in the soil faster. The further stage of preparing the planting material consists of soaking it in a solution of potassium humate (3 tablespoons per bucket of water). The procedure is carried out the day before the intended planting in open ground.

Video: Planting gooseberries

Mid-season hybrids

Early gooseberries are replaced by mid-season gooseberries, which ripen in July. The fruits are good because they are sweeter, saturated with the sun, warmth and affection of summer. The ripening period is long and extended, and the harvest is suitable for processing and creating delicious desserts.

See the recipe for gooseberry jam with orange.

The assortment includes many varieties: large-fruited, thornless, fruitful, dessert, etc. All have unique advantages, and it is simply impossible to single out one best. One has only to note the most popular: “Hinnomaki Green”, “Inquita”, “English Yellow”, “Masheka”, “Velvet”, “Krasen”.

Kolobok - a cure for vitamin deficiency

The hybrid has absorbed all the best from its parents and is presented in the form of a bush with long vines pointing downwards. There is no fluff on the shoots; the spines are quite small and located exclusively at the nodes of the branches. There are a lot of leaves.

The weight of the fruit ranges from 4 to 7 grams, the shape of a regular ball. The shade is dark red with veins. The pulp is juicy, sugary, with small seeds.

The berries contain a lot of ascorbic acid and sugar.

Honey – sugar variety

The plant is characterized by pear-shaped fruits of yellow-orange color with thin, translucent skin. They taste very sweet, honey-like when overripe, and are recommended for fresh consumption and freezing.

The bush is spreading with a lush crown, there are thorns on the branches. The variety needs special care and is capricious to the soil. To reap a good harvest, you should try and water abundantly all summer.

Commander - general at the dacha

Thanks to the crossing of African and Chelyabinsk green gooseberries, a new variety without thorns was obtained, but with an abundance of tasty, black and burgundy fruits. The bush is slightly spreading, reaches a height of 1.5 m, the branches are directed upward and slightly curved.

The weight of the berries reaches 5–7 grams, and the total yield is 3–7 kg. The skin is smooth, devoid of villi, with a slight bluish coating. The pulp is juicy, tender, bright crimson in color with a scarlet content of black seeds.

Souvenir - a gift from the sun

The Souvenir variety feels great in cold regions; it can easily withstand harsh winters and has strong immunity. After pruning, it recovers quickly, increasing its green mass.

The fruits are green in color, up to 9 grams in weight, with a pleasant taste and characteristic aroma, suitable for making canned sweets and for fresh consumption.

White triumph

The White Triumph variety is characterized by berries weighing up to 15 grams. It is presented as a medium-sized bush with straight vertical shoots. Thorns cover the entire surface of the branch. When technically ripe, the crop turns yellow-green and is pubescent with small hairs.

The skin is thin, tender, the flesh is juicy and sweet in taste with a slight sourness. The aroma is pleasant. Triumph is characterized as a winter-hardy variety, but in particularly cold winters the tops can be damaged. Suitable for the Moscow region.

Read! Gooseberry preparations for the winter.

Rules of care

After following all the rules of agricultural technology, you need to take care of caring for the crop. All procedures should be performed on time, taking into account the quality and appearance of the plant. The future harvest depends on how you care for the bushes. Watering and fertilizing are the most important procedures.

Watering, fertilizing

The need for watering is indicated by the quality of the soil. If you pick up a lump of earth and it crumbles, it means there is not enough water. The first time you need to water, subject to dry conditions, at the stage of ovary formation. The second, abundant watering, should be carried out during the mass ripening of berries.

Abundant watering means using 20–25 liters of water per plant. Between these periods, standard scheduled soil irrigation is carried out, with an interval of 2 weeks. 10 liters of warm water are poured under each bush.

In spring and summer, fertilizing should consist of organic matter. It is best to use a solution of mullein (1 kg per 10 liters of water) or bird droppings (1 kg per 20 liters of water). 5 liters of solution is poured under the root of each plant. In autumn, plants are fed with a mixture of mineral and organic substances. To do this, mix 80 g of potassium, 10 g of urea and 30 g of superphosphate. All these substances are diluted in 10 liters of water and 2 liters of solution are poured under 1 bush.

Loosening, weed removal

It is better to feed the plants after watering, so after irrigating the soil you need to wait 3 days and loosen the top layer of soil. The loosening depth should be 30 cm. After a few days, fertilizer can be applied. It is necessary to loosen the soil, since under the influence of moisture and sun a crust forms on its surface. It does not allow nutrients and air to penetrate to the root system.

Try to carry out the procedure carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant.

A large number of weeds appear in all summer cottages, so they need to be improved. This not only improves the aesthetic appearance, but also prevents pests. Some farmers use chemicals that prevent their appearance. However, such treatments negatively affect the quality of the bush and yield indicators, so weeds must be removed manually.

Try to pull out unnecessary plants along with their roots to increase the interval between procedures. Weeds take nutrients from the soil, which interferes with the normal development of the plant (growth slows down and the berries become smaller). They also cause the bush to stop growing.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with how to make a bush holder for a gooseberry bush.

Pruning in spring and autumn

The most important thing in caring for gooseberries is pruning in the spring. With its help you can perform the following tasks:

formation before landing . It involves shortening the shoots. If the branches are strong, then 5 buds are left on them. For the weak, 1–2 pieces are enough;
pruning in the second year. It involves removing weak root shoots. Leave no more than 3 pieces. Thanks to this procedure, branching becomes more abundant and productivity increases;
in the third year of life, each bush should have several shoots of different ages. For this reason, all young shoots that form on developed skeletal branches are removed;
removing all branches that make the crown thick;
pruning frozen branches , right down to the last bud.

In the autumn period, so-called sanitary pruning is carried out. In autumn, dry and disease-damaged branches are removed. After pruning, you need to tie the branches to a vertical trellis to protect them from breaking.

Disease resistant gooseberry

To ensure good yield and survival, breeders have developed varieties that have good immunity to diseases and pests. There are bushes that are resistant to powdery mildew, scab, and septoria. Berry crops that resist diseases:

Neslukhovsky;
Negus;
African;
Seedling Lefort;
Vladil;
Senator;
Cossack.

Salute is one of the strongest and highest-yielding varieties. On nutritious soil it produces a plentiful and stable harvest and is undemanding to care. Resistant to various diseases and pest attacks. Experienced gardeners choose. Salute is edible in its pure form and is used for canning.

When do gooseberries ripen?

If we consider the question of when gooseberries ripen, then the time depends on the conditions of a particular region:

In the southern regions of the country, the first berries appear by the beginning of July.
In the Moscow, Leningrad regions and Moscow region, the harvest ripens in mid-August.
In the conditions of Siberia and the Urals, the harvest is harvested at the end of August.

Important! If you live in the northern regions of the country, give preference to early gooseberry varieties. This way you will have time to harvest before frost sets in.

Classification of varieties by ripening time

Gooseberries are classified according to their ripening time. There is a period of two months between the early and late periods. It is recommended to plant shrubs at different periods, then within several months it will be possible to collect fruits.

Early

These varieties ripen in mid-June. These include: Eaglet, Yarovoy, Rodnik, Salyut, Pink 2, Russian, Finnish.

Average ripeness

These include: Kolobok, Pink-2, Hinnomaki Gelb, Pax, White Triumph, Krasnoslavyansky, Moscow Red, Prune.

Late

Shrubs of these varieties ripen in the second half of August. These include: Russian, Malachite, Sadko, Smena, Finik, Northern Captain, Serenade, Chernomor.

How to increase fruiting

Many farmers who grow gooseberries are thinking about how to increase the fruiting of the bush. Several simple but effective ways will help you make your wish come true. First you need to start thinning the crown of the bush.

The more sunlight penetrates inside, the more berries will form on the branches.

The second rule is to apply timely and high-quality fertilizing. During the entire growing season, it is necessary to fertilize shrubs 5 times:

at the stage of leaf blossoming (200 g of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water). 15 liters of solution are poured under each bush;
during the flowering period (100 g of potassium sulfate per bucket of water). There are 5 liters per bush;
when fruit ovaries are formed (200 g of potassium humate per 5 liters of water). Each bush is watered with 3 liters of solution;
at the end of September (200 g of superphosphate per 20 liters of water). The prepared volume is poured under 1 bush;

at the end of October (5 kg of humus is poured under each bush).

Table of gooseberry planting dates by region of Russia

Regions	Approximate dates
Regions	Spring	Autumn
Moscow region, middle zone	April	Second half of October
North-West (Leningrad, Vologda, Arkhangelsk regions, Karelia)	End of April	Late September - early October
South of Russia	End of March - beginning of April	October - first half of November
Ural, Siberia	End of April	End of September

Based on the weather. If it is early spring in Kuban, then the crop is planted at the end of March. In regions with a harsh climate, they do not hesitate in the fall, having time to carry out work in September.

Harvesting and storage

There are several harvesting methods, but the most common is the manual method. It is considered safe for the berries as they remain intact. The advantage of this method is the long shelf life of products compared to other types of cleaning.

The idea is to hold the branch with one hand and pick the berries along with the stem with the other.

The second method is to use a vibrator. You need to support the branch with your hand and walk over it with a vibrator. The disadvantage is that all berries, even green ones, fall off. The third harvesting option is using a comb. The device is placed on the thumb. With one hand you need to lift the branch vertically, and with the other, where the comb is, run along the stalks. The berries will fall into the container at a good speed.

Shelf life depends on many factors:

If you have picked ripe fruits, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Harvested in dry weather, the crop can be stored for up to 2 weeks.
Not quite ripe fruits are stored for 3 weeks.

If you put the berries in small plastic containers and put them in the refrigerator, the products will be stored for up to 4 weeks. To preserve the produce until winter and enjoy it in cold weather, it is enough to freeze the berries.

Video: Harvesting gooseberries using a combine.

Preparing for winter

To preserve the bushes and yield for the next season, you need to take care of preparing the bushes for winter. In the northern regions, it is necessary to cover the tree trunk circle with a layer of mulch (a mixture of straw, leaves and humus), after watering the bushes with a superphosphate solution (50 g per 10 liters of water). After 2 days, cover the bushes with plastic film, which will not only protect the plants from frost, but also maintain the required level of moisture in the soil.

If you are breeding gooseberries in the central or southern regions of the country, then it is enough to cover the soil with a layer of mulch. If you additionally cover the bushes with film, they may die due to high temperatures.

Also, you will find useful information about what kind of soil gooseberries like.

Reproduction methods

There are several common methods for propagating gooseberries:

layering. To do this, you need to choose a mother bush that is up to 5 years old. The procedure is carried out in the spring. The branches are tilted to the ground and dug in. When roots appear on new shoots, they are cut off and transplanted to a permanent place;
cuttings. The procedure is carried out in early September. Select a part of the stem, the length of which is 20 cm. An even cut is made under the lower bud. The seedling is grown in a pot and transplanted into open ground in the spring;
dividing the bush. The essence of this method is to divide the root system into 5–7 parts. The most developed one (where there are more buds) is transplanted as a separate plant;
through vaccinations. Branches need to be grafted in the fall. Cut 2 branches from the bush. A small incision is made in each of them. Connect the 2 parts and place in a container with water. By spring, roots will form, after which young bushes begin to be planted in open ground.