Useful information

How to plant gooseberries correctly

Solid dignity!

Gooseberry is one of the most beloved berries in the Russian garden and one of the healthiest, growing in temperate climates. This is the most fruitful berry crop, one bush, under favorable growing conditions, can bring more than 30 kg of berries per season. He is not very capricious and quickly begins to bear fruit, he will find a place in almost any garden area. Moreover, he tolerates the absence of pollinators and is able to produce crops, even being in splendid isolation. In addition, gooseberries, unlike currants, can live in your garden for up to half a century with good care!

Another important advantage of the gooseberry is that, unlike most berries, it can be easily transported. It is very convenient in a summer cottage that delicious gooseberry preparations can be made from both slightly unripe and slightly overripe berries.

Gooseberry fruits, depending on the variety, differ in shape, color, taste and aroma. But the richness of their composition remains unchanged, they contain many vitamins and valuable trace elements, including iron, zinc, copper, iodine. Ripe berries contain serotonin, an essential substance for normalizing our brain and maintaining our good mood, as well as having anti-tumor activity. In modern living conditions, the gooseberry's invaluable gift is its ability to cleanse the human body of harmful substances: from salts of heavy metals, "bad" cholesterol, radioactive strontium and many other poisonous compounds.

In order for the gooseberry harvest to please you every year, you need to plant the bushes correctly.

Planting gooseberries

In central Russia, gooseberries are best planted in the fall, from October to November. Planting in spring before bud break is acceptable, but in this case the seedling will require more attention and care from you. Seedlings with a closed root system can also be planted in summer. In any case, preparation for landing must be started in advance.

Gooseberry prefers loose, fertile, slightly acidic soils. That is why it cannot be planted in the place of other shrubs, the soil in these places is already quite depleted. But planting after vegetables and strawberries is fine for him.

Unfavorable predecessors for gooseberries are currants and raspberries; in their place, in addition to depleted soil, it will still be threatened by diseases and pests common to these crops.

Gooseberries are photophilous, in the middle lane and to the north for planting it is necessary to choose the sunniest places, but closer to the south it is better to find an openwork shade for it, because sunburn can destroy both foliage and crops. Cold wind protection is also desirable.

Groundwater should not lie closer than 1 m. This shrub does not tolerate excess moisture, so lowlands with stagnant water or wetlands will not work for it. It is always better to under-water the gooseberry than to pour it over.

In small areas, gooseberries can be planted in the aisles of the garden, between young fruit trees, but no closer than two meters to the trees. You can place gooseberry bushes around the perimeter of the site or along the fence, keeping a distance of 1.5 m from buildings and fences.

For planting, it is better to choose varietal one- or two-year-old seedlings with well-developed roots and an aerial part of three to four strong shoots. Many gooseberry varieties at a young age have a low aerial part compared to, for example, black currant. Therefore, the choice must be made according to the condition of the roots, the number, thickness and freshness of the branches. A good root system in seedlings with an open root system does not look dry, consists of roots with dark bark (white roots should not be more than 1-3). The roots can be branched or densely fibrous.

Seedlings in containers should have attractive foliage and a base diameter of 0.5-0.6 cm for an annual plant and 0.6-0.8 for a two-year-old. If numerous white roots are crawling out of the container, this is good. In such seedlings, the leaves are not removed during planting.

Before planting, damaged or dried parts of the roots and branches are removed. On the eve of planting, the roots of a seedling with ACS can be soaked in liquid organic fertilizers: 3-4 tbsp. tablespoons of potassium humate per 5 liters of water.

Planting holes must be prepared 3-4 weeks before planting. It is better to make them square in shape, 50x50x50 in size. Fertilizers must be applied to the pit: 8-10 kg of humus, 100 g of superphosphate, 40 g of potassium sulfate or 1.5 cups of wood ash. Mix everything with ordinary soil. Sprinkle the resulting substrate on top with a thin layer of earth without fertilizers. This feeding will be enough for the bush for the next three years of life.

The seedling is placed directly or slightly at an angle, with the root collar deepening 5-7 cm deeper than it grew before. The bush is placed on a small mound in the center of the pit, the roots are carefully straightened in the pit. Then, holding the seedling by the stem, fill the pit with soil, gradually compacting it. The seedling is shaken lightly so that the earth evenly fills all the voids around the roots.

Planting gooseberries

Then you need to water the plant, at the rate of about one bucket of water per bush. In order to prevent the formation of a crust, it is necessary to mulch the space under the seedling with dry peat, compost or humus with a layer of 3-5 cm.After planting, the shoots of the seedling are cut off at a height of 5-7 cm above the soil level, leaving 2-4 buds on each. When planting in autumn, it is advisable to process the sections with garden pitch.

Gooseberries adapt to different conditions of existence, accepting even minor cares with gratitude. If you do not have enough energy or time to grow this crop according to all the rules, it will still most likely grow, however, without record yields and large-fruited. But, so that your efforts pay off with interest, and your hopes come true, plant the gooseberries correctly and do not forget about mulching, which he loves very much and which will help you significantly reduce weeding and watering.

$config[zx-auto] not found$config[zx-overlay] not found