Gooseberry Grossular: characteristics, features of cultivation and reproduction
Gooseberries contain a large amount of magnesium, potassium, calcium and vitamins PP, C, B1. Fruits are used for making delicious desserts, preservation, and are used in folk medicine. Caring for it is simple, and the crop is plentiful. The main difference between the Grossular variety is the absence of thorns. How to care for such a plant and whether it is worth planting on its site, read further in the review.
Selection history
Gooseberries have been bred for over 10 centuries. During this time, he managed to gain popularity due to his taste and rich composition of vitamins. Today, there are many varieties of it. Scientists are actively working on the development of new varietal material, starting in the middle of the 20th century. Breeders for a long time tried to create the appearance of a plant without thorns. It was possible to bring out one of these varieties to specialists of the All-Russian Research Institute of Gardening named after I.V. Michurina. In 1990, a new representative of the common gooseberry under the name "Grossular" was put up for state testing of the variety.
Did you know? The first mention of berry culture dates back to 1536. Jean Ruelle, a French botanist, described gooseberries in his book De natura stirpium .
Description
Grossular is a rather tall variety that grows rapidly in green mass and reaches 150 cm in height. The fruits of this plant are often used in processed form (compotes, preserves). And thanks to the dense structure of the skin, the berries tolerate transportation well.
There are a number of features by which you can determine this non-bearing type:
- the bush is tall and medium spread;
- shoots with almost no spikes, straight, matte surface;
- the leaves are large, dark green in color. The sheet plate itself is quite wrinkled, shiny;
- inflorescence is one-flowered;
- berries are drop-shaped, medium and large sizes, weighing 3-8 g each, light green in color;
- taste - sweet and sour;
- tasting score of 4-5 points on a five-point scale.
Advantages and disadvantages
Ease of care, high resistance to pest invasions and high yield of gooseberries will not go unnoticed by gardeners. But before choosing a variety, it is important to know whether it will bear fruit abundantly under certain conditions.
Read also articles on this topic:
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The Grossular variety is very drought tolerant, but requires constant watering in extreme heat. It is not afraid of both spring return frosts and severe winter frosts, as evidenced by high productivity even in extreme weather conditions. For example, in central Russia, plants of this variety can not be sheltered (insulated) at all for the winter.
Productivity and fruiting
Fruiting begins 2-3 years after planting. The variety is considered high-yielding and bears fruit abundantly up to 20 years. With proper care, you can get 5-7 kg of fruit from one bush. The variety belongs to the mid-early species of gooseberry.
Video: Gooseberry varieties Grossular
Landing
Before planting, it is very important to consider all the features, needs and characteristics of the plant. Only then can the timing and location of the bush be correctly selected.
The timing
Gooseberries can be planted both in spring and autumn. But it is worth knowing that in the spring period it will be harder for shoots to take root and develop. Experienced gardeners recommend planting bushes from late September to mid-October, which will allow the plant to take root and build up the root system before the cold . It is better to build on the specific conditions and climate of a particular region.
We recommend reading about planting and caring for gooseberries in the open ground in the fall.
In different countries, the timing is slightly different, for example:
- gooseberries are planted in Siberia in early September;
- in Ukraine, the landing period is in mid-October - late November;
- gooseberries are planted in Belarus in late September - early November;
- in the suburbs - in the fall, and if the purchased seedling is submerged in the soil with roots, then the planting can be postponed until the summer.
Choosing the right place
The plot for planting the Grossular variety must be sunny. Shadow is strictly contraindicated. It is better to choose a flat or shallow place, protected from the winds . The plant is unpretentious to the soil, but it is recommended to plant it on light loams.
Wetlands and lowlands should be avoided. During spring frosts, flowers can freeze. As a result, the yield will decrease.
Important! Do not plant gooseberries in the place where other berry crops grew (strawberries, raspberries or blackberries). The soil in such places will be depleted, and the pests of the " predecessors " will switch to a new plant.
Selection and preparation of planting material
In order for the seedling to take root well and begin to bear fruit abundantly, it is important to pay attention to such characteristics:
- The plant should be covered with healthy leaves, without signs of infection by disease.
- The root system of a full bush has many white roots (at least 10 cm long).
- Annual seedlings have 1 shoot, and two-year-old seedlings - 2-3 (height - 40-50 cm).
- There should be no visible damage to the seedling.
The site where the landing is planned, must first be prepared. To clear of weeds, garbage, to level. To make mineral and organic fertilizers. For example, manure or potassium salt. Then dig to a depth of 4 cm to mix top dressing with soil. If the soil is strongly acidified, it is advisable to add lime - at the rate of 50 kg per 100 m².
Important! Excessive acidity of the soil can be identified by the growing field horsetail.
Landing pattern
The distance between the seedlings should be 1.3-1.5 m. The recommended area for each bush is 1.3–2 m². The algorithm for planting gooseberries does not depend on the variety and represents the following sequence:
- With autumn planting, pits are prepared in 2-3 weeks. At spring - pits are prepared in the fall. Their depth should be 40–44 cm, width - 50-60 cm.
- The earth from the dug hole is mixed with complex fertilizer (40 g of potassium sulfate, 200 g of superphosphate and 20 l of rotted manure) and poured back into the hole. Next you need to pour 1-2 buckets of water.
- Before planting, seedlings are exempt from defective roots and branches.
- The ground part of the plant must be cut, leaving shoots 15–20 cm long.
- The planted bush is watered with 1 bucket of water. It is better to make an extra hole around the gooseberry and pour another 0.5 buckets of water into it.
- After planting, the soil is covered with a layer of mulch. This will prevent cracking and evaporation of moisture.
In large areas, the distance between the rows should not be less than 3 m.
Important! Do not tilt gooseberry seedlings when planting. It is better not to deepen the root neck of the plant more than 0.6 cm below ground level.
Features of seasonal care
Care consists of watering, loosening, pest control and trimming gooseberries. The main thing is to observe the regularity of manipulations.
Soil care
Young plants of the Grossular variety require constant watering. The soil should be wetted to the tips of the roots (30–45 cm in depth). This will help the bush to take root properly. The first month after planting, watering is carried out twice a week - 1 bucket of water for each bush. In the dry summer period, watering should be increased to three times a week (at the rate of 2-3 buckets for each plant).
As for loosening, it must be done 5-6 times per season, while weeding. A procedure is being carried out for full access of air and moisture to the roots. This will prevent a shortage of nutrients in the soil that “pick up” weeds.
Preventative treatment
After planting gooseberries, the main task of any gardener is to protect the young plant from pests. Prevention is carried out in the spring, before the awakening of the kidneys. So you can destroy the pathogens and not harm the gooseberry itself.
Important! All manipulations for spraying and processing with boiling water must be carried out before the kidneys swell. Otherwise, you can burn and destroy the bushes.
The main processing measures are as follows:
- After the snow has melted, the bush and the soil around it should be poured with boiling water. This will help to cope with harmful microorganisms that develop in the soil.
- Sanitary pruning, removing all dry and damaged branches. Such a measure will help to avoid the development of diseases and weakening of the bush.
- To harden the plant, the Zircon solution is used, spraying is carried out using a spray gun.
- With the opening of the kidneys, gooseberries are sprayed once every two weeks with Bordeaux liquid.
- Near the bushes you can plant garlic or dill. Spicy crops will deter pests.
Top dressing
Like any fruit shrub, gooseberries need enhanced nutrition with mineral and organic nutrients. Fertilizers are applied twice a year - in spring and autumn.
Spring dressing is carried out before the kidneys open . At this time, the plant needs nitrogen. Under each bush, 30 g of urea is introduced. Potash and phosphorus fertilizers can be used based on the state of the soil. But not earlier than in a year.
Learn more about fertilizing gooseberries in the fall and spring.
Autumn dressing is carried out after harvesting . This will help the plant lay flower buds for next year and increase the winter hardiness of non-studded gooseberries. Based on 1 m², half a bucket of rotted manure, 100 g of ash and 45 g of superphosphate are added. The nutrient mixture is sprinkled with soil under a bush with a diameter of 2 m. Then it is covered with a shovel to a depth of 10 cm. Such measures will help ensure abundant fruiting.
Support
Gooseberry shoots often lie on the ground. This can be prevented by installing supports. To them it is better to tie growing branches. So you can form the correct crown and prevent the plexus branches . In the fall, each bush is fixed to a support or trellis. In spring, the procedure must be carried out before the active formation of buds and leaves.
We advise you to read how to properly protect gooseberries.
How to do it better:
- 4 pegs with notches in the middle are set around the bush;
- 4 additional rails are installed in grooves horizontally and fixed. This design will be able to support the growing shoots.
Pruning
The fruit variety Grossular needs to be pruned. It is carried out in the second year after planting. They keep 4-5 strong and healthy shoots, and the rest, growing from the ground, old and damaged branches, are removed. Ten-year-old plants are subject to winter pruning of old shoots at the root.
Breeding methods
Plants reproduce in several ways:
- The division of the bush is best used for "age" representatives of a culture with a developed root system. You can do this between November and March. A plant about 5 years old is divided into several shrubs. Then they land on a dedicated site.
- Propagation by cuttings is carried out in early June. Green branches 10-15 cm long are cut with garden shears and transferred to a bucket of water. Then they must immediately be planted in a greenhouse, where vegetables used to grow. After 3 weeks, the cuttings will begin to take root. The earth must be loosened. Cuttings are planted at a distance of 5 cm from each other. The soil under the sprout must be tamped, so the plant will take root better. In the spring, rooted gooseberry cuttings are planted in open ground.
- A popular method among gardeners is propagation by layering . It is held in early spring. The branch of the plant should lie and come into contact with the ground, and young shoots, located on the border with the old branches, should be in the ground. Their tops are nipped. When young shoots up to 60 cm high “go” from the kidneys, they should be sprinkled with earth to the middle.
Diseases and Pests
Grossular is resistant to powdery mildew and most viral diseases, but Topaz and Karaton preparations can be used twice a year for prevention (before flowering and after harvest).
Did you know? At the beginning of the last century, American powdery mildew destroyed almost all of the gooseberry plantations. But even after the breeders bred new disease-resistant varieties, the shrub could not regain its former popularity.
But pests can actively attack this variety. The most dangerous include:
- Spider mite . It appears in spring on the back of the leaf, then envelops the entire plant with cobwebs. It sucks all the juice from the leaves, as a result of which they turn yellow and quickly wither. A mixture of soap and wormwood will help to cope with the parasite. Half a bucket of bitter wormwood is soaked in 10 liters of water, infused for 30 minutes and boiled. After cooling, the solution is mixed with water in a 1: 1 ratio and 40 g of soap is added.
- Shoot aphid . Symptoms are deformation of the leaf plate and clumps of leaves on the tops of the shoots. It is in them that aphids live and reproduce. In the fight against the pest, Fufanon, Iskra or a mixture of 300 g of garlic and 10 l of water are used.
- Gooseberry moth . Its caterpillars destroy the leaf to the petioles, after which they leave for the winter. In this case, it is necessary to carefully clean and burn the fallen leaves. A good folk remedy is tincture of tobacco and laundry soap. If there are a lot of pests, then it is better to use a solution of "Karbofos". The first spraying is carried out in early spring, the second - in the summer, but only subject to the appearance of new tracks.
Winter preparations
In harsh winters, it is important to insulate gooseberry-free gooseberries. This will prevent the possible death of bushes. The easiest way to protect is a layer of snow. They need to cover the bush for natural warming. You can also mulch the soil under the bush with straw, sawdust or put a layer of manure and peat . Such a heater should be at least 10 cm high. Then you need to cover the shrubs with a film and fix it with weighting materials (for example, bricks).
Harvesting and storage
Grossular refers to varieties of medium early ripening. Harvesting occurs in July - August. Berries ripen almost simultaneously. The fruits do not crumble even in a state of full maturity. From one bush you can collect up to 5-7 kg of berries.
Find out also when gooseberries begin to bear fruit after planting seedlings.
Fruits intended for processing are harvested at the stage of technical maturity. During this period, the berries begin to acquire a saturated color, but the flesh is still sour. For fresh consumption, the collection of fully ripened fruits is carried out. Then the berries have a characteristic light green hue and a sweet taste.
Before harvesting, it is better to determine in advance how many berries are planned to be consumed immediately, and how much to process. Next, it is important to take care of the correct storage mode.
- Ripe berries are collected in a small container (up to 2.5 l). Such storage is valid up to 4 days.
- Unripe gooseberries are stored for up to 10 days in a cool, dark place.
- Dry berries in conditions of zero temperature can be stored in open boxes for up to 1.5 months.
- Up to 3-4 months will help increase the shelf life of the freezing method. To do this, pre-freeze the berries on plastic pallets. Then put the berries in plastic bags and place in the freezer.
Gooseberry cultivar Grossular is a long-lived garden. The use of delicious berries serves as a good prevention of cardiovascular diseases, has anti-inflammatory effects and successfully removes salts of heavy metals. A gooseberry infusion helps the body stabilize blood cholesterol. But to obtain a rich crop of plants, it is necessary not only to choose and plant correctly, but also to ensure proper care. Only then will gooseberries reward you with large and tasty fruits.
Network user reviews
I would not criticize Grossular so much. Its undoubted advantages - it is almost complete nonship, resistance to disease, unpretentiousness in cultivation, long remains on the bush ripened. And the taste is satisfactory. True, berries are prone to tanning. Old grandfather //forum.vinograd.info/showpost.php?p=538803&postcount=4
