To preserve the decorative look and yield of gooseberries, correctly and timely cut old and diseased branches, young shoots. Otherwise, the crown of this perennial plant thickens, the bush begins to hurt, fructifies with acidic berries, and may die at all. It's time to learn the rules and secrets of trimming gooseberries in the autumn.
When to prune gooseberries?
Cutting gooseberries is an important procedure if the gardener is concerned about the high yield of the plant. You can form a bush in the summer, spring and autumn, but for each season there are certain nuances:
- In the spring. Pruning is carried out in early March - even before the first kidneys appear (in the first decade). If you break this rule, the bush does not bear fruit this year. Cut gooseberries when the last snow has fallen, the night frost has ended, the weather is improving.
- In the fall. If the spring time for trimming gooseberries is missed, the bush can be formed in the fall. The main thing is to finish trimming gooseberries before the onset of the first cold weather (late October-early November). This time of year has its advantages. For example, you can cut off all broken, diseased, dry and simply unnecessary branches up to the very base. In the spring, it will remain to slightly correct the bush, which will not affect its fruiting.
- Summer. In this period, gooseberry pruning is needed to preserve and increase productivity. Remove the young shoots to a height of seven leaves, also carefully cut the zero stems. The plant spends a lot of energy on them, and the berries do not have time to ripen, remain acidic.
It doesn’t matter when the gooseberries are cut - in the fall, summer or spring, large sections must be treated with garden varieties. Otherwise, the immunity of the plant is reduced, and it can become sick, die. In the summer, a minor adjustment of the bush is carried out, without radical manipulations.
Why do we need gooseberry pruning?
For several years, gooseberries give from 50 to 70 new shoots, which only thicken the crown of the bush. As a result, the plant does not receive enough light, heat and oxygen, the risk of fungal infection increases. In order not to ruin the gooseberry, it is important to cut it in time.
Other reasons for the planned pruning of gooseberries in the fall:
- harm to insects, which are often wound in dense crowns;
- yield increase;
- decorative appearance of a bush;
- simplification of gooseberry care;
- sanitization;
- preparation for landing;
- better warming up of the root system.
Perform autumn pruning of the bush only after the leaves fall. In September, young shoots may still appear, which, not having time to numb, die. In the second half of October, remove old and diseased stems, and leave the formation of the crown until early spring.
Obviously, it’s easier to care for a thinned plant than to wade through thorns and thickets in search of healthy berries.
Types of trimming gooseberries
There are 2 types of bush formation - pre-planting and anti-aging. In the first case, we are talking about planting seedlings, in the second - about rejuvenating an already perennial plant in order to increase productivity. Both procedures have characteristic features that are equally useful for gooseberries.
Preplant
In order for the gooseberry to develop well and bear fruit after planting, it must be trimmed. Remove weak, deformed and lifeless shoots, the rest - shorten to size 4 buds (in weak plants - up to 2 buds). Before planting, carry out a cardinal pruning of the plant, which will increase its fertility, vitality.
The main goal of the preplant pruning of gooseberries is to strengthen the root system, set the growth and fruiting rate of the young plant.
Anti-aging
This procedure is necessary for adult plants, if the gardener noticed a dynamic decrease in yield. The optimal age for anti-aging trimming of gooseberries is from 8 years and older. Form a bush annually after harvest. There are several options:
- In late autumn, remove a third of all shoots, completely get rid of the horizontal basal shoots, which take all water and nutrients from the soil. Shorten young shoots from the soil to 20 cm, no more.
- In order not to cut out the whole gooseberry, cut off its crown so that the maximum length of each stem does not exceed 15-20 cm. Be sure to remove the root shoots, diseased stems.
Experienced gardeners claim that after rejuvenation, plants begin to bear fruit, which before this have been without fruits for several years. In addition, this is an excellent prevention of many diseases and pests of gooseberries.
What do you need for work?
Even a professional cannot handle trimming gooseberries without garden tools. Important: do not damage the plant, do not get injured yourself.
For the planned procedure you will need:
- thick rubber gloves;
- secateurs;
- garden saw;
- delimbers;
- gardening scissors;
- paint / chalk;
- garden var;
- robe with long sleeves.
Select secateurs with one and two-sided sharpening. It is important to sharpen the blade well, otherwise the stems are not cut, but broken.
After use, the garden tool must be sterilized. Important criteria for choosing such an inventory are the quality of materials, the presence of rubberized handles, ease of use, and long service life. Otherwise, you will have to buy garden tools every season.
What shoots need to be cut?
The first rule: you can not cut off everything that seems ugly and unnecessary. This is especially true for beginner gardeners. Such radical methods cause severe stress in the plant, and it ceases to bear fruit. After the haircut, a third of the crown should remain, otherwise the gooseberry dies.
To give the bush an aesthetic appearance, it is mandatory to remove:
- black, dry branches:
- damaged, diseased shoots;
- competing sprouts;
- branches located inside the bush;
- horizontal shoots;
- root shoots.
Visually inspect the bush and remove all its "weaknesses", but do not get too carried away with pruning branches. Cutting off more than half of the crown, the plant dies. An exception is when gooseberries are rejuvenated in this way.
Step-by-step instructions for trimming gooseberries
Make it a rule to trim the adult gooseberries in spring and autumn, while clearly choosing a favorable period for such an activity. The following is a classic outline of a rejuvenating procedure:
- Choose a central branch, cut to the minimum length.
- Remove the side shoots extending from it.
- Cut branches that are not observed to yield crops.
- Be sure to remove the horizontal basal shoots.
- Do not touch old branches with young shoots yet.
Pruning root shoots is a separate issue. The gooseberry variety plays a decisive role. Some form a crown after 3 years, others after 5 years. Therefore, first remove the diseased and lifeless shoots, and then those that interfere with growth and create a shadow.
Methods of forming a bush
To properly remove the branches and save the crop, decide on the method of forming the bush. There are several options, among them:
- standard;
- trellis;
- classical.
Each method has its advantages, but the long-standing practice of gardeners shows that the richest crops are after the classic formation of the bush. Gooseberries are tasty, sweet and large.
Other methods also have their advantages, for example, the standard method saves space in the garden, and the installation of trellis simplifies the harvesting process. The choice, in any case, remains with the gardener, who has to look after the gooseberries in the fall.
Gooseberry Gooseberry
In this case, the trimmed gooseberry bush resembles a small tree, which is compact in size, takes up little space in the garden. The height of the updated plant does not exceed 1 m. The stages of formation of such a bush:
- Choose the strongest, most massive shoot from the central part of the bush.
- Remove the remaining branches under the root.
- Next, dig a metal pipe or stick into the ground (this is a support).
- Attach the central shoot to the support, do not press down the plant.
- Next spring, remove the top so that the bush goes in breadth.
- Cut last year's shoots into half, of young leave 4-5 pcs.
- In the autumn, remove old, dried and diseased branches.
- Uproot root shoots, which take all the power of the plant, as they appear.
With such pruning, the bush-tree gives good fruits, all branches receive a sufficient amount of light and oxygen. Among the disadvantages of this method are the short life of gooseberries, poor frost resistance, weak immunity. On average, such a dwarf tree will live 12 years, no more.
Gooseberry trellis
In this case, a trellis is used to trim the bush. This is a special device, which consists of vertical posts and a wire stretched between them in 3 tiers - at a height of 50, 80 and 100 cm from the ground. The sequence of actions of the beginning gardener:
- Plant seedlings in 1 row at a distance of 100 cm from each other.
- Insert metal pipes between the bushes.
- Connect the stakes with wire in 3 tiers at the above distance.
- As the shoots grow, tie them to the trellis tiers with a thin thread.
- Remove excess branches, get rid of root shoots.
- Shorten last year's shoots by one third annually.
- Tie up fresh stems in 4-5 pieces.
So young branches are easier to grow, unhindered access of oxygen and light is provided. In addition, it is much easier to harvest from trellis, do not get hurt about the thorn and do not have to break the elastic shoots.
The classic way to shape gooseberries
In this case, the natural shape of the crown does not change, and the trimming of gooseberries is carried out for preventive, decorative purposes. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- Year of planting. Remove diseased and lifeless branches, shorten the seedlings to 3-4 buds in height.
- 1 year. Leave 3 healthy shoots from which the crown of the bush will form in the future. Pre-cut a third of the top.
- 2 year Remove last year's branches, root shoots. Young stems (up to 4 pcs), which appeared closer to the fall, cut in half, otherwise they will freeze and die.
- 3 year The crown of the shrub has already been formed (up to 12 branches), so just remove weak, deformed, dry and old branches, be sure to get rid of the horizontal basal shoots, leave 3 young shoots.
- 4 year Trim last year's branches by 5 cm, still remove the basal shoots, remove the lateral shoots by a third.
- 5 and subsequent years. Make sure that the gooseberry crown does not thicken, remove lateral shoots in a timely manner.
An adult plant aged 7-8 years has up to 22-24 branches of different ages that bear fruit well. Gradually remove old, dried and damaged shoots, thereby rejuvenating the gooseberry bush.
Gooseberry care after pruning
Even the proper pruning of gooseberries becomes stressful for the plant. To form an aesthetic crown and preserve the fertility of the bush, follow these valuable recommendations from experienced gardeners:
- Treat large sections with garden varieties, urea solution or shredded activated carbon.
- Fertilize the plant immediately after pruning. Use special fertilizers or a mixture of 15 kg of humus, 40 g of potassium, 200 g of superphosphate.
- Pour the gooseberries. Under each bush - about 2 full buckets of water at room temperature.
- Since the bushes are weakened after pruning, spray them with Bordeaux fluid. This is a good prophylaxis against harmful insects.
- Use leaf compost, mulch or a layer of peat to warm the root system and prepare the plant for the upcoming cold weather, wintering.
If harmful insects are at risk, use fungicides. Among the most effective are Flint Star, Coronet, Antracop, Infinito, Teldor. For prevention, spray not only the plant, but also the soil under it. Instructions are provided on the packaging.
Frequent gardeners make mistakes while trimming gooseberries
Novice gardeners often make mistakes when trimming gooseberries and expect a rich harvest. Fruits either will not exist at all, or their taste qualities leave much to be desired. The most common oversights of beginner gardeners:
- Failure to trim. In spring, the period of the appearance of the kidneys is considered forbidden, in autumn - the first frost and cold.
- Unconscious removal of branches. It may seem that it will be more beautiful, but in reality the plant suffers, dies.
- Removal of the entire crown during rejuvenation of the bush. A global mistake can lead to the death of a bush.
- Cutting off annual shoots on which young shoots have already appeared. Gooseberry fruiting is reduced for a single season.
If the leaves of the plant showered, this is a sign of disease. Among the provoking factors is powdery mildew. You can look at the inside of the leaf and detect harmful moth butterflies. Treatment of a diseased plant should be followed immediately.
Useful Tips
To avoid mistakes and prune shrubs correctly, follow these valuable recommendations:
- If the plant is overgrown, do not tighten with pruning the bush, otherwise the gooseberry does not bear fruit. With twisted branches, the fruits are small, sour.
- Cut the branches at an angle. With a direct cut, young shoots grow inside the crown, which reduces the yield of gooseberries.
- The first 2 years, do not carry out radical pruning of shrubs, only shorten the newly emerging shoots by half.
- Make sure that the neglected shrub does not arbitrarily take root by layering. Otherwise, the yield is reduced, the mother plant is depleted.
- In one season, cut no more than a third of the branches, a more radical haircut harms a perennial plant.
- If the crop is sparse, cut the stem to the side branches with young shoots.
- Be sure to collect and burn dry branches to minimize the risk of fungal infection.
Gooseberries are unpretentious in care, but leaving the plant unattended is also not recommended. Watch the crown, remove diseased and dry shoots, follow preventive measures. Remember that the yield indicator and the health of a perennial plant depend on the rules of care.