When and how to cut gooseberries

Gooseberry is a light-loving shrub that develops well and bears fruit only if there is enough light .It does not tolerate any shading or thickening, therefore regular pruning is necessary for it, as well as air. And how to do it correctly, we will look at this article in detail.

The purpose of pruning

Pruning is the main event for the care of shrubs , as a result of which we get a properly formed and abundantly fruiting healthy plant. It helps to control the growth of young shoots, to form old ones, to remove excess ones. Condensed plants produce small yields of small berries, and even they will be very difficult and traumatic to collect because of continuous pricklyness.

Gooseberry pruning

Depending on the purpose pruning is divided into:

• forming , the result of which is a well-formed compact bush;
• sanitary , carried out for the improvement of the shrub when the diseased, broken, dry branches that prevent the normal development and growth are removed from the plant;
• rejuvenating , performed to stimulate the growth of new shoots.

The timely cutting of the gooseberry will help protect it from most diseases associated with plant thickening and prolong the period of its full fruiting.

preplant

Pruning gooseberry at

planting Before planting shrubs for permanent the plant is removed nadlomannye and dry shoots, shortened the rest , leaving four buds on the shoots of the strong, and if the two escape the weak. Thin shoots are removed completely. Such a strong pruning pledge of good development of the bush. Gooseberry will quickly take root and recover, as it has the ability to quickly grow shoots.

Rejuvenating

Scheme of anti-aging pruning gooseberry shoots

The gooseberry bush is at dawn until 8 years of age, after which fruiting is reduced, if not completely. To extend the full life of a shrub, its rejuvenation is necessary. From 8-10 years of age they begin to make strong pruning annually, which consists in cutting in the late part of the third part of the shoots of the whole bush for three years. This will trigger the growth of zero( growing from the ground) shoots. Growing for the year zero shoots need to cut about 1⁄4 of their length.

Gooseberry bushes over 20 years old does not make sense to rejuvenate.

Classical scheme for pruning and forming gooseberry bush

Forming gooseberry bush - forming pruning

This is the formation of the most ordinary bush. In the first year of life on the shoots of the current year, leaves 4-5 buds and choose 3-4 strong zero escapes .Shoots growing horizontally, inside the bush, the sick and the weak are removed without regret. The following year, new sprouts that have been grown are shortened to 1/3 of , while the zero ones are left in total with the previous year to 8 . In the third year of life, the bush will have up to 12 branches between the ages of one and three years. Pruning is carried out according to the same principle: the branches of the current year are shortened, from the zero ones, to 4 best ones are chosen. The bush is already fruiting. By the age of five , the period of full fruiting, the bush should consist of 20 powerful branches of different ages. And from this point on every year the old branches are completely removed. They differ from other shoots in the darker color of the bark. A further pruning principle is the same.

If this pruning technology is observed, the bush will be constantly young and abundantly fruiting.

Unusual ways of cutting and shaping

. By cutting in a certain way, you can create an standard bush shape or grow it on the trellis.

Standard

This is shrub cultivation in the form of an tree. This bush looks very nice and takes up less space on the site, harvesting is simplified.

Growing gooseberries on a trunk

For forming a trunk, choose the strongest vertically growing shoot, all others are removed .All side shoots are also removed to the height of the selected trunk, usually a meter height is taken. Re-growing lateral shoots on the stem should be constantly removed, to facilitate the care of the bole it is advisable to put a tube( metal or plastic) on it and bury part of the tube in the ground. This will serve as a kind of support for the trunk, in the winter it will be easier to warm it, in order to avoid freezing. Near the bush must install a peg and produce a garter trunk to him in several places.

The further formation takes place according to the classical scheme: annually leaves up to 5 strong shoots, the shoots of last year are shortened by about half. Escape - the sequel does not shorten. Removed as shoots growing down and growing inside the bush. All shoots that grow from the soil at the base of the trunk are removed. As an option - the soil under the bush zamulchirovat crushed bark and beautiful and the growth will not break through it.

The disadvantages of this form of bush trimming are low frost resistance, the plant has a lifespan of only 10-12 years, because the stem is aging and it cannot be rejuvenated. But you can arrange the rotation of the standard bushes on the site. To do this, each year to form new plants and then the replacement will be retiring constantly.

Shpalernaya

This is growing a bush on a trellis. It is obligatory to install in rows of supports and tension between them three rows of wire at a height from the ground 50, 80, 100 cm .The bushes in rows are planted at a distance of 70-100 cm, the distance between the rows is 1.5 m.

Growing gooseberries on the trellis Trellised pruning of gooseberries

The shrub should consist of 3-4 branches. They are placed in a fan and tied to the lower wire trellis, their further growth lead vertically. When performing pruning, achieve horizontal growth of growing shoots, 3-5 are attached to the trellis of the strongest, slightly shortening them, the rest are removed. The following year, these branches tie up, without cutting to the second wire. The central shoots are shortened more strongly, and the horizontal ones are weaker so that they do not lag behind in growth. Zero shoots, thickening bush removed. Starting from the sixth year of life, begin rejuvenating pruning bush. Cut out the old branches, replacing them in advance left young.

With this method of growing, the bushes are very well ventilated and illuminated by .Harvesting is a pleasure.

Pruning and rejuvenation of gooseberry in spring, terms

Gooseberry spring wakes up very early and if it is decided to spring pruning, you should not be late with the deadlines. As soon as you can enter the garden and become warmer - proceed. Remove dry and blackened shoots( branches that have had powdery mildew).

If this is the second year of bush life, then weak shoots are removed, leaves 3-4 strongest zero shoots. And they do this for the first five years. By the beginning of full fruiting( from the fifth year of life), the bush must have up to 25 strong shoots of .

Pruning the bushes in the summer.

To increase the yield of gooseberries, it is recommended to prune the branches lightly in the summer. She consists in shortening the young green shoots .No more than seven leaves are left on the shoot, and the top is cut off.
In August, also weakly developing zero shoots are removed, on the development of which nutrition is taken from the plant.