When and how to plant gooseberries in spring and summer: step-by-step instructions, timing, diagram, fruiting features

Planting gooseberries in open ground in the spring, following the rules of agricultural technology for this crop, will allow you to obtain an abundant and high-quality harvest of berries.Preparation of planting material, selection of a suitable location and adherence to planting deadlines lay the foundation for the health of the shrub. Regular plant care and disease prevention are a guarantee of long fruiting.

Features of growing and fruiting gooseberries

Gooseberry is an unpretentious, high-yielding berry bush that is widely used in domestic gardening. “Northern grapes,” as this plant is also called, is winter-hardy; some of its varieties can bloom even with slight frosts. Hybrids have been selected that are resistant to pests, powdery mildew, spheroteca, and black spot.

Gooseberries are a crop that tolerates drought well. A dry regime is more preferable than heavy rains, close groundwater and floods in the spring. To obtain high yields, the plant must be provided with sufficient light. In a shaded place, the bush grows long branches, on the tops of which berries form. Shoots located in the shade are poorly leafed and susceptible to freezing and disease. For active growth and development, loose and nutritious soil, free of weeds, is required, which begins to be prepared a year before planting in the spring. There are no special requirements for its composition. It can be clayey, sandy or peat.

For what year after planting do gooseberries bear fruit?

Gooseberries begin to bear fruit in the third year after planting. The first harvests are not abundant. As the crop ages, the quality of the berries improves and the yield increases.

When the gooseberries are ripe

The fruiting time of gooseberries depends on the region where they grow:

• in the south the fruits will be ripe by the beginning of July;
• in the Middle Zone and Moscow region, the berries ripen in mid-summer;
• in Siberia and the Urals, the crop begins to bear fruit by the end of July - beginning of August.

Ripening time depends on the variety. Early, medium, and late varieties of gooseberries have been developed. The ripening of fruits on a bush can be simultaneous or extended.

How long does a gooseberry bear fruit?

Gooseberry berries begin to ripen 2 - 2.5 months after flowering. They can stay on the bush for a long time, about three weeks, and not fall off even after they are overripe.

For about 30 years or even more, with proper care, gooseberries produce good harvests. High fruiting continues until the age of 15 years. From one bush you can get up to 15 - 20 kg of berries per season.

When is it better to plant gooseberries: in spring or summer?

Planting gooseberries in spring is more preferable than in summer. Thanks to the optimal air temperature and abundant soil moisture after the snow melts, the seedlings take root well and the bush is actively developing.

Why you can’t plant gooseberries in summer

In summer, gooseberries cannot be planted with seedlings with an open root system. Hot weather is not conducive to the rapid development of shrubs. It does not take root well and usually disappears a few months after planting.

In the summer, propagation of the crop by cuttings can be successful. Cuttings cut from the bush are buried in fertile soil and watered abundantly. By winter, such a plant has time to take root well.

Timing for planting gooseberry seedlings in spring

In the spring, the choice of planting time for gooseberries influences the achievement of a successful result. This culture emerges from winter sleep very early. If you plant a bush with swollen buds in the ground, it will hurt and, most likely, die. Thus, in the spring the plant is planted, taking into account the climate of the area, choosing the time after the ground has thawed and the snow cover has melted.

When to plant gooseberries in different regions

In spring, the timing of planting in the ground is determined by the climatic characteristics of the area:

1. The regions of the Middle Belt and the Moscow region are located in a zone with a temperate continental climate. Here, the optimal time for planting gooseberries is in the spring, in April.
2. The climate of Siberia and the Urals is continental, characterized by harsh conditions. In these regions, gooseberries are planted in late April - early May.
3. In the southern regions, the climate varies from subtropical to temperate continental. Spring comes early here, and the plant can be planted in open ground as early as March - early April.

The timing of planting gooseberries is determined by the possibility of purchasing seedlings and the preferences of the gardener.

How to plant gooseberries in spring

In order for gooseberries to bear fruit abundantly, they should be planted in the spring, following step-by-step instructions: choose the right place for placement, prepare the soil and planting material, and plant the seedlings correctly.

Where is the best place to plant gooseberries on the plot?

To place gooseberries, preference is given to well-lit areas, avoiding close proximity to buildings and structures that may shade the bush. Trees and shrubs growing nearby interfere with the development of the plant by absorbing nutrients.

It is better to plant gooseberries on a flat, flat place, protected from winds, especially cold northern and western ones. Groundwater should lie no closer than 1.5 m to the ground surface. If the roots of the plant are constantly exposed to dampness, they will begin to rot, which will lead to its death.

For gooseberries, areas with loamy, non-acidic soils with good drainage properties are preferred. To reduce soil acidity, you can use a limestone solution. Sandy and marshy soils are not suitable for growing plants.

Where can you plant gooseberries next?

Gooseberries can be planted nearby:

• with other species of this plant - they self-pollinate well and are less susceptible to diseases and pests;
• with red currants - they bloom and bear fruit at the same time, do not have common pests, and do not compete for nutrients;
• with herbs (basil, mint, lemon balm) - this smell repels insects;
• with tomatoes, which serve to protect the crop from parasites, they are often planted between rows of gooseberries.

What should you not plant gooseberries next to?

Planting gooseberries next to some crops leads to a decrease in its yield, diseases, and in some cases, death. This shrub should not be planted nearby:

• with trees and bushes that create shading and compete with the plant for food;
• black currants, which share common diseases and parasites with gooseberries;
• raspberries and strawberries, which attract nutrients and attract moths, weevils, and aphids;
• fennel and hyssop, which release substances into the soil that negatively affect the development of garden plants.

How to prepare the soil for planting gooseberries

In the area chosen for placing gooseberries, the soil is carefully prepared in the fall. It is dug up over the entire area of ​​the site, the weed is removed and its roots are selected. In spring, the soil surface is leveled with a rake, breaking up clods. During digging, 18-20 kg of organic-mineral compost is added to areas allocated for shrubs.

Selection and preparation of planting material

You can plant gooseberries in the spring as seedlings. The survival rate and health of the plant depends on their quality. Select two-year-old planting material that must meet the following criteria:

• so that its ground part consists of 2 - 3 branches up to 40 cm long;
• rhizome - was represented by no less than three lignified skeletal processes 15 cm long, with a yellowish bark and well-developed fibrous components.

In addition to seedlings, cuttings are used as planting material.They are prepared in the fall, and transplanted to a permanent place in early spring, before the start of the growing season. Cuttings are carried out according to one of the following schemes:

• In September, a young annual twig is selected, growing from the root. Peel it from leaves and cut it into pieces 20 cm long. The upper cut is made above the kidney. The cuttings are immersed for 15 minutes in water at a temperature of 45 degrees to prevent damage by bud mites. Then the cuttings are planted at an angle of 45⁰ into the ground, leaving two buds above the surface;
• Small green shoots, up to 10 cm long, with a lignified heel from last year's branch are cut and planted according to the scheme described for the first case.

In the spring, before planting, to ensure good survival, the seedling is prepared:

1. Inspect the gooseberries for the presence of fungal diseases and mold.
2. Remove dried or damaged parts of shoots and roots.
3. The shoots are cut to 4 buds. This will allow the developing root system to provide the above-ground part with nutrients in sufficient quantities.
4. Immerse the seedlings for 3 - 5 minutes in a transparent pink solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) for disinfection.
5. To stimulate root formation, the roots of the seedling are dipped into a stimulator or rooting agent for 2 - 3 minutes. For this purpose, you can use a clay mash, the consistency of thick sour cream.

How to save gooseberry seedlings before planting

In the spring, gooseberry seedlings with an open (OKS) and closed (ZKS) root system go on sale. The general rules for their storage are that planting material should not be brought into a warm room, because this can stimulate plant growth. But there are differences:

• Seedlings with ZKS, that is, grown in a container, should be well watered and stored in a cool room or outdoors, in a shaded place;
  
• If the root system of the seedling is open, then wrap it in cloth or paper, moisten it and keep the plant in the shade. In the spring, before planting, you can dig in the seedlings by covering the roots with soil and watering them well.
  

Advice! In the spring, in order to protect seedlings from late frosts when stored outdoors, they are wrapped in non-woven covering material.

The advantage of specimens grown in containers is that they can be planted throughout the entire growing season (spring and summer) and have almost 100% survival rate. If a plant is purchased with OCS, then it is better to plant it in the ground as soon as possible. The advantage of such planting material is that it is possible to fully inspect the plant and assess its condition.

At what distance should gooseberries be planted?

In order to plant gooseberries correctly in the spring, the distance at which the plants are placed from each other is important. This is a light-loving spreading shrub, and its productivity depends on the light.

The density of gooseberries is determined by the variety, soil fertility, illumination, method of formation of the bush, and expected lifespan. Of primary importance for proper planting in spring is the placement scheme:

1. With the usual sparse placement scheme, plants are planted in rows with an interval of 1.4 - 1.5 m. The row spacing should be 2 - 2.5 m. Shrubs in a row begin to close in the 5th - 6th year and form a continuous strip.
2. The combined method is that the bushes are first planted densely (the distance in the row is 0.75 m, and between them is 1 m), and then the rows are gradually thinned out. In the spring of the 3rd - 4th year, the bushes are removed from them every other year and transplanted to a new place. Then the distance between the gooseberries in the row will remain 1.5 m. Then again, after 1 - 2 years, the density of the plantation is reduced by removing shrubs growing across the row. By the 7th year, they gradually switch to the usual planting pattern.
   Comment! If shrubs are planted according to a combined scheme, then high yields are harvested from a young berry plant located in a small area.

3. When planting two specimens to increase yield, they are placed in one large hole at a distance of 0.2 m from each other. But this method is not justified. In the first years, the yield of the bushes is high, then they thicken, their roots intertwine, and they quickly age. It is difficult to plant them without damage.
4. When placed between rows in a young garden, gooseberries are planted at a distance of at least 1.5 - 2 m from the trees. If their crowns begin to close, the plant is replanted or removed in the spring.

If a decision is made to grow gooseberries on a trellis, they are planted according to a compacted pattern: the interval between shrubs in a row will be 0.5 - 0.7 m, and between rows - 3 m.

When placing a berry garden, take into account the minimum permissible distance to landscape design objects and communications:

• to the fence – 1 m;
• to garden paths - 0.5 m;
• to the walls of buildings - 1.5 m;
• to underground cables – 0.7 m.

How to plant gooseberries in spring

Proper planting of gooseberries in the spring consists of the following mandatory steps.

Preparation of fertilizing.

For each planting hole, a mixture of fertilizers is pre-prepared:

• humus – 1.5 – 2 buckets;
• peat - 2 buckets;
• supersphosphate – 300 g;
• potassium salt – 30 – 40 g;
• wood ash – 300 g;
• ground limestone -150 g.

Well preparation

Holes or trenches are prepared at least 2 weeks before planting gooseberries: so that the soil naturally subsides. They dig holes measuring 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 m. In this case, you can focus on the bayonet of the shovel: depth - 1.5 bayonets, diameter - 2 bayonets.

With the soil removed from the holes, proceed as follows:

• the top fertile soil is mixed with pre-prepared fertilizing and placed on the bottom of the hole in the form of a slide;
• The soil from the bottom layer of the hole is distributed between the rows, and instead, the top layer of soil, previously removed from the surface between the rows, is used to fill the hole.

Gooseberries are planted in the prepared holes.

Planting seedlings

In the spring, after advance preparation and inspection, you can plant gooseberries according to this step-by-step guide:

• Step 1. Place the seedling on the top of the hill at the bottom of the planting nest so that the root collar is 5 - 7 cm below ground level. Spread the roots down;
• Step 2. Fill the planting nest with prepared soil, removed from the top layer of the hole and mixed with fertilizer.The gooseberry seedling must be shaken periodically to ensure uniform and dense laying of the soil;
• Step 3. To remove remaining air and compact the soil, after filling the hole, not reaching 10 - 12 cm from the edge, generously water the gooseberries from a watering can in the amount of 2/3 of a bucket. Add all the soil and spill the remaining water (1/3 of a bucket);
• Step 4. Mulch the tree trunk circle. You can use peat or compost as mulch, laying it in a layer of 3 - 4 cm;
• Step 5. When planting in spring, you should shorten the branches of the seedling, leaving 3 - 4 buds. This balances the volume of the crown and root system, making it easier for the young plant to feed.

The described gooseberry planting scheme is shown in the figure.

You can achieve good survival rate by planting gooseberries using the simplified method presented in the video:

Planting gooseberries in the spring when grown on a trellis is slightly different from the traditional scheme. A trellis with a height of at least 2 m is first installed. For supports, wooden or metal beams are used, between which wire is pulled parallel in three tiers. Then, next to the trellis, gooseberry bushes are planted in holes or trenches at intervals of 0.5 m. The dimensions of the planting nests are the same as for traditional planting. After this, they move on to the formation of shrubs.

How to grow gooseberries in the country or on a personal plot

Growing gooseberries on a personal plot is accompanied by mandatory care procedures. To obtain a high-quality harvest, you should follow the schedule of watering and fertilizing, loosen and mulch the soil, and prune the bushes correctly in spring and autumn.

What to do if frosts start after planting gooseberries

Gooseberries, especially young and fragile ones, are sensitive to return frosts. To protect plants planted in spring, they are wrapped in burlap, paper or film. It is optimal to use non-woven covering material for protection.

Smoke is a long-known but difficult way to protect against late frosts. Smoke is difficult to contain in the area. This procedure is accompanied by a constant unpleasant smell of fire.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

The first watering of gooseberries is carried out on the 3rd - 4th day after planting in the spring. Then the seedling is watered once a week until rooting. Next, regular moistening of the soil at the prescribed time is required:

• V mae - when new branches grow;
• in July - when the berries ripen;
• in October - to provide moisture for the winter period.

Fertilizers are applied for the first time in the spring, during planting. Then, starting from the age of three, the gooseberries are fed 4 times a year: before buds open, before flowering, before fruit formation, after harvesting. The basis of feeding is rotted manure (1:10) or bird droppings (1:20). In spring and autumn, a complex fertilizer is used, which contains superphosphate, saltpeter, and potassium chloride.

Loosening and mulching the soil

The soil around the young plant is regularly loosened to saturate it with air, and weeds are removed.Tree trunk circles are mulched using compost or peat after each watering and heavy rainfall.

Trimming and installing supports

For the correct formation of the gooseberry crown and the prevention of diseases, formative, sanitary and rejuvenating haircuts are carried out regularly, in autumn and spring. Remove diseased and unproductive branches. For the first time, the bush is pruned immediately after planting, leaving no more than 4 - 6 buds on the shoots. The root system of the seedling will not be able to support the vital activity of a larger volume of the above-ground part.

Around tall gooseberry bushes, in the spring of the 2nd - 3rd year, supports are installed, to which branches are tied, as necessary. The supports can be stakes, trellises or frames.

How to grow gooseberries on a trellis

In spring, you can plant gooseberries to grow on a trellis. This is a rational method that ensures early and uniform formation of berries and ease of harvesting.

The trellis is installed from north to south for good illumination of the bushes. The wire on it is stretched in three tiers (50; 80; 100 cm above the ground). Gooseberries with this growing method are formed as follows:

1. On the bushes, of all the shoots grown in the first year, 3-4 of the most developed ones are retained. In the spring they are fixed on the first tier, with an interval of 20 - 30 cm.
2. In the second year, the remaining shoots, without shortening, are tied to the wire of the second tier. The central branches are removed.
3. In the third year, two additional basal branches are left on the gooseberry to rejuvenate the bush. And the side shoots are tied to the third tier.
4. In the fall or spring of the 4th - 5th year, the old branches are cut out, and two young annual shoots are left in their place. This way the bush is rejuvenated throughout its entire life cycle.
5. Shoots that grow from the root collar are constantly removed.

The thorns of a bush formed in this way do not complicate harvesting. All berries are in the same plane. They are large and ripen quickly.

Pests and diseases

Pest and disease control is an essential component of proper gooseberry care. This crop is susceptible to viral and fungal diseases and is attacked by insects. Therefore, young and adult shrubs need preventive treatment with solutions:

• baking soda;
• karbofos;
• iron sulfate.

Conclusion

Planting gooseberries in open ground in the spring and timely implementation of crop care procedures yield results in the form of a harvest of large berries with high taste characteristics. It is planted taking into account the varietal characteristics and the chosen placement scheme. Growing and planting shrubs on a trellis has its differences.

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