Content
Owners of gardens in regions with harsh climates grow winter-hardy gooseberry variety Harlequin. The shrub is almost thornless, the berries are colored a rich reddish-brick color.
History of variety development
The gooseberry variety Harlequin with attractive red berries is the result of breeding work by employees of the South Ural Research Institute of Horticulture and Potato Growing. Its author, V.S. Ilyin, crossed gooseberry varieties Chelyabinsk Green and African. The new variety of gooseberries has been tested in plantings since 1989, and 6 years later it was included in the State Register with recommendations for cultivation in the Ural and Western Siberian regions.
Description of the bush and berries
The medium-sized Harlequin gooseberry bush has straight, medium-spreading branches. Slightly spiny shoots without pubescence, light green. Weak, short and thin spines of a single type are found only on some shoots at the nodes. Three- and five-lobed leaves with blunt teeth are slightly larger than average in size, with fine pubescence, moderately wrinkled and slightly shiny. In overgrowing shoots, the base of the leaf has a small notch or is straight. Small, brown buds with a pointed tip deviate from the branch.
The inflorescence of the variety contains 2-3 small bright flowers with long pink or light red bent sepals. The peduncle is dark green.
The round-oval, uniform berries of the Harlequin gooseberry variety are deep dark cherry in color; in the full ripening phase, they weigh from 2.7 g to 5.4 g. The skin is of medium density and has no pubescence. The pulp is sweet and sour, juicy, thick, and starchy in the phase of full maturity. 100 g of gooseberry berries contain 24.4 mg of ascorbic acid. The berries contain 6.6% sugar, 3.3% acid, 12.3% dry matter. According to the All-Russian Research Institute for Breeding Fruit Crops, the tasting score of Harlequin gooseberries is 4.8 points.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages | Flaws |
|---|---|
Self-fertility (38.9%) | Average yield compared to new varieties. For sufficient berry picking, 3-4 plants should be planted |
Branches of the Harlequin variety are weakly thorny | The berries have a mediocre taste; they are recommended to be processed |
Commercial attractiveness of berries | Late ripening |
Resistance of the Harlequin variety to frost and drought, easy care | |
Powdery mildew resistance | Susceptibility to septoria |
Characteristics
Criteria | Data |
|---|---|
Productivity | From 1st quarter2 0.4 kg of berries are collected. At variety testing stations, gooseberries yielded up to 8 tons per hectare. On average, over the years of testing, from 1992 to 1994, the Harlequin variety showed a yield of 38.0 c/ha. |
Drought resistance | Gooseberries tolerate short dry periods, but this variety requires sufficient moisture to form berries. |
Winter hardiness | Harlequin bush tolerates temperatures of -35OC. In frosty winters the tops freeze.The shoots recover well and bear fruit. Resistant to spring temperature changes |
Resistance to diseases and pests | The Harlequin variety is not affected by powdery mildew and is susceptible to white leaf spot. Sawfly larvae eat tender gooseberry leaves |
Maturation period | Late. In the European part of Russia, the Harlequin variety will ripen by the end of July, in Siberia - in August |
Transportability | The dense structure of the berries endures transportation |
Growing conditions
Harlequin gooseberry is a resilient and light-loving crop; the bush bears fruit for at least 15 years.
- The Harlequin variety is placed in spacious sunny areas;
- The bush does not develop well on heavy soils: add sand;
- Areas in lowlands and with stagnant water are not suitable for gooseberries.
Landing Features
Harlequin gooseberries are planted in spring and autumn. Autumn planting at the end of September is preferable, since the buds of the bush wake up early. Gooseberries planted in spring may take a long time to take root and will weaken. Bushes of the Harlequin variety with predominantly erect shoots are placed at intervals of 0.8-1.2 m, providing sufficient insolation and ventilation. When choosing a seedling, pay attention to the presence of a branched root system. The shoots are healthy, without wounds on the bark.
- Prepare a hole 0.7 m wide and deep.
- A drainage of gravel, pebbles, small fragments of bricks is placed at the bottom and covered with sand.
- For the substrate, fertile soil is mixed with 8-10 kg of humus or compost, 5 kg of sand on heavy soils, 200 g of wood ash and 100 g of nitrophoska or a mineral complex for berry bushes.
- Gooseberry roots are laid out on a mound of substrate at a depth of 60 cm and the root collar is sprinkled.
- The soil is compacted, watered, and mulch of humus or peat is placed on top.
Rules of care
The undemanding Harlequin gooseberry variety requires minimal care.
Support
After planting, make a support for the branches of the bush. The structure is constructed from wooden beams, metal-plastic pipes, acquiring the necessary fastenings. It prevents branches from accidentally bending towards the ground.
Top dressing
Harlequin gooseberry bushes are given mineral and organic fertilizers. They are used after watering.
- Immediately after the snow melts, 200 g of wood ash and 40 g of nitrophosphate are scattered onto the wet ground in a circle around the tree trunk.
- Before flowering, fertilize with 500 g of mullein or 200 g of bird droppings diluted in 10 liters of water. 50 g of potassium sulfate and ammonium sulfate are added to the organic matter. For young bushes 3 liters is enough, for adults twice as much.
- The same mixture or nitrophoska is fertilized in the phase of ovary formation.
- In the fall, once every 2-3 years, 10-15 kg of humus is poured under the bush.
Bush pruning
Old branches that have reached 5 years old are removed from the gooseberry bush of the Harlequin variety in spring or autumn. The remaining branches are cut off by 10-15 cm from the top. Damaged, frozen shoots or shoots heading into the bush are removed.
Reproduction
The gooseberry variety Harlequin is propagated by layering and dividing the bush.
Near a healthy branch that is located low, dig a groove 10-15 cm deep and lay the branch using garden pins. The place of cuttings is constantly watered, stimulating the formation of roots and shoots. Sprouts that have reached 10-12 cm are spudded. In September, the seedlings are moved.
In the fall, they dig up a large bush and divide the root with a sharp ax. The transplanted divisions are spudded.
Preparing for winter
Having collected fallen leaves, dig up the soil to 10 cm. Add a 12 cm layer of humus or peat, which is removed from the bush in the spring. Sawdust is sometimes added to humus.
Disease Control
Disease | Signs | Control measures | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
White spot or septoria | The leaves have grayish spots with a dark border. Later, black dots with spores form on the spots. Leaves curl, dry, fall off | Affected leaves are removed. Treatment with 1% Bordeaux mixture before and after flowering, then after 2 weeks and after picking the berries | In autumn, fallen leaves are removed. In early spring, spray 40 g of copper sulfate per 10 liters of water. Boron, manganese sulfate, zinc, copper are added to the soil under the bushes |
Anthracnose | Dark brown spots on leaves that dry out and fall off. Young shoots grow weakly. The berries are sour. The harvest is declining | Spraying with 1% Bordeaux mixture, as for septoria | Fallen leaves are removed. In spring, treat with copper sulfate |
Viral gooseberry mosaic | There are yellow spots in a pattern along the leaf veins. The leaves grow small. Shoots do not grow, yield decreases | There is no treatment. Bushes are removed and burned | Healthy seedlings. Fighting aphids and mites that spread the disease |
Pest Control
Pests | Signs | Control measures | Prevention |
|---|---|---|---|
Gooseberry sawfly | The appearance of small, up to 6 mm, insects with a shiny black body and membranous wings. The larvae, greenish caterpillars, eat the leaves. The berries are small, the bush weakens, does not tolerate winter | Manual collection of caterpillars, infusions of wormwood, garlic, tobacco | Digging the soil in autumn, loosening in summer, collecting fallen berries |
Aphid | Colonies on the tips of the shoots, the upper leaves are curled into a ball | Treatment: Iskra, Fufanon, infusions of soap, garlic | In early spring they pour boiling water over the bushes |
Conclusion
The thornless gooseberry variety marked the beginning of the breeding of similar varieties. The Harlequin bush itself also remains popular. Loosening the soil, watering, fertilizing, and spring prevention will give the expected harvest.
