Content
Gooseberries are called “northern grapes”, “Russian cherry plum” for their taste and external similarity to these fruits. But the thorny shrub, common on all continents except Australia, South America and Africa, has a botanical resemblance to currants, a “generous” and vitamin-rich berry familiar to our latitudes.
Gooseberries have many fans. Summer residents grow it mainly for winter preparations: compote and very tasty, healthy jam. Therefore, interest in the Malachite variety and the agricultural technology for its cultivation is quite justified.
History of variety development
Gooseberry Malachite is a relatively new variety, developed based on the best specific characteristics of the plant, popular among amateur gardeners.
Considering the distribution of the shrub on almost all continents, we can conclude that gooseberries do not need to improve their hardiness. In Russia it has been known as “bersen” or “kryzh” since the middle of the 16th century. But the wild shrub has too small and sour fruits, numerous thorns and low yield.
The popular vitamin product interested the breeders of the All-Russian Research Institute named after. Michurina.In 1959, they managed to develop a new hybrid, as a result of crossing the European varieties Date and Black Negus. Earlier varieties and hybrids of gooseberries were discovered and described in England at the beginning of the 17th century. By that time, more than a thousand varieties of gooseberries were already known.
Description of the bush and berries
Gooseberries of this variety differ from other varieties and hybrids in the larger size of the berries, increased productivity, and the characteristic color of the berries, for which the variety received the name Malachite.
Agrotechnical characteristics
As a result of selection, the Malachite hybrid acquired the following characteristics:
- The height of the bush is 1.3 m, spreading in the upper part, but compactly gathered at the base in the root zone. Young shoots are green and slightly pubescent. On the shoots of the second year, thorns are formed, sparsely located along the length of the stem.
- The weight of the berries is 5-6 g, their color is bright green at the stage of technical maturity, and during biological ripening it acquires an amber hue, the berries have thin skin, clearly defined veins, the pulp of the fruit contains a large number of very small seeds.
- Experts evaluate the table quality of berries on a five-point scale - 3.9 - 5 points; acidity – 2%; sugar content – 8.6%; The fruits are dense, with a rich characteristic aroma, high transportability and a long shelf life.
- Gooseberry fruits of the Malachite variety are used for making desserts and winter canning, and are characterized by a high content of pectins.
- The ripening period is mid-early, the fruiting period is extended.
- Productivity – 4 kg of berries per bush; peak fruiting occurs at the age of three years; ovaries are formed on shoots of the second year.
- Malachite is resistant to powdery mildew, frost resistance up to -300WITH.
Gooseberry Malachite is recommended for growing in the middle zone. With high resistance to low temperatures, gooseberries tolerate dry and hot summers much worse. It is believed that Malachite is a hybrid, but over the long years of existence, more than 60 years, the shrub has acquired stable varietal characteristics, which gives grounds to call this gooseberry a variety.
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of the variety | Flaws |
Productivity |
|
High taste qualities at the stage of biological maturity |
|
Powdery mildew resistance | Not resistant to anthracose |
Frost resistance |
|
Growing conditions
With proper care, the Malachite gooseberry bears fruit for fifteen years, starting from the second year of life. Fruits abundantly from the third to the fifth year of life, then the yield decreases. But with proper care, timely pruning and renewal of shoots, the productivity of Malachite can be extended.
All gooseberry varieties prefer to be grown in open sunny areas with low groundwater levels. Malachite produces a good harvest in fertile and light areas, but the use of fertilizing should be a carefully thought-out undertaking.
Landing Features
Gooseberry seedlings purchased from a nursery are transplanted to a new location, deepening the root zone of the plant by 5-6 cm. This planting allows the plant to form replacement roots, and the plant can more easily tolerate transplantation, which is inevitably associated with injury to the root system. Planting should be done in autumn or early spring, before sap flow begins.
Gooseberry seedlings should have 3-5 young shoots.Before planting the bush, it is recommended to treat the damaged roots with a disinfectant solution and “powder” them with ash. The shoots need to be trimmed, leaving the length of the ground part of the plant 10-15 cm. Ideally, the length of the stems should not exceed the length of the main root.
The planting scheme for Malachite at a summer cottage can be somewhat compacted if there is not enough space. However, you should not thicken the bushes too much: this will complicate further care of the plant, and will also negatively affect the ripening of the berries, which become sweeter under the influence of sunlight. The recommended planting scheme for gooseberries of the Malachite variety is 0.7-1.0 m. If the cultivation of gooseberries is planned in large volumes, then the row spacing is 1.4-1.8 m. Planting depth is 0.5-0.6 m. After planting the soil in the root zone needs to be compacted.
It is better to fertilize after the bush has rooted, and limit it to watering. For light sandy loam soil, one bush will require 10 liters of water during autumn planting. In the spring, when planting in moist soil, you can reduce the watering rate by half.
Rules of care
The care rules for gooseberries of the Malachite variety are standard, as for all berry bushes. Young shoots of the first order form flower stalks in the spring of next year. Therefore, two-year-old stems must be regularly removed to prevent thickening of the bushes. We should not forget that timely thinning of shrubs will eliminate the need to fight pests and diseases. An overgrown gooseberry bush produces lower yields of small and too sour berries.
The agricultural technology for growing Malachite gooseberries consists of four mandatory stages.
Support
The Malachite gooseberry bush, as mentioned above, has a height of 1.3 m. Such shoots, under the weight of the fruit, are capable of lodging in the fruiting phase. Therefore, gooseberries need support. There are several ways to support:
- The easiest way is to tie the bush with twine during the ripening period. But this method only saves the stems and fruits from contact with the soil surface where pests - insects and pathogenic microorganisms - live. The inconvenience of such support is felt during harvesting.
- Installation of round or square rigid supports on posts around bushes, larger in diameter than the area occupied by the bush. The height of the support is 50-60 cm. In this case, the gooseberry stems rest freely on hard ribs.
- The height of Malachite's stems allows the shrub to be placed on trellises. This garter method is ideal in every way.
Top dressing
Gooseberries bear fruit for a long time if you regularly feed the bush. You only need to apply fertilizing in the autumn, along the perimeter of the crown, where the tips of the roots are located. During the winter period, thanks to the addition of a nutrient mixture, the soil structure will improve. It is during the transition of the plant to the dormant phase that fertilizing is most favorable for gooseberries. Prepare the mineral mixture:
- 50 g superphosphate;
- 25 g ammonium sulfate;
- 25 g of potassium sulfate.
Combine the dry mixture with compost. Fertilizer for gooseberries is applied in dry form, since this berry bush prefers slow and gradual saturation with nutrients. It does not tolerate fertilizers dissolved in water and quickly absorbed. Sprinkle the prepared fertilizer around the bush, after loosening the top layer of soil.After a couple of weeks, you can add diluted mullein - 5 liters of organic matter per 10 liters of water per gooseberry bush.
Bush pruning
Malachite grows by 10–14 shoots annually. Stems older than 5 years are cut off at the root in the fall, and growth 1-3 years old is cut 10 cm above the root collar. In the spring, for abundant flowering and the formation of large fruits, young shoots are pinched, cutting off the tops by 10 cm.
Preparing for winter
In the fall, after pruning and fertilizing, before the onset of cold weather, gooseberries are hilled up, covering the root zone. Malachite is a frost-resistant shrub, but winter insulation contributes to the early awakening of the plant and the appearance of friendly young shoots. In the spring, before the bush awakens, the protective layer should be removed and the soil in the root zone should be loosened superficially, in case pest larvae have overwintered near the bush. While the larvae are sleeping, pour boiling water over the area and spray it onto the stems of the plant. A “hot shower” will rid the gooseberry of its harmful environment and awaken the buds.
Reproduction
A gooseberry harvest weighing 4 kg is not that much! If you are lucky enough to get the Malachite variety, then it can be propagated on the site in several ways without much effort. Gooseberries are propagated:
- Cuttings;
- By layering;
- Dividing the bush;
- Vaccinations;
- Seeds.
You can learn more about gooseberry propagation methods by watching the video:
Pest and disease control
Unfortunately, rare plants bloom and bear fruit safely without attracting the attention of pests. Despite its high resistance to many diseases, Malachite gooseberries are not immune to crop destruction by insects.Briefly, the measures to combat the main pests are presented in the table:
Pest | Biological methods of control | Chemical protection |
Gooseberry moth | Mulching the soil, removing damaged berries, infusion of tomato leaves, ash, mustard, biological products | Karbofos, Actellik, Fufanon, Iskra, Gardona |
Sawfly | Pruning old shoots, mulching, pouring boiling water over the root zone in early spring, Fitoferm | Fitoverm, Ambush |
Aphid | Ash or tobacco infusion (irrigation), Bitobaxibacillin | Decis |
Moth |
| Kinmiks |
After chemical treatment, you can start picking berries no earlier than 2 weeks later, and the harvested crop must be thoroughly washed.
The Malachite variety is resistant to powdery mildew, but summer residents will have to fight other diseases when growing this variety on their own.
Conclusion
Gooseberries of the Malachite variety have been grown in summer cottages for a long time, and judging by the reviews of gardeners, they are very popular. Minor problems - diseases and pests, which are described above - do not reduce the demand for berry bushes. The vast majority of summer residents believe that the Malachite variety is the best option for the garden.
