Content
Olavi gooseberry, or Hinnomainen Punainen, is a high-yielding Finnish berry variety characterized by a pleasant fruit taste, resistance to parasites and ease of cultivation. Thanks to its high frost resistance, the crop thrives even in the harsh climatic conditions of the northern and northwestern regions of Russia. However, before purchasing a gooseberry popular among gardeners, it is worth studying its characteristics, strengths and weaknesses, planting and care features to achieve maximum yield of the variety.
Description of gooseberry Olavi
Olavi gooseberry (variety description and photo are given below) has been included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements since 1999. The shrub is approved for cultivation in the Vologda, Tver, Yaroslavl, Kostroma, Kaliningrad, Pskov, Leningrad, Novgorod, Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions of Russia. Promising for cultivation throughout the Non-Black Earth zone. It is considered a universal mid-late crop.
Olavi has the following characteristics:
- Bush shape. Slightly spreading, medium height.
- Escape. Medium thickness, erect, pubescent, green.After lignification they may turn grey.
- The degree of thorniness of the branches is strong. The spines are single- and double-parted, sharp, medium-length and short. They are located along the entire branch and directed perpendicular to it.
- Kidneys. Pointed, small, elongated, slightly deflected.
- The leaf blade is medium-sized, pubescent, slightly shiny, rich green in color, divided into 3-5 lobes with large teeth along the edges. It is attached to the shoot obliquely using a short cutting.
- The flowers are broadly bell-shaped and medium in size.
- The fruits are medium-sized, weighing about 3.7 g (2.0-4.4 g), rich cherry color, pubescent, oval and round, covered with a waxy coating.
The Olavi variety is considered a highly self-fertile crop (about 50%) and does not require pollinators.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The Olavi variety was specially created for cultivation in areas with long frosty winters and short summers. The culture can safely withstand temperatures down to -30 ⁰C.
The Olavi variety has average resistance to drought. A long absence of moisture negatively affects the berries. Gooseberry fruits grow small, limp and sour in taste. The leaf blades of the bush turn yellow and slow down growth.
Fruiting, productivity
Berries of the Olavi variety are characterized by:
- juicy sweet and sour pulp (taster rating – 4.5);
- almost complete absence of aroma;
- refreshing taste;
- thin skin;
- high productivity (up to 13 kg per bush);
- medium-late ripening (from mid-August to frost);
- good keeping quality and transportability.
The chemical composition of Olavi gooseberries in terms of sugar content is in the range of 5.9-11.9%, and in terms of acidity ─ 2.5-3.6%. The amount of ascorbic acid per 100 g of fruit of this variety is 20-39 mg.
Original jam, marmalades, and aromatic compote are made from Olavi berries. The fruits are also suitable for fresh consumption.
Advantages and disadvantages
Gardeners consider the advantages of the gooseberry variety Olavi:
- high winter hardiness;
- stable fruiting (up to 20 years);
- immunity to most diseases;
- versatility and pleasant taste of the fruit;
- pest resistance;
- long shelf life without loss of gooseberry weight;
- rapid survival of seedlings.
The disadvantages of the Olavi variety are the large number of thorns on the shoots and the possibility of fruit cracking in rainy weather.
Features of reproduction
Gooseberry variety Olavi mainly reproduces vegetatively.
To obtain cuttings, in early May, a 2-year-old healthy shoot is placed in a moistened planting furrow and covered with soil. Periodically, the soil is watered and hilled up. By autumn, several sprouts will form, ready for transplanting.
The cuttings method has a lower survival rate, but is used when it is necessary to quickly obtain a large amount of planting material.At the beginning of June, 15-centimeter cuttings are cut from green shoots, after which they are planted under film. To stimulate the growth of the gooseberry root system, the soil is periodically moistened.
Planting and care
Gooseberries of the Olavi variety prefer sunny, draft-free places for planting. The ideal option is a site on a hill with protection from the cold wind in the form of a fence or building walls.
The soil chosen for Olavi gooseberries is fertile, from sandy loam to clay. The main thing is that there is no swamping; the Olavi variety does not tolerate close proximity to aquifers.
The timing of planting gooseberries depends on climatic conditions. In the northern regions, the Olavi variety is planted in the spring, after the soil has warmed up sufficiently, but the buds have not yet had time to open. In areas with a warmer climate, autumn planting is carried out (in October).
Before planting, the root system of the Olavi variety bushes is soaked for a day in a solution of sodium guamate or “Barrier”. The procedure promotes rapid establishment of gooseberries in a new place.
The planting of gooseberries of the Olavi variety is carried out in several stages:
- Dig a planting hole with a depth and diameter of no more than 0.5 m.
- Cover it halfway with loosened soil. Mix the soil with 1 bucket of humus, 4 tbsp. l. nitrophoska and 1 tbsp. ash.
- Place the seedling in the hole at a right angle.
- Straighten the gooseberry roots and compact the soil.
- Water the bush abundantly.
- Remove excess shoots, leaving 6 live buds.
- Mulch the ground with peat.
Growing rules
The gooseberry variety Olavi, despite the ease of cultivation, requires timely implementation of agrotechnical procedures.
During the dry period, gooseberries are regularly watered with settled warm water, at least once every 10 days. It is especially important to irrigate during flowering and during fruit formation. The surface crust formed after watering is loosened and the weeds are removed. The gooseberry tree trunk is mulched.
Before reaching 3 years of age, the Olavi variety shrub periodically undergoes formative pruning. The procedure consists of cutting the skeletal shoots of the gooseberry to ½ length and removing almost all of the shoots.
In adult gooseberries, the pruning procedure is carried out to reduce the density of the bush and facilitate harvesting. So, after the end of winter, weak or damaged shoots are removed from the crop, leaving about 16 shoots of different ages.
The Olavi variety reacts favorably to feeding. During the season, the procedure is carried out 3 times (proportions are given for 1 plant):
- before the leaves appear - with urea (2 tbsp per 1 bucket of water);
- during flowering (1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water);
- during fruiting (2 tablespoons of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water or potassium sulfate, as before).
To protect the Olavi variety from pests, twice a year the row spacing of the bush is dug up to a depth of 15 cm, and the tree trunk circles are loosened deeper than usual (up to 8 cm). In preparation for the winter period, in order to prevent the development of diseases and the appearance of pests, gooseberries are treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture.
The Olavi variety does not need shelter for the winter. To ensure the safety of the root system of an adult shrub, earth is mounded around the plant, and sawdust or dry peat is poured into the gooseberry tree trunk. Young crops are covered with non-woven material.
Pests and diseases
Gooseberries of the Olavi variety rarely get sick. Fungal infection usually affects crops under conditions of high air humidity and low temperatures. In this case, the fruits of the bush are covered with a dense gray film. To eliminate the problem, use “Topaz” or “Oxyx”.
Of the pests on shrubs of the Olavi variety, aphids are the most common. To combat it, the crop is sprayed with a solution of ordinary laundry soap and anthills are removed from the area.
Conclusion
Olavi gooseberries do not require special cultivation techniques, but at the same time they are characterized by high productivity and excellent taste of the fruit. And qualities such as frost resistance, resistance to diseases and pests, and ease of reproduction make the crop a welcome guest in the garden plots of different regions of the country.
Reviews about gooseberries Olavi
