Content
Gooseberry Serenade enjoys well-deserved popularity among amateur gardeners. The absence of thorns on the shoots makes caring for the bush simple and convenient. The variety has many supporters, but there are also opponents to growing a thornless bush. A detailed acquaintance with Gooseberry Serenade will help you make your choice.
Description of gooseberry Serenade
Gooseberry Serenada was created by crossing the Besshipny and Captivator varieties at the All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture named after. I. V. Michurina. Forms a vigorous, slightly spreading bush with a medium dense crown. The shoots are strong, curved, and the thorniness is weakly expressed. Single thorns are mainly concentrated in the lower part of the bush. The leaves are light, convex, dense. The surface of the leaf is smooth, without rough veins. The berries are medium-sized, pear-shaped, plum-colored, pubescent, with a small number of seeds. Recommended growing region: Central Black Earth Region.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
Gooseberries of the Serenada variety are classified as drought-resistant. Lignified shoots easily tolerate frosts down to -40 °C. Fruit buds are highly resistant to frost down to -30°C.
Fruiting, productivity
The berries on the bush are medium and large, with a smooth surface and a light waxy coating. There are few seeds in the berries. The skin is dense, plum-colored with pink veins. The taste is sweet and sour, dessert. The ripening period is extended, ripe berries are intensely colored. Ripen in late July or early August. The average yield per bush is 3-5 kg. Fruits well without pollinating companions.
The bushes are suitable for industrial cultivation. The berries are universally used and tolerate transportation well.
The variety is not prone to shedding. In excessively dry and hot years, the bushes require shading to avoid baking the wine-colored berries.
Advantages and disadvantages
The gooseberry variety Serenade is valued by farmers for a number of reasons:
- high winter hardiness and drought resistance;
- weak thorniness of shoots;
- good transportability of fruits;
- resistance to powdery mildew.
Like any other type of gooseberry, it does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature during the flowering period.
Features of reproduction
Propagating gooseberries by seeds is not the preferred method due to its high labor intensity. Such bushes begin to bear fruit after 4-5 years of planting.
Weakly thorned gooseberries reproduce best:
- dividing the mother bush in half;
- horizontal layering from 3-4 year old bushes;
- vertical layering through intensive rejuvenation;
- by cuttings with half-lignified cuttings.
To obtain a plant with a high degree of varietal purity, it is recommended to buy the first seedling from a specialized nursery.
Planting and care
Gooseberry seedlings successfully take root only after transplantation during the period of cold weather and leaf fall. It is recommended to plant the cuttings in a new place after the leaves have completely fallen from the bush, at an air temperature of + 8-10 ° C. For planting, choose strong 1-2-year-old seedlings with a developed root system and shoots in the woodiness stage.
Gooseberries are demanding of sunlight. In areas with intense darkening, the yield of the bush decreases, the berries become smaller, and the variety degenerates. Gooseberries do not tolerate waterlogging at all. When groundwater levels are high, the root system begins to rot and the shoots quickly dry out. For the same reason, gooseberries do not like heavy clay soils.
The pit for planting gooseberries is prepared in advance, 5-7 days in advance, so that the soil has time to settle. The dimensions of the pit are 50x50x50 cm. The top fertile layer is removed and enriched with nutrients. The mixture includes:
- 1 bucket of compost;
- 50 g of potassium sulfate;
- 50 g superphosphate.
If the soil in the area is clayey, add 5 kg of sand.
The landing algorithm is simple:
- The fertile layer is placed at the bottom of the planting hole, half is left for compaction.
- The seedling is placed in a hole, the root system is straightened.
- The young bush is sprinkled, the root collar is buried 4-5 cm below the ground level.
- The soil is compacted and watered abundantly, mulched with straw in a layer of 3-5 cm.
- The shoots are trimmed, leaving a segment 50-60 cm long with 5-7 buds.
The bushes are planted at a distance of 0.5 m from each other.
Growing rules
The rules of gooseberry agricultural technology are simple and will not cause difficulties for novice gardeners.
The gooseberry root system is located close to the soil surface, at a depth of no more than 7 cm, and is in extreme need of oxygen. Every spring, the soil is loosened and fertilized with potassium-nitrogen fertilizers or manure infusion in the proportion of 1 part fresh manure to 8 parts water. After fluffing up the soil around the bush, mulch it with new straw.
Gooseberries are a drought-resistant plant, but require additional watering during flowering and fruit ripening. The organization of drip irrigation is considered preferable. If this is not possible, 20-25 liters of warm water are poured under one bush twice a season. Gooseberries do not tolerate sprinkling and direct flooding of the root collar.
The first gooseberry prunings are aimed at shaping the shape of the bush and laying fruitful branches. To do this, leave 4-6 of the strongest shoots coming from the root, the rest are removed. From 3-4 years, the main purpose of pruning is sanitary thinning of the bush. Formation is carried out in early spring or late autumn during dormant periods. At the age of 9-10 years, intensive anti-aging pruning is carried out. In late autumn, all old woody shoots, without exception, are removed. New vegetative buds are left at the root.
It is recommended to cover gooseberries for the winter to protect them from rodents (hares, mice) and prevent freezing. They do it like this:
- 2-3 days before sheltering, carry out abundant charging watering.
- The branches are tied with twine and pulled into one bundle.
- The bush is pressed slightly to the ground with both hands.
- Cover the branches with burlap and cover them with soil in a layer of 7-10 cm.
- They cover it with spruce branches, and when it snows, the snow is raked up.
In mid-April or early May, the bushes are opened and abundantly watered, loosened, fertilized, and mulched.
Pests and diseases
Gooseberry Serenade is not affected by powdery mildew. Sometimes the variety is affected by other fungal diseases: anthracnose, goblet rust and mosaic. At the first signs, diseased branches from the bushes are removed and burned. The plant is treated with nitrophen, copper sulfate, and Bordeaux mixture. Spraying is carried out twice, with an interval of 10 days.
The reason for the appearance of fungal diseases in berry gardens is excessive thickening of the crown and a large number of weeds. During humid, hot periods in such an environment, fungal spores multiply intensively and quickly destroy perennial plantings. Constantly getting rid of weeds will be a good preventative measure in the fight against disease.
The biggest problems for gooseberries are:
- fire butterfly — with the beginning of flowering, lays eggs on the leaves, subsequently the caterpillars eat the berries.
- shoot aphid — in the process of vital activity, it curls gooseberry leaves, thins the shoots, and causes the green berries to fall off.
Insects are destroyed with insecticides Actellik and Fufanon. As a preventive measure, at the end of flowering, the bushes are sprayed with Bicol.
Conclusion
A detailed description of gooseberry Serenade with photos and care instructions shows all the advantages of the variety.Gooseberry Serenada is undemanding to care, has strong immunity to powdery mildew and produces a good harvest of tasty berries. It is recommended to choose gooseberries of the Serenada variety for those who plant berry bushes in large quantities for their own consumption and sale.
