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Obtained through breeding research in a Moscow fruit and berry nursery, the Smena gooseberry was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation back in 1959. Over many decades, the popularity of the variety has not decreased at all. Today, this berry crop is valued by gardeners for its unpretentiousness to climate and growing conditions, as well as for the unparalleled taste of juicy, healthy fruits.
Description of the gooseberry variety Smena
The gooseberry variety Smena, medium-late in ripening, is a medium-spreading shrub with strongly branching shoots. Light green young shoots turn gray with age, and single thorns are located along their entire length. There are no thorns on the top of the head. Medium and large green leaves have a three-lobed shape and a smooth surface on both sides, with slight pubescence. The leaves are jagged at the edges and have a rounded tip. The flower clusters of the variety are light green in color, collected from 2 - 3 flowers, which after pollination turn into burgundy-red berries. The berries are small, weighing up to 2.2 g, abundantly showered on the branches of the bush, which bend to the ground under the weight of the harvest.The taste of the fruit is pleasant, sweet and sour. The thorniness of the bush is weak, sparse, thin thorns are located on the branches one by one, without touching the crown. This makes caring for it and harvesting convenient and easy. The Smena variety is self-pollinating, self-fertile, that is, it does not require pollinating neighbors for active fruiting.
Gooseberry variety Smena, a visual photo is presented below, is zoned throughout Russia, except for Eastern Siberia and the North Caucasus.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The frost resistance of the Smena variety is good; without shelter, gooseberries can tolerate up to 25 degrees below zero. At this temperature in winter, young seedlings require shelter. Gooseberries adapt to short periods of drought, but in order to get a good harvest, it is necessary to provide the bush with regular watering during flowering and fruit set.
Fruiting, productivity
Gooseberry Smena is a productive variety: about 6 kg of berries are harvested from one bush per season, which last for a long time and do not fall off when harvesting is delayed. The fruits of this mid-late variety ripen in early to mid-July. The fruiting period lasts until the end of August.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of gooseberries of the Smena variety include the following features:
- resistance to diseases, in particular to powdery mildew;
- high frost resistance;
- excellent yield;
- long-term retention of ripe berries on the branches without shedding or cracking;
- self-fertility;
- versatility of fruit use.
However, the Smena variety also has disadvantages:
- rapid growth of young shoots;
- instability to pests;
- small-sized fruits.
The description of the characteristics of Smena gooseberries fully corresponds to the reviews of experienced gardeners who grow them to obtain consistently high yields, despite weather conditions and care.
More detailed, visual information about gooseberries of the Smena variety can be found in the video:
Features of reproduction
Gooseberries of the Smena variety can be propagated:
- layering and cuttings;
- dividing the bush.
For layering, choose strong branches, which in the spring are placed with fixation in shallow trenches dug around the bush. Sprinkle soil on top and water. Gooseberry layerings are cared for all summer, and in the fall they are planted in a permanent place. For cuttings, shoots 2 years old are selected and shoots 20 cm long are cut off, which are then planted in separate ridges under a film, cared for and ventilated. With successful survival, young leaves appear on the shoots.
Division is carried out on old gooseberry bushes of the Smena variety when it is necessary to rejuvenate them. After abundant watering, the bush is dug up, its roots are divided into parts with a sharp knife and planted.
Planting and care
Planting gooseberries Smena is timed for autumn or spring. In the southern regions, it is advisable to plant plants in the fall - early October. During the warm autumn period, the seedlings have time to take root and prepare for winter. In regions with colder climates, planting is carried out in early spring - in early or mid-April. The ideal place for gooseberries would be a sunny, well-lit area protected from cold winds.A small hill where the groundwater is deep is ideal. The further development of the plant depends on the correctly selected planting material. Therefore, seedlings for planting are chosen that are strong, with a developed root system, and without mechanical damage. For better survival, before planting, young gooseberries are placed in a special biosolution to stimulate root formation.
The landing algorithm consists of the following steps.
- Preparation of planting holes begins 2 weeks before planting.
- Pits are dug 40x40 in size at a distance of about 1 m from each other.
- The soil from the pit is mixed with compost or humus, mineral fertilizers are added - 50 g each of superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
- Afterwards, the soil is poured into the hole in a heap and a gooseberry seedling of the Smena variety is placed vertically.
- Carefully add soil in layers and make sure that the root collar is not too deep.
- The soil is compacted, watered abundantly and mulched with fallen leaves or humus.
Growing rules
Despite the fact that the gooseberry variety Smena is an unpretentious shrub that does not require special care, standard agricultural techniques should be used for good harvests. According to them, care consists of:
- in regular watering with warm water at the root;
- mulching the tree trunk circle with humus - to prevent rapid evaporation of moisture and additionally fertilize the soil;
- fertilizing with mineral fertilizers from 3 years of age;
- pruning – sanitary and formative.
After planting for the first 2 years, gooseberries of the Smena variety do not need to be fertilized, since they have enough nutrients in the soil. In the future, complex mineral fertilizer with nitrogen is applied annually in early spring. Fertilize before the start of sap flow, immediately after sanitary pruning. When the ovaries begin to appear, rotted compost is added directly to the soil. During fruiting, gooseberries of the Smena variety respond well to phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, which are added 2 tbsp. for each adult bush. In late autumn, after the leaves have fallen, mineral fertilizing of the bush is repeated.
Sanitary pruning of gooseberries of the Smena variety is carried out in early spring with the removal of dry, broken, damaged branches. Shoots with signs of disease damage, cracked and old ones are also cut out. Formative pruning consists of trimming the tops by 2/3 of the length, if necessary. Bushes older than 7 years require anti-aging pruning, which consists of removing all shoots, leaving small stems with healthy buds.
Before the onset of winter, all the foliage around the tree trunk is raked and burned, and the soil is weeded and loosened. For preventive purposes, the crown is treated with fungicides. In regions with little snow, gooseberry branches are slightly bent and covered with non-woven material. To protect gooseberries from rodents, spruce branches are used, which are tied around the skeletal trunks so that the needles are located inside the bush. In addition, they wrap the skeletal branches near the ground with burlap, spunbond or nylon.
Pests and diseases
Gooseberry Smena is a variety that is quite resistant to diseases that are characteristic of this crop. With proper agricultural technology, the plant is not susceptible to even the most common disease for gooseberries - powdery mildew. However, it is less resistant to anthracnose - the appearance of dark brown spots on the leaves. The fight against it consists of treating a solution of copper sulfate (50 g per 10 liters of water). Of the pests that prefer to settle on cultivated plants, the Smena gooseberry is most susceptible to caterpillars and aphids. They get rid of them using insecticides.
Conclusion
Gooseberry Smena is widely used among amateur gardeners for its properties and versatility of fruit use. Strong, thick-skinned berries are resistant to mechanical damage, which provides them with an attractive appearance in jams and compotes, as well as good transportability.
