Pruning gooseberries in the fall for beginners in pictures: diagrams, when and how to prune, rules, tips, videos

Content

1 How to care for gooseberries in autumn
2 Do I need to prune gooseberries in the fall?
- 2.1 Types of pruning
3 When to prune gooseberries in the fall
4 How to prune gooseberries in the fall: diagrams and rules
5 Autumn care for gooseberries after pruning
- 5.1 Watering and fertilizing schedule
- 5.2 Loosening and mulching the soil
6 How to prepare gooseberries for the winter
7 Conclusion

Proper pruning of gooseberries in the fall can be difficult for beginning gardeners. But this, along with cleaning the bush area, fertilizing, digging and watering, is an obligatory stage in preparing the bush for wintering. Thanks to these procedures, you can get a well-developed bush that will exist productively for more than ten years and produce up to 15 kg of berries.

How to care for gooseberries in autumn

Autumn gooseberry care is as important as spring and summer care. Following simple recommendations will allow the gardener to help the shrub survive the winter. Mandatory procedures for caring for gooseberries in the fall:

Cleaning the tree trunk circle from leaves, branches and debris.
Removing weeds from the bite area.
Digging the soil around the gooseberries.
Watering and fertilizing shrubs.
Autumn pruning of gooseberries.
Processing row spacing.
Mulching the soil.

Attention! Gooseberry is a light-loving plant; it does not tolerate shade or thickening. Therefore, it must be trimmed regularly.

Do I need to prune gooseberries in the fall?

You can prune gooseberries in the fall, after harvesting, or in the spring, when the snow has melted. Autumn pruning is preferable. It solves such important problems:

Controlling shoot growth. Over the summer, new branches form on the bush and, if they are not controlled, they will actively multiply and make the bush impenetrable to light, susceptible to diseases and pests.
Caring for productivity. New shoots consume a lot of nutrients, which leads to a drop in yield and a decrease in berry size.
Giving the bush an optimal shape. If you do not trim the shoots, they lengthen, lay on the soil and take root. The shape of the gooseberry is lost and the yield decreases.
Formation of a full-fledged shrub. A properly formed gooseberry should have young shoots and strong branches of different ages that will actively bear fruit in the new season. Old, damaged, dried shoots and weak growth should be removed.

Important! In autumn, proper pruning of gooseberries is necessary to maintain stable high yields and prepare zero replacement shoots.

In the spring, pruning the plant is necessary to remove branches damaged in winter. The haircut is performed before the active growing season begins. Gooseberry buds emerge from winter dormancy early. The period when you can trim the bush is short. If you do not have time to prune before this time, you can damage the bush and weaken it.

Types of pruning

After the end of the growing season, the gooseberries must be pruned.Types of this agrotechnical activity:

Pre-planting pruning. It is carried out before the shrub seedling enters the soil. Its goal is to properly form a young plant. After spring planting, the bush does not take root well, so it is optimal to plant gooseberries and prune them in the fall.
Anti-aging pruning. It solves the problem of gradually, over 2-3 years, replacing old shoots with new ones and is relevant for plants over 10 years old. Adult branches are cut to the ground, and fresh bushes are formed from young shoots. It is better to carry out the event in the fall.
Attention! To ensure high yields, it is necessary to ensure that the bush has branches of different ages: from 1 year to 8 years.
Sanitary pruning. It is carried out in spring or autumn in order to remove damaged and diseased processes. European gooseberry shoots can freeze in winter, so they need to be pruned in the spring.
Shortening pruning. The ends of branches that are too thin are shortened because their buds draw away nutrients, which is why fruits will not appear on them. Zero shoots growing from the ground are cut to a quarter of their length. This stimulates the formation of new branches.

Advice! In autumn, old branches are cut down to the ground. And in the spring, modeling of fruit-bearing shoots is carried out.

When to prune gooseberries in the fall

The best time to prune gooseberries is late autumn, when the dormant period begins. The following should be taken into account:

unnecessary shoots are removed after harvesting or leaf fall;
Sanitary pruning is performed before cold weather;
Shortening pruning cannot be carried out at the beginning of autumn, as this provokes the appearance of new shoots that will not become woody before frost and will die.

Attention! The bush is pruned at the same time: either in spring or autumn. In summer, branches cannot be cut.

How to prune gooseberries in the fall: diagrams and rules

Pruning and caring for gooseberries in the fall, taking into account the rules of agricultural technology according to proven schemes, will allow you to correctly form its crown and increase productivity.

Preparation of tools and materials

For trimming you will need:

lopper - in order to remove branches with a diameter of up to 5 cm located deep in the bush;
saw - for removing thick branches;
pruning shears - for trimming small shoots on the surface of the crown;
chalk or paint - to mark the places of cuts;
garden varnish - for coating cuts;
solution of insecticide and fungicide - for treating branches damaged by insects or diseases;
wheelbarrow, bag - for cleaning cut branches.

Advice! To avoid getting scratched, you should work in long sleeves and thick gloves with wide cuffs.

Classic pruning of gooseberries in autumn

If you trim the berry according to the rules, you can avoid mistakes that will lead to the death of the gooseberry. When modeling the crown in the form of a bush, they use classical pruning methods and remove:

branches growing inside the crown;
shoots that compete with each other (leave strong and healthy);
growth that has dried out or turned black;
low-lying, inclined and rooted shoots;
disease-affected and old branches.

Important! You cannot cut off all the branches that seem unnecessary. After pruning, at least a third of the initial volume of the crown must remain on the gooseberry, otherwise the plant will die.

Tips for beginners on classic pruning of gooseberries in the fall are detailed in the video:

The procedure for classical pruning of gooseberries is as follows:

Inspect the bush and determine the shoots to be pruned.
To avoid mistakes, mark the branches chosen for cutting with paint or chalk.
Using pruning shears, scissors and a saw, prune the plant.
Treat the cut areas with garden varnish.

Attention! One-year growths on fruit-bearing branches cannot be cut off. This will lead to a delay in crown development.

Neglected plants that have not been pruned for 1 - 2 years can be revived in the fall using a simple technique. Before the onset of frost, no more than 1/3 of the oldest branches should be cut off at the base and 5 to 6 strong annuals should be left. By repeating this procedure for 2 - 4 years, it is possible to completely restore the gooseberry.

Pruning gooseberries in autumn depending on the age of the bush

To create a correct, non-shading, non-thickened, well-ventilated crown, formative pruning is carried out. The table provides recommendations and diagrams on how to properly prune gooseberries in the fall, depending on their age.

Attention! The age of a gooseberry is determined by the condition of the bark. In young plants it is smooth and green, while in old plants it is rough, dense, dark gray.

Shrub age	Execution technique
Before spring rooting	Remove the tops of all branches, leaving no more than 4 buds on each; eliminate dead shoots to the point where new ones will grow.
1st year	All weakened and broken shoots are cut off; on strong shoots, the tops are removed down to the 2nd - 3rd bud.
2nd year	Leave 3-4 powerful branches to form the crown, shortening their tops by 1/3, and remove the remaining shoots to ground level.
3rd and 4th year	The bush should have no more than four main branches. Sprouts that grow low to the ground (zero) are cut to the ground.On the remaining shoots, 1/3 of the length is removed.
5th and 6th year	The crown of the plant has formed. They only control the number of shoots and perform sanitary cutting.
7th and 8th year	Clear the bush of shoots that do not bear fruit. These are twisted branches with dark bark over 7 years old.
10th year or more	Rejuvenating cutting is carried out in order to increase productivity and stimulate the growth of new shoots. To do this, remove all the shoots from which the bush grew. The procedure is carried out gradually over 2 - 3 years, leaving a little more than half the crown volume each time. It is impossible to completely remove the above-ground part of the bush.

In the second or third year, the yield of gooseberries is low, but it needs to be provided with good care. The period from the fifth to tenth year after planting is characterized by maximum fruiting, after which the yield decreases. It can be increased again by anti-aging pruning.

Advice! The old bush has many null branches and few promising ones. The amount of harvested crop after rejuvenating pruning increases slightly. Perhaps the best option is to replace such a gooseberry with a new one.

For novice gardeners, information on pruning gooseberries in the fall, shown in pictures in the form of diagrams, is useful.

Pruning standard gooseberries in autumn

A standard gooseberry is a bush that has been given the shape of a tree. Its berries are larger and sweeter. It bears fruit well and fits perfectly into the landscape design of the garden.

One of the ways to give a standard shape is pruning. It is performed in the following sequence:

After planting, the bush is pruned, leaving one large and thick shoot: this will be the trunk of the trunk.
A stake about 1 m high is driven next to the gooseberry, and the trunk is tied to it.
In the fall of next year, the lateral shoots at the height of the trunk are removed from the plant. Leave 4-6 branches. You can form a standard, leaving a trunk of 0.6 - 1.1 m or a half-standard at a height of less than 0.6 m.
During each subsequent cutting, for 4 - 5 years, 4 shoots are left on each branch and a round crown is modeled, shortening the branches by about 20 cm. Diseased and intertwining branches are removed.

After the crown has formed, the side shoots are cut off annually, and old or frozen ones are replaced with new ones.

Pruning gooseberries in autumn when grown on a trellis

The main advantage of growing gooseberries on a trellis is easy and convenient harvesting, the bush is evenly lit, bears fruit well, and has clean berries. Tall varieties with good ability to form shoots are grown in this way.

Gooseberry bushes are planted in parallel rows, the distance between which is at least 1.5 m. Then they are tied to a wire attached to supports. It is stretched in three levels: 0.5; 0.8; 1 m above the ground surface. On the first tier, 3-5 strong branches are fixed from each plant at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other, shortening them slightly. The remaining branches are removed. Then the next year they are tied without cutting to the second tier. Shoots located in the central part are pruned more strongly, and horizontal ones - less. In autumn, excess shoots and root shoots are removed. Next, pruning is carried out according to the classical scheme. Old plants are given a rejuvenating haircut.

Autumn care for gooseberries after pruning

For pruning to produce results, it is necessary to perform the following restoration procedures:

Treat all cut areas with garden varnish.Instead, you can use activated carbon or a urea solution (7 parts water and 1 part urea).
Loosen the earth.
Feed the gooseberries with fertilizers.
Water the berry garden.
Inspect the bush for pests. If necessary, it should be treated with a disinfectant solution (for example, gooseberries and the ground around them are sprayed with Bordeaux mixture).

Autumn pruning, due to the loss of a large amount of vegetation, is stressful for gooseberries. Therefore, proper care is mandatory to restore the bush.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

The basic rule for autumn feeding of gooseberries is not to use nitrogen fertilizers. Their application activates the growth of the ground part and swelling of the buds. Potash and phosphorus fertilizers, which are used according to the following scheme, will have a positive effect after pruning:

add 10 - 15 g of potassium sulfate and 15 - 20 g of superphosphate under the young gooseberry bush;
for plants over 5 years old - 20 - 25 g of potassium sulfate and 30 - 40 g of superphosphate;
It is permissible to fertilize with wood ash - up to 300 g per bush.

Advice! You can use fertilizer labeled “autumn.”

After feeding before wintering, the area around the bush is abundantly moistened. This is necessary to ensure that the soil does not freeze deeply. In well-watered soil, gooseberry roots will absorb water and develop. Thanks to this, the plants will not dry out during frost due to the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the branches.

Loosening and mulching the soil

After pruning the bush, the soil around it should be prepared for winter. To do this, they dig it up and mulch it. When loosening, place the shovel along the root growth line, and bury the bayonet into the ground no more than 5 cm.The clods of earth are turned over, but not broken, and the root system is not exposed. To prevent the roots from freezing, the soil around the tree trunk is covered with mulch (straw, peat, humus).

Attention! Digging serves to prevent pest damage and enhances water-air exchange. Thanks to this event, oxygen access to the roots of the plant improves.

How to prepare gooseberries for the winter

In areas with a temperate climate, special preparation of gooseberries for winter in the fall is not required. But, in order for the shrub to successfully survive frosts in the northern regions, its root system is mulched. For this you can use:

dry and healthy fallen leaves;
spruce branches;
pine needles or sawdust;
humus - you don’t have to remove it and, after spring loosening, it will serve as fertilizer;
non-woven covering materials (for example, dense agrospan) are used if a frosty winter with little snow is predicted.

Attention! When insulating gooseberries with covering material, it should be removed in the spring. Otherwise, the soil underneath will warm up greatly and the plant will die.

Some European varieties require special protection. The branches of the bush are tied, pressed to the ground with boards or bricks, covered with cloth and sprinkled with soil. Branches of hybrid varieties can be covered with snow.

Conclusion

Pruning gooseberries in the fall for beginners and professionals in growing this crop is not an easy task, based on compliance with certain rules that depend on its purpose, crop variety and crown shape. Timely completion of all stages of preparation for winter is the key to the health and long-term fruiting of the plant.

Preparing gooseberries for winter in the fall: pruning and care