When and how to prune gooseberries correctly for a good harvest

Already when planting, a gooseberry seedling needs pruning. There are rules for when and how to do it correctly. Berry bushes waste space in the garden if they do not form their crown every year. The yield of such bushes is low, the berries are small. To get a good harvest, watering and fertilizing gooseberries alone is not enough.

Why do gooseberries need pruning?

Gooseberry bushes consist of branches of different ages. Zero order branches are young basal shoots. After a year, lateral branches are formed on them - shoots of the 1st order. On a gooseberry branch, 5 to 6 branches are formed.

The shortest fruits are the ones that form on 2-year-old wood. Flower buds and berries form on them. The age of the branch can be determined by the knees on the fruit. The fruit tree functions for 5-6 years. Maximum fruiting occurs at the age of 2-3 years.

The crown of the bush must have branches of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd order. The maximum number of berries is formed on them. It takes 1 season for an escape to move from one order to another. During the growing season, the branches grow 8-30 cm.

A gooseberry branch can bear fruit for up to 10 years, but 5-year-olds have the maximum yield. Old branches fall apart and fall to the ground. Bushes, especially those with thorns, become overgrown. Care becomes more difficult. Productivity decreases if the condition of the crown is not controlled: the age of the branches, their number.

To maintain abundant fruiting throughout its life, gooseberries are subjected to different types of pruning:

• rejuvenating;
• formative;
• sanitary

We can briefly outline the goals that are pursued when pruning gooseberries:

• to defuse the crown of the bush, to bring into balance the above-ground and underground parts of the bush for the uniform distribution of nutrients and light - the task of formative pruning;
• removing old weakly fruiting branches and stimulating new growth is the task of rejuvenating pruning;
• cutting out diseased and damaged shoots, preventing fungal diseases (powdery mildew) is the task of sanitary pruning.

The bush is formed for the first time when transplanting a seedling. Early pruning lays the foundation for the future crown of the bush.

Necessary gardening tools for the job

Thornless gooseberry bushes are easier to care for than thorned ones. For gardening work, you need to purchase special gloves for your hands that protect against thorns and sharp branches. Tools you need to have:

• pruning shears for shoots with a diameter of up to 10 mm;
• lopper for thick branches from 20 to 50 mm;
• garden hacksaw for cutting out old, thick branches.

When should the procedure be carried out?

It is recommended to plan large-scale work for the fall. This time of year is most favorable for crown formation.

Spring formation of the bush

You need to get there before the buds open. After the leaves appear, the branches should not be cut. There is little work in the spring if the bush has been properly prepared for winter. Immediately after the snow melts, you need to carry out 3 types of operations in stages:

• cut out all frozen branches;
• shorten weakened branches by a third of their length;
• shoots that are strong but have mechanical damage, cut them off, leaving a healthy area.

Pruning in the summer months

Summer work is carried out with one goal - to improve the quality of berries (taste, size). With the help of pruning, the maximum amount of nutrients is directed to fruiting:

• young shoots (zero) of this year growing from the root are completely cut out;
• shorten non-fruiting branches, leaving at least 7-8 leaves on each.

How to prune gooseberries in the fall: diagram

They begin work by inspecting the bush. The first step is to remove branches damaged by disease, bad weather, or insects. The next step is to cut out branches 5 years old and older.If all branches are old, remove no more than ⅓ of the total number.

The third in line are the branches lying on the ground. They have poor fruiting and get sick more often. In autumn, all immature shoots are removed. Additionally, thinning of thickened crowns is carried out. Cut out all unnecessary branches that interfere with normal lighting and ventilation of the central part of the bush.

Should you prune in winter?

There are no planned winter works with the crown, only emergency ones. Under a thick layer of snow or due to heavy icing, large branches may break off. In this case, spring is not expected. The timing is adjusted, sanitary pruning is carried out in winter. They do it if the average daily temperature does not drop below -5 °C.

Principles of formative pruning depending on the age of the bush

A gooseberry seedling is formed before planting in a hole. Weak, thin shoots are cut out in the area of ​​the root collar. The remaining branches are shortened. Those that are more powerful are above the 3-4th kidney, those that are thinner are above the 2nd. The kidneys are counted from below.

In the 2nd year, the seedling has at least 3 two-year-old branches and several annual ones. You need to select 7 vertical, strong branches growing from the root collar, shorten them to a height of 30 cm. Horizontal shoots and root shoots need to be cut at the base. Shorten the remaining ones to 20 cm.

By the autumn of the 3rd year of life, the gooseberry bush is growing. It is necessary to leave 12-18 branches of different ages. They will be the basis of the crown of the fruiting bush. This year the gardener should:

• cut out horizontally growing shoots and all weak ones;
• shorten all remaining branches by 12-15 cm.

Starting from the 4th year, planned work will be the same. 4-year-old bushes are considered adults; they are already bearing fruit. The crown should have 15-20 branches of different ages. Every year you need to cut out all 5-year-old branches.For replacement, leave 3-5 pieces of the strongest young growth.

Specifics of different types of pruning

Young fruit-bearing bushes are subjected to formative and sanitary pruning throughout the season. Old bushes that have few berries are subject to rejuvenation. When forming the crown, they are guided by the age of the bush, the number of branches of different ages, and the degree of their illumination. When carrying out sanitary cleaning of the crown, the health of the shoots is assessed:

• presence of mechanical damage;
• frostbite;
• the presence of foci of infection and insects.

How to prune old, neglected gooseberries

It is possible to completely restore the fruiting of neglected gooseberries in 2-4 years. First of all, the bush needs to be thinned out. The following branches fall under the full cut:

• growing horizontally;
• old, they can be identified by the dark, almost black color of the bark;
• broken and bent.

Vertically growing branches must be inspected. Leave 5 pieces. Cut off the tops of their heads. Make cuts above the first lateral, strong branch. In subsequent years, it is necessary to form a crown in the system and prevent it from thickening.

Pruning gooseberries after harvest

In August, when the berry picking is completed, the condition of the bush is assessed. In the summer after harvest, sanitary pruning of gooseberries is rarely carried out. It is advisable to carry it out if there are symptoms of a fungal disease or insects on the leaves, shoots.

Remove all diseased branches. The bush is treated with a fungicide. The ground around the gooseberries is cleared of debris, loosened, and covered with mulch. Removal of diseased branches should be postponed for a month if signs of the disease appeared in July.

Gooseberry rejuvenation technique

Bushes aged 5 or more years require rejuvenation. It is not carried out at random.First, the number of branches, their age and level of fruiting are assessed. The first to be removed are the 3-5 year old branches that had the fewest berries. It is recommended to trim them at the base, without leaving stumps.

Next, all unpromising, thin, weakened branches are cut out. The 5 strongest vertical shoots are left from the new growth. They will be the new basis of the bush. All other branches are shortened, only the tops are trimmed. This stimulates branching.

Non-standard ways to form a bush

Original options for crown formation attract experienced gardeners who grow vigorous varieties of gooseberries, and those who like to decorate the garden with shrubs of atypical shapes.

Trellis

This method is suitable for vigorous bush varieties. You need to make a trellis along the bush plantings. The simplest design consists of 2 pillars and 3 rows of wire stretched between them in increments of 25 cm.

Gooseberry seedlings when grown on a trellis must be planted according to a certain pattern:

• row spacing - 1.5 m;
• the interval between bushes growing in the same row is 0.7 m.

On each bush you need to leave 4-5 pieces of new growth branches, tie them to a wire stretched between the posts. Cut out newly emerging young shoots. Last year's branches should be shortened by ⅓ of their length.

Standard

Gardeners get an original gooseberry tree by forming the crown in a special way. At the same time, they want to get a decorative rather than a richly fruiting element of the garden. You need to start work in the first year after planting the seedling.

Leave only 1 most powerful shoot, remove the rest at the very base. In the 2nd year, cut off all side branches. The height (recommended) of the resulting trunk is 50-70 cm.This section of the trunk can be wrapped with soft cloth so that the sleeping buds do not wake up. Starting from the 3rd year, form the crown of the tree, cut out all the shoots that appear in the area from 0 to 100 cm.

Care after pruning

Every gardener should have on hand garden var. In spring and autumn its presence is mandatory. It is at this time that the bushes are cut down radically. Thin shoots are not treated with it. Their cuts dry out quickly. Wounds with a diameter of 2-5 cm are covered with varnish.

Garden varnish is a viscous substance; it creates a durable film that does not allow infection and harmful insects to pass through. Some gardeners make their own garden varnish. It is believed that store-bought products contain harmful components. Used in home production:

• resin;
• turpentine;
• rosin;
• beeswax.

After pruning, gooseberries are fed, watered, and the trunk circle is mulched.

Common mistakes of novice gardeners

The mistakes of novice gardeners are the same. Many people go through them. Here is a list of the most traditional ones:

1. When carrying out anti-aging pruning, cutting out branches of large diameter, leaving stumps. Pests settle in them and become a constant source of infection.
2. They are afraid to cut out a lot of branches, although this is necessary to form the correct crown. The above-ground part of the gooseberry quickly recovers, so unnecessary branches should be cut out. The bush will recover from buds located underground.
3. They form a bush without analyzing the age of the shoots. They direct their efforts to the decorative component.
4. The cuts are made arbitrarily, they forget that the line should pass over the kidney.
5. They use blunt garden tools and do not disinfect cutting blades before work. They spread infection throughout the garden.

Before carrying out work, it is worth refreshing your knowledge and remembering the characteristics of gooseberries. Each bush that has received the necessary care will certainly reap the rewards with a harvest, if not this year, then next.