Gooseberry Grossular: characteristics, features of cultivation and reproduction

Gooseberry fruits are rich in vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Each berry contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, B, PP. With the help of them, you can prepare delicious desserts, jams, canning them or use them as a folk remedy to help the body cope with illness. Taking care of the plant is not at all difficult and any beginner can handle it, but the yields are always large. Gooseberry Grossular is a thornless variety. Harvesting from such bushes will be more enjoyable than uncomfortable. We will share information about this variety below in this article.

Gooseberry Grossular: photo

How and when did the Grossular gooseberry variety appear:

For centuries, gooseberry bushes have been grown all over the world. Possessing great taste and a lot of nutrients, he managed to win hearts and become popular among gardeners. Today there are many varieties that have appeared thanks to the work of scientists who, since the middle of the 20th century, have tried to breed gooseberry bushes without thorns.

It turned out to be done by Russian scientists at the Michurin Research Institute of Horticulture. Thanks to them, a new variety Grossular was born, which does not have thorns, the fruits have excellent taste and a pleasant aroma.

Gooseberry Grossular: variety description

The Grossular gooseberry is a tall shrub that grows up to one and a half meters in height. The fruits have a dense skin, which makes it easy to transport them over long distances without harming them. Most often, Grossular berries are preferred to use for making compotes, jams or preserves.

Compared to other gooseberry varieties, this variety has some differences due to which it can be recognized.

Its bushes are not too sprawling and differ from others in their high growth. Its shoots have no thorns, straight with a matte surface. Large glossy and slightly wrinkled leaves are dark green in color. Inflorescences always have only one flower. Berries colored in light green shades have the form of a large droplet, the weight of which can reach 8 grams. The berries taste sweet with sourness and were rated 5 out of 5 at the tasting.

This has some requirements for growing conditions, the best for them will be in the Central and Black Earth regions.

Advantages and disadvantages:

Advantages Grossular gooseberry varieties are that the plant does not require special care, has good resistance to various insect pests and diseases, and also always bring high yields.

TO disadvantages This variety can be attributed to the fact that not in all regions of our country it will be able to please us with large yields of juicy berries. Before choosing your bush for planting in your garden, you need to consult with a specialist and find out which variety will bring more harvest in the region where it will grow.

Gooseberry Grossular is a resistant plant to long dry periods, but despite this, during periods of extreme heat, it must be watered regularly to get a good harvest. The plant is resistant to severe frosts and can grow even under adverse weather conditions. However, if in the middle region of the country the plant does not require shelter, then in the northern regions it needs it.

Grossular is a mid-early species and is famous for long and good fruiting. Within 20 years, you will be able to get excellent yields, but the first crop can be harvested no earlier than two years after planting. If you take proper care of Grossular, then from one bush it will be possible to remove up to 7 kilograms of tasty and juicy berries.

Growing up: where, when and how

Before planting gooseberry bushes in your garden, find out its features, what its needs are, and its characteristics. Only after learning all the nuances will it be possible to choose the right time for planting, select and prepare the site.

Grossular, like all other gooseberry varieties, can be planted in the garden in spring and autumn. When planting in the spring, the plant will need more time to adapt and begin to develop. Planting bushes in the first month of autumn is considered the best option, so the plant will take root before frost and get hardened. However, remember that this will not be the right decision in all areas of the country, always take into account the climatic conditions of your region.

For example, in Siberia, the plant is planted in early September, in the Black Earth Region from mid-October to the end of November, and in the Moscow Region, seedlings buried in the ground are planted in the summer.

Grossular prefers to grow in open, sunny areas. In the shade, the plant will not develop and bear fruit. The place should be protected from drafts and strong winds. As for the soil, light loam will be the most suitable place, but it develops well on other types of soils. Good drainage is essential. Do not plant plants in wetlands, and where previously there were bushes of raspberries, blackberries or strawberry bushes, as these plants absorb all the nutrients from the soil.

How to choose and prepare planting material correctly:

When choosing a seedling, be careful, it depends on how it will take root, its development and the volume of the harvest. Pay your attention to the fact that all the leaves covering the plant do not have any damage and signs of disease, as well as on the seedling as a whole. The root system must be at least 10 centimeters long and have many white roots.

If you choose an annual plant, then there should be one shoot on it, if the seedling is two years old, then there will be 2 or 3 shoots, at least 40 centimeters high.

When purchasing a seedling that has an open root system, wrap the bottom with a damp cloth or dip in a clay mash before transporting the plant.

Before planting gooseberries in open ground, the site must be prepared in advance. To do this, you need to remove all weeds, add minerals and organic matter to the soil, mullein and potassium are well suited. Then the soil is rolled over so that the fertilizers are mixed with it. If there is a high level of acidity in the ground, this can be understood by the horsetail growing in it, then lime must be added there. 10 sq. meters, 5 kilograms of lime are introduced.

After the site is ready, make holes. They should be located at a distance of one and a half meters from each other. Maintain a distance of 3 meters in large areas between rows. The holes are always prepared in the fall, regardless of whether you are planting seedlings in the fall or spring. It is important that in case of planting in the autumn, the holes were prepared at least two weeks before. They should go 40 centimeters deep into the soil, and their width should be from 50 to 60 centimeters.The earth dug out of the hole must be mixed with potassium phosphate and manure, which had time to overheat at the rate of 40g. х200gr. x 20 liters, poured into the holes and watered abundantly.

Before the seedlings are planted, it is necessary to remove all poorly formed roots and branches, the shoots are cut off leaving no more than 20 centimeters in length. Please note that you cannot plant the plant at an angle, and the root collar should go below ground level only by half a centimeter.

After the plant has been planted, it must be watered with a bucket of water. Next, mulching is carried out, this will protect against weed growth and retain moisture in the soil.

How to properly care for the Grossular variety:

Grossular is not a demanding plant and needs minimal attention, regular maintenance will be enough.

Despite the fact that Grossular is drought-resistant, in order to obtain a good harvest, it must be watered regularly and abundantly, before small puddles appear on the soil. This will promote good and correct rooting. During the first month after planting, water it twice every 7 days using a bucket of water for each plant. If it is hot outside and then the volume of water doubles and watering is done three times in 7 days.

Two weeks before the expected harvest, watering should be stopped so that the berries do not become sour.

Weeding and loosening are also important, which will help the oxygen and nutrients that are needed better flow to the plant. It is enough to do this procedure 5 times so that the gooseberry bushes feel good and develop correctly.

Insect prevention: how and when

After the gooseberry is planted, it is necessary to do prophylaxis to protect against harmful insects. Regardless of whether the plant is planted in autumn or spring, prevention is done in the spring before buds begin to bloom on the branches, so as not to harm the bushes.

If the buds are already swollen, you cannot use spraying or do boiling water treatment, this will kill the plant.

Processing begins after the snow has completely melted. The soil around the bush is treated with boiling water, which will help destroy all harmful microorganisms that have accumulated in the ground. Next, trimming is carried out. During it, it is necessary to remove all damaged, frozen and dry branches from the bush. Such a procedure is necessary so that the bush is recharged with new strength and energy, not only for good growth, but also to fight diseases.

To harden your gooseberry, you can spray it with a Zircon solution from a spray bottle. After the buds open, the bushes can begin to process beard fluid. The procedure must be carried out once every 14 days.

Remember that all spicy crops provide excellent protection against insects, as they repel them. Therefore, it will not be superfluous to plant dill or garlic next to the gooseberry.

Fertilizers

In order for your bushes to develop well and bring large yields, they must be fed twice a year. The first feeding is done in the spring, before the buds bloom. During this period, nitrogen-based fertilizers will be needed. You can buy them in a specialty store or nursery. You can also use 30 grams of urea under each bush. Fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus are applied only if necessary and only a year after planting.

The second top dressing is done in the fall, when the entire crop has already been harvested. At this moment, we are helping the plant to restore, gain new strength for good fruiting next year and increase its resistance to the approaching frost. Here you will need a mixture of manure that has had time to overheat, wood ash and phosphate. A mixture is made at the rate of 2 sq. meter 0.5 buckets x100gr. х45 gr. and lay it 10 centimeters deep into the ground.

Strengthening the bush

In order to prevent the branches from dropping to the ground under the weight of the berries, you can install small supports to which you can tie the branches.This method will also help create the correct crown shape. This can be done in the fall and spring before the buds begin to form as follows:

• Place 4 notched stakes in the middle around the bush;
• Install the four slats horizontally over the stakes and turn them over with nylon threads.

You can also make supports using a metal rod, this will make them more durable.

Pruning

Grossular needs pruning for good development. The first is carried out two years after the plant has been planted. When pruning, it is necessary to remove all branches on which there is any damage, leaving only the 5 strongest shoots. After 10 years, in late autumn, old shoots are cut at the root.

Reproduction of the gooseberry variety Grossular

Grossular gooseberry bushes reproduce through bush division, cuttings and layering.

The simplest and therefore the most popular breeding method is layering. In order to get a new plant in this way, you need to lower the branch of the bush to the ground, dig in, put a small load on top, pinch the tops and water abundantly. When the length of new shoots reaches 60 centimeters, they must be hilled.

The next most popular method is grafting. Collecting cuttings begins at the very beginning of the summer season, for this you need to cut branches from 10 to 15 centimeters in length with sterile scissors and lower them into the water and plant them in a greenhouse. The soil must be prepared before planting by removing weeds and loosening it. When planting, it is necessary to maintain a distance between the cuttings of at least 5 centimeters. Then the soil is compacted by hand. After 21 days, roots will begin to appear and the next spring the plant will be ready for transplanting into open ground.

The third method, namely dividing the bush, is not very popular, since you have to be very careful not to destroy the plant.

This method of reproduction can be used for already mature bushes with a well-developed root system. To do this, the bush is dug up, the root is divided into several parts so that young shoots remain on each part of it and are planted in separate areas. Such manipulations are carried out from November to March and only using sterile instruments.

Diseases and pests

The Grossular variety is very resistant to various diseases. However, in order to support it, prevention twice a year in spring and autumn with the help of biological preparations, which are sold in all specialized stores and nurseries, does not interfere.

Interesting fact: At the beginning of the 20th century, almost all gooseberry bushes were destroyed due to American powdery mildew.

As for pests, prevention alone may not be enough, you also need to regularly inspect the plants and react in time when harmful insects are found.

Among those who can harm the gooseberry can be found spider miteit usually appears in the spring. You can understand what exactly he attacked the plant by the white web on the inside of the leaf. This mite sucks the juices from the leaf cells, which causes them to dry out and further development stops. A soap solution with bitter wormwood will help to cope with it. To do this, in 10 liters of water, you need to soak half a bucket of wormwood and let it brew for about 30 minutes. Then the infusion must be boiled, cooled and diluted with water in equal proportions. Next, soap is added, 40 grams is enough and the plant is processed.

Another parasite, this is a runaway aphid... You can determine that she did not leave your bush unattended by the deformation of the leaves and bulges on the shoots. It is there that aphids breed. To cope with it, you will need to apply insectoacaricides, and you can also prepare a garlic solution by mixing 300 grams of garlic in 10 liters of water.

Gooseberry moth- it completely destroys the entire plant. It is very difficult to cope with it.It is very important to clean the bush from it with your hands as soon as possible and remove all damaged areas. You cannot throw away what has been removed, you must burn it. Next, the plant is treated with insecticides. Among gardeners, infusions from laundry soap and tobacco are very popular. You need to spray the plant twice. For the first time in early spring, the second in summer. If there are no caterpillars, no need to spray.

Preparing for the winter cold

If you live in regions with harsh winters, then protect your bushes by covering it, this will help them survive the winters calmly and not get hurt. To do this, it will be enough to cover them with a layer of snow. If you have winters with little snow, then use non-woven heaters. Before the onset of cold weather, it will not be superfluous to cover the ground with a layer of mulch made from spruce branches, straw or sawdust.

Harvesting

Grossular has an average ripening period. You can harvest berries from July to August, depending on the region. All fruits ripen at the same time and do not crumble even if you delay the collection a little. With proper care, the bush will give you up to 7 kilograms of juicy berries.

Those berries that are intended for heat treatment can begin to be picked when the color becomes bright, but inside they are still sour. If you want to eat them fresh, then leave them on the branches for a while longer so that the pulp acquires a sweet taste.

Storage

Decide in advance why you are growing gooseberries, how much you will consume them fresh, and how much will be used for conservation.

Keep in mind that fully ripe berries are stored in containers of about 2 liters for up to 4 days, and slightly unripe ones for 10 days. Storage should be in a dry, dark and cool place.

Dried berries can be stored for up to 45 days at zero degrees and in open boxes.

If you decide to freeze the berries, then you can store them for about 4 months and at the same time retain all their useful properties. In order to do everything right, first the berries are frozen on plastic pallets, and then transferred to bags and put into the freezer.

Before eating such gooseberries, you need to defrost them slowly, removing them for 6 hours or more in the refrigerator.

Conclusion

Grossular is an excellent thornless gooseberry variety that will delight you with its large yields of juicy and tasty berries for many years. They are not only delicious, but are a great way to protect yourself from cardiovascular diseases, from various inflammations and cleanse the body of salts. By consuming infusions from the fruits of this plant, you can correct cholesterol levels. Grossular is an undemanding plant and only a little attention and care will be enough for it to thank you with a good harvest.