Red gooseberry varieties and rules for its cultivation

Fruit and berry crops are an integral part of almost any garden plot. Berry-covered shrubs not only delight gardeners with the promise of a harvest, but also decorate the garden area. Among the berry crops, the gooseberry enjoys the well-deserved love of summer residents - who does not like its sweet and sour juicy berries, which have an excellent taste, both fresh and in the form of jam or jam? However, not all varieties and varieties of this seemingly familiar garden dweller of gardens are equally known. In this article, we will discuss the types of red gooseberries that have their own benefits that hobby gardeners should be aware of.

Description of red gooseberry

The gooseberry is considered almost a traditional shrub in central Russia, while this culture comes from the northern part of Africa and Western Europe. The first mention of it in European sources dates back to the 16th century, at the same time the first botanical illustration depicting this plant was created. At the moment, gooseberries are common throughout the Northern Hemisphere.

In medieval Russia, gooseberries were called kryzh, and the inhabitants of the Caucasus called it “Russian cherry plum”. On the territory of Siberia, the shrub was called bersen, in combination in the first name - kryzh-bersen. So the modern name is the result of the transformation of the ancient form of the word.

In the 19th century, this crop was extremely popular in the Russian Empire and was grown on an industrial scale. In the middle of the 20th century, a blow to this agricultural crop was struck by a powdery mildew epidemic, which significantly reduced the volume of its crops. Gradually, domestic breeders managed to overcome this problem and increase the yield of gooseberries. Today the volume of gooseberry cultivation is increasing.

The red gooseberry is a fairly young variety - its history begins in the 50s of the 20th century, when this variety began to spread throughout the entire territory of the Soviet Union, the only exception was the Urals.

A distinctive feature of the red gooseberry is the medium height of the bushes, which have impressive growth and development rates. Light green, thick shoots, as a rule, bend in the shape of an arc and are covered with a fringe only in the upper part. In the lower part of the shoots, the main number of not very long spines is concentrated.

Lignified shoots brighten, and their thickness becomes medium. The oblong brown buds are small in size and differ in a slightly pointed, non-pubescent apex. The leaves of the red gooseberry are characterized by a straight base, and the petioles are characterized by averaged thickness and length. The ovary, as a rule, has no cover. Flowers are collected in clusters of 1-2 pieces.

The red gooseberry is a real fighter for survival, known for its unpretentious nature. It is distinguished by high winter hardiness and drought resistance. The yield ranges from 2 to 5.5 kg of berries per plant. Another advantage of the variety is its self-fertility: the red gooseberry can do without an intermediary pollinator. Also, red gooseberries resist well such fungal diseases as spheroteka or American powdery mildew, which are detrimental to young shrubs. True, the risk of infection with it increases significantly with extensive and dense plantings of young gooseberry bushes.

Beneficial features

Since the main competitor of red gooseberries is considered its more popular green sibling, gardeners often compare these two varieties. And the comparison comes out in favor of the hero of our article: in general, the content of nutrients in the berries of red gooseberries shows an almost two-fold excess in comparison with green gooseberries.

Red gooseberry is rich in minerals - calcium, copper, iron, potassium, phosphorus, as well as vitamins - carotene, vitamins E, P and C, B vitamins, tannins. The fructose and glucose content makes the treats made from it useful substitutes for sweets and pastries.

Eating red gooseberries in food helps to normalize metabolism and overcome the problem of excess weight. Fresh berries are indicated for vitamin deficiency and disorders of the digestive tract, they are rich in substances that increase appetite and promote the production of gastric juice. The excretory system and kidneys also improve their function through the consumption of red gooseberries. Another useful property of these berries is the normalization of blood pressure.

Red gooseberry varieties

Red gooseberry varieties have a number of characteristics that distinguish them from each other. Knowing these features will help the gardener choose the most suitable variety for planting in his area.

"Krasnoslavyansky"

The Krasnoslavyansky variety, obtained by breeders of the Leningrad Region, who combined two other varieties, Orion and Avenarius, enjoys well-deserved popularity. The bushes of this gooseberry variety do not tend to grow widely, and can reach a height of about one and a half meters. Straight-growing shoots are light brown on the bottom and light green on the top. Small buds are brown in color. Gooseberry flowers look like small bells and are not decorative. The average berry weight is 4.3 grams.

This variety has a significant drawback: due to the large number of sharp thorns densely covering the shoots, working with it involves the use of protective equipment, especially in the process of harvesting fruits.

"Krasnoslavyansky" variety is known for the dessert flavor of its early ripening berries, colored in a thick wine color. Ripe berries look very impressive against the background of the greenery of the bush, which makes this variety even more popular. In addition, the fruits are resistant to transportation and storage.

"Russian red"

The gooseberry variety "Russian Red" is preferred by gardeners of the northern regions because of its winter hardiness. It also tolerates drought quite well and firmly resists American powdery mildew, as well as septoria, these diseases practically do not affect the "Russian Red" variety. The variety is medium late and produces a rich harvest of glossy oval or elliptical berries, colored in dark red. The presence of a wax coating on their surface is noted. The pure sweet and sour taste of the berries has no impurities. The average weight of the berries ranges from 3 grams to 6. The disadvantage of the variety is its spreading at a young age, which eventually fades away, a crown of medium density is formed. This variety is also prized for its self-pollination ability.

"Belarusian red"

Another popular variety - "Belarusian Red", refers to young varieties with an average ripening period. The spherical bush is distinguished by thickened shoots and medium height. The thorns are arranged, as a rule, one or two at a time, rarely three at once. The berries are large and can weigh 8.5 grams. Their surface has no edge and is covered with light veins. The shape of the berries is oval, circle or transitional. Interestingly, the pulp of this variety has an unusual raspberry hue, and also has a very sweet taste.

"Belarusian Red" is distinguished by its high winter hardiness, tolerates sudden temperature changes well, and is also resistant to disease with American powdery mildew. In general, it does not require special efforts to prevent diseases and pest attacks, which greatly facilitates the work of gardeners. The best yield is obtained when planted on fertile soils, in a well-lit area.

"Moskovsky"

Another variety of red gooseberries with high yields and frost resistance is Moskovsky. But he cannot boast of resistance to powdery mildew and other diseases of fungal origin, which should be taken into account. Ripe berries have a purple hue and sweet and sour taste, their weight ranges from 5 to 7 grams. The dense skin allows them to be stored for a long time - both on a branch and in assembled form, as well as to successfully transfer transportation. 1 bush of such a gooseberry can bring up to 11 kg of berries.

"Finnish"

From Scandinavia came to our region the variety "Finsky" - medium late, very productive. From 1 small, usually bush, you can collect up to 12 kg of berries. True, they do not differ in impressive size and weigh only 2-4

grams. The thin skin hides a surprisingly sweet pulp underneath, and its surface is covered with bloom. The first harvest falls on the 3rd season after planting the bush. The variety is distinguished by a high degree of resistance to diseases - be it spheroteka, septoria or powdery mildew. The "Finnish" red gooseberry successfully pollinates itself.

Red gooseberry - growing rules

The best time to plant gooseberries is spring or autumn. When choosing the autumn period, you should find out the forecast regarding the first frosts - at least one and a half months should remain before their onset. This time will be enough for the gooseberry to adapt to a new place. This culture prefers well-lit places and soils with a high content of sand or black soil. The gooseberry does not tolerate loamy soils very well, as well as an increased level of moisture in the soil.

The planting holes should be spaced at an interval of at least 1.5 m - the gooseberries can grow strongly, and the bushes will simply become cramped on the site. Thickening of plantings is fraught with a lack of nutrition, as well as the development of disease-causing processes. The depth of each hole should be about 0.5 m.

It is recommended to apply the nutrient mixture to the bottom of the well before planting. The following combination is suitable as such:

- humus - 10kg;
- wood ash - 100 g;
- potassium sulphide - 40 g;
- double superphosphate - 50 g.

The mixture must be thoroughly mixed and placed at the bottom of the planting hole. Then a seedling is lowered into it, whose root system is covered with earth, which must be tamped and thoroughly moistened. It should be borne in mind that gooseberry bushes should have an angle of inclination in relation to the ground - up to 45 degrees.

In cases where a variety is planted that is exposed to powdery mildew, treatment with a copper-based solution will be required. It is quite easy to prepare it: it is enough to dissolve 3 grams of copper sulfate and 5 grams of ordinary salt in 10 liters of water. The resulting volume is enough to irrigate one gooseberry bush. If the infection does occur, then the affected parts of the plant must be cut off and burned. Places of cuts should be covered with a layer of lime mortar.

When choosing spring time for planting gooseberries, you should focus on the period between thawing of the soil and ripening of the buds. Due to the difficulty of following this requirement, the most experienced gardeners decide to plant gooseberries in the spring. The delay can lead to slow adaptation of seedlings in a new place and a slowdown in the rate of its development and growth.

Caring for gooseberries requires timely watering, as well as weed control and loosening the soil. Otherwise, weeds will draw nutrients from the soil, which will negatively affect the development of the bush.

Harvesting begins in summer. It should be borne in mind that berries of different degrees of ripeness are stored for different durations. Ripe gooseberries at room temperature remain fresh for 3 days, while slightly

greenish berries are stored for up to 6 days. At a temperature of 0 degrees, the storage duration is increased to 30 days.

Avoid eating berries that have traces of a whitish bloom, reminiscent of dew.

The use of red gooseberries in cooking

Gooseberries can be stored for much longer in the form of preserves and jams. Also marshmallow, marmalade, compotes, wine are made from it. It is also used for making marinades. Gooseberry juice goes well with meat and vegetable dishes, and is also suitable as an ingredient in salads and pastries.

A popular gooseberry marinade canned with vinegar, black pepper, horseradish and black currant. This product must be placed in glass jars with tin lids and kept in a dark place for a month.

The gooseberry-blackcurrant mixture is suitable for chicken breasts in berry sauce. In addition to the pulp of berries, it includes sugar and cream (20%).

To prepare gooseberry marmalade, it is necessary to thoroughly sort out the berries, removing all beaten and rotten fruits, as well as cuttings. To prepare this delicacy, a stainless or aluminum pan is required.

Gooseberries are also used for the preparation of alcoholic beverages. Vodka-based gooseberry pouring is infused for six months.

For jam, unripe berries with a too sour taste are useful, and the most ripe ones are ideal for making sauce for meat dishes, especially with hot spices. There are known types of jam made from gooseberry berries with the addition of walnuts.

Ripe gooseberries are wonderful on their own, either freshly picked or as pureed jelly.