How to propagate gooseberries: the best ways, optimal timing, care after the procedure

Having a summer cottage, every gardener should know how gooseberries reproduce. The presence of this plant on the site is important, since the berries have amazing taste and are extremely useful. The further growth of the plant and the yield depend on the correct preparation of planting material that meets certain criteria and compliance with the requirements for planting.

What you need for the procedure

Growing gooseberries does not require much knowledge and special tools. Required:

1. He althy plant (mother bush), which is prepared in advance, a season before use: fertilized, irrigated in order to prevent diseases and damage to the bush by harmful insects.
2. Tools: sharp pruner or scissors. If the seedlings are not planted immediately in the ground, containers with a fertile mixture for growing, a film or a can are needed to create a microclimate.

Optimal timing for shrub reproduction

The priority period for gooseberry propagation is spring and autumn, which is determined depending on the chosen method.Layering from the bush is taken early in the spring. This action is combined with seasonal pruning. The main thing is to be in time until the plant begins vegetative growth. When the buds on the bush turn green or open, time is lost. It is enough to wait until the earth thaws at a depth of 0.1 m. In the temperate climate zone, this time falls on the end of April or the first days of May.

Green gooseberry cuttings are recommended to be planted throughout June, and lignified ones - in mid-October. There is no need to prepare them, the work is done in one day.

The division of the bush is carried out in spring and autumn. The main condition: the seedlings must have time to take root. In warm regions, the period from late September to early October is suitable. To divide the bush, it is important to wait for the gooseberry to hibernate, then it will endure the division painlessly. In regions of the temperate climate zone, the division of the bush is carried out in the spring.

During the summer, the plant has time to prepare for the winter cold. But in this case, you need to have time before the buds swell, because the plant that has not awakened will better endure this procedure.

When is it better to take cuttings: summer or autumn?

The growth rate of gooseberries mainly depends on weather conditions, respectively, the appropriate cutting time is different.Basically, the cuttings are cut in early spring before the buds swell. It is necessary to plant in warm soil. Throughout the summer, standard care activities are carried out: watering, feeding, loosening.

Autumn is suitable for propagating the bush with lignified cuttings. In winter, the cuttings are stored in the cold, planting is carried out on May days in warm ground.

Recommendations for beginner gardeners

It is not difficult to breed and grow bushes of this plant. For breeding, you need to choose a specific method, which depends on some factors:

1. Age of the plant being used. It should have one and two year shoots.
2. Gooseberries should be free from damage by insects, fungi and viruses.
3. Preparation for the breeding process starts from the previous season. Gooseberries are carefully cared for: watering, feeding with fertilizers, preventive measures for diseases and attacks of harmful insects.
4. The place for planting a bush is determined in advance. Gooseberries need warmth and an abundance of light, the absence of which will affect the amount of the crop and the taste of the berries. A hill is not suitable for a plant, the roots can freeze, and a lowland, since melt water accumulates there, the cold remains for a long time. The ideal is a flat area, protected from the north wind.
5. The plant does not like high humidity.
6. Pits for planting are prepared in 12-18 days, diameter - 0.4-0.6 m, depth - 0.6 m.
7. You need to take into account the distance between the seedlings, it is determined by the dimensions of the bush. The optimal distance is 0.8 m between seedlings and 1.5 m between rows.
8. If possible, it is recommended to plant so that the gooseberry bushes do not shade each other (staggered pattern).
9. During planting, mix the extracted soil with fertilizers: humus, superphosphate, potassium sulfate (wood ash).

Methods and technology of gooseberry propagation

There are many options for breeding gooseberries. The gardener chooses the most convenient and optimal for himself.

Layers

There are three ways to breed gooseberries by layering, in which it is necessary to drop branches or partially gooseberries.

Horizontal

This shrub breeding option is recognized as one of the most effective. Carried out in October.In the spring, it is also allowed to lay layering, but you need to do it as early as possible, before the buds swell and while there is enough moisture in the soil. Optimal time: the last days of March - until mid-April. The term varies depending on climatic regions.

For this you need:

1. Choose he althy gooseberries. The preferred age of the plant is 5-7 years.
2. Identify a few good branches, age range from one to 3 years. They should be as close to the ground as possible.
3. On the branches, trim the growths by one third of their length. The procedure activates the bud germination and the appearance of sprouts, their root develops well.
4. Bend the branches to the soil, lay them in the previously prepared furrows, firmly attach them with hooks made of metal, plastic, wood.
5. Fill furrows with a fertile layer of earth, water, mulch.
6. It is important to weed, fertilize and water in a timely manner.
7. Buds on deepened branches will begin to grow, form vertical sprouts.
8. When young sprouts become 8-10 cm long, hilling should be done.
9. September (last days) - the recommended time for transplantation. Separate a branch with rooted sprouts with scissors or pruners from the mother bush, dig it out, cut it, taking into account the number of resulting sprouts.
10. Sort seedlings, shorten roots, cut off shoots ¼ of their length.
11. Plant on prepared bed.

The main disadvantage of this breeding option is its laboriousness. The advantage is the reliability of reproduction.

Vertical

It is considered effective to breed a bush with vertical layering. Used to rejuvenate plants.

To do this:

1. In the spring, cover the bush with prepared, well-fertilized, moistened soil. The height of the embankment is 10-15 cm. As the branches increase, periodically hill up.
2. In autumn, if the work was carried out correctly, rooting will occur, you can carry out the separation of young seedlings.

Arcuate layering

There are gooseberry varieties with arcuate soft shoots. They touch the ground and actively form roots. In such cases, rooting is carried out without human assistance. If you help the gooseberry bush, the process will go much faster.

For this you need:

1. In the place of contact with the soil surface, make a hole, place a twig in it, fix it and sprinkle with fertile soil mixture, forming a mound.
2. In autumn, separate the sprout from the mother bush and dig it up.
3. Inspect the sprouts, given their condition, they are sent for growing or planted on a permanent ridge.

The advantage of this method is efficiency. The disadvantages include the fact that a single seedling is obtained from a branch. If reproduction is carried out for oneself, this is enough. This option is not suitable for industrial reproduction.

Perennial branches

It is recommended not to destroy the gooseberry twigs remaining after seasonal pruning, but to use them for breeding.

Recommended:

• make a deepening in the soil;
• put a branch into it;
• sprinkle with fertile soil mixture, outside leave part of the twig with the green growth of this season;
• to stimulate the lateral buds, it is recommended to pinch a green sprout;
• keep the soil moist;
• feeding is done after active growth;
• dig up in autumn, divide into sprouts;
• plant for growing on a special bed.

Dividing the bush

The division is used if it is necessary to move a valuable bush to another ridge. To do this, you need to prepare the plant in advance:

1. Cut old branches under the base. Such a procedure will stimulate the growth of new ones.
2. Dig up gooseberries next season, divide into parts.
3. Seed seedlings in prepared pits. It is recommended that this bush transplant be done in autumn and spring, but not in summer.

By cuttings

Propagation of gooseberries by cuttings is carried out in spring and autumn. Gooseberry cuttings in terms of timing are directly dependent on the type of cuttings harvested.

Green cuttings

This option is considered effective in comparison with lignified cuttings, so gardeners are often interested in: how to propagate gooseberries in summer with green cuttings. The ideal time for this cutting is from mid-June.

For cutting, it is recommended to take young growths of the current season. They need to be harvested in the early morning, in the late afternoon.

Mostly the length of the blanks is 8-12 cm. You need to cut with a knife or a razor. Further, the resulting cuttings must be kept in a growth stimulator, which will contribute to their active rooting. Hold for about 12-14 hours at a temperature of 20-23 ^oC.

Prepare a special container. The soil in it is prepared from several layers: the 1st (lower) - drainage (the plant does not tolerate excessive moisture), the middle one is fertile soil, the upper one should consist of peat with humus and sand. The thickness of each layer is 0.1 m. Plant cuttings in it, deepening by 20 mm, carefully water.

For good rooting, special conditions are needed: heat and high humidity. The daytime temperature regime is recommended not lower than 18 ^оС, the night temperature is not lower than 16 ^оС. Watering is done with warm liquid.

During the hot season, the nursery opens slightly to prevent overheating.You also need to shade from the sun. During the summer, feed seedlings with urea or manure solution. After rooting, reduce the moisture index to 75%, gradually bring it to open ground conditions.

Lignified cuttings

Because the cuttings of this plant take root poorly, gardeners advise not to use cuttings. In industrial production, there is a big risk of not getting seedlings. But at home, if 3-4 out of a dozen cuttings take root, it will already be enough.

For this you need:

1. In early spring, prepare cuttings 0.2 m long. It is carried out until the plant wakes up, the buds do not swell. In autumn, prepare cuttings immediately before planting. It is better to cut from the top of the shoots, they will take root better in comparison with the lower ones.
2. In the spring, plant only after the soil has thawed to a sufficient depth. Until planting, the blanks are kept cold, wrapped in a damp cloth or in a polyethylene bag.
3. To land on the ridge. The distance between the cuttings is 0.2 m. Plant out, observing the angle 45^{o. In this case, the best conditions for rooting are obtained.}
4. After planting, thoroughly tamp the soil between the cuttings, water carefully, preventing soil erosion, mulch. The optimal thickness of the mulch is 6-7 cm.
5. The soil must be carefully fluffed up, weeded out, timely watered and fed.

Combined cuttings

A cutting with a green sprout is considered combined, part of which contains last year's lignified growth with a length not exceeding 3-6 cm. Cuttings are harvested:

• with a heel: the branch is directly broken;
• with stalk: cut the green twig with a lignified fragment, the cut is made according to the dark growth of the previous season;
• with stand: cut from a side branch, and the lignified fragment (crutch) is connected perpendicularly to the green one.

The start of gooseberry reproduction is the end of May, when green sprouts reach 50-70 mm in height, and then almost the entire growing season. Plant the cuttings in loose soil, deepening the heel and part of the base by 30-40 mm. Plentifully water the soil, make mulch. Roots appear in 12-16 days.

Seed propagation method for gooseberries

The seed is selected from ripe berries. They need to be mixed with sand and stored until autumn. For the winter period, bury the box at a depth of 0.5-0.7 m and cover it with a layer of soil. In early spring, sow the seeds in a greenhouse, cover with a layer of peat. You need to sit down when 2 leaves appear. Seedlings are watered, weeded, nourished. In the fall, plant the strengthened sprouts in the garden.

Coppice propagation

Considered the most humane way.This is a timely planting of overgrowth naturally formed near the bush. In the spring, pinch the shoots for better branching. Reproduction is carried out in the fall, after the end of the season. The growth is carefully separated from the bush and transferred to a new place. It is worth noting that if large berries are needed, the shoots must be cleaned regularly.

Nuances of breeding gooseberries without thorns

Thornless Gooseberry will thrive with some considerations:

• does not tolerate acid soil;
• dislikes excessive moisture;
• tolerates several days of drought well;
• layering is the best breeding method.

Features of caring for young seedlings

Weeding, loosening, watering is carried out within the radius of the crown of the bush, since the root system does not go beyond the edges of the shoots.Loosening is carried out to a depth of 40 mm, so as not to injure the roots, most of them are located at a depth of 50 mm. In stable weather, one watering per week is necessary.

A sprawling bush will require further garters or props. It is necessary to remove the root shoots. Pruning is done in autumn. Sick and damaged branches are removed to the very soil. In the second year, you need to cultivate the soil, especially if manure was not used during planting. In the spring it is necessary to add s altpeter.

After harvesting, it is recommended to rake out the fallen leaves (there can be pests), to carry out preventive treatment with fungicides ("Topaz") to prevent the development of diseases. To prepare for winter, the bush needs to be fertilized. Recommended: "Sotka Autumn", "Autumn", Bona Forte. Growing gooseberries is not difficult. With the correct implementation of all agrotechnical requirements, the bushes will delight with a tasty big harvest.

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