How to grow gooseberries from seeds: planting and care at home

Almost every owner of a garden plot is engaged in growing gooseberries. And there are reasons for this, in particular, the berry has useful properties, has excellent taste, and is also characterized by early maturity and high yield. However, in order to get a he althy plant, efforts must be made from the moment of planting. Next, we will tell you how to grow gooseberries from seeds.

Can gooseberries be grown from seeds?

Those who want to grow gooseberries from seeds at home need to know that there are cases when the "baby" does not have all the varietal characteristics of the mother plant.

The loss of certain properties of a mother liquor in a plant is due to the fact that it has the ability to cross-pollinate. As a result, the process of transferring pollen from a plant of one variety to a plant of another leads to the fact that seedlings receive new characteristics that are not always positive.

Besides this, most varieties are now hybrids, which, in the process of selection, received both their characteristic features and parental ones. Such seedlings may eventually show the characteristics of parent crops.

Best Suitable Varieties

Breeders are trying to ensure that the taste of gooseberries improves qualitatively, and the bush itself is not so prickly, as this makes harvesting difficult.

If we talk about the most common varieties of gooseberries, it is worth highlighting the following:

1. Russian variety - refers to early ripening and is characterized by high growth. Gives a good harvest. The berries are oval in shape and dark red in color. Weight is approximately 4 grams. One bush gives up to 6 kilograms of fruit.
2. Malachite is a mid-ripening variety. Shoots are also distinguished by high growth. From one bush they collect from 6 to 7 kilograms of berries. The gooseberry has a round berry, the color is green. The taste of this variety is sweet, but there is a slight sourness that does not spoil the overall impression of the berry.
3. Date - this variety belongs to late-ripening. The bush grows tall, bears fruit well. So, from an adult plant, you can collect up to 12 kilograms of berries, and the weight of one berry will fluctuate around 20 grams. The taste of the berries of this variety is sweet and sour.

Basic Growing Principles

To grow gooseberries from seeds, you must adhere to certain rules of agricultural technology. Next, we propose to dwell on each of them in detail.

Seed preparation

Ripe berries are harvested, seeds are taken out of them, which are thoroughly rinsed in warm water so that no pulp remains. Next, the seeds are laid out on a clean, dry cloth to dry.

Selecting and preparing a landing site

Containers are prepared for sowing, on the bottom of which a drainage layer of pebbles or expanded clay is laid. As for the soil substrate, for planting gooseberries, it is prepared from fertile soil, river sand and organic matter (manure).

Sowing seeds

Seeds should be placed on the surface of the soil about 5 centimeters apart. It is worth deepening them slightly, sprinkle the rest of the earth on top about half a centimeter

Containers with soil are watered, and covered with a film on top. Gooseberries are kept at a temperature of +3-+5 degrees.

The next spring, the pots are placed in the ground in the garden plot. This should be done only when the seedlings have two leaves.

Further care for gooseberries

Planting isn't all it takes to get a harvest. So, further care for gooseberries should also be correct, as you will learn later.

Tillage

For the stable development of gooseberries, as well as for the culture to bear fruit, it is worth systematically digging or loosening the soil. As for the depth and strength of processing, it depends solely on the structure of the soil. So, dense earth requires digging with a shovel, and loose earth is enough to “fluff” using a garden pitchfork.

The roots of the bush are close to the surface of the soil, so the processing, which is carried out next to the crown, should be carried out as carefully as possible.At the time of loosening, it is permissible to affect only the top layer of soil, without going deeper than 7 centimeters. As for the perimeter around the bush, then you can work the land more confidently.

Equally important is the timely destruction of weeds, which provoke high humidity at the bottom of the bush, and these are suitable conditions for the occurrence of various diseases.

Feeding and watering

Gooseberries bear fruit for many years, taking a large amount of nutrients from the soil, so the annual application of various fertilizers is a necessary measure. In the spring, each bush needs half a bucket of compost, 50 grams of superphosphate, 25 grams of ammonium sulfate, and also potassium sulfate. In the event that the bushes are large and give a good harvest, the rate is doubled.

Fertilizers must be applied around the perimeter, namely in those places where the roots of the plant are located; after these places are thrown, the soil is loosened.The first time fertilizers are applied immediately after the crop blooms, then, after 2-3 weeks, fertilizing is carried out with a manure solution in a ratio of 1:5.

Pruning the bush

Some believe that the formation of bushes is not so important when growing gooseberries, however, this opinion is erroneous. So, first, pruning contributes to the formation of the base of the bush: perennial branches are cut in half, and root growth is also eliminated.

From the fourth year, pruning of bushes is carried out in order to eliminate thickening. As part of this procedure, weak and dried shoots are removed. Old shoots are pruned from bushes that have reached the age of 3 to 6 years.

Protection from the cold

The plant cannot be called whimsical, and even under a layer of snow, the gooseberry roots will be protected. However, experienced gardeners recommend treating the crop with preparations before the onset of cold weather that will prevent it from getting sick and help it bear fruit well when the time comes.

After the crop is harvested and the leaves fall off, plant debris is removed without fail. Next, the gooseberries are processed with Bordeaux mixture. Next, you need to dig up the soil near the trunk so that the insects cannot hit the gooseberries. After the culture needs to be fed.

Disease and pest control methods

Gooseberries are sometimes attacked by moths, sawflies or aphids. To protect against such attacks, Karbofos, ash caste or biological agents are used. Processing is carried out in the spring. If such a need arises, spraying is carried out again after flowering begins.

Another plant problem is powdery mildew, which is identified by gray spots on the leaves. To combat this disease, a solution of baking soda and iron sulfate is suitable. This processing is carried out as soon as a problem is detected.

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