Pruning gooseberries: when and how to do it correctly so that there is a good harvest

Already when planting, the gooseberry seedling needs pruning. There are rules about when and how to do it correctly. Berry bushes take up space in the garden in vain 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 gooseberry pruning

Gooseberry bushes consist of branches of different ages. Branches of the zero order are young basal shoots. A year later, lateral branches are formed on them - shoots of the 1st order. From 5 to 6 branches are formed on the gooseberry branch.

The shortest are fruitlets, they are formed on 2-year-old wood. Flower buds and berries are formed on them. The age of the branch can be determined from the knees on the fruit. The fetus is functioning for 5-6 years. Maximum fruiting occurs at the age of 2-3 years.

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

The gooseberry branch can bear fruit up to 10 years, but the maximum return is in 5-year-olds. Old branches fall apart on the sides, fall to the ground. Bushes, especially those with thorns, overgrow. Care becomes more difficult. The yield decreases if the condition of the crown is not controlled: the age of the branches, their number.

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

anti-aging;
formative;
sanitary.

You can briefly outline the goals that are pursued by pruning gooseberries:

discharge the crown of the shrub, balance the aboveground and underground parts of the bush for an even distribution of nutrients and light - the task of shaping pruning;
removing old weakly fruiting branches, stimulating new growth is the task of rejuvenating pruning;
cutting diseased and damaged shoots, prevention of 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 shrub.

Essential garden tools for the job

Thornless gooseberry bushes are easier to care for than thorn ones. For garden work, it is necessary to purchase special gloves for hands that protect against thorns and sharp branches. Of the tools you need to have:

secateurs for shoots up to 10 mm in diameter;
lopper for thick branches from 20 to 50 mm;
a hacksaw for cutting old, thick branches.

When to carry out the procedure

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

Spring bush formation

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 well prepared for the winter. Immediately after the snow melts, you need to do 3 types of operations in stages:

cut all frozen branches;
shorten weakened branches by a third of the length;
strong, but mechanically damaged shoots, cut, leaving a he althy 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:

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

How to prune gooseberries in autumn: diagram

Begin work by inspecting the bush. First of all, branches damaged by disease, bad weather, and insects are removed. The next step is to cut branches 5 years and older. If all branches are old, no more than ⅓ of the total number is removed.

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

Should I prune in winter?

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

Principles of formative pruning depending on the age of the shrub

Gooseberry sapling is formed before planting in the pit. Weak, thin shoots are cut out in the area of the root collar. The remaining branches are shortened. Those that are more powerful - over the 3-4th kidney, those that are thinner - over the 2nd. The kidneys count from below.

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

By the fall of the 3rd year of life, the gooseberry bush grows. He needs to leave 12-18 branches of different ages. They will be the basis of the crown of a fruiting bush. This year the gardener should:

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

Starting from the 4th year, the 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 all 5-year-old branches. To replace, leave 3-5 pieces of the strongest of the young growth.

Specificity of different types of trimming

Young fruit-bearing bushes are subjected to formative and sanitary pruning during the season. Old bushes, on which there are few berries, are subject to rejuvenation. When forming the crown, they are guided by the age of the shrub, the number of branches of different ages, the degree of their illumination. When carrying out sanitary cleaning of the crown, the he alth of the shoots is assessed:

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

How to prune an old, neglected gooseberry

It is possible to fully restore the fruiting of a neglected gooseberry in 2-4 years. First of all, the bush needs to be thinned out. Branches fall under the full clipping:

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

Vertical growing branches need to be examined. Leave 5 pieces. They have their heads cut off. Make cuts over the first lateral, strong branch. In subsequent years, you need to work on the formation of the crown in the system, to prevent its thickening.

Pruning gooseberries after harvest

In August, when the berry picking is over, the condition of the bush is assessed. In summer, after harvesting, sanitary pruning of gooseberries is rarely carried out. It is advisable to carry out it 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 earth around the gooseberry is cleared of debris, loosened, covered with mulch. Removal of diseased branches should be postponed for a month if signs of the disease appeared in July.

Gooseberry Rejuvenation Technique

Rejuvenation requires bushes aged 5 years or more. It is not carried out randomly. First, the number of branches, their age and fruiting level are estimated. The first to remove 3-5-year-old branches, on which there were the least berries. They are recommended to be cut at the base, leaving no stumps.

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

Non-standard ways to form a bush

Original crown formation options attract experienced gardeners who grow vigorous gooseberry varieties, those who like to decorate the garden with shrubs of an unusual shape.

Tapestry

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

Gooseberry seedlings when grown on a trellis must be planted according to a specific 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. Shorten the branches of the previous year by ⅓ of the length.

Stamp

Gardeners get the original gooseberry tree, shaping the crown in a special way. At the same time, they want to get a decorative, rather than an abundantly fruitful element of the garden. Work must be started in the 1st 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 bole is 50-70 cm.This section of the trunk can be wrapped with a soft cloth so that sleeping kidneys 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 trimming

Every gardener should have a garden pitch on hand. In spring and autumn, its presence is mandatory. It was at this time that the bushes were cut dramatically. They do not process thin shoots. Their cuts dry out quickly. Varom cover wounds with a diameter of 2-5 cm.

Garden var is a viscous substance, it creates a strong film that does not allow infection and harmful insects to pass through. Some gardeners make garden pitch on their own. It is believed that the composition of store products includes harmful components. Used in home production:

resin;
turpentine;
rosin;
beeswax.

Gooseberries after pruning are fed, watered, mulched near the trunk circle.

Common mistakes of beginner gardeners

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

When carrying out anti-aging pruning, cutting branches of large diameter, leave stumps. Pests settle in them, they become a constant source of infection.
Afraid to cut a lot of branches, although this is necessary to form the correct crown. The aerial part of the gooseberry is quickly restored, so unnecessary branches should be cut out. The bush will regenerate from underground buds.
Form a bush without analyzing the age of the shoots. Direct their efforts to the decorative component.
Slices are made arbitrarily, they forget that the line should pass over the kidney.
Use blunt garden tools, do not disinfect cutting blades before work. They spread the infection around the garden.

Before carrying out work, it is worth refreshing knowledge, remembering the features of gooseberries. Each bush that has received the necessary care will certainly thank the harvest, if not this year, then next.