Thornless gooseberry: a description of the best varieties for different regions with a photo

Gooseberry is a delicious, he althy berry that can be used to cook many delicious dishes. But when it comes to harvesting in the summer, most gardeners try to put on tighter gloves. The thorns on the gooseberry bushes are so sharp that it is necessary to treat scratches on the legs and arms after picking. Thanks to breeders, it has become possible to grow varieties of thornless gooseberries or with weakly thorned shoots.

Features of thornless gooseberry

Gooseberry is a small shrub up to 1.5 m in height and 2 m in width, with a strong root system extending deep into the ground up to 1.5 m.Buds form on the roots, from which green shoots grow, at the base of the leaves there are sharp tripartite or simple spikes. On the branches, a brown or dark gray bark gradually forms, exfoliating. The leaves are light green, pubescent on the petioles, the edges are serrated, three to five lobed. The flowers are small, green or red, bisexual, formed in the axils of the leaves one, two or three. Fading, they form a fruit - an oval or spherical berry of green, yellow or brown color.

Common gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa, Grossuluaria) belongs to the genus Currant, first mentioned in the 1500s, and known for its beneficial properties since ancient times.

Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to completely eradicate sharp spines (thorns) on gooseberry branches. Thanks to the selection work carried out by specialists in crossing American species and varieties from Europe, it was possible to create gooseberries without thorns. But these varieties have their own characteristics:

1. Cultivated varieties with thorns that fall off during fruit set.
2. Thorns cover only old shoots.
3. There are spikes, but they are few and less sharp.
4. They appear and disappear depending on the chosen place, agricultural techniques for caring for it, its cultivation and the age of the branches of the plant.

Cultivars of gooseberries without thorns have been sectioned by many foreign and Russian scientists. Therefore, they have become very common among Russian gardeners and are adapted to the often changing, harsh conditions.

Is it worth planting thornless gooseberry bushes in the garden: advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Inexperienced gardeners will wonder: is it worth planting a thornless gooseberry in the garden, what are its advantages and disadvantages over the old species?

The main advantage of the new thornless gooseberry varieties is the shedding of thorns before fruiting or their partial absence, which allows gardeners to easily harvest without injury.It is also believed that these varieties are more resistant to sudden frosts, frosts and adverse weather changes, are less affected by diseases, and the taste is more pronounced.

Thornless gooseberries have minor flaws, bushes have a more spreading crown, and some need to be cut often.

Therefore, the question can be answered unambiguously. Yes, it is worth planting gooseberry varieties without thorns, as it is unpretentious in care, frost-resistant and convenient for picking berries. And another advantage that was passed on to thornless varieties from American parents is resistance to powdery mildew.

Nuances of cultivation, care

For the successful cultivation of thornless gooseberries and obtaining a bountiful harvest, it is necessary to choose the right place, prepare it for planting and observe the agrotechnics of planting and growing.

Seat selection:

1. Sunny or with some shade during the day.
2. No drafts.
3. East, south side of site.

Seat:

1. Soil: black soil, sandy loamy, loamy. Wetlands and high acidity are not suitable.
2. pH 5.2-6.7.
3. In the new place, all weeds are removed, the soil is dug deep and loosened so that the earth is softer, lighter, more breathable. Sand, peat can be added to clay soils.

Seedling selection is best done in a nursery:

1. The seedling can be one-, two-, three-year-old.
2. He althy, with no obvious signs of disease, damage by rodents or other pests, rot, breakage.
3. Intense green leaves.
4. The cut root is white, flexible, elastic.

Pick up time:

• Autumn, the end of September - the first half of October in the middle lane, in the south, southwest, southeast, in the Moscow region.
• Spring, April - first decade of May: northern regions, Urals, Siberia.

Steps of planting gooseberries without thorns:

1. Dip the seedlings for a day in a bucket of water or with a diluted growth and root formation stimulator.
2. On the prepared site, mark the landing pattern. Distance between rows 1.5-2 m, between bushes 1.3-1.5 m.
3. Pit depth 35-45 cm, diameter 35-50 cm.
4. If the soil is heavy, groundwater is close, then a hole is dug to a depth of 50 cm, a layer of expanded clay or broken brick drainage is laid on the bottom, sprinkled with a layer of sand on top.
5. If the soil is black soil, loam, then water the pit before planting a seedling with 4-6 liters of water.
6. After, nitroammophoska up to 100 g under a bush is poured into the pit.
7. The seedling is buried no more than 4 cm from the root collar. If planted deeper, the root will grow higher, as the gooseberry reproduces vegetatively.
8. Sprinkle it with a mixture of soil, ash, rotted manure.
9. Leave a depression around the bush to hold water.
10. Pour the hole with 5-6 liters of water.
11. Mulch top with rotted manure and needles if planting took place in autumn.

Caring for the bushes is simple, watering 10-12 liters under the bush once every 2-3 weeks. During the ripening period of berries, irrigation is stopped.

Feeding after planting with fertilizers is carried out in 1.5-2 years. In the spring, you can use fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium.During the flowering period, urea or infusion of weeds. In autumn, the soil around the gooseberry is mulched with peat, manure, and ash. In summer and autumn, in the form of fertilizer, the soil is mulched around with beveled green manure, which positively affects the growth and fruiting of bushes.

Pruning is carried out in the fall, for the formation of new shoots during the growth period, in the spring. Cut skeletal branches into 1-2 buds facing the inside of the bush, if the branches droop inside the bush. If the branches are erect, then cut off 1 outer bud.

In the spring, formative pruning is carried out before the start of active vegetation, growths and branches thickening the bush are cut with secateurs. Every 8-10 years, rejuvenating pruning should be carried out, cutting off all old shoots.

Thornless gooseberry varieties are almost not attacked by insects and rodents, pests and various diseases, but in spring and autumn they require preventive spraying with fungicides and insecticides.

The best varieties of gooseberries without thorns

Breeding work on the development of varietal diversity of gooseberries has been going on for more than 50 years, but the best are:

1. Honey with amber-yellow fruits, high sugar content, very sweet, high frost resistance and medium disease resistance. Honey flavored berries are mid-ripening.
2. Harlequin - mid-season, red-cherry fruits, medium size, high yielding. It tolerates severe frosts down to -35 without damage, is not attacked by pests and almost does not get sick with ash.
3. Commander (Vladil) - fruits of a dark shade, red-brown, sweet-sour taste, long fruiting period, ripens by early August.
4. Grushenka - fruits are large, their color is red-violet, with a high degree of sugar accumulation, taste with a slight sourness. The fruiting period is medium late. High frost resistance and immunity to diseases.
5. Ogni Krasnodar - mid-late ripening of carmine-colored fruits, sweet and sour, yield up to 1 bucket per bush. Highly resistant. Resistant to fungus.
6. Gingerbread man - red with a raspberry tint, fruits from 3 to 8 g, Sweetness more than 8%, acids up to 3%, balanced taste, delicate, medium fruiting period. High resistance to powdery mildew, gray mold, anthracnose.
7. Emerald - fruits from 3 to 8 g of emerald color, translucent in the sun, the taste is bright, richly sweet, with a slight sourness. High resistance to frost and diseases. Yield over 7.5 t/ha, from 1 bush to 1.5-2 buckets.
8. Krasen - ripens in medium terms, berries of green shades. Medium-large, up to 5 g, sweet-sour taste. Often affected by fungi. Frost resistance is high.

For each region, breeders recommend certain varieties of gooseberries that would meet climatic conditions.This list includes the most popular and best varieties: Malachite, Sirius, Northern Captain, Chelyabinsk, Invicta, Ural, Eaglet, African, Amber, Senator.

For the middle zone and the Moscow region

1. Russian yellow - a large berry, up to 8 g, bright yellow, with a pleasant sweet taste, sugar accumulation of more than 9%, with a light aroma. Highly resistant. Highly resistant to fungus, ash and pests. Requires shaping pruning. Productivity is high, up to 9 t/ha. In the absence of care and watering, it gives a small crop. Average maturity.
2. Invicta - yield up to 1.5 buckets per bush, more than 8.5 t/ha, large-fruited, up to 8.5 g. Variety with yellow-green berries, sugar accumulation 8%, acid 2.6%. Favorably tolerates sharp temperature fluctuations, frosts down to -30. Ripens early, almost free of fungal diseases.
3. Malachite - large, up to 6.5 g fruits of malachite color, a blush from the sun is allowed, with a sweet and sour taste, ripens by the end of July.Drought tolerance is high. Favorably tolerates sudden temperature changes. Resistant to fungi and other diseases. High winter hardiness.
4. Eaglet - fruits of dark purple, black color, with a sweet-sour taste. The bushes are high-yielding, up to 1.5 buckets per bush, they tolerate temperature drops, frost down to -30, a sharp change in weather, and frosts. Does not get sick. Ripens at the end of July.
5. African - gooseberry with non-thorny branches and fruits of different sizes (small and medium 3-5 g), dark purple, almost black, sweet berries with a slight aftertaste, ripens by the end of July. Up to 1 bucket of fruit is removed from the bush. High winter hardiness, but weak resistance to anthracnose, not damaged by ash.
6. Northern captain - berries up to 4 g, medium, purple-burgundy in the sun, almost black, with a high proportion of sugar accumulation, with a slight sourness. Productivity is more than 11t/ha, ripens by the end of July - in the first decade of August. Resistant to dry and frosty weather up to -30.
7. Chelyabinsk slightly prickly - medium berries, up to 5.5 g, dark cherry color, sweet and sour. Winter-hardy variety. Bushes are resistant to most diseases, but are often exposed to ash. The ripening period is medium.
8. Thornless gooseberries - medium-large fruits of raspberry-red color, very sweet in taste, there is a slight sourness. The yield is average. Resistant to frost, frost down to -30, drought and powdery mildew.
9. The gooseberry variety Sirius is described in a large number of sources, because it is one of the most frequently cultivated among gardeners in central Russia. Fruits up to 7.5 g of burgundy-brown color, yield up to 1.5-2 buckets per bush. Highly resistant. Drought tolerance is high but weak to powdery mildew.

Popular varieties for the Urals with a description

1. Ural thornless gooseberry has highly developed shoots, they grow rapidly.The fruits are green, sweet-sour, large, the yield is high, but overripe berries fall off. Maturity is average. Favorably tolerates a decrease in temperature to -35, dry weather, sudden temperature changes. Almost no pests attack, average resistance to diseases.
2. Senator (Consul) - medium-sized carmine-colored fruits, 4.5-7 g, sweet-sour, ripens by the end of July, large harvest, up to 2 buckets. Highly winter-hardy, sometimes affected by powdery mildew diseases.
3. Amber - berries are large and medium, yellow-green, sometimes amber, sweet with a slight sourness. The variety is resistant to frosts down to -40, to a sharp change in weather, drought and frost. The yield is high, the fruits do not crumble.

Gooseberries have a high ability to endure long winters, sharp temperature fluctuations, frosts down to -30, -40, but it is better to cover with dry leaves or straw for the winter.

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