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How to prune gooseberries after harvest. Proper pruning of gooseberries is the basis of a healthy plant. Pruning dates for gooseberries in the fall

Every year, a large number of new shoots appear on the gooseberry bush, which not only complicate the harvesting process, but also interfere with the penetration of light. And as you know, this culture is photophilous and with insufficient sunlight, it will bear fruit worse and its resistance to diseases will significantly decrease. For these reasons, pruning gooseberries after harvest is very important. And if you want to get a lot of delicious berries every year, and also strive to protect the plant from diseases, then you will have to regularly thin out the plantings.

Autumn pruning of gooseberries will significantly simplify the process of harvesting the future crop and at the same time will not take you much time.

Trimming Rules

When to cut?

The best time for pruning gooseberries is autumn. The thing is that in the spring the plant wakes up and active sap flow begins in its shoots. There is a rapid swelling of the kidneys and just as quickly they turn into young green leaves. And if you don't guess with the right time spring pruning, then you can seriously harm the plant. In the autumn, after the bushes have given you all their berries, their activity gradually decreases, the sap flow slows down, and it is at this time that it is recommended to manipulate the extra shoots.

Important! Gooseberries need to be cut only at the end of leaf fall, but always before the first frosts come!

Early autumn is considered the wrong time to carry out these works due to the fact that at this time the weather often indulges in warm days - thaws, during which the bush can give a few more young shoots. And this young growth, remaining on the bush, will not have time to be covered with a dense bark and will simply freeze in winter. For the same reason, gooseberry pruning is not carried out in the summer.

How to cut?

The scheme of autumn pruning of gooseberries is as follows:

1. In young one-year-old plants, the shoots are shortened in such a way that there are about 4 buds on the remaining part of them. The rapidity of the formation of the bush will directly depend on how much you cut off its branches in the first year of growth. At the same time, young branches are cut by a third, and no more than 4 are left from the basal ones, and only those that do not grow in the middle of the bush.
   
2. Until the moment of strong thickening of the gooseberry, from time to time it is necessary to remove branches on which fruit ovaries do not form. Such shoots should be cut almost at the level of the soil and try not to leave stumps.
3. In the second year, the branches that were formed as a result of growth are again shortened by 1/3, and 8 are already left from the basal ones.
4. Do not forget to follow the growth of the ends. If during the season the end of the cut shoot has grown by no more than 7 cm, then it should be removed without regret to the very base.
   

   On a note! It is very easy to recognize a growing horse - it will have more light color compared to the shade of the shoot at its base!

5. In the third year, the plant will begin to bear fruit and it will already have about 15 shoots of different ages. Here, the pruning scheme will be similar to the first year - the branches of this year are shortened by a third, and no more than 4 are left at the root.
6. At the age of 5-7, there should be at least 18 shoots of different ages on the bush. This is the peak fruiting gooseberry. From now on, every autumn it is necessary to remove all old branches to the very root.
7. Sometimes on the bushes you can find basal shoots that have taken root from the tops - this happens in advanced cases, when the sample has not been carried out for several years and the tops of the branches hung so low that they could go to the root. Such shoots must be removed without fail.
8. The most juicy berries appear on young shoots - this is a well-known fact. Old branches are considered when they reach 10 years of age; the fruits on them become smaller and over time they completely stop producing a crop. And thanks to the autumn pruning of gooseberries in the spring, the growth of zero shoots will be activated. To recognize the old branch, you need to pay attention to its bark - on young shoots it will be light, on old ones it will be darker, while their thickness may be the same.
   
9. On last step gooseberry pruning - at the end of autumn (just before frost), you can cut off extra branches, as well as those that grow in the middle of the bush and prevent the normal penetration of sunlight.

Upon completion of the work, sections with a diameter of more than 8 mm should preferably be treated with a healing garden pitch. So the plants will quickly return to normal after the procedure, and the risk of pathogenic bacteria and fungi entering the wound will come to naught.

The main attention of beginner gardeners when caring for gooseberries after harvest and in the fall should be directed to timely pruning bushes for the winter. This very important agricultural technique contributes to the correct formation of the crown, maintaining good growth, increasing the yield and quality of berries. In addition, by correctly pruning the “northern grapes”, it is possible to prevent the exposure of internal branches, improve the growth and fruiting of aging shrubs, and lengthen the period of productive age. About why, when and how to prune, as well as about the schemes for pruning by year and the schemes for rejuvenating an old gooseberry bush, we will describe in the material below.

Like most berry bushes, the gooseberry grows quite quickly, begins to shade itself, get sick more often and its fruiting worsens. Therefore, every year, extra branches must be cut off, as well as form a bush. Already starting from the age of 5-6, it is recommended to carry out anti-aging pruning, removing the oldest (5-6 year old) branches.

Thus, autumn pruning of gooseberries is necessary in order to:

• improve intake sunlight and air to the branches located inside the bush;
• reduce the risk of disease and pest damage (powdery mildew);
• increase the volume and quality of the crop;
• give a bush correct form, that is, to simplify the care of gooseberries, because it is much easier to care for and collect berries from cultivated bushes than to carry out these manipulations in hopeless prickly thickets.

Of course, you can not cut the gooseberries in the fall, but you will hardly be able to harvest a generous harvest from a neglected plant.

However! Incorrect and untimely pruning of gooseberries adversely affects the condition of the shrub, it weakens and bears poor fruit. Therefore, so that the gooseberry pruning after harvesting and in the fall is not done in vain, you need to know the optimal timing and basic rules for this important garden manipulation.

When to prune gooseberries in autumn: the best timing

If you need to carry out as quickly as possible, until the vegetation process begins at the bush, then pruning gooseberries after fruiting (harvesting) can be divided into two stages. Dried and diseased branches (sanitary pruning) delete immediately after harvest (still in summer), but rejuvenating and shaping pruning gooseberries have already been taken autumn, and preferably after the leaves fall, but before the onset of frost and stable negative temperatures.

Note! After harvesting (in summer), shortening pruning should not be carried out, otherwise you will provoke the appearance of new growths that will not have time to lignify before frost and simply dry out.

Thus, approximate dates gooseberry pruning in autumn middle lane(Moscow region) - October-November, after harvest - from late July to September.

When is the best time to prune - in autumn or spring

Of course, gooseberries can be cut in the spring, but this must be done early enough, even before the buds open, that is, before the sap flow begins. If you do this later, then the plant will simply lose some of the juices in vain for the blooming of those buds that we cut off anyway. In addition, in the spring there are a lot of things to do without it. Therefore, it is much more practical to produce autumn pruning of gooseberries.

Video: gooseberry pruning in autumn

How to prune gooseberries in autumn: basic rules and recommendations

Advice! Pruning an old gooseberry bush is very convenient to carry out with long-handled secateurs (lopper). In principle, you can use an ordinary pruner (for cutting young branches), but working with it, you will definitely prick yourself (the bush is prickly), which means that you should also wear protective gloves (optimally - welder).

What branches and shoots gooseberry need to cut after fruiting (harvesting) and in autumn:

Important! If there are branches that are bent down or located horizontally, then they must be shortened so that the extreme buds on the remaining part (or side shoots) were directed vertically or under good angle up.

• All cut out completely old branches, which over 5 years and older.

• Weak young growth and thin branches you need to shorten to the largest bud, which does not look inside the bush, but out.

Worth knowing! How to distinguish weak shoots from strong ones? Strong shoots have an annual growth of at least 50 cm.

• Strong substitution shoots (null) - those shoots that grow from the ground, you need shorten 1/4 above the kidneys so that they branch better. Rest weak young (null) shoots, you need to cut it out completely so that they do not obscure the crown. There should be 3-4 of them in total.

How properly cut branches and shoots gooseberries in autumn

Thus, a 5-year-old bush should have no more than 18 branches, that is, 2-3 branches each year, including 3-4 strong zero shoots.

Video: how to cut gooseberries

Interesting! Some gardeners do not prune gooseberries according to the rules, because this greatly simplifies the process and makes it less labor and time consuming. At the same time, no special losses or decrease in fruiting are observed at all, but on the contrary, the shrub gives excellent harvests. For more information about this autumn gooseberry pruning, see the video below.

Video: how to cut gooseberries against the rules

Scheme of forming pruning by years

If you planted a shrub seedling and want to form a compact and abundantly fruiting bush, then you should adhere to certain scheme gooseberry formation, taking into account the age of the bush (pruning by years):

• After planting a seedling- all shoots (if not the only one) are shortened, while leaving 3-4 buds above the soil surface.
• after 1 year- all young shoots are cut into 4-5 buds and 2-3 zero shoots are left. At the same time, it is worth starting to carry out sanitary pruning - remove diseased branches and those branches that do not grow vertically, but are directed to the center of the bush.
• after 2 years(3-year-old seedling) - pruning (pinching) of all zero shoots by 1/4 is carried out, as well as shortening by 1/4 of the growth growing on skeletal branches. This will provoke the growth of a young shrub in width, and not up. Do not forget about sanitary pruning.
• after 3-4 years- fully corresponds to pruning on a 3-year-old seedling. Sanitary pruning.
• for 5 years and beyond- rejuvenating pruning of the bush begins. First, sanitary pruning is carried out, then all old shoots are cut out (rejuvenating pruning) and the forming one is completed - everything is like a 2-year-old (3-year-old seedling).
• And don't forget every year leave 2-3 new zero replacement shoots.

Also exists standard method of forming a gooseberry bush.

Pruning by years should be carried out according to the following scheme (by years), shown in the picture below:

Video: standard gooseberry

How to prune an old and neglected bush (anti-aging pruning)

Note! You need to cut off old branches without fanaticism. Gooseberries bear fruit on young growth, which is formed on old branches (the most prolific 3-5 years of age), and this is its difference from currants.

If you inherited (inherited or bought from a previous owner) old lot with overly thickened gooseberry bushes that give a very small yield, then in order to restore fruiting, you need to carry out the correct rejuvenating pruning of the shrub. And it is better to divide it into 2 stages. Naturally, it is better to start with sanitary pruning, and then get rid of all the old (anti-aging pruning) and other extra branches. The bush is cleared, which means that all conditions are created for the active growth of new young shoots.

The scheme of rejuvenation and pruning of the old gooseberry bush:

Video: rejuvenating autumn gooseberry pruning

Interesting! There is quite radical rejuvenation method old gooseberry - cut it to zero.

So what needs to be done:

• In order to rejuvenate the gooseberry, you cut off almost the entire bush at soil level. Although it is still better to leave 3-4 of the youngest and strongest branches (with light bark).
• In the first year after heavy pruning, a lot of shoots will grow. Part will need to be removed, leaving only 4-5 of the strongest and most well-located.
• Next, you will need to enter organic fertilizers in the form of mulch. Or sprinkle mineral on the surface, lightly close them with a rake and pour abundantly.

By the way! Gooseberries will begin to bear fruit already in the third year after such a total pruning. Although at good care maybe even a second year.

What to do before and after the autumn pruning of gooseberries

• cleaning the trunk circle from old mulch and litter so that pests do not winter there;
• loosening;
• watering and fertilization;
• transplant (if necessary);
• direct cutting;
• treatment for pests and diseases;
• shelter (new mulching) for the winter.

In order to avoid mistakes when pruning gooseberries in the fall, after harvesting, it is very important, especially for a novice gardener, to adhere to optimal timing, rules and schemes for pruning a bush. In addition, do not ignore other autumn activities for the care of the berry for the winter. Only then will you get the desired effect.

When and how to do it right.

Why gooseberry pruning

IN in general terms Everyone knows the answer: if you do not follow the bushes, they will quickly turn into thickets. Indeed, the gooseberry shoots many shoots during the season that need to be streamlined.

There are others causes, which make such manipulation necessary and regular:

• Heavily overgrown bushes become impenetrable to light, which creates all the conditions for the appearance of and.
• With a dense weave, the branches become smaller.
• The more branches, the less nutrients receives each escape separately. As a result, the yield drops.

Important! Incisions are made only over the inner kidney (it is located along inside branches).

• Too long branches, as they grow, simply fall to the ground and take root. After a year or two, such a "giant" ceases to bear fruit and becomes dangerous for other crops: they settle on shoots and leaves.

To avoid such troubles, they try to shape the bushes by pruning, thereby ensuring productivity. The timeliness of the procedure and correct technique execution.

When to prune

The most effective is pruning gooseberries in the spring, before the start of the growing season. Forming still “sleeping” branches in the first decade of March, you will ensure normal growth of the gooseberries and thus “lay” a good harvest.

But there is one difficulty: sap flow begins very early, literally with the first spring rays of the sun. "Catch" right moment and not everyone can get out in time, but in late March - early April, young leaves are already visible. So we'll have to wait until autumn. It is undesirable to make cuts "along the living"; it harms the plant.

Did you know? In Russia, gooseberries have been cultivated since the 15th century. And in the 19th century, local varieties were replaced by foreign ones.- these were mostly productive British lines.

In summer, only individual branches are harvested, and then if they are badly damaged or infected.

A more popular option is end-of-season pruning, which is done after the leaves have fallen. This event can be called a formative-sanitary event: the necessary branches are “exposed” and excess shoots are removed. The horizontal ones and the oldest are removed first (they are almost black in color).

Garden tools for work

Need simple devices: and a pruner. They are simple, but there are some nuances here. Eg, secateurs available with one or two sides. The first are the simplest, similar to, devices. One of their blades acts as a stop, while the second acts as a cutting edge.

Everyone knows how difficult it is to cut a powerful branch with pruners. For such purposes, devices with ratchet, which regulates the position of the blade and its stroke. Loppers remove thick (3–5 cm) prickly branches. In fact, these are the same secateurs, but with long handles. It is easier to work with them - the handle acts as a lever and transfers a lot of force to the blades, preventing your hands from getting tired.

Important! When buying a pruner, look at the thickness of the blade and the supporting "lip". If they are made thin, then the tool is only suitable for cutting thin branches, and it simply cannot handle a large process.

Note that these two devices do not replace, but complement each other - the pruner is ideal for "close combat", and the lopper completes the work with large branches, which are prevented by thorns from reaching.

There is also brush cutters, but there is one minus: they "take" a maximum of 25 mm, and models with one-sided sharpening - even less. In our case, they are only suitable for young bushes.

The tool requirements are as follows:

• high-quality sharpening, there should not be any “chips” on the edge;
• light weight;
• the ability to work with great effort;
• comfortable handle; the material from which it is made does not matter, the main thing is that it should have rubber inserts to prevent slipping of the hand;
• narrow ends that do not damage neighboring branches;
• safety and bright color - such a device is easy to find in the thickets.

Pruning gooseberry bushes depending on age

The amount of work and its nature are estimated with an eye to the age of the shrub. For different periods only “their” trimming techniques are suitable, which we will now consider.

In the first year

It all starts before landing. On young seedling shorten all runs. On strong branches leave 3-4 buds from soil level, for weaker growths, 2 is enough. It happens that the branches are damaged by negligence. They are already unpromising, they are cut out immediately. But this already somewhat weakens the bush. This cut is aimed at proper nutrition bush and the formation of future skeletal branches.

During the season, the roots will grow well and beat off new healthy branches. Autumn "intervention" in the first year after planting is minimized - they check whether the branches are healthy and leave 5-6 annual shoots for wintering.

Did you know? 100 g of berries contain only 43 kcal. In addition, there are almost no proteins and fats (0.7 and 0.2 g, respectively)- an excellent and "healthy" product for weight loss.

For the second year

In the spring, up to 5 zero shoots are left, these should be healthy, conveniently located shoots. Weak branches that do not reach 20 cm are cut off completely. This is a must - small gains in only pull nutrients onto themselves, taking them away from the more developed ones.

To stimulate branching cut strong branches growing vertically(up to about 30 cm from the ground). The same applies to slightly inclined processes. But the horizontal branches are removed without regret - no garters will help here.

Important! In autumn, cuts are treated with garden pitch. Here is one of the recipes for a cold-resistant composition: 60 ml of alcohol and 0.5 kg of wood resin, heated separately, are mixed by adding 2 tbsp. l. linseed oil. It is better to keep the mixture in a closed tin.

With this approach, in the fall, 3 "biennials" and the same number of promising annual shoots will be formed on the bush.

For the 3rd–4th year

This is a time of rapid growth.

In the 3rd year, all weak and horizontal shoots are removed. If there is poor growth and unimportant branching, the remaining "revive", shortened by 12–15 cm. By the end of the third season, a healthy bush should have 12–18 branches of different age. This is the main "skeleton" of the bush.

In the 4th year after planting, the gooseberry is considered already formed, and pruning becomes more moderate. It comes down to complete removal young shoots, including those launched from the root neck. Closer to winter, the bush takes on a beautiful elevated appearance.

5 and more years

"Five Year" is the peak of productivity, when there are up to 30 branches of different ages. With such a load, the bush is already difficult to handle.

Here rejuvenation is important. In the spring, the bushes are thinned out, removing all thin branches and leaving only strong basal ones. For very "age" plantings, there is another, more radical method: only the 5 most powerful branches are left, removing all the rest. With normal care, such bushes will form anew.

Do not forget about prevention: if a damaged or diseased branch is found in the summer, it will have to be immediately shortened to a healthy place or “demolished” completely (in advanced cases).

As you noticed, the work described above is carried out mainly in the spring. No less important is the autumn pruning of gooseberries. Here are her ground rules:

• Lighten up the bushes. , receiving light in abundance, gives large and delicious berries. Hesitating with thinning, you run the risk of "launching" powdery mildew on the bushes.
• Trimming is done from the base. It is from this place that old shoots are cut off (more than 5 years old). If the bush looks "plucked", do not be afraid - in the spring it will grow again.
• On old plantations, young shoots are removed. Too much of them will lead to their "infertility" or the appearance of small berries.
• Cut off green tops. They are unlikely to survive the winter.

These are standard, "classic" techniques for annual processing. There is no special trick here - only calculation and accuracy.

Pruning a running gooseberry bush

Often they abandon the processing of obsolete bushes. Yes, and situations are different - for example, for 1-2 years of the absence of the owner, relatives do not pay attention to gooseberries, and it thickens thoroughly.

"Resuscitation" of such plants is reduced to the following works:

• In the spring, even before the start of the growing season, all weak, diseased, broken and low-yielding branches are removed. The base of the bush is especially thickened by them, where the shoots look like brushes. Of all this mass, we will leave 5–6 strong “one-year-olds”.
• If the rescue began in the fall, they try to remove the most “age” branches even before the frost. They are darker than the rest and are removed at the base. This guarantees the growth of fresh shoots for the spring.
• Be sure to remove dry branches.

It will take 2-4 years for the launched gooseberry to come to life, at this time the processing is carried out according to the same scheme. But without fanaticism - in total for 2 such prunings (spring and autumn) you can remove no more than 1/3 of the branches on the bush. This is a kind of "pain threshold" of the plant.

Non-standard ways of forming a bush

We already know how the standard (aka “classic”) pruning is carried out. But there are other forms of formation that are worth mentioning.

tapestry

For growing vigorous varieties with big amount shoots are being prepared. Here the sequence of such a process:

• Seedlings are placed according to the scheme: 1.5 m between rows and 60–70 cm between bushes.
• Supports (tubes, thick rods or branches) are placed between rows at intervals. Stretch the wire in 3 rows. The first line is 50 cm from the ground, the rest are 80 cm and 1 m.

• Strong branches (up to 5 pieces) are tied to the finished lines, maintaining an interval of 20–25 cm.
• Annual pruning comes down to removing the tips of last year's shoots by 1/3 (less often - by half). Leave 4-5 seasonal shoots, not allowing to thicken.
• As they age, they rejuvenate the bush.

Collecting berries from such plantations is a pleasure. True, you have to work at the very start.

Did you know? These bushes used to be called simply kryzhy or berseny. In some regions, such names can still be heard today.

Standard

In a nutshell, this is a method of turning a berry into a tree. The work is also quite laborious, but it's worth it: the bushes look more elegant, it's more convenient to harvest, and the care is simpler - you don't have to deal with thorns every time.

The scheme of such cultivation looks like this:

• The most powerful vertical shoot is selected from the bush, which will be the “trunk”.
• Select a stem of the desired height. Usually it is 1 m. It is to this level that all the lower branches on the trunk are cut. Some wrap it with a meter-long piece of film or insert a tube that does not let light through - this will eliminate the need for cutting at the base.
• The plant is immediately tied to a peg.
• In subsequent years, 4-5 strong "seasonal" branches are left, while cutting last year's ones by half. Sick, horizontal, broken or old (7 years or more) are removed. The same applies to the shoots that appear at the base.

We already know about the advantages of this method, but it also has disadvantages. The first is the age of such a “tree”: one shoot is selected, and it grows old, and 12 years is the limit for a standard shrub. Add here and possible problems during wintering - only frost-resistant ones are suitable. Well, the labor costs are a little higher: you will have to “customize” the pegs and racks several times per season.

You saw how to work with gooseberries so that they please the eye and give large yields. Now cropping is no secret for our readers. Good luck at the cottage!

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Experienced gardeners recommend cutting gooseberries immediately after harvest or in the fall. The fact is that this plant wakes up very early in the spring, sap flow begins with the arrival of the first heat, cutting off or completely removing the shoots after they have already received their share of nutrients means forcing the bush to waste them. In the spring, it is not always possible to come to the dacha, the period for spring pruning is very short, and it is not always possible to meet the required deadlines.

General rules

Annual pruning is necessary for gooseberries due to the fact that it constantly shoots, and they are known to have many thorns that make it difficult to pick berries and care. It is important to remove part of the shoots so that the berries do not shrink due to lack of light, moisture and nutrients, a large number of small fruits will not increase the yield of the bush.

In summer, after picking berries, it is more convenient to prune gooseberries than in spring; weak, dried or low-fruited shoots can be easily identified by the number of berries collected from them, by foliage and foliage condition.

The first pruning is carried out a year after planting, in the fall before the onset of cold weather, so that the plant has time to recover, and the places of cuts have dried up. At this time, obsolete, weak and small shoots are removed. But full-fledged stems are not shortened, otherwise young shoots will appear on them, which will not have time to lignify and die from frost.

If the bush is old, and there are no fruitful branches on it, you cannot remove everything at the same time, some of the shoots with leaves must be left so that the bush continues to live as usual. Gradually, you can cut off another part of the branches, then the rest, but only after new shoots grow from the root.

In the spring, you can remove branches damaged during the winter, shorten young shoots so that new shoots appear, remove shoots that have grown near the ground.

For the formation of a young shrub, 3-4 zero shoots are left, as a result, over time, the bush will consist of 20-25 strong shoots different ages. The aging of gooseberry branches begins at the age of 8-9, gradually old shoots will need to be removed, leaving young offspring.

Zero shoots are shortened by ¼ part, the processes that appear on them, directed inside the crown, are removed immediately. Thanks to this, the bush will always be well lit, it will be possible to take care of it and pick berries without scratching your hands with thorns.

Young growths 1 year old should not be removed from fruit-bearing shoots. Cut off only damaged and blackened, diseased growths.

If the gooseberries are provided with optimal growing conditions, 10-20 kg of berries can be harvested from one bush. This shrub bears fruit up to 20 years. In order for the crops to be plentiful, the plant needs the right agricultural technology. One of the techniques that affect the yield is pruning the bush. With the help of it, the bush is also rejuvenated. Let's talk about what are the features of this procedure, when and how to carry it out correctly.

During the summer, the bush usually grows and in the fall it needs pruning, relieving the crown of the branches that thicken it. Regular haircuts are needed for gooseberries, because this is a light-loving culture. On thickened bushes, the berries will be small, and their collection will be problematic due to the interweaving of thorny shoots.

During the procedure, the bush is given the desired shape, and at the same time all diseased, weak or damaged shoots are removed. You also need to cut the lower branches that touch the ground. If this is not done, they take root and then freeze in winter.

On a note! Rejuvenating pruning is necessary for the plant from the age of 5-6 years.

In general, the procedure contributes to the fact that:

• to the branches located inside the crown freely flow Sun rays and air;
• the risk of damage by diseases and pests is reduced;
• the quality of the crop improves and its volume increases significantly;
• the bush becomes cultivated, it is easier to care for it.

If you do not carry out the autumn pruning of the shrub, then next season the harvest will noticeably decrease.

Important! Do not forget that when planting gooseberry shoots are shortened, leaving 4 buds on strong shoots and 2 on weak branches.

Experts are unanimous in their opinion that best time for pruning gooseberries is autumn. It is impossible to carry out pruning at the same time in the autumn and spring time. The fact is that the plant needs strength to recover. If weakened by shearing it twice, it will experience severe stress and may not survive the coming winter.

In the event that you did not have time to cut the gooseberry in the fall, then in the spring this should be done as quickly as possible, until the sap flow begins and the buds open. Otherwise, the plant will waste its energy on laying new shoots, which will still be cut off. Gooseberries wake up from hibernation earlier than other crops.

An additional advantage of autumn pruning is that the gardener has free time, you can slowly and efficiently cut all unnecessary branches. In the spring, there is already enough trouble on the site to prepare the beds,. You need to prepare inventory, buy seeds and plant seedlings.

Estimated pruning dates are mid-October. The bush is trimmed after it has shed all the leaves. Choosing exact time, you need to take into account the climatic features of your region, weather conditions, temperature indicators.

Pruning should be completed a month before the onset of stable frosts. In the time remaining until the cold weather, the bush will come to its senses. By the time of wintering, all wounds should heal at the gooseberry, this will take some time. The plant also needs to be additionally prepared for winter.

In the suburbs, the middle lane

The middle zone is characterized by a temperate continental climate with pronounced seasonality. If autumn is not late, the first snow here may fall already in the second decade of October, and finally winter weather sets in by the end of the first decade of November.

Gooseberry pruning in this climate zone is recommended closer to October 15th. By this time, the movement of juices in the branches has already stopped, which means that the formation of new shoots will not begin.

The length of the Urals is quite large, which is why the difference in weather conditions may be significant. If nothing portends a sharp cold snap, gooseberries can be cut in the southern regions on October 10, and in the middle Urals on October 1. Often the weather here is the same as in central Russia, but winter comes a little earlier.

Due to the cold climate of Siberia, an exception is made for pruning gooseberries and is carried out in the spring. Winters here are too long and harsh. Haircuts begin to be applied from the second year of life, spending it in early spring. Be sure to cut off diseased, damaged, branches frozen over the winter, fattening and old shoots. In winter, bushes should be under cover.

In the Leningrad region

In the Northwest region, to which Leningrad region, dominated by a humid cool climate. Here, gooseberries are called "northern grapes" and are readily grown. An unpleasant feature of the Leningrad winters are recurrent thaws caused by warm atmospheric fronts.

After the snow melts and frost hits, even the roots can suffer. During cold winters, young unripened shoots often freeze out, so the immature growth is cut out at the end of the first decade of October, and the soil under the bush is mulched.

Gooseberry pruning scheme

For beginners, pruning a shrub is always a bit difficult, as it requires knowledge and experience. So that gooseberry bushes do not turn into thickets, they need regular shearing, taking into account the age and condition of the plant.

Since it is undesirable to make cuts on the living, and it is not always possible to get out to the site in early spring, experts just recommend autumn pruning. For work, you will need a pruner and a pruner.

old bush

A middle-aged bush is considered to be 5 or more years old. At this age, there are more than 30 shoots of different ages on the plant, it is difficult for the roots to provide nutrition for such an abundant vegetative mass, and this negatively affects the volume of the harvested crop. That is why the bush needs rejuvenation. During pruning, only strong basal branches are left, and all young shoots are pruned.

On bushes that are too old, no more than 5 powerful branches should be left, and all the rest should be removed. In the spring, the gooseberry will release many young shoots and grow its crown again. A radical haircut stimulates the growth of zero shoots from the base of the bush, and the plant gradually completely rejuvenates.

In the future, all shoots that have stopped fruiting are removed from the shrub. As a rule, these are branches older than 7 years, distinguished by dark bark. By the age of eight, up to 8 main branches and up to 24 shoots of different ages should remain on the bush. Instances that have reached the age of 20 are not rejuvenated, but replaced with new plants.

On a note! With the help of the branches remaining after pruning, the culture can be propagated by cuttings.

Features of pruning a young bush

The peak of gooseberry fruiting falls on the period from five to ten years of age. It is important to form the correct crown by this moment in advance. This should happen like this:

• At the age of one year, all weak and broken branches are cut out on the seedling, and the tops of strong shoots are removed at the level of 2-3 buds.
• When the bush is 2 years old, 3-4 of the strongest branches are left on it, while shortening them by 1/3, everything else is cut off near the ground. From the abandoned trunks, the crown will be formed in the future.
• On 3-year-old and 4-year-old bushes, everyone also leaves no more than 4 main trunks. Zero shoots growing near the ground are removed completely, and all remaining branches are cut by a third.
• For a 5-year-old bush, forming pruning is no longer relevant. At this age, the crown takes on a finished look. The plant only needs sanitary pruning and control over the number of shoots so that the crown does not thicken.

Important! autumn pruning often carried out in two steps. The first stage takes place immediately after harvesting, during which diseased and dried branches are cut out. Shortening pruning should be carried out only at the second stage, in late autumn, after the end of sap flow.

With the advent of experience, gardeners begin to grow gooseberries on a stem or trellis, in these cases a completely different formative pruning is used. To form a trunk, a single strong shoot is left that will serve as a trunk. And when grown on trellises, the emphasis is on the horizontal growth of shoots, leaving several strong branches.

Stamp method gooseberry trimmings

Removing part of the branches always causes stress for the plant, so it is important to provide the shrub necessary care with a view to its speedy recovery. First you need to process all the thick sections with garden pitch. Some use for this purpose a mixture of crushed coal and urea in a ratio of 1: 7.

After that, gooseberries are fed with organo-mineral industrial fertilizer, or top dressing is used from rotted manure with the addition of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Before wintering, the bushes need water-charging watering. Under each plant, 20 liters of water are introduced in small portions, so that moisture is absorbed into the ground, and does not spread around.

If gooseberries show symptoms of disease or pest damage, treat Bordeaux mixture And industrial insecticides. Closer to winter, mulch trunk circle peat or rotted leaves. It is especially important to insulate young plants.

Pruning gooseberries in autumn: video

In cultivation garden plants there are no trifles. Try to prune gooseberries according to all the rules and taking into account the characteristics of the variety. Be sure to observe the timing of this event and provide the plant further care. Only if all these conditions are met, you have the right to count on a generous return of the harvest.