gooseberry is a fruit that has been around for centuries in Northern Europe and is now grown around the world.A properly-pruned gooseberry bush will grow better, stay free of disease, and produce more berries that are easily picked.ThePruning gooseberry in winter or early spring will open it up to light and air, which will result in lush and impressive growth in the summer season.
Step 1: The first year after planting, begin Pruning in late winter or early spring.
Pull the stems away from the center to keep them out of the base.The side shoots of the remaining stems should be clipped with a pair of shears at 45 degrees.
Step 2: The bush should be Prune until it is mature.
Half of the new growth should be trimmed in the first two years after planting.By the third year after planting, the bush will have an even distribution of stems between 1 and 3 years old.You should cut away stems more than 3 years old as the plant ages.Remove any shoots leading to the center of the plant and shorten any crossing or downward-facing leaders to about 5 to 8 centimetres.
Step 3: In the summer, Prune in the center to let light in.
If you cut side shoots back to about five leaves you can open the plant up to more light for quicker ripening.
Step 4: Good growth occurs in spring and summer.
The best time to fertilize a mature gooseberry bush is in the late winter or early spring when the plant is not active.If you wait until after the buds open, the thicket of unpruned bush will be more of a deterrent to birds.The bush will respond to hard work in the spring and summer.It is possible to protect yourself from the plant's thorns with gloves.Regular shears are sufficient for most gooseberryPruning, but you may need a pair of loppers for old wood and larger, mature branches.
Step 5: To get rid of the branches, be low to the ground.
When low branches grow into the mulch, they may become entangled in weeds or leave fruit to rot.When it rains, low branches can pick up splash from the soil, which can lead to diseases.
Step 6: Squirts should be removed.
The shoots grow out of the soil near the main stem.If you miss any suckers, you can cut them to the ground during winter.
Step 7: Prune out.
Lower branches will be deprived of sufficient sunlight if branches rub together.The older of the two crossing branches should be removed.
Step 8: Take care of dead, damaged, and diseased branches.
Diseases such as coral spot, which can be identified by coral- pink pustules on weak branches, must be nipped in the bud.At the point where they meet their parent branch, remove any damaged or diseased branches.Diseased wood is marked by broken bark and raised areas.If you have been cutting wood, make sure your shears are sterile.The wood has no buds.There are branches that have been damaged and are missing bark.
Step 9: Any branches that are more than 3 years old should be Prune out.
Older branches should be cut to renew the plant because the best fruit comes from branches that are 2 and 3 years old.Older branches may have some peeling bark.A bunch of stems arising from the ground, with old shoots regularly cut to the base, is how gooseberry is typically grown.
Step 10: If you want to maximize fruit production, reduce the side shoots to 2 or 3 buds.
Because the gooseberry produces fruit at the base of the previous year's side shoots, or on spurs on old wood or a main branch, it is best to trim the shoots to two or three.To channel water away from the bud, cut above it at a slant.If you cut too close to the bud, it may die.If you want bigger berries, trim the side shoot to 2 buds.
Step 11: Prune to the bud that is facing upwards.
Before the weight of the fruit pulls it down, an upward-facing bud will help the plant grow up to sunlight.You want to counteract the tendency of the gooseberry to be a bit big.Cutting vertical growth will encourage growth in other directions.
Step 12: Prune in a shape that keeps the center of the bush open.
A gooseberry that is open at the center, in the shape of a goblet or bowl, is easy to pick because it is exposed to light and air and less vulnerable to pests.The gooseberry bush is a great place to nest for sawfly and caterpillar.