Gooseberry Honey - an old proven variety with a unique honey flavor. It attracts gardeners with its sweet large berries and bush productivity. We learn how to plant this gooseberry, and what problems may arise when growing it?
Gooseberry Honey
the speed of growth and fruiting of gooseberry bushes "Honey" makes it a leader among other varieties
the taste and appearance of the berries fully justify the name of the variety "Honey"
Variety breeding history
The variety was bred during the Soviet era at the V.I. Michurin. The honey gooseberry was obtained by pollination of the American Purmen variety. The pollen of European varieties was used - Industriya, Green bottle, Dates and Karelessa.
The variety, despite its popularity among gardeners, is not listed in the State Register. Information about its varietal properties and characteristics is based on short official sources and on gardeners' reviews.
It is known that gooseberries have been grown in Kievan Rus since the 11th century - here the berries were called “agryz” or “bersen”. The berry came to Europe in the 16th century.
Botanical Description of Honey Gooseberry
The main distinguishing feature of the variety is its yellow fruits. In color, taste, and aroma this gooseberry reminds of honey, it is easy to guess why it is called Honey.
Bushes
The bush is overgrown, but slightly spreading. Height - 1.5 m. The branches are covered with mixed thorns. The bark is gray. There are few root shoots, they grow straight. The leaves are small, green, with a low sheen, moderately wrinkled. The shape is three-bladed.
Berries
The fruits of the Honey Gooseberry are large. The average weight is 4.3 g, the maximum is 6 g. The fruits are round or pear-shaped, with a thin skin. The pulp is tender and juicy, there are few seeds. The color is green at first, and in the stage of consumer ripeness - golden honey. On the side facing the sun - tan.
Honey Gooseberry Features
Honey gooseberry belongs to dessert varieties. The fruits are very sweet, with honey notes in taste and aroma. The variety can surpass one of the sweetest gooseberries - English yellow in sweetness.
Honey berries contain 9.9 to 17% sugars - the sweetness depends on the weather, the amount of sun and other factors. With proper care, the bushes live and bear fruit for 20 years.
Ripening time
The variety belongs to the mid-season group. Ripening in the middle lane occurs in mid-July. The ripening period is influenced by the climatic features of the region and specific weather conditions. Technical ripeness occurs two weeks earlier than consumer ripeness.
Yield
Honey refers to productive varieties. With good agricultural technology, one bush gives about 4 kg of berries. 10-11 tons are collected from 1 ha.
The video below provides an overview of the Honey Gooseberry variety:
Sustainability
The popularity of a variety among gardeners is rarely due to consumer qualities alone. As a rule, popular varieties are always unpretentious and hardy. Honey of these, this variety is distinguished by an enviable resistance to environmental challenges.
Drought
The variety has medium drought tolerance - it is able to tolerate short-term droughts without any special consequences for productivity.
To frost
The variety perfectly tolerates frost, especially in snowy winters. Withstands temperatures up to minus 30 ° С. If there is a frost of forty degrees, and the gooseberry bushes are not covered, there is a high probability that they will freeze out.
To the disease
Like most of the older varieties, Honey is not highly immune. But it is quite resistant to powdery mildew, berry damage - 1-3%, vegetative parts - 0.3-0.7 points. True, this is true only for adult bushes, young plants can be seriously affected by powdery mildew.
Among the diseases that are dangerous for Honey are gray rot and anthracnose.
To pests
To pests, as well as to diseases, the variety does not have special resistance. Especially often he is amazed:
- Fire - a butterfly, lays eggs on flowers. When berries appear, they turn red and rot.
- Shoot aphid - sucks juices from the aboveground parts of the plant. Shoots are deformed, leaves curl.
- Sawfly - an insect that lays eggs on leaves. The larvae eat the leaves, leaving only the veins.
Growing conditions
Honey gooseberries, like most varieties, are grown mainly in regions with a temperate climate. Here he is appreciated for early ripening, sweet fruit, regular fruiting and high winter hardiness. This variety can be grown without shelter in regions with moderately cold winters; in the northern regions, the shrub needs winter insulation.
Transportation quality
In the stage of technical ripeness, the berries tolerate transportation well. When favorable conditions are created, the fruits are stored for 1.5 weeks. At normal temperature, the fruits of Gooseberry Honey are stored for no more than 2-3 days - after this period they begin to deteriorate. Gooseberries are transported in shallow boxes. Their bottom is lined with paper.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of the variety:
- early ripening - by mid-summer the berries reach consumer ripeness;
- large and sweet berries;
- winter hardiness;
- productivity;
- fruits contain a lot of sugar and C-vitamin.
Disadvantages:
- poor resistance to many gooseberry diseases;
- spiked shoots - difficult to harvest;
- exactingness to light, soil and care;
- the need for regular pruning.
Landing recommendations
The growth, development and fruiting of the bush largely depends on the planting conditions. In order for the gooseberry to take root and develop safely, it is necessary to prepare a hole and a seedling, and then plant it, observing the planting rules.
Site selection, timing and site preparation
Optimal conditions for the growth of honey gooseberry:
- lack of drafts;
- flat or elevated terrain;
- good natural light;
- lack of shading from buildings and landings;
- soils - neutral or slightly acidic, preferably light sandy and sandy loam.
It is advisable to plant gooseberries near the fence, walls, on a hillside - this reduces the likelihood of being affected by powdery mildew.
It is not recommended to plant gooseberries:
- on clay and loamy soils - here the plant survives only with constant loosening;
- in lowlands and swampy areas - due to constant moisture, the roots rot, and the bush dies;
- on silty, peaty and loamy soils;
- in areas with a high occurrence of groundwater - less than 1.5 m.
In heavy clay soils, it is necessary to add sand (1/2 bucket per 1 sq. M) and humus (1/3 bucket per 1 sq. M).
Preparing a site for planting gooseberries:
- Dig up the soil to the depth of the shovel bayonet. Choose weeds and their roots during digging.
- Under the digging, apply fertilizers - organic and mineral. For 1 square. m - 3-5 kg of humus, compost or rotted manure, 200 g of wood ash, 50-60 g of superphosphate, 30 g of urea and 15 g of potassium nitrate or potassium chloride.
For one gooseberry bush, you need a plot of 4-6 square meters. m. If the soil is poorly nutritious, a mixture of mineral fertilizers and humus (compost, manure) is poured at the bottom of the planting pit.
You can plant gooseberries in early March - before buds bloom on the bushes, or in autumn. The optimal time for autumn planting is the third decade of September. Before frost, seedlings must have time to take root.
Seedling selection and preparation
When buying seedlings, pay attention to the following points:
- The seedling should have 3-4 taproots 30 cm long. The root system is fibrous, well developed.
- The seedling should have 2-3 branches with a length of 20-25 cm. It is advisable to cut one to look at the cut - it should be white-green in color. If the cut is beige or white-brown, the seedling will not work.
- The bark is smooth and even, without damage, spots, traces of the disease.
The best age for a seedling is 1-2 years. Before planting, remove all dry and damaged branches, and the roots are soaked for 12-24 hours in a Humate solution - 4 tbsp is taken for half a bucket of water. l. fertilizers. This soaking stimulates root formation.
You can also soak the seedling in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or in the Barrier preparation to disinfect the roots. Before planting, dip the roots in a clay-dung mash, it is prepared in a 1: 1 ratio. The consistency is thick gruel. The chatterbox should dry well before planting.
Landing pit
The pit is prepared a week and a half before planting. Features of the pit for gooseberry seedlings:
- The size of the pit depends on the characteristics of the soil. In loams, sandy and sandy loam soils, the depth of the pit is 35-40 cm, and the width is 50-55 cm.In heavy clay soils, the depth of the pit increases to 50-55 cm, and the width - up to 70 cm.
- If the soils are clay or loamy, coarse river sand or gravel is laid at the bottom of the pit. The thickness of the layer is 7-8 cm. If the pit delves into sandy soils, a clay layer is placed at its bottom.
Step-by-step planting instructions
If you are planting several gooseberry seedlings, observe the intervals:
- between rows - 1.5-2 m;
- between seedlings - 1-1.5 m.
Planting a gooseberry seedling - step by step instructions:
- Cut the seedling prepared for planting by soaking - shorten the roots to 20 cm, and also remove all defective branches, if any.
- Place the seedling in the planting hole so that its root collar is 5-6 cm below the edge of the hole. This planting promotes accelerated growth and root formation. If the soil is light, plant the seedling vertically, if clay - slightly inclined, so that it is better rooted.
- Spread the roots in different directions. Fill the hole with soil - to the top, to the top edge. When adding earth a little, from time to time compact it with your hands - so that no air voids form. After filling the hole, tamp the soil.
- Pour the gooseberries, under each seedling - a bucket of water.
- After the water is absorbed, sprinkle the stem around the circle with humus or peat. Layer thickness - 6-7 cm.
- Cut the shoots, leaving 3-4 buds on each. If there are weakened shoots, it is better to cut them off - in winter they still run the risk of freezing (if the planting is autumn).
- After 2 weeks after planting, the seedlings will need hilling - rake the ground to the trunk. The height of the shaft is 10 cm. Sprinkle the shaft with fine sawdust on top - a layer of 10-12 cm.
Gooseberry care
It is not difficult to take care of gooseberries; it is enough to carry out a minimum set of agrotechnical measures. This berry culture needs watering, feeding, pruning, loosening, and treatment from pests and diseases.
Read more about how to care for gooseberries in fall here.
Watering
The bushes are watered only at the root, sprinkling is unacceptable in relation to both seedlings and adult bushes. The bulk of the roots is located at a distance of 35-40 cm from the surface. Watering the bush is rare, but abundant. Overmoistening is unacceptable.
The need for watering is increasing:
- during the setting of fruits and flower buds for next year - this period lasts from the second half of May to the second half of June;
- when fruits ripen - from the second decade of July;
- in preparation for winter - from the third decade of September.
One adult bush requires 3-5 buckets of water. Frequency of watering - once a week. Water is poured into grooves dug at a distance of half a meter from the trunk. The depth of the grooves is 12-15 cm. If it is hot, the root zone is covered with grass, sprinkled with peat or compost - in order to delay the evaporation of moisture.
Top dressing
Gooseberries are fed under the root and foliar method - by spraying. Table 1 - the timing, composition and norms of fertilizers applied to the soil and sprayed on the surface of the bush.
Table 1
Period | How often? | What and how much to deposit? |
Spring. Before bud break. | Annually | For digging, add urea (20-30 g per 1 sq. M). Or a solution - dilute in a bucket of water 60 g of urea, 30 g of boric acid. Or organic - dilute fresh manure in water 1: 4. |
Spring. Before flowering. | Every two years | Pip in 1 square. m:
A double dose of mineral fertilizers can be dissolved in 20 liters of water, and pour the bush under the root. If the bush is lagging behind in development, annually apply organic fertilizers. |
Summer. During fruit setting | Annually | For 10 liters of water:
For 1 bush - 25-30 liters of solution. Or they add bio-fertilizers - Berry, Biohumus and others. |
Fall. After picking berries. | Annually | Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers or superphosphate are introduced - 20 g per 1 sq. m, potassium sulfate - 30 g. Also recommended is organic - fresh cow manure (1:10). In the third year of the bush's life, bird droppings can be added. |
It is impossible to introduce nitrogen in autumn - it provokes the growth of green mass. The plant will not have time to "fall asleep" in time and store nutrients for the winter.
Support
To prevent the berries from getting dirty and rotting, they must not be allowed to come into contact with the ground. To prevent touching the branches of the soil, supports are supported - wooden sticks or wire stretched between two posts. The optimum distance from the support to the ground is 30 cm.
Pruning
Adult gooseberry bushes Honey reach a height of 1.5 m, a width of 1.2 m. Every spring and autumn, it is recommended that the bush be cut to:
- thinning the rapidly thickening crown;
- facilitate harvesting;
- harvesting all dried branches, dead and affected by shoot diseases;
- maintaining high yields.
Features and important points of trimming gooseberries:
- Most of the berries are given by branches 5-7 years old up to the point of the third branching. There are also many fruits on annuals. Therefore, branches over 7 years old and their shoots of the 4th branch are cut off.
- In young shoots, 2-3 years old, the tops are not cut off. Except when they give a small, deformed or unsweetened gooseberry.
- Branches 8-10 years old are cut off at the very base - they will be replaced by new skeletal shoots that will bear fruit.
- In the fall, sanitary pruning is needed. The crown of the bush quickly thickens, interfering with the penetration of light. Due to excessive shading and moisture, the plant can be affected by fungal and viral diseases.
- It is necessary to prune all weak, deformed, twisted branches, as well as shoots growing in the direction of the center of the bush.
Trimming is carried out with a sharpened and sanitized tool. Slices, immediately after pruning, are treated with copper sulfate dissolved in water - 10 g in 1 liter of water, and then smeared with garden var.
Loosening and weeding
Loosen and weed circles near the gooseberry after each watering. Movements should be very gentle so as not to damage the roots - they are located close to the surface. Simultaneously with loosening, all weeds are removed from the trunks.
Preparing for winter
Preparation for winter:
- They clean the trunk circle from fallen leaves and fruits, from dry grass. Broken and withered branches are removed. Plant residues are burned - this is necessary to destroy larvae, fungi, microbes.
- They dig up and loosen the soil. Large clods of soil do not break.
- If the soil is acidic, add dolomite flour (250 g) per 1 sq. m.
- Sprinkle the trunks with humus, peat, sawdust.
- The branches of mature bushes are tied into a "broom" - one or more. This will prevent breaking branches in the snowy winter.
- At the end of October, spruce branches or straw are laid near the base of the bush. The base is wrapped with covering material and tied with twine. Such a precaution will protect the shrub - rodents will not be able to eat bark.
Sheltering is carried out in late autumn, if you hurry, and cover the bush in warm weather, you can harm it.Moisture will collect under the shelter, the plant will begin to rot.
Breeding
Gooseberry Honey propagation methods:
- Layering. This is the most common method of reproduction. Grooves are dug from the trunk of the bush - 15 cm in depth. Young gooseberry branches are lowered into them, and then they are pressed with brackets. The tops do not need to be lifted above the soil. The shoots appear very soon.
- Cuttings. Dates - mid July. From the growth of this year, cuttings having 5 kidneys are taken. Cuttings are planted at an acute angle.
- Division of the bush. The breeding season is autumn. Parts of the bush often grow apart, and division does not harm the plant in the least.
Pest and Disease Control
Vulnerability to most diseases is not an obstacle to the cultivation of this delicious gooseberry. If you spray the bushes in a timely manner, you can prevent their defeat by viruses, fungi, pests. In table 2 - diseases that threaten the Honey gooseberry, and ways to combat them, in table 3 - pests.
table 2
Disease | Symptoms | What to do? |
Mosaic disease | Near the veins - light green or yellow stripes. Leaves stop growth and fall off. | There is no effective fight. Sick plant uproot. Prevention helps - the purchase of a healthy planting material, the disinfection of cutting tools in a solution of potassium permanganate. |
Septoria (white spotting) | On the leaves and berries - brown spots. Over time, they turn white. | Before budding, spray with Nitrafen (per bucket - 50 ml), Bordeaux liquid (100 ml) or copper sulfate (120 ml). After flowering, the spraying is repeated. |
Anthracnose | On shoots and leaves - gray and brown spots. Berries and leaves fall off. | Before budding, the bush and soil are sprayed with Nitrafen (per bucket - 50 g) or Bordeaux liquid (100 ml). |
Powdery mildew | On the leaves and shoots - a white coating, then it turns gray. Shoots do not grow, berries fall. | Before budding, the bush is sprayed with copper sulfate (120 g per bucket), iron sulfate (300 g), colloidal sulfur (150 g), soda ash (40-50 g), as well as Fitosporin or other effective drugs. |
Table 3
Pests | Harm | How to fight? |
Spider mite | The tick lives on the inside of the leaves. Covers leaves with cobwebs. Green-yellow dots appear on them, eventually merging into spots. Leaves dry and fall. | Spray with special means against ticks - acaracides. Ticks quickly develop immunity, so the drugs change. It can be treated with Akaratan, Zolon, Metaphos and others. |
Shoot aphid | Leaves curl, dry. Shoots are deformed and do not grow. | At the end of May - treatment by Actellik, Karbofos, Wofatoks. |
Sawfly | Caterpillars eat leaves, shoots and ovaries. | Burning fallen leaves. Digging and loosening the soil. In May - spraying with tar solution (30 g per bucket) or needles extract (50 ml) with planed soap. Spraying during flowering - Gladiator, Lightning, other insecticides. |
Gooseberry Ognevka | Butterfly lays eggs in the buds. Caterpillars entangle the ovaries with cocoons. Fruits, turning yellow, fall off. | Zircon treatment - to enhance immunity. Removal and destruction of damaged fruits. After flowering - treatment with Actellicomily Karbofos. If necessary, repeat in a week. |
Harvesting: timing and subtleties
Two weeks before full ripening, technical ripeness sets in. Berries for compotes and jam are harvested from July 10-15. For fresh food, berries are picked in the morning or in the evening, in dry weather.
If it is known that rains will begin soon, gooseberries are torn in advance. Then the berries will fall off, do not rot and do not crack. The fruits are harvested at a time. The berries torn off with the stalks are stacked in a small wicker container - with a capacity of up to 3 liters.
Berries of Honey are universal - in ripe form they are tasty fresh, stewed fruit from unripe, greenish fruits, jam from green-yellow. Berries are suitable for freezing.
Gooseberries contain pectins that help cleanse the body of toxins and toxins.
Gooseberries, which will be transported over long distances, are dried, spread out in one layer. All berries with damage sorted.
The fruits have a rather thin skin, so gooseberries, which have reached consumer ripeness, are torn off with the stalks - their length is about 5 mm. Otherwise, the skin is often torn, the fruit bursts, becomes unsuitable for storage and transportation.
Collect gooseberries in leather gloves or canvas gloves - they are put on the hand with which the branches are pushed. When collecting gooseberries on bushes with thorns, observe the following sequence:
- Remove gooseberries from all outdoor branches that you can reach without removing the support or garter.
- Take away the support so that the bush “breaks up” - then the internal branches will become available.
- To pick berries from the middle of the bush, help yourself with a pitchfork.
Collecting gooseberries is a tricky business. To simplify the collection, gardeners come up with various devices. For example, cut off half a pan or bucket. The teeth are attached to the slice. Having lifted a branch, spend on it with these teeth. The disadvantage of this collection is the possibility of damage to vegetative and flower buds. If they are damaged, there will be no harvest for next year.
Gooseberry storage
The harvested crop is immediately placed in a cool place - the berries can be stored in the refrigerator, cellar, basement. But even in the most favorable conditions, the berries do not store longer than 2-3 days.
Gooseberry storage features:
- To increase the shelf life of berries to 12 days, they are collected 4-5 days before full ripeness. Within 2-3 days, the fruits ripen.
- At a temperature of 0 ° C and a humidity of 90% gooseberries are stored for up to 1.5 months. Berries are scattered on cardboard boxes or wooden crates in a small layer.
- In refrigerators, in fruit and vegetable compartments, berries folded in plastic bags can last 3-4 months. To prevent condensation, the berries are pre-cooled. Before consuming berries from the refrigerator, they are transferred for 8 hours to a place with a temperature of + 8 ... + 10 ° C.
Reviews gardeners and vineyards about the "Honey gooseberry"
Olga Sh., Vladimir Region Honey gooseberries are not the most productive, but certainly the sweetest in my garden. The berries are very large, juicy, with a thin skin. The problem is thorns; picking berries is difficult even with gloves.
Rodion G., Tula region The berries are tasty, but it is important to pick them in time. If you are late, then it is difficult to assemble them without damaging them - the thin skin will crack when touched. Another plus varieties are small seeds.
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The main problem with the cultivation of Honey gooseberries is the defeat of bushes with diseases and pests. This excellent variety is inferior to modern counterparts in immunity, but the taste of its amber berries still captivates gardeners with its honey taste - for it they are ready to compete for the crop.
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