Common gooseberry - either European or rejected

Everyone knows what a gooseberry looks like. This small shrub with thorns, thorns and delicious berries grows in almost every garden area. In the gooseberry plant, the fruits are not only tasty and aromatic, they have anti-inflammatory, diuretic and tonic properties. To grow this crop on your site and reap a rich harvest, you need to provide it with optimal conditions and care.

Description and characteristics of common gooseberry

Common gooseberries (aka European gooseberries, rejected gooseberries) belong to the Gooseberries family. It is represented by a small shrub that grows up to 1.2 m in height. Young shoots are green in color, but with age they become covered with dark brown bark. Small thorns grow along their entire length. The root system is well developed; it extends 2 m deep into the soil.

The appearance of the common gooseberry

The gooseberry leaf type is 3-5-lobed, ovoid or round in shape. The foliage is dark green with slight pubescence on the inside. Red or green flowers grow singly or in pairs.

Flowering occurs in the first half of May and lasts 2-2.5 weeks. Insects are necessary in the pollination procedure, since the sticky pollen is not able to be carried by the wind. Harvesting season begins 40-55 days after flowering ends.

In the question, gooseberry is a berry or fruit, you can independently answer by examining its fruits. They are represented by oval or spherical berries 10-12 mm long. They can be both bare and roughly bristly.

Distribution area

Under natural conditions, the gooseberry of the Gooseberry family grows in Western Europe and North Africa. It is often found in the forests of Tver, Oryol, Samara, Ryazan and other regions of the Russian Federation.

Also, a wild gooseberry variety is found in Central Asia, Ukraine, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia and in European countries. Gooseberries grow where there is rocky soil - on the slopes of mountains and at their foot, often found in deciduous forests, along river banks, in meadows.

Characteristics of wild varieties

What is wild gooseberry can be understood by its characteristics:

• sprawling shrub;
• height about 2 m;
• undemanding to soil and conditions;
• high frost resistance;
• good immunity to diseases, with the exception of powdery mildew.
• small berries with a sweet and sour taste.

The chemical composition of berries

Everything about gooseberries can be recognized by the composition of its berries. They contain:

• up to 13% sugars;
• up to 2% malic, citric and other free acids;
• vitamin A, B, C and P;
• from 1% of pectin substances;
• iron, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper.

Wild gooseberry fruit

Application in modern and traditional medicine

For a long time, people knew everything about gooseberries, so they used it in folk medicine. Decoctions and infusions with choleretic, laxative and diuretic properties were prepared from its berries.

Due to its rich composition of useful vitamins and microelements, berries are recommended for obesity and metabolic problems. By right, gooseberry can be called a medicinal plant.

Features of seasonal care

In order for the common gooseberry to give a good harvest over the years, it is necessary to follow the recommendations for caring for this crop.

Watering and feeding

The fruit bush, in the process of its development and fruiting, takes all the necessary substances from the soil, therefore feeding is an important procedure for its care. The shrubs require organic and mineral fertilizers annually. In total, it is recommended to carry out several stages during the season:

• in the spring, a composition of 10 liters of compost, 50 g of superphosphate, 25 g of ammonium sulfate and potassium sulfate is prepared for one bush. If the bush is spreading and large, the recommended concentration can be doubled;
• upon completion of flowering, a mullein solution is introduced under the bush, prepared in a ratio of 1: 5. For one fruit shrub, 5-10 liters of this composition will be enough;
• 3 weeks after the second feeding it is repeated. A solution of mullein is also used in a previously determined volume.

Abundant watering of gooseberries

Despite the fact that gooseberries are an unpretentious crop, lack of moisture negatively affects the quality of the fruit. The soil should be moistened abundantly so that the moisture penetrates to a depth of about 0.5 m. For this, the first watering is done in a small amount, and when the earth absorbs the moisture received, the hole is poured with a large volume of water.

Mulching and loosening

Loosening should begin in early spring, otherwise caked clods of earth will prevent air from penetrating to the root system. It is recommended to repeat the process in the first half of June, when the ovaries are actively developing, and in early September after harvesting.

You can reduce the frequency of watering by using mulching. This procedure involves placing a layer of peat, rotten grass or straw around the bush.

Preventive treatment

Considering that gooseberry is a hardy plant that has strong immunity, it also needs preventive treatment. It involves several stages:

• during the growing season, the bushes are treated with a solution of Bordeaux liquid or nitrofen;
• at the end of flowering, as a prevention of the appearance of powdery mildew and other fungal diseases, the culture is treated with a weak solution of Bordeaux liquid;
• in the summer, you can spray the bushes with a soap and soda solution;
• when at the summer cottage all the gooseberry fruits are collected, the treatment with Bordeaux liquid is repeated.

Pruning

Gooseberries and other shrubs require regular pruning. It can be carried out for healing or giving a compact look. This procedure should be started from the beginning of spring; dry, diseased and damaged branches should be removed.

Formative bush pruning

Preparing for winter

From the beginning of autumn, to prepare the shrub for frost, its abundant watering is carried out, which is called moisture-charging, and by the end of the fall, the ground under the gooseberry is dug up and fertilized. Young plants are covered with coniferous branches or special material. Adult bushes do not need shelter.

Reproduction

Propagation of common gooseberry is possible in several ways:

• by cuttings. To obtain cuttings in June, a cut is made in the upper part of the branch.The cut is processed with growth enhancers or placed in a potassium permanganate solution for several hours. Next, the cuttings are planted in a separate container and covered with polyethylene;
• dividing the bush. The bush is dug out in late summer or early autumn, divided into several parts, after which each of them is planted. The benefits of this method are presented in plant rejuvenation;
• layering. The procedure takes place in mid-spring. A young shoot bends down to the ground, cuddles and slightly dips in. After the procedure, the upper edge of the branch should remain. The seedling obtained in this way can be cut from the mother bush at the beginning of the next season.

Reproduction of common gooseberry

Pest and disease control

Most often, the common gooseberry is susceptible to powdery mildew - a dangerous fungal disease. Less common:

• mosaic;
• rust;
• anthracnose.

As for pests, gooseberries are attacked by aphids and moths. You can protect the plant with the help of regular preventive treatments and adherence to agricultural practices.

Many questions have accumulated around the gooseberry: where does its wild variety grow, gooseberry - a berry or a fruit, what harm do these berries have and many others. But, despite them, this culture grows in every garden and is appreciated for its taste and beneficial properties of the fruit.