Favorable conditions for growing berries: what kind of soil gooseberries like and how to enrich it correctly

Gooseberry is the highest yielding crop among berry bushes. With proper planting, the bush gives up to 12 kg of juicy berries and bears fruit for 20 or more years in a row. The plant is unpretentious in care and cultivation. It only needs a warm, sunny area for planting, moderate humidity and nutritious soil.

In this article, we will tell you what kind of soil gooseberries like - acidic or alkaline - and when to plant them.

The importance of choosing the right soil for gooseberries

The correct soil ensures high yields and early maturation of gooseberries. The most important requirement for landing is a sunny, open area. Then you can safely expect large, sweet berries.

High air permeability and moderate moisture content are important requirements for the soil. If you do not follow them, the bushes will be weak, they can be affected by powdery mildew.

Landing in lowlands and places with high groundwater levels is unacceptable. They must lie at a depth of at least 1.5 m from the soil surface.

So that the bushes do not suffer from a lack of moisture, they are not planted next to trees, keeping a distance of at least 2 m. Wood species significantly dry up the soil in their root zone.

Gooseberries are not planted on a hill - the soil in such places is more susceptible to desiccation. In addition, the bushes will be exposed to frost, since the weak snow cover will not provide them with sufficient protection.

Important! Thorny gooseberry bushes make weeding difficult, so all weeds must be removed prior to planting.

What kind of soil does gooseberry like?

Gooseberries are not as picky about the soil as their berry counterparts. He likes:

• open, bright places;
• non-swampy terrain;
• moderate humidity;
• heated earth.

For planting bushes, preference is given to well-drained, fertile areas.

Reference. If the soil is clayey, when planting gooseberries, a bucket of sand is added to it.

Optimal composition

Loose, fertile, nutritious soil rich in humus is ideal for gooseberries. For planting, both clay and loamy, and sandy and sandy soil are suitable.

Reference. The optimal acidity for gooseberries is considered to be in the range of 5.5-6.5.

Humidity

Gooseberries do not like waterlogging. With an excess of moisture, the roots of the bushes rot. The plant, on the other hand, can tolerate drought. To plant gooseberries, you need soil that is moist to the touch, but crumbles when squeezed in a fist.

How to improve the soil for gooseberries

All soil indicators for planting gooseberries can be corrected:

• acidity;
• alkalinity;
• fertility.

For this, organic and mineral fertilizers are used.

How to enrich it

If the soil is poor, infertile, it needs a mixture of organic fertilizers:

• urea - 20-30 g;
• superphosphate - 50 g;
• potassium chloride - 15-20 g.

For a greater effect, fertilizers are fertilized directly into the planting pit. If the soil is sandy, a layer of clay up to 7 cm thick is spread on the bottom; if clay - add the same amount of sand.

How to change acidity and alkalinity

An acidity index below 5 pH will not allow the plant to assimilate many useful elements, in particular calcium and magnesium. In such cases, liming of the site is carried out.The optimal time for this is early spring. Lime flour is added to a depth of about 20 cm at the rate of 200 g per 1 sq. m and watered abundantly with water. This procedure is repeated no more than once every 5 years.

Fertilizing is one of the quickest ways to adjust your pH.

To do this, apply:

• potassium sulfate;
• ammonium sulfate;
• potassium chloride;
• superphosphates;
• sodium or calcium nitrate.

They help a bush that grows in acidic soil to get anions instead of cations. Positive cations remain in the soil and help alkalinize it.

Preparing gooseberries before planting

Before planting with pruning shears, broken, damaged and dried roots are cut to living tissue.

Not every seedling is suitable for planting. The length of the plant does not play a special role, but the age does. The younger the seedlings, the easier and faster they will take root.

The root system is carefully examined - it should not be dry and lifeless. The health of a seedling can also be checked by the condition of the bark by tearing off a small piece from a branch or trunk.

If the surface under the bark has a greenish tint, the seedling is healthy, if it is brown, it is already lifeless. If the seedling has leaves, they are carefully removed before planting, as they evaporate moisture. This can dry out the seedling if you plan to store it for some time before planting.

Attention! When removing the leaves, do not damage the buds in the sinuses.

During transportation, the root part of the seedlings is wrapped with a damp cloth and placed in a bag. If the planting of a seedling on the site is postponed for some time, it must be dug in: dig a small trench and put the seedling in it with a slope to the south. This will help develop the plant's root system.

Sprinkle the bush in such a way that the roots and half of the shoots are underground, and watered abundantly. After these actions, the seedlings will hold out for several weeks until full planting.

When preparing the planting holes, the size of the root system is taken into account.

Fertilizers are added to the bottom of the pit:

• 1-2 kg of manure;
• 90 g superphosphate;
• 100 g of wood ash.

The components are thoroughly mixed, poured into the hole and watered. The gooseberry roots are straightened and carefully placed in the pit. Then they cover it with nutritious soil, compact the earth and water the plants - a bucket of water for each bush. To retain moisture, the earth is mulched.

Suitable for this:

• non-acidic peat;
• humus;
• dry land.

The layer of mulch should be about 5 cm. The root collar of the seedling should be planted no deeper than 5-6 cm. Cut off the shoots immediately after planting or the next day. It is necessary that growths remain on the surface of the soil and 3-4 healthy buds on each of them. Sections are treated with garden pitch.

Soil care when growing gooseberries

Loosening the soil under the bushes is a prerequisite for plant development. This is especially true during the period of autumn rains and spring melt water. Compacted soil quickly loses moisture and makes it difficult for air to reach the roots.

Increased attention is paid to weeding. Weeds select nutrients, provoke the development of disease and reproduction pests.

During periods of absence of rain, the gooseberry must be watered, and the area around the bush must be mulched.

Attention! Water the gooseberry bushes only at the root. If water gets on the leaves, the plant can get sick.

During flowering and fruiting, gooseberries need small portions of organic fertilizers.

Use at choice:

• manure;
• peat;
• compost.

Any of these root fertilizers are added dropwise under the plants at the rate of 5 kg per bush.

At the beginning of autumn, the bushes are weeded, organic debris collected over the summer are removed. The fallen leaves are burned, as pathogens of various diseases live on it.

In the summer, after each watering, the soil is loosened 10-12 cm between the rows and 3-4 cm in the near-stem zone. During the season, the soil between the rows must be loosened at least 5 times.

To protect the plant from diseases and pests, a soil cushion is made within the radius of the crown of the bush.

In the fall, the plant is processed. If the gooseberry is covered with a white bloom, it is powdery mildew, one of the most dangerous diseases. Treatment depends on the growth period of the bush.

During flowering and fruiting, 3 sprays are carried out 1 time a week or 1 time in 10 days.

Solution:

• 5 g of soda ash;
• 50 g of grated laundry soap;
• 10 liters of water.

Berries with a white bloom or brown crust, diseased shoots and yellowed leaves are destroyed.

If white bloom is found even before the buds open, the bushes and the soil under them are sprayed with fungicides:

• solution of "Nitrofen";
• 3% solution of ferrous sulfate;
• 1% solution of copper sulfate.

The second procedure is carried out 10-12 days after the gooseberry bloom.

In the fall, before the first frost approaches, the gooseberries are cut off. This will help get rid of old, damaged branches and form a fruiting bush. After pruning, no more than 6 healthy shoots are left on the bush. They should be located at approximately the same distance from each other.

When the first snow falls, it is thrown under the gooseberry bushes. He will protect them from the coming cold weather.

It is interesting:

General characteristics and description of varieties of hairy gooseberries

High-yielding frost-resistant gooseberry variety Masheka

The best gooseberry varieties for the Urals and Siberia: description and reviews

Other conditions for successful gooseberry cultivation

Gooseberry is a light-loving plant, so you need to plant it in an open sunny area. Lack of lighting leads to lower yields, crushing and more sour taste of the berries.

In the warmth and under the rays of the sun, the plant will quickly become covered with greenery, bloom and begin to bear fruit. For autumn or spring planting, the optimal temperature for strengthening the roots is considered to be from + 10 ° C during the day and up to + 5 ° C at night.

The place for future berry bushes should be located on a plain or a small hill. It is important that the site is protected from cold northeasterly winds.

When to plant gooseberries

The best time for planting gooseberries is autumn. There should be at least 2 weeks before the first frost, so it is preferable to plan planting in late September - early October. In autumn, the root system takes root better, the seedling manages to get stronger before frost and develop by the arrival of spring... Spring planting is also practiced; its scheme is the same as for the autumn period.

Important! If you decide to plant berry bushes in the fall, cover the soil with peat or dry foliage.

Conclusion

Growing gooseberries will not cause problems, they are unpretentious in care. The main thing is to choose an open place for planting, water the plant in a timely manner, loosen and fertilize the soil. Fragrant berries of green, red, yellow, purple flowers are good both fresh and processed. They are widely used as a filling for baking and making jams, preserves, compotes and even wine.