In order for gooseberries to bear juicy fruit in droves, you should cut the bushes every year. The time window for cutting care is open in spring and summer. Read this tutorial on how to properly prune the prickly berry bushes.

Gooseberries can be pruned vigorously

Table of Contents

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  1. Types of cuts and dates
  2. Planting and training cut shrub
  3. maintenance pruning shrub
  4. Rejuvenation pruning shrub
  5. Pruning high stems
  6. Pruning columnar fruit
  7. frequently asked Questions

    8. Types of cuts and dates

    Traditionally, gooseberries thrive as high-yielding shrubs. Balcony gardeners swear by space-saving cultivation standard. In the small garden, red and green premium varieties as columnar fruit refreshing harvest. Perfect cut care takes into account the respective variant. The following table provides an overview of tried-and-tested types of cuts and lists recommended dates:

    cut type goal/occasion best appointment alternative date
    Planting and training cut shrub clear structure, vital branching Spring after autumn planting on planting day
    maintenance pruning shrub promote young, high-yield fruit wood February to early March after harvest
    Rejuvenation pruning shrub revitalize exhausted gooseberry late winter none
    Topiary standard Shape the crown, preserve earning power February to early March after harvest
    Pruning columnar fruit maintain a slim shape and earning power February to early March after harvest

    Gooseberry bush - instructions for planting and training pruning

    Large, juicy fruits and a painless harvest are the reward for a targeted planting and training pruning. In order for your gooseberries to thrive in a well-arranged and flooded with light, cut the berry bush in the first two years as follows:

    • The best time is in February when the weather is frost-free and dry
    • In the first year, cut back strong shoots by a third and weak shoots by half
    • Cut just above an outward-facing bud
    • In the second year previous year's increase shorten by a third or half

    A gooseberry bush is well positioned with 4 to 6 promising scaffolding shoots. Cut off excess ground shoots without a long stub away. Even if it is difficult, you should shorten the young shoots in the first and second year. This strengthens the stability so that they can carry the valuable fruit wood with lots of juicy gooseberries. In subsequent years, you can expand the basic framework 8 to 12 ground shoots, provided that the available space in the bed allows it.

    In the spring after planting, cut back all shoots by one-third to two-thirds. In the first few years, the perfect shrub framework consists of 4 to 6 ground shoots. Later, up to 12 scaffold drives are possible. Cut off excess ground shoots at the base.

    Preserve earning power on the gooseberry bush

    In the third year of growth, pruning gooseberries from education to maintenance. If you heed the following principle, nothing can go wrong: Old, dark-brown wood must give way - young, light-brown wood is promoted. Shoots from the age of four are counted as old wood. How to do the right maintenance cut:

    • The best time is in spring
    • Cut out anything that grows inwards and is too close
    • Cut off side shoots in the lower third of the main branches, because no fruit will thrive here
    • Do not cut light brown, one-year-old side shoots in the upper area
    • Overhanging shoot tips are slimmed down by cutting them off onto a side shoot

    As illustrated in the figure below, cut care combines maintenance and continuous rejuvenation. Thin out two or three dark brown main branches every year. In return, you encourage young, light brown wood that grows directly from the root disk. To strengthen the growth of young main branches, next year cut off a third of last year's growth above one eye.

    Replace a quarter of the old ground shoots with young shoots each year. On the remaining skeleton shoots, redirect hanging tips to a lower side shoot.

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    Perfectly equipped for scratchy berry bushes

    The best gooseberries live up to their name. It would be a shame to miss out on the refreshing berry treat because of the sharp spikes. With the right equipment, you can master cutting care without painful injuries. Thorn Resistant Gloves with long cuffs should not be missing. Safety goggles, high rubber boots and thorn-proof trousers round off the equipment in a sensible way. We recommend one so that you can devote yourself to the cut on heavily armored rods from a safe distance Loppers with telescopic arms.

    Rejuvenate an old berry bush

    The rejuvenation pruning aims to exchange the old framework for young bottom shoots for a new structure. Cut off all old, dark brown shoots at ground level. With a bit of luck, you will come across fresh wood that sprouts straight from the rootstock. Select the four to six most vital specimens.

    An old skeletal shoot signals courage if it has young, light-brown side shoots to offer. In this case, use the pruning shears on the fork of dark and light wood. If there are multiple side shoots to choose from, give priority to an outward-facing, unbranched shoot.

    A radical makeover cut perks up exhausted gooseberries. Cut off old, dark brown shoots at ground level. Young shoots with light brown bark form the new structure. Aged skeletal shoots with young side shoots in the lower area receive a diversion pruning.

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    Complete taper pruning in winter

    An old, thorny gooseberry bush serves as a valuable refuge for wild animals. In summer there is a lot of activity, because birds raise their offspring in the dense network of rods. To protect our threatened flock of birds, the Federal Nature Conservation Act prohibits radical woodcuts in the period from March 1st to September 30th. Rejuvenation of the gooseberry bush is exceptionally permitted between October 1st and February 28th, as long as the wood does not house any animal winter guests.

    Cut tall stems

    The pruning of the gooseberry high stem follows similar basic rules as apply to shrubs. For a decorative and high-yielding crown shape, the number of main branches should be limited to four to six shoots that are no more than four years old. The following premises apply to an expert shape cut:

    • The best time is in early spring
    • Cut back hanging branches in half
    • Thin out steep shoots protruding from the crown form as competition to the crown framework
    • From the third year, replace an old leading branch with a young, diagonally horizontal branch

    Cheeky wild shoots often sprout from the trunk or wild root. You should remove these immediately, regardless of the current time of year.

    tips

    As tall stems, gooseberries are dependent on a support rod for life. The wooden pole should extend to the middle of the crown in order to guarantee sufficient stability.

    Cut gooseberry column

    Good-natured pruning tolerance recommends gooseberries for cultivation as columnar fruit. Characteristic of the space-saving growth is a dominant central shoot that you continuously tie to the support post. How to properly prune a columnar gooseberry:

    • The best time is in early spring from February to March
    • Cut off bottom shoots at the base to compete with the columnar trunk
    • Cut back worn rods from the previous year to short cones
    • Set the scissors just above the second or third eye
    • Young shoots of the previous year do not intersect

    In the course of the new season, young shoots sprout from the buds of the short cones, which bear fruit the following year. This spring, the longed-for flowers will appear on the light brown shoots of the previous year, followed by refreshing gooseberries in summer.

    frequently asked Questions

    Are gooseberries self-fertile or should I plant two varieties?

    Male and female flowers thrive on gooseberries at the same time. Pollen is transmitted by wind or busy insects. A single plant is therefore sufficient for a harvest of juicy gooseberries. Nevertheless, it is advisable to socialize two different strains to increase the crop yield.

    Should gooseberries be pruned after planting?

    A pruning is definitely advantageous for strong branching and the growth of numerous fruit canes. Select 4 to 6 promising shoots as a base to start with. Shorten strong rods by a third. Cut back weak shoots by up to two thirds. Cut off all other ground shoots at the base. With regard to the frost sensitivity of a young gooseberry, please only cut the plant in the spring after planting.

    Is it possible to keep buckets? How big should the pot be?

    Basically, keeping gooseberries in buckets is not a problem. The pot size depends on the growth form. As a shrub, a volume of 7.5 to 10 liters is advisable at the beginning. Tall stems and columnar fruit require a bucket with at least 15 to 20 liters to also guarantee stability. Please note that the water and nutrient reserves are used up faster in the tub than in the bed.

    The 3 most common cutting mistakes

    Measly berries, a dense network of rods and unstable bottom shoots are the result of typical pruning errors. The following table draws attention to the three most common mistakes in pruning gooseberries and provides useful tips for professional prevention:

    cutting error damage picture prevention
    never cleared premature senescence, less fruit hanging Thin out old wood every spring
    excessively long skeleton shoots not diverted Rods with fruit lie on the ground redirect unstable scaffold drives that are too long
    old shoots with long stubs cut off Weak shoots sprout from remaining cones always thin out at ground level
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    tips

    If year-old shoots on gooseberries are too close to the main shoot, they should be thinned out to a distance of 10 centimetres. The clippings are perfect for propagating cuttings. Choose rods that are 20 to 30 centimeters long and place them in a pot with poor potting soil. Three to four eyes should stand above the substrate. Watered regularly in a semi-shady location, rooting is not long in coming.

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Vegetable garden