Description of the best varieties of studless gooseberries for different regions

Gooseberry is a delicious, healthy berry that can be used to prepare many delicious dishes. But when it comes to harvesting in the summer, most gardeners try to wear tight gloves. The spines on the gooseberry bushes are so sharp that after harvesting, scratches on the legs and arms have to be treated. Thanks to breeders, it became possible to grow varieties of thornless gooseberries or with weakly thorny shoots.

Features of the studless gooseberry

Gooseberry is a small shrub up to 1.5 m in height and 2 m in width, with a powerful root system extending deep into the soil up to 1.5 m. Buds form on the roots, from which green shoots grow, at the base of the leaves there are sharp tripartite or simple thorns ... A brown or dark gray bark is gradually formed on the branches, exfoliating. Leaves are light green, pubescent on petioles, the edges are serrated three to five lobed. The flowers are small, green or red, bisexual, formed in the axils of the leaves one, two or three at a time. Fading away, they form a fruit - an oval or spherical berry of green, yellow or brown color.

Common gooseberry (Ribes uva–crispa, Grossuluaria) belongs to the genus Smorodin, was first mentioned in the 1500s, and has been known for its beneficial properties since ancient times.

Unfortunately, it has not yet been possible to completely eradicate the sharp thorns (thorns) on the gooseberry branches. Thanks to the breeding work carried out by experts on the crossing of American species and varieties from Europe, it was possible to create a gooseberry without thorns. But these varieties have their own characteristics:

1. Selected varieties with thorns, which disappear during fruit setting.
2. Only old shoots are covered with thorns.
3. There are thorns, but there are few of them and they are less sharp.
4. They appear and disappear depending on the chosen place, agricultural techniques for caring for it, its cultivation and the age of the plant branches.

Gooseberry varieties without thorns have been sectioned by many foreign and Russian scientists. Therefore, they have become very common among Russian gardeners and are adapted to frequently changing, harsh conditions.

Is it worth planting thornless gooseberry bushes in the garden: the advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Inexperienced gardeners will ask themselves: is it worth planting a thornless gooseberry in the garden, what are its advantages and disadvantages over the old species?

The main advantage of the new thornless gooseberry varieties is the shedding of thorns before fruiting, or their partial absence, which allows gardeners to easily harvest the crop without injury.It is also believed that these varieties are more resistant to sudden frosts, frosts and adverse weather changes, are less affected by diseases, and the taste is more pronounced.

Thornless gooseberries have minor flaws, bushes have a more spreading crown, and some need to be cut frequently.

Therefore, the question can be answered unequivocally. Yes, it is worth planting thornless varieties of gooseberries, as they are unpretentious in maintenance, frost-resistant and convenient for picking berries. And one more advantage, which was passed on to thornless varieties from American parents, is resistance to powdery mildew.

The nuances of growing, care

For the successful cultivation of the thornless gooseberry and obtaining a bountiful harvest, it is necessary to choose the right place, prepare it for planting and observe the agricultural technique of planting and growing.

Seat selection:

1. Sunny or with little shade during the day.
2. No drafts.
3. East, south side of the site.

Seat:

1. Soil: black soil, sandy loam, loamy. Wetlands and areas with high acidity are not suitable.
2. PH level 5.2-6.7.
3. At the new place, all weeds are removed, the soil is dug deep and loosened so that the earth is softer, lighter, and breathable. Sand, peat can be added to clay soils.

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Characteristics and description of Beryl gooseberries, planting and care

It is better to choose a seedling in a nursery:

1. The seedling can be one, two, three years old.
2. Healthy, without obvious signs of disease, damage by rodents or other pests, rot, floors.
3. Leaves are rich green.
4. The root on the cut is white, flexible, elastic.

Boarding time:

• Autumn, end of September - the first half of October in the middle lane, in the south, southwest, southeast, in the Moscow region.
• Spring, April - first decade of May: northern regions, the Urals, Siberia.

Stages of planting a gooseberry without thorns:

1. For a day, put the seedlings in a bucket of water or with a diluted growth and root stimulant.
2. On the prepared site, mark the landing pattern. Distance between rows 1.5-2 m, between bushes 1.3-1.5 m.
3. A pit 35-45 cm deep, 35-50 cm in diameter.
4. If the soil is heavy, underground waters are located close, then a hole is dug to a depth of 50 cm, a layer of drainage from expanded clay or broken brick should be laid on the bottom, and a layer of sand should be sprinkled on top.
5. If the soil is black earth, loam, then water the hole before planting the seedling with 4-6 liters of water.
6. After that, nitroammofosk is poured into the pit up to 100 g under the bush.
7. The seedling is buried no more than 4 cm from the root collar. If planted deeper, the root will sprout higher, as the gooseberry reproduces vegetatively.
8. Sprinkle it with a mixture of soil, ash, rotted manure.
9. Leave a recess around the bush to retain water.
10. Pour 5-6 liters of water over the hole.
11. Top with rotted manure and needles, if planting took place in the fall.

Caring for the bushes is simple, watering 10-12 liters under the bush once every 2-3 weeks. During the ripening period of berries, irrigation is stopped.

Top dressing after planting with fertilizers is carried out after 1.5-2 years. In the spring, you can use fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium. During the flowering period, urea or infusion of weeds. In the fall, the soil around the gooseberry is mulched with peat, manure, ash. In summer and autumn, in the form of fertilizer, the soil is mulched around with mown green manure, which has a positive effect on the growth and fruiting of bushes.

Pruning is carried out in the fall, for the formation of new shoots during the growth period, in spring. Skeletal branches are cut into 1-2 buds, facing the inside of the bush, if the branches droop inside the bush. If the branches are erect, then cut into 1 outer bud.

In the spring, formative pruning is carried out before the beginning of the active growing season, the growths and branches thickening the bush are cut with a pruner. Every 8-10 years, you need to carry out anti-aging pruning, cutting off all old shoots.

Gooseberry varieties without thorns are almost not attacked by insects and rodent pests and various diseases, but in spring and autumn they require preventive spraying with fungicides and insecticides.

The best varieties of gooseberries without thorns

Breeding work on the breeding of varietal varieties of gooseberries has been carried out for more than 50 years, but the best ones are:

1. Honey with amber-yellow fruits, with a high degree of sugar accumulation, very sweet, with a high degree of frost resistance and medium to diseases. Berries of honey taste are mid-season.
2. Harlequin - mid-season, cherry-red fruits, medium-sized, high-yielding. It tolerates severe frosts up to -35 without damage, is not attacked by pests and almost does not get sick with ash.
3. Commander (Vladil) - fruits of a dark shade, red-brown, sweet-sour taste, long-term fruiting, ripens by early August.
4. Grushenka - fruits are large, their color is red-violet, with a high degree of sugar accumulation, taste with a slight sourness. The fruiting period is medium late. High frost resistance and immunity to diseases.
5. Fires of Krasnodar - ripening of carmine-colored fruits is medium late, sweet and sour, yield up to 1 bucket per bush. Highly winter-resistant. Resistant to fungi.
6. Gingerbread man - red with a raspberry hue, fruits from 3 to 8 g, Sweets over 8%, acids up to 3%, balanced taste, delicate, average fruiting period. High resistance to powdery mildew, gray mold, anthracnose.
7. Emerald - fruits from 3 to 8 g of emerald color, translucent in the sun, the taste is bright, rich-sweet, with a slight sourness. High resistance to frost and disease. The yield is more than 7.5 t / ha, from 1 bush to 1.5-2 buckets.
8. Red - ripens in medium terms, berries are green. Medium-large, up to 5 g, sweet and sour taste. Often affected by fungi. High frost resistance.

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Description and characteristics of the gooseberry variety English yellow, planting and care

For each region, breeders recommend certain gooseberry varieties that would meet climatic conditions. This list includes the most popular and best varieties: Malachite, Sirius, Northern Captain, Chelyabinsk, Invikta, Uralsky, Eaglet, African, Yantarny, Senator.

For the middle lane and the Moscow region

1. Russian yellow - a large berry, up to 8 g, bright yellow in color, with a pleasant sweet taste, sugar accumulation over 9%, with a light aroma. Highly winter-resistant. Highly resistant to fungi, ash and pests. Requires formative pruning. The yield is high, up to 9 t / ha. In the absence of care and watering, it gives a small yield. Average ripening period.
2. Invicta - yield up to 1.5 buckets per bush, more than 8.5 t / ha, large-fruited, up to 8.5 g. Variety with yellow-green berries, sugar accumulation 8%, acid 2.6%. Favorably tolerates sharp temperature fluctuations, frosts down to -30. Ripens early, almost does not suffer from fungal diseases.
3. Malachite - large, up to 6.5 g, malachite-colored fruits, blush from the sun is allowed, with a sweet and sour taste, ripens by the end of July. Drought resistance is high. Favorably tolerates sudden temperature changes. Resistant to fungi and other diseases. Highly winter-resistant variety.
4. Eaglet - fruits of dark purple, black color, with a sweet-sour aftertaste. The bushes are high-yielding, up to 1.5 buckets per bush, they tolerate a drop in temperature, frost to -30, a sharp change in weather, frost well. Not subject to disease. Ripens at the end of July.
5. African - a gooseberry with thornless branches and fruits of different sizes (small and medium 3-5 g), dark purple, almost black, sweet berries with a light taste, ripens by the end of July. Remove up to 1 bucket of fruit from the bush. High winter hardiness, but weak resistance to anthracnose, not damaged by ash.
6. Northern Captain - berries up to 4 g, medium, purple-burgundy in the sun, almost black, with a high proportion of sugar accumulation, with a slight acidity. Productivity is more than 11t / ha, ripens by the end of July - in the first decade of August. Resistant to dry and frosty weather down to -30.
7. Chelyabinsk slightly thorny - medium berries, up to 5.5 g, dark cherry color, sweet and sour. Winter-hardy variety. The bushes are resistant to most diseases, but are often exposed to ash. Ripening period is average.
8. Thornless gooseberry - medium-large fruits of raspberry-red color, very sweet in taste, there is a slight sourness. The yield is average. Resistant to frost, frost down to -30, drought and powdery mildew.
9. The gooseberry variety Sirius is described in a large number of sources, because it is one of the most frequently cultivated among gardeners in central Russia. Fruits up to 7.5 g of burgundy-brown color, yield up to 1.5-2 buckets per bush. Highly winter-resistant. Drought resistance is high, but weak to powdery mildew.

Popular varieties for the Urals with a description

1. The Ural thornless gooseberry has highly developed shoots, they grow rapidly. Fruits are green, sweet-sour, large, high yield, but overripe berries are crumbling. Ripening period is average. Favorably tolerates a decrease in temperature to -35, dry weather, sharp temperature drops. Pests almost do not attack, average resistance to diseases.
2. Senator (Consul) - medium-sized carmine-colored fruits, 4.5-7 g, sweet-sour, ripens by the end of July, the harvest is large, up to 2 buckets. Highly winter-resistant, sometimes it is not affected by powdery mildew diseases.
3. Amber - berries are large and medium, yellow-green, sometimes amber, sweet with a slight sourness. The variety is resistant to frost down to -40, to abrupt weather changes, drought and frost. The yield is high, the fruits do not crumble.

Gooseberries have a high ability to endure long winters, sharp temperature fluctuations, frosts down to -30, -40, but it is better to cover them with dry leaves or straw for the winter.