There are a few factors that really matter when it comes to caring for gooseberries. In addition to the water and nutrient balance, cutting plays an important role. We explain how to handle all aspects correctly.
How do you properly care for gooseberries?
Gooseberry care includes regular watering, nutrient supply through organic fertilizer and mulch, targeted pruning after harvest, and monitoring for diseases such as American gooseberry powdery mildew and leaf drop disease.
What is the water requirement of gooseberries?
Gooseberries don't want to have anything to do with drought stress. The berry bushes prefer to be watered regularly in the morning when the natural rainfall is not sufficient. The soil surface should be allowed to dry out a little between waterings.
How should the berry bushes be fertilized?
A combination of organic fertilizer and mulch meets the requirements of heavily consuming gooseberries excellently. The following nutrient supply has proven to be effective:
- work in compost with horn shavings superficially in March
- repeat this process after flowering and after harvest
- spread a layer of mulch made from comfrey, nettle leaves or fern
- fertilize every 2 weeks from April to July with a plant manure
Where organic fertilizer is not available, commercially available berry fertilizer (€10.00 on Amazon) serves as an alternative, dosed according to the instructions.
What should you pay attention to when cutting gooseberries?
In the period after the harvest until the end of February, gooseberries receive targeted pruning. In the first step, all dead wood is thinned out. Cut out inward-facing branches as well as stunted and crossing specimens. Then it continues like this:
- cut the two oldest leading branches back to the ground
- select the two strongest of the new shoots
- Consistently cut off all other shoots that sprout from the base
- Leave 2-3 long shoots on each leading branch, as these bear fruit
- worn fruit branches cut apart except for 2 eyes
The ideal gooseberry bush has 2 one-year-old, two-year-old, three-year-old and four-year-old leading shoots. The situation is similar with a gooseberry standard tree, although hanging branches in particular have to give way.
What diseases threaten gooseberries?
There are primarily two diseases that need to be paid attention to during the summer. American gooseberry powdery mildew lurks in dry, warm weather. If the weather is humid and warm, leaf drop disease spreads.
Tips & Tricks
The frost-hardy gooseberry bushes generally do not require any extra winter protection. In the bucket, however, the conditions are different, as the root ball could freeze through. Wrap planters with bubble wrap well before the first frost and place them on wood or Styrofoam in front of the south wall of the house.
