Spring is not considered the best time to transplant gooseberries. In autumn, there is more time to carry out the event, and weather conditions are more favorable for both planting and replanting, however, if you do not miss the moment and follow all the details, the bush will not suffer and will produce a harvest as usual.
Possible reasons for transplantation
Gooseberry replanting in spring may be required in the following cases:
- when redeveloping the site;
- when the berry patch thickens, when the distance between the rows and bushes was initially calculated incorrectly;
- when moving (when you want to take your favorite variety to your new place of residence);
- with a lack of sunlight (neighboring trees have grown, new buildings have appeared on the site);
- if in the fall the planting was not done well (the site was in the shade, damp, not blown).
On a note. Bushes up to 5 years of age are best replanted. Therefore, if a transplant is overdue, you should not wait until the bush becomes hopelessly outdated.
Timing of spring transplantation
In different climatic conditions The timing of gooseberry transplantation will vary. There is only one principle: do this procedure as soon as the ground warms up enough to dig. IN southern regions this is the end of February, beginning of March. In the northern regions - late March, early April. If the buds begin to bloom, it means that the roots have awakened and are vulnerable to manipulation, and it is better to postpone the transplant until the fall.
The transplant must be done before the sap begins to flow. Only in this case will the bush cope well with moving to a “new place of residence.”
On a note. When the gooseberry bush has already “woke up”, you should not touch it, but postpone replanting until autumn. As a last resort, do not replant, but “transfer” with a large lump of earth.
Principle of selection of planting material
An ideal bush for replanting looks like this:
- age from 2 to 5 years;
- the buds have not yet begun to grow;
- there are 3 or more powerful roots of at least 15 cm each;
- adventitious roots are well developed;
- the above-ground part has two or more strong shoots 35-40 cm.
The younger the bush, the easier it will tolerate transplantation. You should not replant bushes older than 5-6 years, as it will be difficult for them to adapt to a new place.
On a note. There is no point in replanting bushes affected by diseases or pests. They will not become healthier; diseases will be transferred to a new habitat. It is not a fact that weakened plants will survive. Time will be lost and the gardener’s work will be wasted.
Step-by-step instructions for transplantation
Gooseberry transplantation consists of several stages that cannot be ignored. Compliance with all aspects will allow you to save time in the future when caring for the transplanted plant.
Selecting a location
Sunny area, protected from drafts and northern winds - the best place for transplanting gooseberries. It's normal when Sun rays will fall on the plant for at least 5-6 hours a day.
Usually they choose a place near a fence or outbuildings. Gooseberries do not respond well to waterlogging. If on personal plot standing tall groundwater, you need to look for higher ground.
The soil should be light and fertile. Excess acidity can be easily removed with lime, chalk, and dolomite flour. Clay soil improved by adding sand or peat. It’s good if potatoes, legumes or beets grew on the site before.
On a note. To avoid the transfer of diseases, it is not recommended to plant gooseberries in an area where currant berries were planted or where old gooseberry bushes grew.
Preparing the holes
The area is cleared of weeds, roots, and debris. It will most likely not be possible to dig a planting hole in advance. In the spring, after the earth is broken through with a shovel bayonet, there are roads every day. Ideally, the planting holes are dug in the fall.
Required sizes:
- you should maintain a distance of 1 meter to the fence and 3 meters to the building;
- the optimal distance between bushes is 1.5 m, between rows - 2 m;
- The size of the hole depends on the bush, while the depth is not less than 50-60 cm, the diameter of the hole should exceed the size of the root system by 1.5 times.
To prevent water from stagnating in problem areas around the roots, drainage made of pebbles, crushed stone, shell rock, and screenings is placed at the bottom of the planting hole.
Fertile upper layer mixed with rotted manure and wood ash. At least 10 kg must be deposited into each hole. organic matter and 2-3 glasses of ash.
On a note. It would not be superfluous to apply mineral fertilizer (100 grams of superphosphate) between the drainage and fertile layers.
Preparing gooseberries
The bush is dug up and inspected. Diseased roots and branches are cut out with pruning shears. The tips of the roots are carefully trimmed to 3-5 mm using sharp pruning shears.
Next, you need to bring the above-ground part into line with the underground in terms of dimensions. To do this, the shoots are shortened, usually by a third, leaving 7-8 buds. This optimal size so that the plant tolerates transplantation normally.
If the transplant site is far away, the roots are packaged in polyethylene for transportation.
On a note. The following procedure, carried out before planting, improves adaptation: dip the root part of the gooseberry for several minutes in a clay mash, to which a packet of Kornevin and 6 grams of Aktara are added.
How to replant
The transplant algorithm is as follows:
- pour a hill of prepared fertile soil into the planting hole (on top of the drainage);
- install the bush, supporting it vertically (you can bend it down, deepening the root collar by 8-10 cm);
- fall asleep with prepared fertile soil, shaking the bush to fill the voids, pressing down each layer;
- pour out a bucket of warm water;
- cover with mulch on top.
On a note. You can add Humate to the water for irrigation (100 ml per 10 liters of water). This will improve the survival rate of the plant during a long cold spring.
Care after transplant
Transplanted bushes need to be watered abundantly at least once every 2 weeks. Be sure to mulch the soil in the tree trunk circle with a thick layer of mulch so that the soil does not dry out and the “new settler” is not afraid of temperature changes.
Weather conditions are of great importance. Spring frosts are very dangerous for a transplanted plant, since the natural process of preparing for fruiting is disrupted.
In the future, gooseberries require usual care: loosening the soil, weeding and timely treatment against pests and diseases.
If the spring transplant is done according to the rules, the plant will avoid stress, and further growth and development will take its course.
Gooseberries can be replanted both in autumn and spring, but autumn transplant always preferable to spring. This is due to the fact that the vegetative period of gooseberries begins very early, and if you do not have time to replant them before the leaves bloom, this operation will negatively affect the growth of the plant. Therefore, if it just so happens that in the fall you did not have time to move the plant to a new place, do it in the spring, but as early as possible - during the first warm “window” after winter.
Site preparation
If the area is under spring planting If the gooseberry plant is clogged with weeds, it needs to be prepared in the fall. The earth is dug up and all the roots of weeds are removed. This is done so that subsequently the bush does not become clogged with perennial grass, which will be very difficult to get out of the thorny branches of the gooseberry. When digging, compost is added, and if the soil is clayey, sand should also be added. In the spring, having dug a planting hole, 200 g of lime and humus are added to it, and all this is dug up at the bottom of the hole.
How to dig up a gooseberry bush?
During replanting, the bush will be pruned and this can be done even before digging it up, so that the thorny branches interfere with the replanting process as little as possible. All branches damaged during the winter and all very old and woody ones are cut out. Branches that bend too low to the ground and thicken the middle of the bush are also pruned. One- and two-year-old shoots are cut to a third of their length. Such harsh pruning will ensure that the plant’s forces will be directed primarily to its rooting, and the gooseberry will quickly take root in a new place.
Having retreated 40 cm from the bush, it is dug deep. If roots appear under the shovel, you just need to cut them with pruners, without trying to dig up the root system completely. When the ditch around the bush is sufficient to pull the bush out, you need to pull it by the branches, grabbing them at the base. At this time, the assistant should help by lifting the bush from below with a shovel. The dug plant is transferred to a new location and placed in the center of the planting hole.
Planting gooseberries
40 g of superphosphate and potassium sulfate and a bucket of humus are added to the soil that was removed from the new hole and mixed. This mixture is poured between the roots of the gooseberries, which are shaken from time to time so that the soil fills the voids as best as possible. When the hole is filled, fill it with two buckets of water and wait until it is absorbed into the soil. After this, add more soil and water again. The ground around the bush is mulched with peat or humus. The fertilizers placed in the hole during planting will be enough for the bush to feed on them for 3-4 years without additional feeding.
In the year of planting, the gooseberry harvest will be very weak, or there will be none at all, but over the summer, with good watering the bush will come into force, and next year it will bear fruit in full force.
By various reasons you have to replant the gooseberries on summer cottage: overgrown bushes, initially incorrectly selected location or allocation of territory for construction. Sometimes you have to completely remove all the bushes and send them to a new place of residence. It is important to adhere to certain rules so that the plants take root faster.
When to replant
Gooseberries can be transplanted in spring or autumn. Spring replanting is less desirable because:
- the plant “awakens” very quickly after winter dormancy, and therefore it is difficult to choose the optimal time for the procedure, because the procedure must be carried out before the sap begins to flow;
- During the period of bud formation, it is undesirable to injure the gooseberry roots, since the main forces of the plant are aimed at developing the upper part, and not strengthening the underground.
As a result, the transplanted bush adapts slowly, develops poorly, and the quality of the harvest decreases.
In summer it is also undesirable to replant gooseberries, because at this time they grow green mass, damaged roots will take a long time to adapt.
It is better to give preference to the autumn procedure, because:
- the bush has already completed fruiting, so all its forces will be directed towards strengthening the root system, and not developing the upper part;
- it gradually enters a resting stage, so it can easily adapt to new conditions;
- replanting gooseberries in the fall is much easier than in the spring.
It is better to replant gooseberry bushes in the fall after the leaves have fallen. The optimal time for transplanting a crop to a new place is September-early October. A month to a month and a half is enough for the bush to strengthen before frost sets in.
Choosing a place to transplant gooseberries
Correct site- a certain guarantee that the bush will not only take root, but will also increase fruiting. When choosing a location, you need to consider the following nuances:
- Currants and raspberries will not be the best neighbors or predecessors, because they and gooseberries have common pests and diseases that can be passed on “by inheritance”;
- you can replant gooseberries after potatoes, legumes and beets, clover or lupine;
- the culture loves sunlight and humidity, but wetlands with stagnant water should be avoided: in such conditions the fungus develops well, against which many varieties of gooseberries do not have protective immunity;
- The place should be protected from winds.
The type of soil on which the crop will grow plays an important role. It must have the following characteristics:
- Ease. Gooseberries grow well on loam. Heavy soil can be lightened by adding sand and peat, and if it is too light, it is advisable to mix in clay.
- Low acidity. To check it, put some currant or cherry leaves in a container, pour boiling water (0.5 l) over them, and cover. When the water cools, a lump of soil to be tested is sent into it. If the water remains green, then the acidity is normal, if it turns red, it is sour, and turning blue indicates insufficient acidity. You can reduce acidity by adding lime or dolomite flour.
- Fertility. So that the bush can receive from the soil the nutrients it needs to restore strength and develop.
Having selected a site, they dig it up and clean it, removing all plant debris, and mark out places for planting. After this, they move directly to the procedure.
How to replant gooseberries
There are two ways to replant a gooseberry bush: together with a lump of earth or a seedling.
Planting a bush with a lump
Before planting, all old and excess shoots are cut out from an adult gooseberry. As a result, no more than 7 of the youngest and healthiest branches should remain. They are shortened by 1/3.
Now you can dig up the bush. For this:
- dig it around the circumference at a distance of about 30 cm;
- they cut off the thick roots that extend further;
- Carefully remove the bush from the soil with a shovel and lay it on film so that it can be moved to a new place.
When replanting a large gooseberry bush, the diameter of the part to be dug is determined by the size of the crown and removed very carefully so as not to damage the numerous roots.
Further actions carried out in stages:
- Preparing the pit. It is dug about half a meter deep and slightly exceeds the diameter of the bush. Several buckets of water are poured into it.
- Installation of the bush.
- Filling voids with a mixture of soil and compost.
- Compacting the soil.
- Abundant watering of bushes fixed in the ground.
- Covering with dry soil and mulching.
If a mass transplant of gooseberries is planned, it is important to consider the following:
- the site for planting is prepared in advance, holes can be dug immediately before planting, but it is better to mark their location in advance;
- shrubs are planted at a distance of 1.5-2 m;
- Leave 1.3-1.5 m between rows.
- transplant the bushes one at a time into separate holes;
- if the diameter of the dug hole is small, then it is increased.
Using the transshipment method, you can replant a small plant at any time (except winter, of course). You just need to dig up an area slightly larger than the size of the crown, so that when digging, you damage the root system as little as possible. Next - by general scheme. In August, very small gooseberry shoots can be replanted using a similar method.
Planting a seedling
The main difference between a seedling is that it is cleared of soil. root system. That is why they cannot be stored for too long, and they take a long time to adapt to new conditions, because their roots were injured during digging and cleaning. This option is definitely not suitable for spring planting of gooseberries, since the roots will not have time to adapt before the sap begins to flow.
For planting, take a young bush (no older than two years), which has at least three main roots about 15 cm long. Adventitious roots must also be developed. The above-ground part consists of two shoots about 40 cm long, freed from leaves.
Preparing a gooseberry seedling for transplantation involves removing unhealthy roots and stimulating the entire root system in a specially prepared mash (for 3 liters of water, take 1 kg of clay and chernozem, a bag of Kornevin and 6g of Aktara).
Transplanting gooseberries in the fall to a new place with seedlings is similar to the previous method:
- Prepare the pit.
- Pour a small mound of earth into it.
- Place the seedling on it vertically or slightly at an angle so that the root collar is buried 7-10 cm.
- Holding the trunk, fill the soil and compact it periodically. At the same time, the bush is shaken a little so that the earth fills everything internal voids.
- They are watered and mulched, the branches are cut to the bottom bud.
- For the winter, the seedlings are covered with sawdust.
Caring for gooseberries after replanting involves timely watering. Before the procedure, the mulch is removed, and after moistening, it is returned under the bush. There is no need to cover gooseberries for the winter. It is enough to simply insulate it with sawdust.
It often happens that when planting young gooseberry bushes, gardeners do not take into account the size to which the thin twig will grow. As a result, after a few years the plantings become intertwined into impenetrable thickets. It becomes clear that a transplant is coming. We will tell you in the article how gooseberries are transplanted in the spring and what rules gardeners need to follow.
When is the best time to replant gooseberries?
For gooseberries best season- autumn. The shrub is preparing for winter, all processes in the plant’s body slow down, so the stress of changing place of residence is less painful. Unfortunately, not everything depends on the gardener. Sometimes nature radically disrupts seasonal plans. For example, in the fall the event was not successful due to early frosts.
Willy-nilly, the transplant is postponed until spring. This is not the best for gooseberries best time, it is one of the first to bloom in the garden. When the buds have already burst, it is too late to disturb the shrub, the root system begins to grow and becomes extremely vulnerable. So you have to keep watch so as not to miss the right moment. If there is no other way out, then you need to save the gooseberries in a “sleepy” state, before sap flow begins.
It is important to do everything extremely correctly in order to minimize injury to the shrub, especially the roots.Methods for transplanting gooseberry bushes
In gardening, plants are planted and propagated in two ways:
- with a lump;
- in the form of seedlings.
A seedling is a woody plant with an open root system, that is, one that has been dug up and the soil shaken off from the roots. Such bushes cannot be stored for a long time and it is difficult for them to take root, since they have been seriously disturbed. For gooseberries, replanting in this form is possible only in the fall; in the spring, it simply does not have time to adapt. If you still have to do this in the spring, then it is better to choose planting with a lump of soil.
Sequence of work during transplantation
Requirements for soil and fertilizing
When the bush is installed, it needs to be sprinkled with a plant mixture. The composition of the plant mixture is indicated in the table:
Advice#1. If the soil for planting is heavy, add coarse-grained river sand. Loose soil compacts well and does not need a loosening agent.
For berry bushes Soil acidity is important. If the pH is less than 6, the harvest will be modest, the berries will be small and sour. When planting, this indicator is optimized to a neutral reaction. For roots to take root, they need support. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers will come to the rescue, which promote the growth of new hair-like roots.
Replanting gooseberries is a significant trauma for the plant. He was forcibly pulled out of his familiar environment and forced to master an unfamiliar place. You can use other rooting agents - “Heteroauxin”, “Kornevin”, “Rizopon”, “Agrecol”. These drugs stimulate the plant’s internal forces to survive. The space between the lump and the wall of the pit is trampled down. The toe of the shoe is turned towards the bush.
After compacting the soil, a tree trunk circle is formed. Its diameter is wider than the crown of the bush. The height of the fill roller is 10 - 15 cm. The final touch is watering. Water temperature - +15 0 . One watering will require 30 liters (or 3 ten-liter buckets). It may take several passes, but the planting needs to be done thoroughly.
Timing for transplanting gooseberries in spring
It is pointless to name specific dates for transplantation. It's a shame to be late, but you can't start work too early. Knowing all the subtleties earthworks, it becomes clear that the start of the event is impossible until the soil in the garden dries out enough to become suitable for digging. This depends on weather conditions; after heavy snow or spring rains, the deadlines are postponed. If during this time the buds on the gooseberry open, it is better to refuse the transplant.
Sometimes a hopeless situation forces a gardener to break the rules and move a bush at a time that is not the best for it. In this case, the success of the transplant depends not only on the strict implementation of all stages, but also on further care for the "traveler".
Watering a transplanted bush Care after transplant. Mulching
Transplanting a gooseberry is like a surgical operation for a person. Of course, the lion's share of the result belongs to the correct transfer of shrubs, but the rehabilitation period is also important. To preserve the results of hard work as much as possible, immediately after watering, the tree trunk circle is mulched. Covering materials are:
- dry bottom peat crumbs;
- crushed rotted manure;
- sawdust (preferably deciduous trees, coniferous trees acidify the soil);
- bark;
- wood chips
Mulch protects shrubs from moisture evaporation and weeds. A layer of 10–15 cm allows water to pass through well, but reduces the penetration of light. Thanks to this, weeds hardly grow. This is important because some, for example, wheatgrass, cowgrass, and dandelions, pose serious competition to weakened shrubs.
If some of them still managed to break through the mulch, they need to be removed by the roots. Replanting rarely goes perfectly, often some branches break, they haven’t come off yet, but they won’t take root. They need to be cut so that they are not taken away nutrients in whole shoots.
Mulching a bush in late spring Fertilizing with mineral fertilizers
Gooseberries take root in about 21 - 30 days. You can be sure of this when the first leaves appear from the buds. If they continue to turn green, then the transplant was successful and after another two weeks you can carry out the first feeding. Now, nitrogen fertilizers are needed to help the growth of stems and leaves.
Tip #2.Don't rush to apply nitrogen fertilizer immediately after transplantation. It is used when the plant has taken root. There is no point in stimulating the growth of green mass until the gooseberries have taken root.
In spring, the plant’s “program” is aimed at the formation of young shoots and leaves. During this period, all plants, especially transplanted ones, need increased nutrition. Most of all, nitrogen is required. It accelerates the growth of young cells. Nitrogen salts dissolve well and are quickly washed out of the soil, which is also why they are used more than other fertilizers.
Fertilizing with organic fertilizers
From organic fertilizers Fresh bird droppings are rich in nitrogen, but you cannot use it in its pure form, the plant will get burned or die altogether. People say: “It will burn”! To prevent this from happening, the droppings should be dissolved in water and kept for a week. The infusion is used for watering 1 ten-liter bucket in one hole. Before applying fertilizer, the mulch must be removed.
It is better to feed transplanted gooseberries with liquid products, regardless of whether they are mineral or organic. Before applying fertilizing, the bush is watered. Fertilizer is evenly applied around the perimeter of the tree trunk, this is where the young regrown roots are located.
Complex specialized mineral fertilizer “Berry bushes” Effective microorganisms are a good ally of organic fertilizers; with their participation, soil enrichment processes occur much faster. For example, the formation of humus from plant residues occurs in nature over 2–3 years. In the presence of “Emochki”, the process takes 2 – 3 months.
The peculiarity of soil microflora is that it is activated at a positive temperature of at least + 12 0, so you should not use them immediately after transplantation, if it took place in early April. Microflora is never introduced if mineral fertilizer was used. Chemicals kill living crops and mineralize the soil. You will have to choose between synthesized fertilizers and organic substances.
Summer care of shrubs in the garden
The main task in summer is watering. If there is no rain, then the transplanted gooseberries are watered twice a week until the end of June. In mid-summer, the interval can be increased to two weeks. In hot weather, you need to irrigate not only the soil, but also the crown of the bush. This procedure is called sprinkling. The plant “breathes” over the entire surface of the leaves and stems.
Drought causes the tissues to shrink and air to penetrate poorly into the cells. Water cools the crown and relaxes cell membrane. You can water or sprinkle gooseberries only in the morning or evening. In the scorching sun, drops of water while still in flight turn into “boiling water” and burn the leaves.
The end of June is time for summer feeding. It is often skipped, giving preference to spring and autumn. This is correct if the plant feels good. Transplanted gooseberries can be supported with comprehensive mineral fertilizer for berry bushes, in which potassium predominates. With its help, the leaves cope better with drought. Potassium salts protect the cell membrane, preserving the supply of water. This way the plant evaporates less moisture.
Fertilizers can only be applied in the morning or evening after watering. Preparing for autumn and winter
The final moisture-charging irrigation is carried out when the average daily temperature is +8 0. One bush will need 50 liters of water. At first glance it seems too much, but it is worth remembering that the next irrigation will be melted snow. But no one has canceled the water cycle in nature in winter. Dry soil freezes quickly, which means the plant may suffer.
It is important to prepare the root system for winter. Phosphorus fertilizers will help strengthen it. The application rates of phosphorus fertilizers are indicated in the table:
| Fertilizer name | Application rates | Note |
| Superphosphate | 100 g per 10 liters of water | 0.5 l in 1 trunk circle |
| Double superphosphate | 35 – 50 g | |
| Ammophos | 35 – 50 g | Distribute the granules evenly in the tree trunk circle and mix with the soil |
| Bone flour | 200 g | Spread the powder over 1 m2 |
After watering and fertilizing, the tree trunk circle is protected with covering material:
- dry lawn grass;
- mown hay, preferably without seeds;
- sawdust;
- leaves of healthy plants.
The gooseberry crown overwinters well and does not require shelter. If you follow simple recommendations, the transplanted gooseberry will successfully survive the cold and will delight you with healthy berries in the spring.
Serious mistakes when transplanting gooseberries in spring
Mistake #1. Sometimes an adult gooseberry is transplanted as a seedling.
Shrubs with bare roots take root much less well. An earthen ball significantly increases the chances of survival.
Mistake #2. Gardeners often neglect rooting agents.
Experts have developed these preparations to help plants during planting and replanting. Even in an ideal coma, the roots are damaged; in order for young ones to grow, they need the support that rooters provide.
Mistake #3. One of the reasons for the death of gooseberries can be cold water.
You can often hear confusion about feeling unwell transplanted gooseberry. They did everything right, looked after it carefully, watered it generously, but the bush disappeared. The reason probably lies in the water temperature. To water gooseberries you need + 18 0 - + 25 0. If the source is a deep artesian well, the water from it is “ice” for the bush. Especially when the soil gets hot like a frying pan during the day. Such temperature changes are fatal for gooseberries, and for other plants as well.
Our country is huge, and what is normal for Stavropol or Far East may not be suitable for central regions Russia.
Olga Burtseva from Kharkov asks in the comments whether it is possible to replant an adult gooseberry bush? Unfortunately, this problem is relevant for many gardeners, especially beginners, who strive to plant everything on their plot at once.
Gooseberries are a forgotten medicine. It helps well with gastrointestinal diseases, improves immunity, improves blood composition, and most importantly, effectively prevents the development of atherosclerosis. And just a handful of fresh berries a day is enough! Many are convinced that in terms of quantity useful substances black currants are ahead of gooseberries, in fact, it’s the other way around.
But they don’t have a very good idea of what the plantings will look like in 5-6 years, when the plants enter the adult life cycle. However, the problem can be solved. Now there are technologies that make it possible to replant mature trees, not to mention shrubs. True, replanting a tree is not easy; you need special equipment. But the gardeners themselves are quite capable of moving the shrub to another place. A few years ago, my husband and I did this procedure, and we were quite pleased with the result. However, everything is in order.
Place for a gooseberry bush under the fence
Our gooseberries grew along the chain-link fence on the north side of the site. Behind the fence there is a meadow and fields, so the garden was very windy. At the family council! It was decided to replace the mesh with corrugated sheets in order to protect the plantings from the piercing winds, and at the same time move the fence a little so that later, when removing the chain-link, it would not spoil the new fence.
We put up a fence, then we removed the mesh, but it turned out that the bushes were now growing at some distance from the fence. Moreover, it was not possible to use the freed-up territory, and I did not want to breed weeds. My husband suggested moving the bushes closer to the fence using layering, and cutting down those that were already bearing fruit over time. Not best idea: it would take a year to root the cuttings, form new bush and wait for it to gain strength. It would have taken five years to do everything, but I wanted to get the result sooner. Therefore, I insisted on moving existing and well-established plants to the new location. In total, we had seven bushes growing along our fence. different varieties. It was scary to transfer everything right away (what if they don’t get accustomed?), and it was decided to divide this process into two stages.
No sooner said than done. A day or two before transplanting, the bushes were well watered to retain as much soil as possible on the roots. Then, just before transplantation, they tied it tightly with twine. (It doesn’t matter if several branches break in this case: part of the crown will still have to be removed, because the chopped off roots will not be able to feed all the branches.)
At the new location, planting holes were dug approximately 1 m in diameter and about 80 cm deep. They dug up the bushes along the periphery of the crown to a depth of 80 cm and began to lift the bush with shovels from both sides, going around it in a circle and cutting off the roots that extended beyond the excavation.
Why did they dig in so widely? The fact is that in plants the root system is, as a rule,
display of the above-ground part. Consequently, the most active suction roots are located precisely on the periphery of the crown. Cutting them off means leaving the plant to starve. Of course, someone will object, saying that the suction roots are very thin, almost microscopic. Yes, but they are attached to something! And the more roots we leave, the faster the bush will recover. For a shrub, the loss of old anchor roots is not as destructive as the loss of a working root system.
As if nothing had happened
After we carefully lifted the transplanted bush with shovels, we must also carefully transfer it to film or burlap, preventing the soil from falling off. If the transplant is carried out within its own area, film will be sufficient. Transfer the bush to the planting hole on the film and carefully install it in a new place, without disturbing the location of the branches relative to the cardinal points.
Having leveled the bush, we sprinkled it with humus (about one and a half buckets per bush), added soil, carefully compacted the surface around the bush with our feet and made a large hole, spreading the soil with a roller along the edges of the planting hole. Then they poured plenty of water on it. They spilled it, not watered it, so that the earth would settle well. The transplant was carried out in early October (in our zone this is optimal time for planting gardens), but not in the spring.
I would like to draw your attention: the gooseberry root is bare, the soil disappears from it instantly, so it is extremely important to thoroughly water the transplanted plants a day or two beforehand.
If you are moving the bush over a long distance, it is more convenient to transfer it to burlap. Moreover, the bag should not be synthetic, but natural. You need to cut it, place the bush on it and tie the roots tightly with wire or twine. You need to plant such bushes without removing the burlap - it will rot on its own in a year or two. And the roots will be safe and will easily pass through the fabric.
In the spring, we trimmed the transplanted bushes more than usual, cutting out all stems older than three years. Be sure to water the plants generously throughout the next year approximately every 10-14 days.
In the first year, the bushes were sick, even the leaves did not fully unfold. But the next year they gave us an abundance of berries, as if there had never been any replanting! They are still in good health, delighting with an excellent harvest.
Return of the gooseberry
When I was a child, my grandmother had 5 gooseberry bushes.
She made amazing “royal” jam! An hour before picking berries, grandma doused the bushes. cold water. The spines became soft. I fixed the branches with clothespins - and that’s how I collected the harvest. When I inherited the garden, I uprooted these bushes - they were old and sick. And today I tried gooseberries and realized - I want to return them to the garden. I especially liked the varieties Neslukhovsky and Kursu Dzintars.
Senior researcher at the department of berry crops of the Republican Unitary Enterprise “Institute of Fruit Growing” Tatyana Miroslavovna explained to me why you can’t yet find gooseberries in every garden:
At the beginning of the last century, gooseberries were struck by a terrible epidemic spheroteques. This disease is also called American powdery mildew, since it was brought to us with American varieties. In spring, the leaves and tops of the shoots, and then the berries, begin to become covered with a white coating, which later thickens, turns brown and becomes like dense felt. Plants of ancient varieties of European selection turned out to be unstable to this disease. Fungicide treatments of that time helped little, so people began to get rid of gooseberry bushes in their gardens.
Breeders are trying to revive the culture by crossing European sweet and large-fruited varieties with American ones, which do not differ in particular taste or size of berries, but are winter-hardy, drought-resistant, weakly thorny, and most importantly - resistant to powdery mildew. However, it has not yet been possible to create a variety that could boast both high resistance to spheroteca and the same large and sweet berries as the ancient varieties.
The best time to plant gooseberries is late September - early October. The place should be lit, without stagnant air. And from the very beginning it is important to monitor the cleanliness of the tree trunk circle.
When planting, deepen the root collar by 5-6 cm.
Afterwards, be sure to trim the seedling, leaving 3 buds from the ground on each shoot. Form a bush with 6-7 strong branches. Every spring, cut out all weak shoots, leaving 3-4 of the strongest ones. By the age of 6-7 years, the bush should have 15-18 branches of different ages. The main harvest is focused on last year's growth. Branches with this type of fruiting quickly age. Yes, and on a thickened plant they develop more quickly fungal diseases. Therefore, from the age of 5-6 years, remove old branches, leaving in their place the same number of newly developed basal shoots.
