Content
English yellow gooseberry is an unpretentious variety that can adapt to almost any climatic conditions. If you learn how to properly cultivate this crop, you can get bountiful harvests of sweet berries. On the territory of Russia, this variety can be grown in the south and in the central regions.
Description of gooseberry variety English yellow
This is a weakly spreading shrub with erect shoots no more than 1.5 m high. They are covered with dark gray bark, which turns brown in plants older than 2 years. Shoots are thin, rarely covered with soft, long, single thorns.
Leaves are medium-sized, up to 3 cm in length and width, dark, green, wrinkled, leathery at the end of summer, acquire a dark purple hue.
English yellow gooseberry blooms in late May with small, narrow flowers up to 1 cm in length. Their color is yellowish-white.
The yellow English gooseberry variety does not need additional pollinators, it is self-fertile. The shedding rate of the crop is low, fully ripe berries will remain hanging on the shoots until harvest.
The English gooseberry grows well and bears fruit in the southern and central regions, in the northern and eastern regions - it needs shelter for the winter, bears fruit poorly.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The variety is winter-hardy, not afraid of frost, in regions with cold, long, little snowy winters, it needs shelter. It tolerates snowy winters with frosts down to -20 ᵒС. The culture does not need frequent watering, it tolerates drought well, more often it suffers from an excess of moisture.
Fruiting, productivity
Bright yellow berries, covered with soft fluff, weigh at least 4 g, sometimes they can reach 7 g. In the stage of full maturity, they acquire a rich amber color with a glossy sheen.
The final ripening occurs in mid-July. The rind of the fruit is not tough, it covers the yellow juicy and sweet flesh of the English gooseberry. The aroma of the fruits is mild, but they have a good dessert taste.
The yield of the variety is high and stable. The berries ripen amicably and evenly, the harvest takes place in 2 passes. Every year, farmers, subject to the rules of agricultural technology, collect up to 1 bucket of ripe berries from one English gooseberry bush.
The keeping quality of yellow gooseberries is high, they can be easily transported, and on the way they retain their presentation for a long time. The fruits are not susceptible to baking in the sun, they retain their sweet and sour taste, being in direct sunlight for a long time.
Gooseberries English yellow are used to make an amber dessert wine. Also, the fruits of the yellow gooseberry are consumed fresh, as they have a pleasant taste.
Advantages and disadvantages
Of the negative qualities of the English variety, it is distinguished by its weak resistance to spheroteca and cracking of the skin of berries with a prolonged excess of moisture.
The advantages of the variety:
- stable, high yield;
- pleasant dessert taste;
- long keeping quality;
- presentable presentation;
- the ability of the fruit to maintain its integrity during transportation;
- resistance to most garden diseases;
- compact size of the bush.
The advantages of the yellow English gooseberry, judging by the description of the variety, are much more than the disadvantages, thanks to which it has long become a favorite culture of amateur gardeners.
Breeding features
You can propagate yellow English gooseberries in several ways: by cuttings, layering, dividing the bush.
Gooseberry bush older than 3 years is propagated by horizontal layering. More than 5 young seedlings can be obtained from one mother plant. They will not lose the varietal qualities of the mother plant.
Cuttings are also effective in propagating yellow English gooseberries. To obtain productive layering, mature shoots covered with stiff bark are cut off. Then they are divided into several parts and germinated. With this method of reproduction, you can get an unlimited number of young seedlings.
You can divide the bush in autumn or early spring into 2-3 parts. The separated plants are rooted, their survival rate is quite high.
Each of these methods is effective, it allows you to preserve the varietal characteristics of the mother plant.
Planting and leaving
English yellow gooseberries are planted in the spring (at the end of March) as soon as the snow melts. You can root seedlings at the end of September before the first frost.
For planting, choose a loose fertile soil (black soil), loamy soil is also suitable. The culture does not tolerate acidified soils (the acidity level should be neutral). This variety should not be planted in soil where groundwater is close to the surface. For planting, choose open areas, well-lit by the sun, while there should be no drafts.
A month before planting the English gooseberry, the soil is dug up with rotted manure and wood ash. Immediately before rooting, 1 tbsp is added to each hole. l. superphosphate mixed with turf soil.
For planting, seedlings over 2 years old are suitable. They must have at least 2 strong, woody shoots covered with bark. It should be smooth and solid, there should be no cracks or damage. The rhizome should be well branched, the processes are strong, thick, yellow.
Landing Algorithm:
- Dig a planting hole measuring 50x50 cm.
- A third of the hole is filled with earth mixed with 1 tbsp. l. complex mineral fertilizer, form a small hill from it.
- A seedling is placed in the center of the resulting hill, the roots are straightened, they should lie freely on an elevation.
- The root collar is left flush with the soil or 1 cm above it; it is not worth deepening.
- The rhizome is covered with loose soil, rammed it.
- The plant is watered abundantly.
- After moistening the soil, it is mulched, and the shoots are cut off at the level of 6 buds from the base of the bush.
After a week, the bush is again watered abundantly, and the soil is mulched with sawdust or wood chips.
Growing rules
English yellow gooseberries need autumn or spring pruning. In the fall, the procedure is carried out after the leaves fall, in the spring - before the buds swell.
The plant of the first year of life is cut by a third. Leave shoots above 4 or 5 buds. The basal processes are removed, leaving a couple of the strongest ones. In a similar way, the plant is pruned for up to 7 years. Then you should carry out a rejuvenating pruning of the shrub: completely remove all old, stiff shoots. New branches are cut by a third, leaving the process no higher than the 5th bud.
For a plant younger than 3 years old, 2 buckets of water are enough; for older shrubs, 3-4 buckets of water are taken.
Yellow English gooseberries are watered 3 times a year:
- late May or early June;
- in the middle of July;
- at the end of September (there should be no frost yet).
This gooseberry variety does not need more frequent watering.
Young plants under 3 years old are not fed. Older gooseberries are fertilized 3 times a year.
In April, until the buds have blossomed, ammonium nitrate is introduced into the soil around the base of the gooseberry.
As soon as the English yellow gooseberry fades, it is watered with a superphosphate solution.
After the leaves fall, at least 4 kg of rotted manure is applied under each bush. The soil is carefully dug up with him.
In order for the gooseberry to receive as much sunlight as possible, its shoots are tied to a trellis in the form of a fan. For this, the branches of the bush are shortened to 60 cm and tied in a circle to the support.
To prevent rodents from damaging the English yellow gooseberry bushes, the trunk circle is carefully dug up, and the weeds are removed. This will destroy the pest burrows. In late autumn, a shrub of this variety is covered with spruce branches. They will protect the gooseberries from rodents.
For the winter, shoots of the English yellow gooseberry variety are tied with twine in one bunch and bent to the ground. Spruce branches or boards are laid on top, setting them up with a hut. On top of such a frame, throw any covering material, fix it.
Pests and diseases
English yellow gooseberries can suffer from aphids, spider mites, moths. For prevention, the shrub is treated with Karbofos in early spring. In autumn, fallen leaves and dead plant parts are destroyed. In summer, insecticide treatment can be repeated.
This variety is resistant to diseases, but can suffer from spheroteka (powdery mildew). To prevent the disease, gooseberries are treated with Nitrafen solution in March or April, until the buds have blossomed. After pruning, the shoots of the bush are treated with Bordeaux liquid (1%), after each watering, the soil is dug up, in the fall weeds and fallen leaves are removed.
Conclusion
Gooseberry English yellow is an unpretentious fruit and berry crop, which is characterized by high yields. The fruits of the variety are distinguished by good taste and long-term storage capacity. Subject to all the rules for growing this culture, in the middle of summer you can get up to 15 kg of sweet, amber berries from one bush.
Reviews of the gooseberry variety English yellow
