Topic: Help needed for overgrown gooseberry bushes

[Helenclare]

Hi, can anyone help? I have recently taken on my first ever allotment which has been somewhat neglected to say the least....aren't all new plots! I have 5 gooseberry bushes that are of medium size and were untill today all overgrown with couch grass and had moss and stuff growing under them. I have spent hours in the sunshine clearing out under them and now don't know what to do next. the branche are all muddled and growing down to the floor, some had even rooted. How/when do I prune? Can I damage them accidently? Do they need feeding if so with what?
Any advice very welcome...even if it is dig them up and start again!!!
Helen

[dandelion]

I discovered a gooseberry on my overgrown plot too, but as it was being choked by brambles and couch, I ripped it out. However, I found that several low hanging branches had grown roots so I potted these up. I have 10 small plants now. Why not try to tidy up the bushes, but also pot up some of the rooted branches? If you find the old bushes don't do well, you'll have new ones to plant out next year.

[mat]

I had the same problem on my new plot.  When I took on the plot last Oct I didn't even know I had 2 goosegogs it was so overgrown...  My advice is from a Hessayon fruit book (excellent)...

Do the following NOW (book says Nov-Mar)
   cut out dead/diseased branches
   cut out all main leaders overlapping/crossing each other. 
   cut out all main branches crowding each other 
   cut out older main leaders (I cut out all the white ones)
   cut main leaders back to half their previous years length (I used branch colour as a guide as mine hadn't had anything done to them for ? how many years!)
   cut side branches (coming off the main leaders) back to 2" in length. 
   aim to create an open structure

Mine looked totally different after doing the above.  Obv my book has drawings, but I hope the descriptions are clear enough?  I'll take a photo this weekend (I don't have a before piccie unfortunately)

In late June, cut all side shoots produced this year to leave just 4-5 leaves from the base

Hope this helps
mat

update - oh and I have kept the prunings (many!) to use as mice deterants... they are sooo sharp...

[Helenclare]

Many thanks for the advice matt, I will go and do that tomorrow as we are now half way through March. Hopefully they will respond and give me some lovely gooseberries later in the year.
Regards Helen ;D

[Rhys]

Give them a good prune to keep the centre clear for wind to blow the sawfly off and prune low lying branches as well.

Now is a good time to give them a good feed with bonfire ash or sulphate of potash, whichever you have.

[John_H]

I try to get mine to look roughly the same shape as giant wine glasses.

Remove all the low growing branches  to give you a foot or two of stem, this will help air circulate underneath, then pick 4 or 5 of the bigger branches which are spreading outwards and upwards from the centre. Trim these back by about a third, to a upwards pointing bud, if you trim them back to a downwards pointing bud then the tip of the branch may start to grow downwards next spring.


Cut everything  else on these bigger branches to about two inches in length.

Try and remove anything which is growing into the centre of the wine glass shape, because this will also reduce air circulation and get in the way when you are trying to pick the fruit off the main branches later in the year.

If you like the flavour of this years fruit, then in October you will also have plenty of new growth from which you can take cuttings to start off new plants.

[Helenclare]

Many thanks for all the very clear and sound advice..I will give it a go and hopefully the gooseberries will succeed and taste lovely.
Cheers Helen :)