Author Topic: Gooseberry expertise needed!! (Read 3116 times)

landimad · « **on:** June 28, 2009, 11:01:58 »

To all you gooseberry growers out there, I need help with a plant that is by far the best to eat.
I had one called Uva Crispa which kicked its legs in the air and turned into a dead stick in the mud.
I now have been given another one and do not wish for the same to happen again.
This variety is Captivator. A thornless variety which if can be grown will be a good one for the family to enjoy.
What I need to ask is the growing conditions, soil type, location, after care, well pretty much everything there needs to know about getting the best from this plant.
I get frustrated at not being able to grow the plants that I regard as good for all.

My soil is heavy clay and has had council compost added to it to open it up.
My aspect is SSE facing, and bordered by large nay very large trees.

Where do I plant it and how do I care for it please? ??? ??? ???

Tee Gee · « **Reply #1 on:** June 28, 2009, 17:56:06 »

This link will answer most of your questions!

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Gooseberry/Gooseberry.htm

landimad · « **Reply #2 on:** June 28, 2009, 23:54:06 »

Good link but I need to know what to do with the plant from the pot to the ground.
What it is that is I should be concerned with as the last plant did not do anything but go brown and die :'( :'( :'(

manicscousers · « **Reply #3 on:** June 29, 2009, 08:39:48 »

we just dug a hole, added well rotted manure and planted it, the one in the back garden is doing really well so they must like sun, it also gets leaves falling on it in autumn so I guess it likes leaf mould :)

Tee Gee · « **Reply #4 on:** June 29, 2009, 15:42:35 »

Quote

I need to know what to do with the plant from the pot to the ground

Nothing could be simpler!

You have what is basically a 'containerised plant' meaning you can plant it at any time whereas the planting instructions in the link I gave you was for 'bare rooted plant' which are best planted out in the autum or spring.

So prepare your ground as advised remove the plant from the pot and plant it out now if you like.

The only thing I would add to this if the plant is a bit 'pot bound' tease the encircled roots out a bit prior to planting ( similar to spreading out a bare rooted plant) Just be careful you don't break too many roots!

Best of luck!

Mr Smith · « **Reply #5 on:** June 29, 2009, 15:50:25 »

I moved a gooseberry bush this weekend from home down to the lotty and planted it in my under construction fruit cage, dug a hole larger than the roots watered the hole place in and around some organic material and it seems to be enjoying its new residence when I gave it a good watering today, :)

landimad · « **Reply #6 on:** June 29, 2009, 21:48:23 »

I will try my hardest to use the advise given. But if you know me and gooseberries they dont last to long in the ground. I have added organic matter and let it rot down before adding any plants. But what annoys the hell out of me is the fact that the leaves die off before the plant has chance to establish.
Where am I going wrong?

dtw · « **Reply #7 on:** June 29, 2009, 22:17:01 »

Did you soak the roots for 24hrs before planting, I vaguely remember that from the packets I have bought in the past.

landimad · « **Reply #8 on:** June 29, 2009, 22:43:31 »

They all got a good soaking before planting as do all my plants.
The clay in the ground would not help matters and thats why I add perlite to the soil as well as manure and compost to give me plants the best possible start.
I just cant seem to grow this wonderful fruit of which the pies and crumbles are the best.

landimad · « **Reply #9 on:** August 21, 2009, 19:15:42 »

Well,
looks as if I can not grow this fruit. I have tried all that can be done and still the plants have given up on me.
Perhaps I gave to much TLC and not enough neglect. All the signs were right but no show.
Leaves curled up and withered, Both plants are now sticks in the plant kingdom.

I shall have to buy the fruit and foget to try and grow these. :( :( :(

Buster54 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 21, 2009, 22:32:09 »

I am not an expert but if I was not having any luck in the clay soil I would try digging a 3ft square by 18in deep hole(dumping the clay soil) then fill it with ordinary topsoil and plant the gooseberry then if it established mulched with compost and manure later

saddad · « **Reply #11 on:** August 22, 2009, 10:19:20 »

Have you tried bare rooted plants Landimad? I know it sounds daft but pot grown often never get out of their "hole" and thus dry out easily but being dormant when you plant them they have lower water demands and grow roots out before there is too much demand for water from the new growth... :-\

landimad · « **Reply #12 on:** August 23, 2009, 23:36:08 »

I will try when they come out in the garden centre.
But what I shall look for is a thornless variety.

grannyjanny · « **Reply #13 on:** August 24, 2009, 07:04:23 »

Sorry to hijack your thread Landi but when is the best time to move a gooseberry & also to take cuttings. We were given some fruit a few weeks ago & when I asked for a cutting he said we can have it. Someone else wants some cuttings from it. It's a beautiful red one that was a cutting from someone on our site who is a champion grower.

tim_n · « **Reply #14 on:** August 24, 2009, 08:49:38 »

Quote from: landimad on August 21, 2009, 19:15:42

Well,
looks as if I can not grow this fruit. I have tried all that can be done and still the plants have given up on me.
Perhaps I gave to much TLC and not enough neglect. All the signs were right but no show.
Leaves curled up and withered, Both plants are now sticks in the plant kingdom.

I shall have to buy the fruit and foget to try and grow these. :( :( :(

If the leaves suddenly disappear it may be gooseberry sawfly. I bought four gooseberries this year just gone and had one from a previous year. None have done very well and came down one day and it looked like a plague of locusts had struck just my gooseberries - all leaves had gone! They've slowly recovered, but I didn't get any sort of crop.

Drainage may be your main issue. Give it a d**n good dig down - I dug around two/three feet of clay down and dug in a layer of very strawy manure and soil improver, then just a layer of manure and broken down clay, followed by chicken manure and clay and then finally the top soil was sprinkled with blood fish n' bone. Soil is now very rich and the roots of the plant have gone down quite deep - I just leave them to it.

landimad · « **Reply #15 on:** August 24, 2009, 22:05:38 »

tim_n,

After looking at the plant closely, I have found some little green caterpillars. Are these the dreaded saw fly?

hippydave · « **Reply #16 on:** August 24, 2009, 22:16:26 »

if they have wee black flecks on them and black head they may well be sawfly they may have three generations a year, with the larvae active in May to June, July and August to September. pick them off sharpish as they can strip a plant in under a day ( i know ive seen it happen). i just squish them with my fingers i dont like to spray with chemicals.

hippydave · « **Reply #17 on:** August 24, 2009, 22:18:57 »

look here to see if they look like this

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/gooseberrylarva.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/goosesawfly.htm&usg=__d4NbEEwL8fhdjj0hM4AtZ3FTPjc=&h=277&w=360&sz=18&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=M2aBuUb9vPtJ2M:&tbnh=93&tbnw=121&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgooseberry%2Bsawfly%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1

landimad · « **Reply #18 on:** August 24, 2009, 22:24:40 »

Yep,
Thems the blighters, I think they will be through the fence in no time. But the defences are up and the Akak guns are poised ready to turn them back.

tim_n · « **Reply #19 on:** August 25, 2009, 07:54:39 »

glad to help - I never got round to picking them off and they destroyed all my gooseberries and redcurrants.

News:

Author Topic: Gooseberry expertise needed!! (Read 3116 times)