Monster gooseberry Bush - help!

[posie]

Ok I have what looks like 5 or 6 gooseberry bushes on my plot.  Trouble is they're all thick with weeds and bindweed and haven't been touched for about 2 years, I'm trying to trim back all the grass surrounding them but I almost killed the strimmer when I got too close and I can't weed into them for the prickly bits.  What I want to know is.....if I cut them back hard (i.e. practically down to the ground) will I kill them?  I don't want to lose them but they are totally unmanageable at the moment.

Cheers, posie

[posie]

[Sparkly]

I had the same situation when I took on a plot in March this year. The advice I was given was to dig up the plant in the winter and leave the plant for a short while with the roots left exposed. Remove all the roots of the weeds from around the gooseberry roots. Then you can prune as normal removing any crossing branches. The idea is to get an wine-glass shape with enough space for air to circulate around the leaves of the plant. When I took the plot on this year I was too late to dig the plant up so I just pruned the bush and put as much weedsuppressant fabric around the base of the bush as I could. It has held off the major of the weeds but I will dig it up and remove the weed roots this winter. I personally would just ignore them in the short term. It depends how bad it is? you could try to cover some of the weeds up with plastic or weed matting?

[calendula]

gooseberries are pretty tough but there's no need to cut them right down to the ground, why not make a gentle start in pruning them, keeping them as 'open' as possible (this helps to keep mildew at bay) then take it from there

if you do decide to cut them back to the ground then take some cuttings as they strike really easily and if you lose any you will have back ups

[posie]

It depends how bad it is? you could try to cover some of the weeds up with plastic or weed matting?

They're bad!  ;D At the moment they're standing about 5ft tall and about 4ft wide! and so are the weeds, so can't even see to get into the base to put matting down.  Think will have to prune them quite hard but will try not to go too far down.  Doesn't help that plot is kind of in a bank in front of them, so may dig bank out and see what I can do from there.

Will take some cuttings though just in case Calendula.

Thanks

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'd leave them a couple of months till the growing season is over. Take cuttings in October, shove them in and leave them. Then after the leaves drop, dig them up as advised, remove all weed roots, prune back hard, and replant. If they're old bushes, you may find the new plants from cuttings thrive better.

[artichoke]

I had to dig up six fairly young gooseberry bushes in autumn for the same reason. I replanted them quickly and carefully in a new area, they grew and fruited the next year, then all six died. I have no idea why. I had already taken some cuttings, and they are thriving, so that must be the way to go, just in case. You do lose a couple of years cropping.

[allaboutliverpool]

Why not create standards?

Take a stout cane or stake and drive it in about 5cm fron the centre of the bush.

Start pruning away the growth on the lower parts until you can identify a branch that is growing upwards with new long growth at the end, it will obviously be growing sideways as it lengthens. Keep pruning until you have a rather irregular stalk about 3 feet long. Do not worry if it looks a little uneven.

Tie it at 10cm intervals to the cane with garden string and next year only keep the new branches at the top, if necessary replace the ties.

Gradually the trunk thickens and you will have a standard that is easy to weed around, easy to pick and will last for years, you can even grow salad crops around the base.

If you want fruit next year, just do it to a couple, and thin out the others, removing the branches that hang on the ground.