Allotments 4 All

I am growing  mine as Cordons and think that I am Pruning them too hard.I have read all the Books about trimming the Leaders and Laterals but still think that I am cutting them back too severely thereby reducing the amount of Fruit prodjuced.

Is there anyone out there who can advise from experience as to what length the Laterals should be left at.

My guess would be to to cut them so that the laterals fill the space beween plants. If plants were a foot apart that would mean laterals would be between 4-8 inches long. Bear in mind that fewer fruit should equal bigger fruit. Do you want lots of small berries for a pie or a few big berries for show or to eat raw?

Good advice there Eristic... welcome to A4A BAC42

Hi, I too am growing gooseberries as cordons and they are now around 5ft tall. I prune them very hard so that there are no side shoots, just a single stem. This last two years I have averaged around 5 pounds from each stem. I have one plant which is a U cordon (2 leaders) and still got around 5 pounds of each leader. The berries just hang from the central stem all along its length.

The first 2 years were not so productive but I am not sure if this was timid pruning or the plants establishing themselves.
By harvest time there are lots of side shoots from the current years growth but I take them out after I have harvested.

Gathering this fruit is much easier that gathering the ones still on traditional bushes.

Quote from: sheilan on July 28, 2009, 01:24:49
Hi, I too am growing gooseberries as cordons and they are now around 5ft tall. I prune them very hard so that there are no side shoots, just a single stem. This last two years I have averaged around 5 pounds from each stem. I have one plant which is a U cordon (2 leaders) and still got around 5 pounds of each leader. The berries just hang from the central stem all along its length.

The first 2 years were not so productive but I am not sure if this was timid pruning or the plants establishing themselves.
By harvest time there are lots of side shoots from the current years growth but I take them out after I have harvested.

Gathering this fruit is much easier that gathering the ones still on traditional bushes.

That is impressive.  My gooseberries produce a lot lot less although they are 2 years old max.  Does pruning hard improve productivity?

I really love my gooseberries 10x nicer than from waitroses.

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That is impressive.  My gooseberries produce a lot lot less although they are 2 years old max.  Does pruning hard improve productivity?

I really love my gooseberries 10x nicer than from waitroses.
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I have had my gooseberries now for 3 years, I don't know if it is the hard pruning or the air circulation that benefits them, but they are much healthier that when I grew them as a bush with no mildew at all. Also the berries see much larger so I am guessing that my plants are very happy growing this way.
The only berries that suffer rain splash are those right at the bottom of the stem, but I never get fruit lying on the floor because the branches are bowed down with the weight of the fruit.