Common gooseberry (drooping gooseberry, European gooseberry)

Common gooseberry (drooping gooseberry, European gooseberry) (lat. Ríbes úva-críspa) - a species of plants in the family Gooseberries (Grossulariaceae) of the genus Currants (Ribes) subgenus Gooseberry (Grossulari). Native to North Africa and Western Europe. Occurs in Ukraine, the Caucasus, Transcaucasia, Central and Southern Europe, Central Asia, North America and Africa.

Common gooseberry – a small shrub (1–1.2 m in height). Bark peeling, dark gray or dark brown in color. Branches bear three-lobed or simple spines of leaf origin. Young shoots gray, cylindrical, covered with thin needle-like spines and small black dots. Buds brown with numerous reddish scales, fringed with white hairs at the margins. The root system is strong, penetrating deeply (up to 2 m) and slightly extending beyond the crown projection. It consists of several thick and a large number of thin roots.

Leaves round or ovate, petiolate, up to 6 cm long, dull green, pubescent, 3–5-lobed with a bluntly toothed margin.

Flowers greenish or reddish, bisexual, borne in leaf axils singly or in groups of 2–3. Blooms earlier than other berry plants, in early or mid-May for 10–18 days. Insects are necessary for pollination, as the pollen is sticky and not wind-dispersed. Readily visited by bees. Fruits develop 40–60 days after flowering.

Fruits – oval or nearly spherical berries, up to 12 mm long (there are cultivars with fruits 30–40 mm), coarsely bristly or glabrous, veins clearly visible, green, yellow or purple in color. Ripening occurs simultaneously, in June–August. Begins to fruit in the 2nd–3rd year after planting. The main crop is formed on 1-, 2- or 3-year-old wood.

Cultivars: more than 1,500 gooseberry cultivars are known, cultivated in countries with a temperate climate. The most popular: Grushenka, Kolobok, Malakhit, Russkiy Zheltyy, Angliyskiy Zheltyy, Belorusskiy Sakharniy, Belye Nochi, Berril, Vladil (Komandor), Kooperator, Lada, Lyubimets, Medovyy, Naryadny (Narodny), Nezhny, Pamyat Voluzneva, Rodnik, Uralskiy Rozovyy, Fantaziya.

Location: prefers sunny, open, well-ventilated sites protected from cold winds. Prefers fertile light loamy soil, dislikes acidic soils (pH not lower than 6.1–6.5). Moisture-loving, but does not tolerate waterlogging and shallow groundwater (not closer than 1.5 m to the soil surface).

Planting: planting is recommended in autumn (mid-September – early October). The seedling should have 3–5 lignified skeletal roots at least 10 cm long and well-developed fibrous roots. Two-year-old seedlings should have 2–3 shoots and be at least 30 cm long. Plant gooseberry in round holes 0.5 m deep and in diameter. The soil mixture consists of 2/3 of the total mass of the fertile (top) soil layer, to which add a bucket of manure or compost, 200–250 g of complete mineral fertilizer (or 150–200 g superphosphate), 40–60 g potassium sulfate (or 300 g wood ash), 50–60 g of lime. Fill half the hole with the resulting mixture. Pour the remaining 1/3 of fertile soil on top as a mound. After the mixture settles (after 1–2 weeks) proceed to planting. Place the seedling upright on the mound, spread the roots and backfill with the remaining soil (the root collar should be buried 4–6 cm). Firm the soil around the bush, water along the furrows (0.5 bucket per bush) and mulch with humus. After planting, prune the shoots, leaving 5–7 cm above the ground to improve branching. Planting scheme 2.5×1.5 m.

Diseases and pests: Diseases – European powdery mildew, Sphaerotheca (American powdery mildew), anthracnose, white spot, cup rust, mosaic, gray rot, columnar rust, dieback of shoots and branches. Pests – pale-legged and yellow sawflies, leafroller moths, shoot aphid, geometer moth (inchworm), spider mite, clearwing moth, gall midge.

Care: requires moderate watering, especially during berry growth and ripening. A pre-winter water-charging irrigation is necessary. Prefers potassium fertilizers. From the 3rd year after planting it is recommended to apply annually in autumn organic fertilizers (0.5 bucket of compost or humus), 40 g superphosphate, 0.5 cup wood ash per 1 sq. m. Nitrogen fertilizers should be applied annually (80 g ammonium nitrate per bush). Liquid feeding with organic fertilizers is also effective in early spring, after flowering and during fruit set. Requires loosening of the soil under the bushes. Pruning is carried out in early spring before bud break or in autumn (October). 5–6-year-old branches with weak growth (less than 15 cm) are cut out entirely or pruned back to a strong lateral branch. On fruiting bushes it is recommended to prune drooping branches.

Propagation: propagated vegetatively: by cuttings, layering and division of the bush. Seed propagation is used in breeding new cultivars. Cuttings of lignified shoots should be prepared in early spring before the onset of vegetation. Cuttings should be up to 20 cm long with 5 buds. Soak them in water for a day. Plant cuttings at an angle, at a distance of 5–7 cm within the row and 10 cm between rows in sand, to a depth of up to 25 cm. Leave 1 upper bud above the surface. During the spring–summer period cuttings should be watered and fertilized (40 g ammonium nitrate, 20 g potassium salt, 30 g superphosphate per 10 l of water). The following spring the cuttings can be planted in a permanent place. For propagation by layering, in March before bud break choose 5–6 one-year basal shoots (zero order) located along the row on both sides of the bush. On both sides of the bush along the row make furrows 15–20 cm deep. Lay the shoots in these furrows with the tips shortened by 3–4 cm, which are not brought to the surface. Secure the layers with wooden pegs at the base of the bush and at the tips. The first earthing up with soil is done only after bud sprouting and the formation of young shoots up to 5 cm long. After the layers grow to 10–15 cm in length, hill the shoots up to the tip, which is recommended to be done with wet soil after rain.

Propagation by division of the bush is carried out in October–November after leaf fall or in March before bud break. When digging up bushes, divide the rootstock into parts; younger shoots with a good root system are used as planting material.

Usage: the fruits are consumed fresh, used for canning, making jams, wine, kissels and marmalade. A good nectar source for bees.