Gooseberry, care after harvest: how to feed
It is not difficult to grow a gooseberry bush, but to obtain a stable harvest, you need to follow the rules of agricultural technology. During the growing season, and especially during fruiting, berry bushes actively absorb nutrients from the soil. To get delicious berries next season, you need to know the needs of gooseberries.
The need for care after harvesting gooseberries
The second name for gooseberries is “northern grapes”. The berry contains fiber necessary for intestinal function, it is rich in vitamin C. Gooseberries are tasty fresh, have a high gelling ability, they are used to make confit and jelly.
Knowing how to feed gooseberries after harvesting is the key to abundant fruiting
Having begun to bear fruit at the age of five, an adult plant can produce 10-15 kg of berries from an adult bush. It is important to know how to feed gooseberries after harvesting; cultivated plants, not receiving care, cease to bear fruit and die from damage by diseases and pests.
Post-harvest care includes several must-do steps that will help your plant survive the winter. After picking the berries, take one day for the gooseberries. The list of mandatory but simple agricultural techniques includes:
- Inspection will allow you to see the diseased and damaged parts of the plant.
- Pruning. Use a sharp pruning shears to remove broken, weak and thickening branches.
- Loosening the row spacings will provide air access to the roots.
Weed removal should be done throughout the season, including after harvest
- Top dressing after fruiting consists in the introduction of potash and phosphorus fertilizers. Double superphosphate and potassium sulfate are good, see the dosage on their packaging. You can mulch the bushes with rotted manure, but fresh manure and nitrogen fertilizers cannot be used in the fall. Nitrogen will cause the growth of shoots, which will die in winter, without having time to woody.
- Watering should be carried out along the perimeter of the crown, especially if the summer was dry.
- Treatment and prevention. If an inspection reveals infection with fungal diseases or pests, spray the plants with fungicides and insecticides, which are sold in abundance in specialized stores. If you did not find obvious signs of the disease, do not be too lazy to carry out preventive treatment. The dosage of each drug is indicated on its label.
The listed activities will not take much time. Next summer, the berry will give a high yield, and caring for the gooseberry will be included in the list of mandatory autumn work.