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Gooseberry English yellow is an unpretentious variety that can adapt to almost any climatic conditions. If you learn how to properly cultivate this crop, you can get abundant harvests of sweet berries. On the territory of Our Country, this variety can be grown in the south and in the central regions.
Description of the gooseberry variety English yellow
This is a slightly sprawling shrub with erect shoots no more than 1,5 m high. They are covered with dark gray bark, which turns brown in plants older than 2 years. Shoots are thin, rarely covered with soft, long, single spikes.
The leaves are medium in size up to 3 cm long and wide, dark, green, wrinkled, leathery at the end of summer acquire a dark purple hue.
The English yellow gooseberry blooms in late May with small, narrow flowers up to 1 cm in length. Their color is yellowish white.
The variety of yellow English gooseberry does not need additional pollinators, it is self-fertile. The shattering of the culture is low, fully ripe berries will remain hanging on the shoots until harvest.
The English gooseberry grows well and bears fruit in the southern and central regions, in the northern and eastern regions – it needs shelter for the winter, bears fruit poorly.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
The variety is winter-hardy, not afraid of frost, in regions with cold, long, little snowy winters it needs shelter. It tolerates snowy winters with frosts down to -20 ᵒС. The culture does not need frequent watering, it tolerates drought well, more often it suffers from an excess of moisture.
fruiting, productivity
Bright yellow berries, covered with soft fluff, weigh at least 4 g, sometimes they can reach 7 g. At full maturity, they acquire a rich amber color with a glossy sheen.
Final ripening occurs in mid-July. The peel of the fruit is not hard, it covers the yellow juicy and sweet flesh of the English gooseberry. The aroma of fruits is weak, but they have a good dessert taste.
The yield of the variety is high, stable. The berries ripen uniformly and evenly, harvesting takes place in 2 runs. Every year, farmers, subject to the rules of agricultural technology, collect up to 1 bucket of ripe berries from one English gooseberry bush.
The keeping quality of yellow gooseberries is high, they can be easily transported, they retain their presentation for a long time on the way. The fruits are not subject to baking in the sun, they retain a sweet and sour taste, being under direct sunlight for a long time.
Gooseberries English yellow is used to make an amber dessert wine. Also, the fruits of yellow gooseberries are consumed fresh, as they have a pleasant taste.
Advantages and disadvantages
Of the negative qualities of the English variety, its weak resistance to the sphere library and cracking of the skin of berries with a prolonged excess of moisture are distinguished.
Grade Advantages:
- stable, high yield;
- pleasant dessert taste;
- long keeping quality;
- presentable presentation;
- the ability of fruits to maintain integrity during transportation;
- resistance to most garden diseases;
- compact dimensions of the bush.
The advantages of the yellow English gooseberry, judging by the description of the variety, are much greater than the disadvantages, thanks to which it has long become a favorite culture of amateur gardeners.
Features of reproduction
There are several ways to propagate yellow English gooseberries: cuttings, layering, dividing the bush.
Horizontal layers propagate a gooseberry bush older than 3 years. More than 5 young seedlings can be obtained from one mother plant. They will not lose the varietal qualities of the mother plant.
Cuttings are also effective in propagating yellow English gooseberries. To obtain productive layering, mature shoots covered with woody bark are cut off. Then they are divided into several parts and germinated. With this method of reproduction, you can get an unlimited number of young seedlings.
You can divide the bush in autumn or early spring into 2-3 parts. Separated plants are rooted, their survival rate is quite high.
Each of these methods is effective, allows you to save the varietal characteristics of the mother plant.
Planting and care
Gooseberries of the English yellow variety are planted in the spring (at the end of March), as soon as the snow melts. You can root seedlings and at the end of September until the first frost.
Loose fertile soil (chernozem) is chosen for planting, and loamy soil is also suitable. The culture does not tolerate acidic soils (the acidity level must be neutral). This variety cannot be planted in soil where groundwater lies close to the surface. For planting choose open areas, well lit by the sun, while there should be no drafts.
A month before planting the English gooseberry, the soil is dug up with rotted manure and wood ash. Immediately before rooting, 1 tbsp. l. superphosphate mixed with soddy soil.
Seedlings older than 2 years are suitable for planting. They must have at least 2 strong, woody shoots covered with bark. It should be smooth and solid, there should be no cracks or damage. The rhizome should be well branched, the processes are strong, thick, yellow.
Landing algorithm:
- Dig a planting hole measuring 50×50 cm.
- A third of the hole is filled with earth mixed with 1 tbsp. l. complex mineral fertilizer, form a small hill from it.
- A seedling is installed in the center of the resulting hill, the roots are straightened, they should lie freely on a hill.
- The root neck is left flush with the soil or 1 cm above it, it should not be deepened.
- The rhizome is covered with loose soil, rammed it.
- The plant is watered abundantly.
- Having moistened the soil, it is mulched, and the shoots are cut off at the level of 6 buds from the base of the bush.
A week later, the shrub is again plentifully watered, and the soil is mulched with sawdust or wood chips.
Growing rules
English yellow gooseberries need autumn or spring pruning. In autumn, the procedure is carried out after the leaves fall, in the spring – before the buds swell.
The plant of the first year of life is cut by a third. Leave shoots above 4 or 5 buds. The basal processes are removed, leaving a couple of the strongest. Similarly, the plant is pruned up to 7 years. Then a rejuvenating pruning of the shrub should be carried out: completely remove all old, woody shoots. New branches are cut off by a third, leaving the process no higher than the 5th kidney.
For a plant younger than 3 years old, 2 buckets of water are enough, for older shrubs, 3-4 buckets of water are taken.
Yellow English gooseberries are watered 3 times a year:
- at the end of May or at the beginning of June;
- in the middle of July;
- at the end of September (there should still be no frosts).
This gooseberry variety does not need more frequent watering.
Young plants up to 3 years do not feed. More adult gooseberries are fertilized 3 times a year.
In April, until the buds have blossomed, ammonium nitrate is introduced into the soil around the base of the gooseberry.
As soon as the English yellow gooseberry blooms, it is watered with a solution of superphosphate.
After the leaves fall, at least 4 kg of rotted manure is applied under each bush. The soil is carefully dug up with it.
In order for the gooseberry to receive as much sunlight as possible, its shoots are tied to a trellis in the form of a fan. For this, the branches of the shrub are shortened to 60 cm and tied in a circle to a support.
So that rodents cannot damage the gooseberry bushes of the English yellow variety, the trunk circle is carefully dug up, and the weeds are removed. This will destroy pest burrows. In late autumn, a shrub of this variety is covered with spruce branches. They will protect the gooseberries from rodents.
For the winter, gooseberry shoots of the English yellow variety are tied with twine in one bundle and bent to the ground. Spruce branches or boards are laid on top, setting them up with a hut. Any covering material is thrown over such a frame, and it is fixed.
Pests and diseases
Gooseberry variety English yellow can suffer from aphids, spider mites, moths. For prevention, shrubs are treated with Karbofos in early spring. In autumn, fallen leaves and dead parts of the plant are destroyed. In summer, insecticide treatment can be repeated.
This variety is resistant to diseases, but may suffer from a sphere library (powdery mildew). To prevent the disease, gooseberries in March or April, until the buds have blossomed, are treated with a solution of Nitrafen. After pruning, the shoots of the shrub are treated with Bordeaux mixture (1%), after each watering, the soil is dug up, weeds and fallen leaves are removed in the fall.
Conclusion
Gooseberry English yellow is an unpretentious fruit and berry crop, which is characterized by high yields. The fruits of the variety are distinguished by good taste and the ability to long-term storage. Subject to all the rules for growing this crop, in the middle of summer you can get up to 15 kg of sweet, amber berries from one bush.
Reviews of the gooseberry variety English yellow
