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Gooseberry Serenade enjoys well-deserved popularity among amateur gardeners. The absence of thorns on the shoots makes the care of the bush simple and convenient. The variety has many supporters, but there are also opponents of growing a thornless bush. A detailed acquaintance with the Serenade gooseberry will help you make the right choice.
Description of gooseberry Serenade
Gooseberry Serenade was created by crossing Besshipny and Captivator varieties at the All- Research Institute of Horticulture. I. V. Michurina. Forms a vigorous, slightly sprawling bush, crown of medium density. Shoots are strong, curved, thorniness is weakly expressed. Single thorns are mainly concentrated in the lower part of the bush. The leaves are light, convex, dense. The leaf surface is smooth, without coarse veins. The berries are medium, pear-shaped, plum-colored, hairless, with a small number of seeds. The recommended growing region is the Central Black Earth Region.
Drought resistance, frost resistance
Serenade gooseberries are classified as drought-resistant. Lignified shoots calmly tolerate frosts down to -40 ° C. There is a high resistance to frost up to -30 ° C of fruit buds.
fruiting, productivity
The berries on the shrub are medium and large, with a smooth surface and a slight wax coating. There are few seeds in the berries. The skin is dense, plum-colored with pink streaks. The taste is sweet and sour, dessert. The ripening period is extended, ripe berries are intensely colored. Ripen in late July or early August. The average yield per bush is 3-5 kg. Fruits well without pollinating companions.
Bushes are suitable for industrial cultivation. Berries of universal purpose, normally tolerate transportation.
The variety is not prone to shedding. In excessively dry and hot years, bushes require shading to avoid roasting wine-colored berries.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Serenade gooseberry variety is valued by farmers for a number of reasons:
- high winter hardiness and drought resistance;
- weak thorniness of shoots;
- good fruit transportability;
- powdery mildew resistance.
Like any other type of gooseberry, it does not tolerate sudden changes in temperature during the flowering period.
Features of reproduction
Reproduction of gooseberries by seeds is not the preferred method, due to the high labor intensity. Such bushes begin to bear fruit at 4-5 years of planting.
Weakly thorned gooseberries reproduce best:
- dividing the mother bush in half;
- horizontal layers from 3-4-year-old bushes;
- vertical layering through intensive rejuvenation;
- cuttings with half-lignified cuttings.
To obtain a plant with a high degree of varietal purity, it is recommended to buy the first seedling in a specialized nursery.
Planting and care
Gooseberry seedlings successfully take root only after transplantation during the period of cooling and leaf fall. It is recommended to plant a stalk in a new place after the leaves have completely fallen off the bush, at an air temperature of + 8-10 ° C. For planting, strong 1-2-year-old seedlings with a developed root system and shoots in the wooding stage are chosen.
Gooseberries are demanding on sunlight. In areas with intense darkening, the yield of the bush decreases, the berries become smaller, and the variety degenerates. Gooseberries do not tolerate waterlogging at all. With a high occurrence of groundwater, the root system begins to rot, the shoots dry out quickly. For the same reason, gooseberries do not like heavy clay soils.
A pit for planting gooseberries is prepared in advance, 5-7 days in advance, so that the earth has time to settle. The dimensions of the pit are 50x50x50 cm. The upper fertile layer is removed and enriched with a nutrient composition. The mixture includes:
- 1 bucket of compost;
- 50 g of potassium sulfate;
- 50 g superphosphate.
If the soil in the area is clayey, add 5 kg of sand.
The landing algorithm is simple:
- The fertile layer is laid on the bottom of the planting pit, half is left for compaction.
- The seedling is placed in a hole, the root system is straightened.
- A young bush is sprinkled, the root neck is buried below the ground level by 4-5 cm.
- The earth is compacted and watered abundantly with water, mulched with straw, with a layer of 3-5 cm.
- The shoots are pruned, leaving a segment 50-60 cm long with 5-7 buds.
Bushes are planted at a distance of 0,5 m from each other.
Growing rules
The rules of gooseberry farming are simple and will not cause difficulties for beginner gardeners.
The root system of the gooseberry is located close to the soil surface, at a depth of no more than 7 cm, and is in dire need of oxygen. Every spring, the soil is loosened and fertilized with potassium-nitrogen fertilizers or manure infusion in the proportion of 1 part of fresh manure to 8 parts of water. After fluffing, the soil around the bush is mulched with new straw.
Gooseberry is a drought-resistant plant, but needs additional watering during flowering and fruit ripening. The organization of drip irrigation is considered preferable. If this is not possible, 20-25 liters of warm water are poured under one bush twice a season. Gooseberries do not tolerate sprinkling and direct flooding of the root collar.
The first pruning of gooseberries is aimed at shaping the shape of a bush and laying fruitful branches. To do this, leave 4-6 of the strongest shoots coming from the root, the rest are removed. From 3-4 years old, the main purpose of pruning is sanitary thinning of the bush. Formation is carried out in early spring or late autumn during dormant periods. At the age of 9-10 years, intensive anti-aging pruning is carried out. In late autumn, without exception, all old lignified shoots are removed. Leave new vegetative buds at the root.
For the winter, gooseberries are recommended to be covered to protect against rodents (hares, mice) and prevent freezing. They do it like this:
- 2-3 days before shelter, abundant charging watering is carried out.
- The branches are tied with twine and pulled together into one bundle.
- The bush is pressed a little to the ground with both hands.
- The branches are covered with burlap and covered with earth, with a layer of 7-10 cm.
- They cover with spruce branches, in snowfalls they rake up snow.
In mid-April or early May, the bushes open and carry out abundant watering, loosen, fertilize, and mulch.
Pests and diseases
Gooseberry Serenade is not affected by powdery mildew. Sometimes the variety is affected by other fungal diseases: anthracnose, goblet rust and mosaic. At the first sign, diseased branches are removed from the bushes and burned. The plant is treated with nitrofen, copper sulfate, Bordeaux mixture. Spraying is carried out twice, with an interval of 10 days.
The reason for the appearance of fungal diseases in the berries is the excessive thickening of the crown and a large number of weeds. During humid, hot periods in such an environment, fungal spores multiply intensively and quickly destroy perennial plantings. Constantly getting rid of weeds will be a good preventive measure for disease control.
The biggest problems for gooseberries are:
- fire moth – with the beginning of flowering lays eggs on the leaves, then the caterpillars eat the berries.
- shoot aphid – in the process of life, it twists the leaves of the gooseberry, thins the shoots, causes the green berries to fall off.
Insects are destroyed with insecticides Actellik and Fufanon. As a preventive measure, at the end of flowering, the bushes are sprayed with Bicol.
Conclusion
A detailed description of Serenade gooseberry with a photo and care instructions shows all the advantages of the variety. Gooseberry Serenade is undemanding to care, has strong immunity to powdery mildew and gives a good harvest of delicious berries. It is recommended to choose gooseberry variety Serenade for those who plant berry bushes in large quantities for their own consumption and sale.
