Gooseberry Honey

The article presents the Honey gooseberry: description of the variety, rules for growing, planting, care, protection.

Honey gooseberry: variety description and characteristics

Honey gooseberry: photo of the variety

Gooseberry is considered a fairly unpretentious crop to care for, it has a high yield, as well as many useful substances in its chemical composition. There are varieties of gooseberries in different colors. There are not so many varieties with a yellow color, one of these is the yellow Honey gooseberry.

The honey gooseberry variety was obtained thanks to breeders from the city of Michurinsk. This institute of science is developing new varieties of various crops, in particular fruit and berry crops. This variety got its name from its amazing sweet taste, as well as the yellow color of the fruit.

Shrub of yellow gooseberry Honey is quite sprawling, as for growth, it reaches medium size. Shoots have a fairly large number of thorns, which makes harvesting quite difficult. The fruits of honey gooseberries are yellowish in color and are of medium size. The berries are usually round or pear-shaped in shape. The berries have a thin translucent skin, inside the fruit is quite tender and soft.

While the gardener chooses this or that variety, he must pay attention to the properties of the gooseberry. The selected variety must have a sufficiently high yield, must also be resistant to low temperatures, dry weather, and also have strong immunity against diseases and harmful insects. If you choose a variety for commercialization, then you need to take into account the ability of the fruit to be stored for a long time. This gooseberry variety has a high yield, as a rule, from one plant you can get from 4 to 6 kg of berries. If you follow the rules of care and planting, then a good result will not be long in coming.

As for resistance to low temperatures, the honey variety has an average level. In winter, shrubs can tolerate temperatures up to minus 22 degrees. The dry weather tolerance of this gooseberry is also average. If moisture does not flow to the plants for a long time, then the shrub begins to shed the ovaries, the berries, in turn, cease to be sweet. If the air humidity is too high, then there is a risk that the Honey Gooseberry will be attacked by fungal diseases. As a rule, under these conditions, gooseberries begin to suffer from powdery mildew. For this reason, experienced gardeners recommend spraying periodically for prophylaxis. If you do not follow the rules for care, and also a high level of air humidity prevails, then harmful insects can harm your plantings. In the event of such a problem, it is imperative to process your shrubs.

As for the harvest, this period usually falls on the end of July. Ripe berries have a very beautiful bright yellowish color. In their use, the fruits are quite versatile, they are suitable for freezing. Honey gooseberries are often used to make jams and jams, compote and other twists.

Thornless gooseberry Honey has a rather soft thin skin, because of this, the honey variety cannot be stored for a long time. As a rule, such gooseberries can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 4-5 days.

Honey gooseberry: cultivation of a variety

Bearless gooseberry Honey: photo of the variety

In order for the honeydewless gooseberry variety Honey to consistently please with a bountiful harvest, certain growing conditions must be observed. First, there must be a lot of light in the area where your gooseberry will grow. Secondly, there should be no strong winds and drafts in this area. Thirdly, a flat area or a small hill is best suited. Fourthly, you need to take the composition of the soil seriously enough. It should be fertile enough, with a neutral or weak PH reaction.

From what kind of illumination will prevail on the site, the taste and weight of the future fruits of the Honey Gooseberry will strongly depend. In a shaded area, the plant will develop rather slowly, which will undoubtedly have a negative impact on the yield level.
Do not plant gooseberry bushes in low-lying areas or areas that are too humid. If the groundwater is too close to the surface, then there is a risk that the gooseberry root system will begin to rot. This will lead to the fact that the shrub will stop developing and subsequently die. A Yellow Honey Gooseberry in the middle of a not too steep slope will do well. Soil with a high clay content is not very good for planting gooseberries. The fact is that in too heavy soil, water begins to stagnate, and nutrients enter the root system too slowly. You can change the structure of the soil with sand or humus.

Honey gooseberry variety: how to plant correctly

Thornless honey gooseberries are planted, as a rule, in autumn, after the leaves on other crops have fallen off. Usually this time falls on the end of September. Before the onset of frost, the shrub can take root in a new place.

If, for some reason, you decide to plant gooseberries in the spring, then you must definitely do this before the buds begin to bloom. In this case, the soil and air must be sufficiently warm.

As a rule, healthy-looking seedlings are selected for planting, they should be one-year or two-year. A young plant should have a fairly strong root system about 30 cm long. Also, the seedling should have about 5 stems. The seedlings should not show any traces of mechanical damage or signs of disease.

There is a specific planting algorithm for yellow honey gooseberries:

• First you need to dig a planting hole, it should be about 50 cm in diameter. How deep it will be depends greatly on the size of the root system of the seedling.
• In order for the soil in the planting pit to settle, you need to wait 2-3 weeks.
• The soil should be fertile enough, but additional fertilization is still required. It is necessary to add about 10 kg of compost, potassium salt 50 g and superphosphate 50 g.
• Sand should be laid at the bottom of the planting hole. This must be done if the soil contains too much clay. After that, lay the soil mixture that was prepared in advance.
• Place a young plant in the hole, and cover the root system with soil.
• The final touch is abundant watering of the plants.

In order for the honey gooseberry variety to grow and develop well, it is necessary to follow a certain planting scheme. There should be 1 - 1.5 m between the bushes.If you are planting this variety in rows, then the row spacing should be about 3 m.

Gooseberry Honey: the secrets of caring for the variety

If you follow the basic rules for caring for a yellow gooseberry variety Honey, then you will have healthy plants on the site, as well as a bountiful harvest. If you grow these gooseberries in a region with a rather cool climate, then pay attention to the wintering of plants.

Under the weight of the fruits, the branches can bend to the ground so that the berries do not touch the ground, it is necessary to install a support around the bush.For these purposes, as a rule, sticks made of wood or iron poles with stretched wire are used. In height, as a rule, the support reaches 30 cm above the soil.

When flowers and ovaries form on the shrubs, the plant needs to be well watered. Make sure that the soil is moist at a depth of 40 cm. To avoid watering too often, you can lay a mulch layer in the near-stem circle of the plant. For this purpose, straw or humus is usually used.

During 1 season, such gooseberries must be fed repeatedly. The first feeding is done in the spring, after the snow has completely melted. For this, the following mixture is used: compost (half a bucket) + superphosphate (fifty grams) + potassium sulfate (thirty grams). The next top dressing is applied after the shrubs have faded; for this, experienced gardeners use a mullein-based solution. Once again, fertilizer is applied at the very beginning of the fruiting period of shrubs, for this you can use wood ash. If you use dry fertilizer, then you need to apply them to the plant's near-stem circle. Liquid fertilizers, in turn, are applied under the gooseberry root system.

At the beginning of spring, dried, dead, weakened branches should be removed from the Honey gooseberry variety. Shrubs need to be processed before sap flow begins. If there is a need for this, then the shrub can be cut at the end of autumn, in case of broken shoots.
It is imperative to remove branches that are more than 8 years old, since they do not bear fruit well. They can be easily distinguished from young by their dark brown color.

As for the reproduction of the honey-free gooseberry variety, there are several ways how this can be done.

• Cuttings. To do this, in the autumn, it is necessary to cut several branches, their length should be about 20 cm. Until February, they must be kept in a cool place, for this a cellar or basement is a good fit. After that, it is necessary to carry out rooting in a greenhouse or at home. In spring, the cuttings develop a rhizome, after which they are ready for planting in a permanent place.
• Division of the bush. When you transplant the Honey Gooseberry, the rhizomes are divided into several parts. Each part must have more than one strong root.
• With the help of layering. In springtime, you need to select young stems and lower them to the soil, then sprinkle with earth. After the cuttings take root, they are separated from the main shrub and planted in their permanent habitat.

In order for the honey gooseberry bush to feel comfortable in winter, you need to prepare it for this in the fall. In October, the shrubs need to be watered well, this measure will increase its ability to winter.
The soil near the bushes must be mulched with a 10 cm layer of humus. After the snow falls, a large amount of it needs to be laid on the shrub, this will give additional warmth.

About pests and diseases of the Honey gooseberry

Often, gardeners complain that the studless honey gooseberry is affected by certain diseases or pests. Let's list the main ones:

• Powdery mildew. You can determine this ailment by the presence of a gray tinge. It usually occurs on the stems, foliage and fruits of gooseberries. After some time, the plaque becomes darker in color. In the future, the bush dies. In order to protect your planting from powdery mildew, you need to periodically spray the plants with special preparations.
• Anthracnose and spotting. These diseases are spread by harmful fungi. This problem can be identified by gray spots, which have a brown border. To overcome this problem, you need to use products that contain large amounts of copper.
• Mosaic. This disease occurs due to viruses and, unfortunately, cannot be cured. When the first signs of mosaics appear on your plants, the shrub must be dug up and destroyed as soon as possible. The mosaic appears as a yellowish pattern on the gooseberry foliage. To avoid such a problem on your site, it is imperative to carry out preventive work. The garden tools you use must be decontaminated. Be careful with the choice of planting material, the plants must have a healthy appearance.

Let's list the main pests of the honey yellow gooseberry variety:

• Aphid. This is a small insect that sucks up plant sap from various crops. Lives, as a rule, in the form of colonies. Due to the invasion of aphids, the stems of the plant are deformed, and the leaves take on a twisted shape.
• Caterpillar. These harmful insects attack the foliage of plants. In just one week, the caterpillar is able to completely destroy the bush. The most dangerous caterpillars for this culture are the firefly and sawfly caterpillars.
• Gallica. This pest comes when plants grow too close to each other. In this case, the stems of the plant, flowers, as well as foliage are affected.

Many experienced gardeners use insecticides such as Actellic and Fufanon against harmful insects. Preventive treatment of shrubs is carried out in early spring and in late autumn.

Honey gooseberry: gardeners reviews about the variety

• Margarita Viktorovna, Volgograd region: “I have chosen for growing a variety of honey-free gooseberries, Honey, as its berries have an excellent sweet taste, and the variety also shows a very high yield. In terms of planting and caring for the gooseberry variety, Medovyi did not notice any significant difficulties for herself. If you pay due attention to care, you can get an excellent and tasty harvest. "

• Nikolay Gennadievich, Sverdlovsk region: “Growing yellow honey gooseberries for sale. The variety is in great demand due to its amazing taste. I want to give advice to everyone who transports the Honey gooseberry variety over long distances: in order for the fruits to tolerate transportation well, it is best to use boxes that are not too high. At the same time, it is best to spread paper at the bottom of the container, and put the berries on top. Then the yellow honey gooseberry will keep its presentation as long as possible. "

Yellow gooseberry Honey: video about the variety