Gooseberry soil

Gooseberry has another name for the grapes of the north. Gardeners often plant it on their site, this is due to certain benefits of the berry. The plant does not require special care, it grows and develops well. But for a good harvest, first of all, the soil for the gooseberry and the characteristics of the place in which the plant will be planted are important.

Choosing a place for planting gooseberries

The gooseberry is very fond of the sun, so when choosing a place where it will develop, you need to check if there is enough light in this place. In the best case, it would be if this would be protection from various drafts and strong winds. These factors are very bad for the berry.

In no case should the place be in the shade, because with insufficient sunlight, gooseberry fruits will develop poorly and ripen in the future. Also, the plant has an increased risk of disease.

When planting gooseberries, it is worth considering the type of soil, he prefers soils in which there are a lot of nutrients, the soil should be loose and absorb moisture and air well, the acidity should not be high. Loamy soil is suitable for all criteria. If you have heavy clay or sandy soil, you can add sand or clay to it.

Note: at the moment there are about 2000 species and varieties of gooseberries. It grows throughout the temperate climate.

The gooseberry is bad for a large amount of moisture, since with it the root system begins to rot and the plant dies. Therefore, when choosing a place, the presence of waters next to it should be taken into account.

Soil acidity for gooseberries

The acidity of the soil for the gooseberry should not be too high and too low, since the development of the berry will be defective. Moreover, it is acidity that affects the absorption of heavy metals. In order to determine the acidity of the soil, you can use litmus paper. This paper is considered an indicator that shows the degree of acidity of the soil.

There is an indicator of pH, it is used in determining the balance of the soil. Soil with high acidity is less fertile and poorly conducts moisture, since it contains large amounts of heavy metals.

Separation of soils by acidity

1. Soils with very high acidity, pH 1-3.4
2. Soils with high acidity, pH 4-4.5
3. Soils with medium acidity, pH 5-5.5
4. Soils with low acidity, pH 6-6.5
5. Soils with very low acidity, pH 7-7.5
6. Soils with low alkalinity, pH 8-8.5
7. Soils with medium alkalinity, pH 9-9.5
8. Soils with strong alkalinity of 10 or more pH

The best soils for gooseberries are those with medium to low acidity. If the pH is below 5, then nutrients such as potassium are not absorbed into the plant. Gardeners explain precisely this why regular liming is carried out for alkaline soil.

Preparing the soil for gooseberries

There are many questions related to changes in soil acidity. This is due to the fact that very often the soil does not have the acidity that is needed. It is either too high or too low. And both options are not suitable for growing gooseberries, as they will not give it the necessary nutrients, good growth and development.

• The most popular and effective way to reduce the acidity of the soil for gooseberries is feeding. It should be made using the following agents potassium sulfate, phosphate, ammonium sulfate, sodium nitrate.

At high acidity, these substances change cations to anions, and thus the soil becomes more alkaline, that is, it comes to a normal state. To maintain normal acidity, fertilizing must be carried out several times.

• In order to reduce the acidity of the soil for gooseberries, you can also use lime.

It is an amazing substance that pulls hydrogen and aluminum out of the soil and replaces it with calcium and magnesium. The amount of lime applied should follow the rule, the higher the pH, the less lime should be applied to the soil. Lime flour is excellent for this process. It must be brought in in early spring, 25-30 centimeters deep, then thoroughly shed with water. This method can be used no more than once every 4-6 years. The effect after this process is long lasting.

• A good way to reduce the acidity of the gooseberry soil is to plant soil-improving plants. There are such plants that, developing in the soil, begin to improve it, increasing fertility, changing acidity, saturating it with various necessary microelements. Such plants include all beans, wheat, rye. Scientists say that planting such plants greatly improves the condition of the soil, but for the best effect it would be better if gardeners planted such plants for several years.

You can also often see a problem when it is necessary to increase the acidity. To do this, you need to use a special fertilizer with swampy peat.

Gooseberry soil: video

The gooseberry itself is not capricious, but for a good harvest, it must be provided with as comfortable conditions as possible. If available, its development and growth will be faster. Scientists recommend checking the acidity of the soil annually, as this will eliminate the problem at an early stage, if any. After all, soil is very important not only for gooseberries, but also for any plant.