Usually worries about currants and gooseberries are not on the list of autumn summer cottages. After all, they are unpretentious fruit and berry bushes. However, some tweaks will significantly increase plant endurance and yield.
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The role of proper care for shrubs in the fall
Currants and gooseberries can survive many winters without any maintenance. Fruiting will be good at first, but it will deteriorate in the future. The bushes will be noticeably crushed, and the taste of the berries will deteriorate. If you don't care about crops, the harvest will become scarce. Every year it will be less and less. The fruit will be thick-skinned. Therefore, additional care for shrubs in the fall will not be superfluous.
You need to know what currants and gooseberries need in autumn. If you do not neglect simple recommendations, high yields will remain. Some summer residents do not understand why the neighbors on the site are engaged in “unnecessary” procedures. When faced with poor fruiting, they start looking for the cause.
Sometimes it is not possible to allocate time for a thorough preparation of currants and gooseberries. Then you should do otherwise. It is advisable to remove the lower branches and foliage from under the bushes. At the end, it is useful to cover the soil under them with snow. You should not hope for an excellent result, but you need to start at least small.
Preparing currants for cold weather
Any currant is a very hardy plant. The culture withstands frosts well down to -30 ° C, so shrubs can not be covered in autumn. There are other methods for easy wintering. Then the buds will form correctly, and the fruiting will improve next year.
You can cut currant bushes both in spring and in autumn. Crowning too early can damage the buds. They will form quite early. As a result, the culture will begin to bear fruit later than expected. For proper pruning, you can use some simple tips:
- First, remove dried and rotten branches. They are gray or gray-black in color. The bark can flake off and break. There are no leaves on these branches.
- Cut thin shoots at the root. There shouldn't be any stumps.
- Remove branches lying on the ground or intertwining with each other. They only spoil the crown.
- Burn cut branches, fallen leaves and mulch. It cannot be added to compost.
A mature bush should have about 12 shoots of various ages. A smaller number of them leads to a decrease in yield, and a larger number indicates thickening. After the onset of winter, the branches must be pulled together with twine in a spiral to compact the bush. This will protect the currants from winter winds and a load of snow.
It is important to take care of the prevention of diseases and pests. In September, it is useful to treat shrubs with Bordeaux liquid or copper oxychloride. Take 40 g of fertilizer for 10 liters of water. Before digging the earth, add a phosphorus-potassium complex to it. For 1 m² you will need 30 g.
Autumn care for gooseberries
In the fall, gooseberries need special care, because grass grows through the crown. Together with the fallen leaves, it turns into a breeding ground for diseases. The culture is prone to thickening, which implies regular thinning of the bushes. Otherwise, you will have to harvest in mittens. Gooseberry pruning has a lot in common with currants.
To protect the plant from pests and diseases, it is worth treating the shrub after harvesting. Remove foliage and mulch from underneath. The treatment consists in spraying the gooseberry with fungicides, for example, Agrolekarem or Chistophlor. You need to use the funds, following the instructions on the package.
Thoroughly weed the soil to a depth of 8 cm without damaging the roots, then apply a special seasonal fertilizer. There must be a corresponding inscription on it.
Finally, cover the ground around the bushes, taking into account the diameter of the crown. Humus or peat with a layer of 10 cm will protect the roots from freezing. When snow falls, you should throw it under the bushes for extra protection. If done correctly, branches are not required to be covered.
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