Description of the gooseberry variety Beryl: pros and cons, care features
Beryl is a winter-hardy gooseberry variety intended for cultivation in harsh climatic conditions. It gained popularity due to its unpretentiousness, productivity and taste of the berries. We will give a detailed description of the gooseberry variety Beryl and talk about the agricultural technology of this fruit shrub.
What kind of gooseberry is this?
The gooseberry variety Beryl was developed in the 70s. XX century at the South Ural Research Institute as a result of crossing the Malachite and Samorodok varieties. The author of the development was Dr. Ilyin. The culture was included in the State Register of the Russian Federation in 1998, after which the variety was zoned in the Ural and West Siberian regions.
Characteristics and description of bushes
Gooseberry bushes are characterized by medium height (up to 1 m) and moderate spreading of the crown. The lower part of the shoots is covered with weak single spines pointing downwards, which makes harvesting easier. Large green leaves have a smooth surface. Gooseberries actively bear fruit 5 years after planting.
Reference. The yield is from 8 to 10 kg of berries per bush.
Withstands temperatures down to -38°C, as well as short periods of drought. Does not like excessive dampness. It has good immunity, is resistant to powdery mildew and fruit rot, but is often susceptible to septoria.
Characteristics and description of fruits
Light green Beryl berries are spherical in shape. Their weight reaches 9 g. The skin is thin but durable, the flesh is juicy. The taste is sweet with a slight sourness.The fruits tolerate transportation well without losing their presentation. The berries are used both in their natural form and for the production of desserts, sauces, marinades, and alcoholic beverages. Traditional medicine uses gooseberries as the main component of medicinal potions. The fruits are also used in cosmetology to make creams, scrubs, masks, and lotions.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Among the advantages of the variety are:
- frost resistance;
- ability to tolerate short-term drought;
- consistently high yield and excellent taste of fruits;
- resistance to powdery mildew;
- features of the location of the spikes, as well as their small number;
- self-fertility;
- good transportability during the period of technical ripeness;
- versatility of using berries;
The disadvantages of the variety are:
- predisposition to septoria;
- risk of damage by sawflies;
- decrease in yield due to violation of agricultural technology;
- poor keeping quality of ripe berries.
Growing technology
Beryl gooseberry grows on soils with good moisture and air permeability (clay and loam, sand and sandy loam) with a moderate level of acidity (4.6-5.0 pH). Does not like swampy soils with close groundwater. For planting, choose an area illuminated by the sun and protected from drafts. Caring for shrubs consists of standard procedures: watering, fertilizing, pruning, preventing damage diseases and pests.
Attention! The most comfortable areas for gooseberries are considered to be between rows of trees planted on sunlit hills.
Landing dates and rules
Gooseberries are planted both in early spring after the soil has thawed and warmed up, and in the fall, in September - October, 2-3 weeks before the onset of frost. When planting shrubs, adhere to the following sequence:
- Prepare planting holes measuring 40x40x40 cm.
- The holes in a row are spaced at intervals of 1.5 m, and adjacent rows are spaced 2 m apart.
- To fill the planting hole, prepare a soil mixture from ordinary soil, a bucket of rotted manure, 1 tbsp. wood ash, 30 g of superphosphate and 20 g of potassium phosphate.
- Before planting, the tops of the shoots are trimmed a little, the roots are shortened and process root stimulator.
- A small amount of prepared substrate is poured into the planting hole, forming a mound from it.
- The seedling is placed on a hill, carefully spreading the roots along the slopes.
- Fill the voids with soil mixture, lightly compacting each layer.
- Plantings are watered and covered with natural mulch (straw, sawdust, dry leaves or rotted manure).
Further care consists of watering, fertilizing, pruning and controlling pests.
Watering
Regular watering is important during budding, flowering, and also during the active phase of fruit development. Therefore, gooseberries are watered at the root at least once a week at the rate of 1 bucket of water for each bush. At the same time, they try to protect the leaves and shoots from falling drops. Each procedure is followed by loosening the soil while simultaneously removing weeds.
Important! 2 weeks before the start of harvesting, moisturizing the soil under the bushes is stopped.
Top dressing
To achieve high yields, they resort to fertilizing. At the end of spring, liquid fertilizers rich in nitrogen, mullein, chicken droppings, and urea are added to the soil. At the end of flowering, in June, fertilize with potassium-phosphorus fertilizers, adding 20 g of potassium phosphate or 30 g of superphosphate to each bush.In the first half of July, the soil under the gooseberries is spilled with magnesium nitrate at the rate of 20 g of the substance per bucket of water. In the fall, the bushes are again fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer in the same dosage as in the summer.
Trimming
Every year in early spring, sanitary pruning of gooseberries is carried out. Removing dry, diseased and old shoots avoids thickening of plantings and weakening of plants, as well as chopping of berries. The current year's shoots are shortened by 1/3 of the length. Of the basal stems, only the 4 strongest ones are left, the rest are cut out.
Read also:
An easy-to-care variety of gooseberry “Yarovaya”.
Diseases and pests
The Beryl variety is resistant to fruit rot and powdery mildew. However, with improper care, the likelihood of fungal diseases remains. Thus, with excessive humidity and dense plantings, septoria occurs, which manifests itself as spots on the leaves and shoots. The affected area increases over time, forming a dense coating, which leads to the leaves drying out and falling off. Measures to prevent fungal diseases include:
- digging up the soil;
- thinning branches;
- fertilization;
- cleaning and destruction of fallen leaves;
- fungicide treatment.
Bushes are rarely affected by pests. The exception is sawflies, whose larvae completely destroy all green parts of the plant. To control pests, gooseberries are treated with Bordeaux mixture or ash-soap solution.
Wintering
For successful wintering of gooseberries, preparatory work is carried out. After waiting for the leaves to fall, they rake and destroy all plant debris.The soil is dug up and weeds are removed. The tree trunk circles are loosened, while simultaneously incorporating phosphorus-potassium fertilizer into the soil. Trunks older than 5 years are cut out. To ensure pre-winter moisture replenishment, the soil under each bush is spilled with 5-6 buckets of water. Young plants are bent to the ground and pinned with pegs. The soil around the plant is mulched with humus.
Features of cultivation depending on the region
Features of growing gooseberries are determined by the climatic characteristics of a particular region. Thus, in the Urals and western Siberia, shrubs are planted only in the spring after the soil has warmed up. In the southern regions, planting is carried out even in October. In Siberian conditions, the crop overwinters well only under snow, while in the south of Russia additional shelter is not required.
Reproduction
Gooseberry Beryl is propagated by layering and cuttings. In the first case, young shoots are bent to the ground and laid horizontally, after which they are sprinkled with soil. After the sprouts appear, they are hilled up and watered. With the arrival of autumn, the branch is cut off from the bush, dug up and divided into parts. Each resulting seedling is moved to a permanent place of growth.
For reproduction Strong young shoots are selected by cuttings. The branches are divided into parts so that each of them bears 4 buds. The cutting is deepened into loose, fertile soil, leaving an area with one bud above the surface. With the arrival of winter, it is covered, and in the spring further cultivation is continued, leaving 2 developed buds and moistening the soil as needed. Next spring, the seedling is assigned to a permanent place of growth.
Reviews from summer residents
Beryl gained the greatest popularity among summer residents from regions of risky agriculture. Here are a few reviews.
Alexander, Chelyabinsk: “The variety pleased me with its yield and excellent taste. When harvesting, I did not feel any thorn pricks. But the branches tend to spread out on the ground, so you can’t do without support.”
Antonina, Tyumen: “The gooseberries are fully ripe during the short northern summer. The berries are sweet and aromatic. Some were eaten in their natural form, the rest were used for compotes and jam.”
Igor, Ekaterinburg: “Every spring I treat the bush with copper sulfate and cut off old branches. Gooseberry has never been sick. I advise everyone not to save space and maintain the required distance between bushes.”
Conclusion
Beryl gooseberry is intended for cultivation in temperate and cold climates. With proper agricultural technology, it bears fruit in one place for 10 years. Gives a stable harvest with high taste characteristics. Resistant to powdery mildew and fruit rot. Successfully survives wintering without additional shelter. Easy to reproduce. Suitable for both home and industrial cultivation.