How gooseberries propagate - all the ways

Gooseberry is an unpretentious shrub that can grow and grow in many regions of our country. It is loved for its delicious large berries, with a sweet and sour refreshing taste. Gooseberry fruits are delicious as an independent dessert, in the form of jam, compotes and even sauces for meat.

One of the advantages of this plant is its ease of propagation. There are several ways to form new bushes from old ones. Planting material is obtained using cuttings, layering and division. How and when to propagate gooseberries in different ways - read on.

Gooseberry propagation methods

Growing gooseberries is a task that even a novice gardener can cope with. This plant takes root well and quickly takes root in a new place.

It is possible to propagate a gooseberry bush using vegetative and generative methods. The first option is preferable, since in this case the characteristics of the mother plant are preserved, regardless of whether variety this or a hybrid.

The generative method involves propagating gooseberries by seeds. This is a long process that requires patience and certain skills from the gardener. At the same time, the plant obtained from seeds often does not retain varietal characteristics. The berries are small and sour.

Advice! A plant grown in the described way makes a good rootstock for varietal gooseberries. It will be characterized by rapid growth and resistance to cold weather.

Cuttings

The cutting method of propagating gooseberries is convenient for the ease of obtaining planting material. Simply cut a branch from a bush you like and the cutting is ready. All that remains is to properly prepare and root it.

The disadvantage of cuttings is that not all gooseberry varieties take root well. Some of them die after landing in a permanent place. Reviews from gardeners say that out of 10 branches sometimes only 3 take root.

Note! Cuttings are useful when the bush is located in another area.

A bush no older than 10 years old is suitable for cuttings. Planting material collected from an older bush will take root less well.

Green cuttings

Before propagating gooseberries in the summer, it is important to wait until the temperature outside during the day does not drop below +20, and at night +16. The most favorable period is from early June to mid-July.

Proper propagation of gooseberries by green branches:

1. Healthy young growth formed this year is cut off. Do this in cloudy weather or early in the morning any day.
2. The shoot is divided into parts from 8 to 15 cm long. Each of them should have several buds, from which shoots are later formed. The knife that will be used for slicing must be sharp and disinfected.
3. Planting material is soaked for 2 hours in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. Then, for a day, they are immersed in a root formation stimulator “Kornevin” or “Heteroauxin”.
4. Different types of soil are placed in layers in a pot or in a greenhouse nursery. The first layer is drainage (expanded clay, fine crushed stone, etc.), the second is rotted manure, then humus, peat and sand mixed in equal proportions.The soil is watered with a hot solution prepared from 1 bucket of water and 1 tbsp. l copper sulfate.
5. The cuttings are washed under running water and then rooted. They are planted in rows to a depth of 2 cm. A 3x7 cm planting pattern is used.
6. Each cutting is covered with film or a bag. The seedlings are ventilated daily for 10-15 minutes.
7. The soil is watered with warm water as it dries. Every other day, the cuttings are sprayed with warm water.

When the cuttings take root (this is evidenced by the new shoots that form), the duration of ventilation is gradually increased, eventually removing the bag completely. After this, the plants are planted in open ground. At first, they are covered with film at night so that they adapt to new conditions.

Note! Green shoots take root quickly, but a significant part of the planting material dies when transplanted into open ground.

Lignified cuttings

Lignified shoots take root poorly and slowly. Many of them never form roots. But if the planting material does work out, then after planting in open ground it almost always takes root.

Note! It is recommended to prepare at least 2 times more branches than actually required.

Lignified cuttings can be collected both in autumn and spring. This procedure is not carried out in summer.

How to grow gooseberries from a twig that has become woody:

1. In the autumn after leaf fall or in the spring, while the buds have not yet awakened, branches 8-15 cm long are cut from the top of the bush. They must have at least 3 living buds.
2. The cuttings are soaked in a growth stimulator for 24 hours. If they are not planned to be planted immediately after collection, the branches are wrapped in a damp cloth or bag and placed in a cool place.Cuttings are planted in mid-autumn or spring immediately after the soil has thawed.
3. The cuttings are planted in the ground at an angle of 45°. The distance between seedlings should be at least 15 cm. The soil around the seedlings is compacted and watered with a thin stream of warm water.
4. A layer of peat or humus 5 cm thick is laid around the seedlings.
5. The cuttings are covered with film. As the soil dries, it is moistened.
6. If the branches were rooted in the fall, then in winter they are covered with snow. In the spring they are inspected, rooted specimens are selected and planted in a permanent place.

note! Branches from the lower part of the bush are not suitable for rooting, as they do not take root well. The age of the lignified branch should vary between 1-3 years.

Combined

Combined cuttings are considered the most reliable. At the same time, the stem method of growing gooseberries gives the best results. The planting material quickly takes root and takes root well in its permanent location.

Combined involves the use of planting material obtained from a lignified one-year-old part no larger than 3 cm in size and green shoots of the current year.

Propagation of gooseberries using a combined method begins in May and continues throughout the entire growing season. There are three types of combined planting material:

1. With a heel. It is obtained by breaking out a green cutting so that a piece of a woody branch remains on its lower part.
2. Handle with a crutch. The green shoot is cut off with part of last year's branch so that the cut runs along the old shoot.
3. With stand. Cut off from last year's branch so that the woody and green shoot are perpendicular to each other.

The prepared planting material is soaked on the branches in a growth stimulator. Then they are planted, completely burying the lignified part and the green shoot by 2-3 cm. The soil around the seedlings is compacted and mulched, then watered with warm water.

Layering from a bush

Gooseberry propagation by layering is considered the simplest and most popular method. Shoots not separated from the bush quickly take root. Moreover, this happens in 90% of cases.

Planting material separated from the mother plant takes root well in a new location. This is due to the fact that rooting occurs in open ground and the plant does not experience stress when conditions change in its permanent location.

Before propagating gooseberries by layering, strengthen the mother bush. To do this, weed the area around it. Then rotted manure is poured near the trunk, which is mixed with soil, digging it to a depth of 10 cm. The dug up soil is leveled with a rake.

A year before propagation by layering, sanitary pruning is carried out. During the procedure, all dry, diseased and weak branches are removed.

The best time to propagate a bush in this way is October. This is also done in the spring before the sap begins to flow, in the second half of March.

Horizontal

The easiest way to propagate gooseberries is by horizontal layering. In this case, it will be possible to obtain several seedlings from one shoot.

How to root horizontal layering:

1. For rooting, select several healthy branches at the bottom of the bush. Their age should vary between 1-3 years.
2. To speed up the germination of lateral buds, which contribute to the formation of a powerful root system, lateral annual shoots are cut by a third.
3. A groove is dug in the soil in the direction of growth of the selected shoot.A branch is placed in it so that its end is on the surface of the ground. The shoot is fixed with staples and covered with earth.
4. Buried cuttings are watered abundantly and mulched with humus or peat.
5. During the entire growing season, the buried branch is watered as the soil dries and fed at least 4 times. The fertilizer should contain ammonia, potassium and phosphorus.
6. When the shoots on the layering reach a height of 8 cm, they are spudded. Repeated hilling is carried out after 14 days.
7. When the shoots take root (this happens at the end of summer), the branch is cut off from the mother bush with disinfected pruners. The cuttings are divided into seedlings according to the number of shoots with roots.
8. The roots of each cutting are shortened by a third. They are planted in containers for growing. Next spring they will turn into full-fledged seedlings.

Vertical

Reproduction by vertical layering allows not only to obtain high-quality planting material, but also to rejuvenate the plant. This method is used for old gooseberry bushes.

How to plant gooseberries with vertical layering:

1. In early spring, branches older than 3 years are pruned at the root, and young shoots are shortened by half. This stimulates the formation of new shoots.
2. When the length of the young shoots reaches 15 cm, the plant is hilled. The earthen hill should rise to half the height of the bush.
3. Throughout the summer, gooseberries are watered and fed. If the soil sinks, then re-hilling is carried out.
4. In mid-September, the rooted cuttings are separated from the mother bush. They need to be transplanted to a permanent place. For the winter they are protected with covering material.

Arc-shaped

Some gooseberry branches grow in an arc, descending downwards. They are used for propagation when only 1-2 seedlings are needed.

Note! Sometimes arcuate cuttings take root without the help of a gardener. One branch produces 1 seedling.

It is not difficult to obtain arcuate layering. To do this, follow the step-by-step instructions:

1. In the place where the branch touches the surface of the soil, dig a hole up to 30 cm deep. Rotted manure is poured to the bottom.
2. The area of ​​the shoot adjacent to the ground is placed in the hole. It is secured with a bracket. Cover the top with a mixture of garden soil and humus.
3. During the summer, the cuttings are watered and fed. At the end of summer it will take root. After this, the new plant is separated from the mother one, dug up and transplanted to a permanent place.

Dividing the bush

It is also possible to plant gooseberries by dividing a bush. In this case, one old plant will produce several young ones. The procedure is carried out in the following way:

1. The bush is dug out of the ground. It is important not to cause serious damage to the root system.
2. The root system is washed from the ground and inspected. Remove all diseased, rotten and dried areas.
3. The bush is divided into several parts and immediately planted in a permanent place.

Vaccination

Grafting gooseberries is a task of a higher level than its propagation by cuttings and layering. This procedure requires care and following step-by-step instructions.

Advice! Gooseberry branches are grafted not only onto gooseberries, but also onto black currants.

Gooseberries are rarely grafted by budding, as its buds do not take root well. Typically, cuttings are grafted into a split or by applying a cut of the scion to a cut of the rootstock.

In the first case, the lower part of the scion is ground into the shape of a thin wedge, and the scion is cut in the center. The scion wedge is inserted into the split of the rootstock. The structure is fixed.

In the second case, the scion and rootstock are cut at an angle of 45°.The media are applied to each other as evenly as possible and secured with garden tape. For reliability, you can tie a peg.

Seeds

Gooseberries propagated by seeds often do not retain maternal characteristics. But it allows you to obtain a variety that is not yet on the site.

This is a long process that requires the attention of the gardener:

1. From ripe berries without signs illnesses take out the seeds. They are treated with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate and a growth stimulator, mixed with sand and poured into a box.
2. The container with the sand-seed mixture is buried in a half-meter hole and sprinkled with a 20 cm layer of earth. It is dug up in the spring.
3. In the greenhouse, a fertile soil mixture is prepared from humus, garden soil and sand. The soil is watered with a solution of copper sulfate. A mixture of seeds and sand is poured on top in an even thin layer. Then a layer of peat 5 mm thick is poured.
4. When the seeds germinate and get stronger, they are thinned out. During the summer they are looked after, watered and fed. They are planted in open ground when the bushes get stronger.

Transplanting a bush to a permanent place

The best time to plant gooseberry seedlings in a permanent place is autumn. The plant is best grafted and takes root at positively low temperatures.

You can plant gooseberries in the spring. In this case, seedlings are planted as soon as the snow melts.

It is recommended to plant the shrub in a sunny and ventilated area of ​​the garden. Groundwater should not be located too close to the surface.

Planting instructions:

1. For planting, prepare holes with a diameter of 40-50 cm and a depth of 60 cm. The distance between the holes for gooseberries should be at least 1.5 m.
2. The soil removed from the holes is mixed with 1 bucket of horse manure, 200 g of superphosphate, 60 g of potassium sulfate and 50 g of lime. A mound is formed from part of the mixture at the bottom of the hole.
3. The seedling is placed in the hole, placing the roots evenly over the fertile mound. The remaining soil is filled into the hole, compacting the soil around the plant.
4. The soil around the gooseberries is mulched and watered with plenty of warm water. The branches are cut so that there are from 3 to 6 buds left on each of them.

Gooseberries are replanted according to the same principle. It is important to spread its roots evenly around the fertile mound.

Read also:

How can you treat gooseberries to remove white plaque on the berries?

Powdery mildew on gooseberries: signs, causes.

Diseases and pests of gooseberries and methods of combating them.

Conclusion

Gooseberry is an unpretentious plant that can take root even in unfavorable conditions. It is easy to grow an entire plantation from one bush - the crop quickly takes root and simply multiplies.

The choice of method for breeding gooseberries depends on the variety, age of the bush and the amount of planting material. However, propagation by layering is considered the most reliable and easiest to implement option.