How to properly propagate gooseberries in the summer from cuttings: a step-by-step guide

Propagating gooseberries by cuttings is a quick and least expensive way to increase the number of bushes in your garden plot. The berry crop is renewed every 5 years. To obtain young bushes, green, woody and combined parts of the plant are used. Let's look at how to properly propagate gooseberries from cuttings in the summer.

Features of gooseberry propagation by cuttings in summer

Gooseberries are propagated throughout the warm season. Summer cuttings are one of the best options.

To do this, choose productive hybrid bushes that are not affected by disease. Their age, shoot growth rate and planned number are taken into account seedlings. The main conditions for successfully growing a young bush are sufficient heat, moisture and fertile soil. Only if these parameters are observed, the roots of the plant are actively formed.

Advantages and disadvantages

Preserving the qualities inherent in the mother bush is an undeniable advantage of propagating gooseberries by cuttings. If the procedure was carried out using green material, even if the above-ground part dies due to harsh winter conditions, the plants will quickly restore it from the root system.

Disadvantages of this cutting method:

• lack of time for the roots to ripen before the onset of cold weather;
• lack of a tap root and, as a consequence, demanding watering;
• later entry into the fruiting stage.

Differences from the procedure in spring and autumn

If in summer the most acceptable method of propagation is cuttings, then in spring and autumn it is preferable to use other methods. After winter, it is better to propagate gooseberries by layering: before sap flow begins, this method will be the least traumatic for the mother bush. In addition, it is important to do this before the growing season begins. In the fall it is already possible to carry out cuttings, but for this they use lignified material.

Reference. The timing of cuttings in summer is limited to the end of the shoot growth period, when they stop lengthening and lose elasticity.

in autumn and in the spring The bush is propagated by separating a perennial branch from it. The procedure is carried out after the end of leaf fall or before the buds swell.

Preparatory stage

This labor-intensive but interesting method is associated with mechanical damage to the above-ground part of the bush. Therefore, it is important to prepare high-quality tools and disinfectants.

Conditions for rooting

To ensure that gooseberry propagation efforts do not end in the death of the planting material, it is important to strictly observe all the conditions and sequence of the procedure.

For successful rooting of cuttings you need:

• air temperature not lower than +20…+25°C;
• high humidity and good air permeability of the soil;
• soil temperature is 5°C higher than ambient temperature;
• high-quality lighting;
• optimal concentration of cambium and nutrients in planting material;
• saturation of the soil with growth stimulants.

To increase the content of nutrients and cambium, the mother bush is fed with potassium and phosphorus fertilizers for 1.5 months. Do this once every 3 weeks.For 1 bush, use 10 liters of water, in which 15 g of potassium and 20 g of phosphate fertilizers are diluted. 14 days before separation, the shoot is pinched at the bottom with wire.

Soil preparation

The berry bush prefers loose and nutritious soil. Before planting, all perennial weeds are carefully removed from the site.

Advice! Experienced gardeners plant dahlias in this soil a year before gooseberries. They clean the soil and loosen it.

Clay, sandy, and peat soils are suitable for gooseberries.

After harvesting dahlias in the fall, reduce the acidity of the soil by adding dolomite flour. Gooseberries thrive at a low or neutral pH level.

What cuttings to use

Green cuttings are due to a biological feature of plants - regeneration. Such seedlings develop strong and fibrous roots, which grow 85% more than bushes obtained by propagating woody shoots. The former are 60% longer than the latter. Young shoots that appeared on the bush in the current season are suitable for cuttings with green shoots.

Lignified cuttings are less reliable material compared to green ones. The older the shoot, the lower the chances of its successful rooting.

Combined cuttings for propagating gooseberries are used in the spring, when the current year's shoots have grown 10–15 cm. Green shoots with part of last year's wood are rooted immediately in open ground.

How to root

There are 2 ways to root gooseberries: in water and soil.

In water

This method is suitable for rooting woody gooseberry cuttings. For the procedure, use soft melt or rain water, purified from impurities and salts. Sequencing:

1. Sprouts up to 25 cm long taken from the mother plant are cut in the upper and lower parts at a distance of 2 cm from the lower bud.
2. The material is disinfected with a bactericidal solution and placed in water so that the ends of the cuttings are immersed above the lower bud.
3. The shoots are covered with a bag.
4. When the first roots and green mass appear, the material is transferred to previously prepared soil, while ensuring air access.

For faster growth, the sections are treated with a growth stimulator for a day, then washed and again immersed in clean water.

In the ground

Green cuttings are planted in the ground throughout July. There is no need to prepare material in advance. It is rational to cut off the shoots right on the day of planting. Roots are formed on cuttings in a trench without the use of boxes.

The cuts on the cuttings must be fresh. Before transferring to the ground, the material is kept in warm water for up to 5 hours. The lower part is deepened at an angle into moist soil, compacted around the trunk and watered.

How to properly propagate gooseberries from cuttings

How to grow gooseberries from green cuttings:

1. In early July, cuttings 15 cm long are cut from the upper branches of the bush.
2. There should be about 8 leaves on the shoot.
3. Its lower third is immersed in water mixed with a growth stimulator and kept for up to 5 hours.
4. How to plant cuttings? They are transferred to the fertile soil of the greenhouse, buried 3 cm. Distance between planting material kept at 5–7 cm.
5. Water the shoots thoroughly.
6. After 2 weeks, liquid nitrogen fertilizers are applied.
7. For the winter, plants are covered, like all berry crops.
8. Cuttings are completed in the spring, when young plants are transferred to a permanent place.

Propagation by lignified cuttings:

1. Cuttings are cut from aged shoots of the current season.Their length is 20 cm.
2. Tie 10-20 pieces into a bundle and wrap them in a piece of fabric without over-tightening.
3. Place vertically in a container with a mixture of peat and sand, covering the top with a layer of up to 20 cm. The composition is moistened.
4. The cuttings are stored for about 1 month at above-zero temperatures, periodically moistening. During this time, peculiar seals appear at the ends of the shoots.
5. After a month, they are separated, sprinkled with wet sawdust and left until spring.
6. When suitable weather conditions occur, they are planted at an angle at a distance of up to 10 cm from each other, leaving 3 buds above the ground.
7. In autumn, young gooseberries are planted to a permanent place.

Combined cuttings are cut with a small woody section of the shoot from last year. To accelerate growth, a stimulant is added to the irrigation liquid, and the sprouts are mulched.

If all conditions are strictly observed, roots will form within 2 weeks.

Mistakes to Avoid

In pursuit of faster establishment of gooseberries and an increase in future yield, some gardeners add too much mineral fertilizer and manure. The first will interfere with the rooting of young plants, and the second will cause burns on the underground part of the bush.

Important! You cannot plant cuttings in soil where wheatgrass grows. Such a neighborhood will destroy young plants.

An area with close groundwater is not suitable for planting gooseberries. Their optimal level is 1.5 m. It makes no sense to take skeletal branches of gooseberries for cuttings - they will not develop a root system.

Further care

After rooting the cuttings in the summer, it is important to properly care for them. For moisture-loving gooseberries, it is advisable to install an aeration system, especially during a dry period.

Watering is carried out as the upper layers of the soil dry out. Each young bush requires 3 to 5 liters of water.

In order for the root system to successfully form, on the 3rd day after transfer to open ground, the cuttings are watered with succinic acid (for 1 plant - 0.2 g of dry matter and 1 liter of water). After 2 weeks, complex fertilizers are applied.

Conclusion

Gooseberries are propagated by cuttings in spring, summer and autumn. The most viable bushes grow from green material, which is prepared, processed and planted in July. Clearing the area for young seedlings and observing the conditions for their rooting will lead to the fact that the gooseberries will be ready to bear fruit in the next season.