Gooseberry "Kolobok": characteristics and cultivation of the variety

Cultivation of fruit and berry trees and shrubs in household plots is widespread not only in Russia, but also in many other countries. Quite often in the gardens you can see gooseberries.Its fruits are tasty and healthy, but it is difficult to collect them due to the presence of thorns. Not all gardeners know that there is a variety that has almost no thorns. This gooseberry "Kolobok".

Today, this relatively young variety is popular among summer residents, as it has many advantages. It was obtained by crossing “Change” and “Rose”, and has been listed in the State Registry since 1988. Initially, the zoning of the variety was intended for the central regions of Russia. But thanks to the ability to tolerate strong frosts, the variety is grown almost throughout the country.

Gooseberry "Kolobok" is a bush that can grow up to 1.5 m. It is a powerful plant with thick spreading branches, on which there are rare thorns. The bright green leaves of the shrub have short petioles and distinct veins. The shape and appearance of the leaves is traditional for this culture: they consist of three blades, have a slightly glossy shine.

On average, the bush gives 3-6 kg of fruit per season. Fruits are well stored, and therefore remarkably amenable to transportation. This is facilitated by the dense skin of the berries and the presence of wax on them. The berries have a rich color, ranging from dark red to burgundy. The berries are smooth, regular oval in shape, but their size is not even on one branch: the weight of a berry can be 4-8 g. On well-shaped and properly cut bushes, the berries will be larger.

The first fruits ripen by mid-summer, fruiting occurs until autumn. Ripe berries are easily removed from the branches, but not showered, and a small number of non-acute thorns greatly facilitates harvesting. The fruits have a delicate aroma, juicy flesh and a pleasant sweet-sour taste, which was highly appreciated by the tasters. "Gingerbread Man" is characterized by versatility of use: berries can be eaten fresh, cook from them jam and other products. And also fruits can be prepared for the winter: dry or chop and cover with sugar.

Gooseberry will benefit all people. It is especially recommended for people suffering from obesity and metabolic disorders. The berries contain 2.5% easily absorbed monosaccharides, 2.5% acids, 1.5% pectin. And also contains vitamins C, P, A, B and trace elements (iron, potassium, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium). Gooseberry is widely used in traditional medicine, as it has laxative, diuretic and choleretic action.

Since the variety is the result of a long effort by breeders, it has numerous advantages:

• easily and quickly take root;
• resistant to many culturally characteristic diseases, in particular, to powdery mildew and anthracnose;
• shrub easily adapts to the new site, not too picky about care;
• frost-resistant, quickly restored after damage;
• has fast ripening, good yield, convenient harvest;
• possesses remarkable taste, universality of application and long shelf life of fruits;
• steadily bears fruit for many years.

Unfortunately, some drawbacks also exist.

• Poor tolerates prolonged droughts and temperature fluctuations. "Gingerbread Man" better withstand strong stable frosts than frequent thaws.
• Needs frequent pruning.
• May be affected by pests.

For planting, you should correctly select the site: it should be well lit with loamy or other light soil, away from the groundwater. Excessive ground moisture can cause fungal diseases. Sandy soils will do as well, but in this case you will have to apply a sufficient amount of fertilizer. Next to the gooseberry should not be a high dense plantings that can create shading. The place should be flat, lowlands and marshy soils should be avoided.And also it should not be too open, blown by frequent drafts.

Places where raspberries or currants were previously grown are not suitable for gooseberries. Previous cultivation of legumes, potatoes or beets is appropriate. When planting several plants, you need to make sure that there is a distance of 1.6 meters between them. This will allow the bushes to develop fully, as well as provide an opportunity to care for them freely and to harvest easily.

Seedlings should be purchased from reliable manufacturers or familiar summer residents to be confident in the varietal qualities and health of planting material. A seedling should have 4-6 main roots with a length of at least 20 cm, and at least one outer shoot 30 cm in length.

The best time to land is mid-September.when the weather is still warm it will allow the plant to take root and adapt well. You can disembark and later, but you need to calculate the time so that before the onset of frost remains about 3 weeks. During this period, the soil is compacted and settles, and the roots grow to the required size. 2-3 weeks before planting, a pit is prepared with a depth of 0.5 m, the diameter should be 60 cm. Mineral fertilizers are laid at the bottom of the pit. Potassium sulfate or superphosphate is suitable for gooseberry, 200 g will be sufficient. Over mix the mixture of soil and humus, so that the roots of the seedling do not come into contact with the fertilizer. It is useful to dip the roots in a mixture of clay and mullein.

The seedling is placed vertically in the center of the pit so that the root collar drops 6 cm into the ground. Carefully straightening the roots, the pit is covered with earth, compacting it. Completes the procedure of soil tamping around the bush. Now it needs to be watered and mulched. Mulch will prevent the growth of weeds, and retain moisture. Straw, sawdust, pine needles perfectly cope with this task. Needles, among other things, protect young plants from rodents.

Planting in the spring is also possible, but it should be carried out early, until mid-April, so that the bush can adapt to new conditions before the onset of hot weather. In this case, it is advisable to prepare a landing pit in the fall. If this has not been done, pit is prepared for 7-8 days before planting. In the pit, in addition to mineral and organic fertilizers, ash can be added.

Although Kolobok is undemanding to care, some agrotechnical measures will still have to be implemented. They are similar to those carried out with the usual care of any variety of gooseberry. First of all, this is the removal of weeds. Mulch retards their growth, but cannot be completely prevented. It is equally important to loosen the soil. Loosening and weeding will have a beneficial effect on the growth of the bush. In order not to damage the root system, to loosen and weed better after wetting the soil, then it will become softer.

Watering "Kolobok" carried out as needed, excessive waterlogging will lead to diseases. In dry weather, water is poured at the root.

The first 3 years the shrub does not need additional feeding. To the plant did not reduce the level of fruiting, it is recommended to apply fertilizer The fertilizer complex may be as follows:

• compost - 50 g;
• ammonium sulfate - 25 g;
• superphosphate - 50 g;
• potassium sulphate - 25 g

With all resistance to diseases, Kolobok can be affected by pests or fungal infections, especially if the weather is wet for a long time. In these cases, the same treatment and protection methods are used as for other varieties.

What distinguishes "Gingerbread Man" from other varieties is the requirement to conduct regular pruning:

• it allows you to avoid excessive thickening, the bush will be better lit;
• it will stimulate yields, as more fruits grow on young branches;
• on properly formed and cut bushes grow larger fruit.

If the landing was done in the fall, then with the onset of spring, the first pruning should be done. There is a removal of damaged and broken branches, as well as dry and small stems up to 20 cm long. It should also remove the descending branches and those that appeared close to the surface of the earth, even if they are strong and healthy. Then, pruning is done annually, since shoots grow very quickly in “Kolobok”, and they grow both up and to the side.

For the correct formation of the bush shoots cut by half, focusing on the kidney, pointing upwards. To choose such a bud is necessary to form a bush vertically. You should carefully remove the basal branches, as they will take most of the nutrients. You also need to remove the weakened, the affected and the crossing branches.

As a rule, the bush is considered formed in the fourth year. By this time he should have no more than 25 moderately branched shoots. From the adult bush, they regularly remove broken, weak, diseased and intersecting branches, and also periodically cut out the oldest shoots completely. Such treatment rejuvenates the shrub, makes it fruitful without loss of quantity and quality of the crop for many years, and even decades.

On the gooseberry "Kolobok" gardeners leave a lot of feedback, which are mostly positive. Summer residents like the simplicity of the plant, its negligence to care, resistance to diseases. Gooseberry is not sick for a number of years, even if nearby there are affected plants. People say that seedlings take root well and adapt to new conditions.

Gardeners love the fact that Kolobka has good yields, and fruits are easy to collect due to the lack of thorns. In addition, the berries are practically not showered, and you can feast on them from mid-summer to autumn. With good care from the bush can collect more than 6 kg of fruit. People say that the berries have a very pleasant taste, they make wonderful preparations for the winter. The advantages include the fact that ripe berries for a long time retain their taste, and the collected fruits are subject to long-term storage.

Gardeners say that "Kolobok" tolerates long frosts well, it recovers pretty quickly in spring. Problems arise if frequent thaws occur in winter. When temperature drops gooseberry has to cover.

In the next video you will learn about the methods of planting gooseberry seedlings and the correct formation of bushes.