How to feed the gooseberries after harvest?

The gooseberry is one of the most common shrubs grown in gardens and in summer cottages. Its fruits have a pleasant sweet-sour taste and contain a huge amount of nutrients.

Culture is characterized by high yield, which allows for the season to remove from one bush up to 10 kg of berries. However, over time, the soil on which the shrub grows is depleted and loses its natural fertility. The result of regressive processes occurring in the soil, is a drop in yield and a decrease in the quality characteristics of the berries. Fruits shrink and become acidic. To prevent this from happening, experienced gardeners recommend regularly feeding and maintaining the plants not only during the growing season, but also in the autumn-winter period.

Autumn gooseberry feeding is done after collecting the last wave of the crop and is the final stage of crop fertilization activities in the current season. It was during this period that the foundations were laid for the formation of the harvest of the next year. The expediency of late dressing is explained by the fact that during growth, development, flowering and fruiting the bush draws from the soil a huge amount of mineral and organic compounds necessary for normal fruiting. By the autumn, the soil is experiencing a significant shortage of most chemical compounds, to fill them in which a set of measures is being taken to restore it.

The introduction of mineral additives has a positive effect on the preparation of plants for the winter. Mineral substances are well absorbed from the soil, help to increase immunity and help the plants to endure the winter cold. The most significant gooseberry minerals are potassium and phosphorus. The use of nitrogen-containing drugs in the autumn is not used, as it can cause the active growth of young shoots that do not have time to get stronger before winter and die.

In terms of their composition, phosphate fertilizers are simple and complex. The former contain pure phosphorus and do not contain any additives, the latter, in addition to phosphorus, contain potassium and nitrogen. The main natural raw materials for the production of phosphate fertilizers are natural phosphorites and apatites. By the ability to dissolve phosphorus preparations are divided into soluble, insoluble and insoluble.

Soluble forms, such as superphosphate, ammophos and diammophos, are used to use preparations as fertilizers for gooseberries. The form of release of such additives are granules or powder, which allows them to be stored for a long time and allows you to independently prepare a solution. The poorly soluble fertilizers include phosphate rock and bone meal, which can be used as an autumn dressing for gooseberries, provided that the soil is strongly acidified. Preparations are applied to the earth at a dose that is twice the dosage of superphosphate.

A feature of the introduction of phosphorus additives is the fact that the introduction of the mineral has a prolonged effect. Thus, in the first year after feeding, the plant is able to assimilate only 20–25% of the substance, and in the next 2–3 years - up to 60%. As a result of this peculiarity, the annual phosphorus addition can lead to excessive ground phosphating, as a result of which the culture ceases to respond to phosphorus. In such cases, phosphate application should be limited to several years, until the chemical balance is restored.

The risk of excess phosphorus leads to the need to comply with the dosage specified by the manufacturer of fertilizers. So, no more than 1 tablespoon of superphosphate should be poured under each gooseberry bush, and when mixed with potassium nitrate, no more than two spoons. Powder preparations are scattered in the right amount at the root of the bush.Then the soil is loosened, going deeper by at least 8 cm, and plentifully watered with cool water. Granulated products are diluted according to the instructions, and the consumption of the preparation should not exceed 50–80 g per m².

The most common potash fertilizer is potassium chloride. Its use is usually carried out against the background of the introduction of phosphorus additives in the presence of peaty, sandy loamy and light loamy podzolic soil. Gooseberry is among the crops that are most responsive to the introduction of potash fertilizers.

Autumnal potash supplements are especially important, because the mineral strengthens the root system, prevents the occurrence of fungal diseases that can arise from dampness due to the autumn rains, and provides high gooseberry resistance to frost and short droughts.

The dosage of potassium supplements is calculated based on the amount of the active substance in a particular preparation. So, for autumn feeding, about 0.6 kg of potassium per 100 m² of area will be required for fertilized manure loamy and sandy soil. When introducing potassium chloride, it must be remembered that chlorine can adversely affect the above-ground part of the shrub, so digging up the ground after applying the drug should be quite deep. The greatest effect from the use of potassium chloride is experienced by peaty, calcareous, sod-podzolic, gray forest and other, light in composition soil.

In addition to potassium chloride, good results are given by the use of potassium sulfate. The drug is available in granules, has good flowability and can be stored for a long time. Potassium deposition creates a good start for the formation of a future crop. This is explained by the fact that, unlike, for example, from nitrogen, which plants actively assimilate in early spring, potassium absorption occurs in the summer months, during flowering and fruiting shrubs.

In addition to mineral supplements, organic fertilizers should also be used for autumn dressing. The most common and accessible types of organics are manure, wood ash and compost.

Manure is a mixture of solid and liquid animal waste products mixed with litter material. It is an ideal fertilizer for soil. The composition of the manure includes a huge amount of microorganisms necessary for the plant, which can significantly activate the biological processes in the soil. In addition, mullein is a powerful source of carbon dioxide, which enhances the synthesis of organic compounds and improves the mineral nutrition of plants. From the feed eaten by animals, up to 40% of organic compounds, up to 70% of nitrogen, 80% of phosphorus and up to 95% of potassium go into manure.

However, it is not recommended to use fresh manure for top dressing gooseberries. It is better to use a rotted mullein, which should be laid out under each bush at the rate of 4-6 kg per 1 square meter. Moreover, the use of manure fertilizer is possible only when the bushes reach the age of three. Since the age of 5 years, the amount of mullein introduced under the gooseberry increases and reaches 10 kg per square. In the spring, during the melting of snow, manure will saturate the earth with nitrogen, which the gooseberry bushes need during this period. In spring and summer feeding, not solid manure is used anymore, but its solution, which is introduced by the root method and has a very beneficial effect on the growth and development of the shrub.

Wood ash is actively used for autumn feeding of gooseberry bushes and is a storehouse of trace elements and chemical compounds that are easily assimilable for plants. Ash is a substance obtained by burning a tree and containing all the elements that were obtained by the tree during its growth. The only exception is nitrogen, which tends to evaporate during combustion. The chemical composition of the ash depends entirely on how old the tree was at the time of burning and on its species. Thus, birch ash contains up to 12% of potassium, 6% of phosphorus and 40% of calcium, while in the ash of pine trees - only 6% of potassium, 4% of phosphorus, and 30–40% of calcium.

In addition to the listed elements, wood ash contains compounds of magnesium, sulfur, iron, boron and manganese. It is possible to bring ashes in any types of soils. Top dressing is done by dispersing in inter-row strips and around bushes, the approximate dosage is 4-15 kg per 100 m². After the ash has been scattered, deep digging of the soil is recommended. If the ash is not so much, then the introduction can be done pointwise. In this case, the drug is poured in small portions at the root of each bush and by digging it is gently mixed with the ground.

Peat is considered a valuable organic fertilizer and consists of plant residues of marsh plants, decaying with little access of oxygen and high humidity. Peat contains a large amount of nitrogen, but its organic form does not allow plants to absorb nitrogen compounds quickly. Therefore, the use of peat in its pure form is not practiced. Peat substrate is used as a mixture for mulching and unfolds in the root zone of bushes.

Lowland peat is considered the most valuable. It is mined in low-lying areas and contains a huge amount of useful components. The upper layer is formed on elevated depleted areas and is characterized by a high content of organic compounds and high acidity. The intermediate form has the average nutritional and organic content. All types of peat are excellent raw materials for the preparation of another organic fertilizer - compost.

Fertilize gooseberry bushes need humus in the spring and autumn. Humus serves as a mulching material and saturates the earth with organic matter. We can use weeds, cut grass, foliage, peat, tea leaves, egg shells, straw, vegetable peels and sawdust to make compost. Components are folded in a pit or container and covered with foil. Periodically, the pile needs to be mixed, ensuring the flow of oxygen into the lower layers.

Feeding gooseberries need 3 times per season. The first dressing is done in early spring. During this period, nitrogenous compounds and urea are introduced (20 g per bush). In summer, during and after flowering, organic fertilizers can be applied in liquid form at the rate of one bucket per bush. To do this, it is recommended to use a solution of mullein or bird droppings diluted with water in the ratio of 1: 10. In July, during the ripening of berries, fertilizing is not performed.

The third dressing is performed in August immediately after fruiting. Both minerals and organic are used as fertilizers. Gooseberry grows poorly on acidic soil, and at a pH level of more than 6 requires the introduction of lime.

The most common mistakes are the introduction of nitrogenous fertilizers during the flowering and ripening of fruits, as well as improper preparation of humus. Nitrogen must be made only in early spring: if you do it later, the gooseberry will go to the growth of green mass and give a meager crop. As for humus, often inexperienced gardeners dump everything into the compost pile that comes to hand.

As a result, the quality of humus is significantly reduced and its use loses all effectiveness. For the preparation of compost can not use the tops of potatoes and tomatoes, weeds with ripened seeds, boiled vegetables and fruits, diseased plants and peel from citrus.

About how to feed the gooseberries, currants and fruit trees on your site, see the following video.