GOOSEBERRY GRUSHENKA: DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIETY WITH CHARACTERISTICS AND REVIEWS, ESPECIALLY PLANTING AND GROWING AND CARE, PHOTO

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Some owners of summer cottages are not particularly keen to get gooseberries, considering it not a very promising berry. But this fruit bush is able to surprise. Consider the domestic variety Grushenka. It tolerates frost and drought, manages with minimal care and is able to please with taste.

History and description of gooseberry varieties Grushenka

The first information about gooseberries appeared in the 13th century. In the wild, there are only about 50 species. Most grow in Europe, the northern parts of Africa and America, Asia. In Russia, found only 3 species of wild gooseberries. But even such a small natural diversity was enough for more than a thousand varieties of cultivated gooseberries to appear on the market by our time.

Among the many varieties I want to single out one domestic with the affectionate name Grushenka. The place of his birth was the All-Russian Institute of Horticulture and Nursery.

Gooseberry Grushenka - achievement of domestic breeders

The plant is medium-sized, slightly spreading and compact. But the bush is densely covered with bright green, slightly shiny foliage. The ability of the shoots to branch strongly helps the young plant to form a bush fairly quickly.

Gooseberry Grushenka - a compact plant

Inflorescences consist of 2-3 flowers. The fruits are sung quickly. In the period of early ripeness, the dense skin of berries is painted in a reddish color. As it ripens, the color changes, acquiring rich purple tones. The average weight of the fetus is from 4 to 5 g. Some sources point to eight-gram fruits. The size is not too large, but the number of berries is simply impressive. Adult branches and annual shoots are densely strewn with them along the entire length. Sometimes, due to the abundance of the crop, foliage is not visible. The taste is pleasant, sweet and sour. The seeds are very small. Assessment of tasters ranges from 4.1 to 5 points.

The shape of the berry is not quite typical for gooseberries - oval-pear-shaped, expanding downward. Thanks to the appearance of the fruit, such a beautiful name for the variety appeared - Grushenka.

Due to the unusual shape of the berries, gooseberries got such a beautiful name - Grushenka

Grade Features:

the absence of thorns on the shoots, which makes the variety very attractive in terms of harvesting;
long life: Grushenka is able to bear fruit annually for 20 years;
although Grushenka blooms early enough, the flowers and ovary do not suffer from return frosts.

Grade characteristics

Domestic breeders endowed Grushenka with unique qualities, thanks to which this gooseberry can be grown in a variety of climatic conditions.

Gooseberry Grushenka refers to medium-late varieties. Technical ripeness occurs in early August, but the berries begin to pluck at the end of July. The fruiting period is not too long. Ripe fruits are not afraid of cracking and hold tightly on branches, so they can expect a harvest without loss. Productivity is quite good. A gardener can collect up to 6 kg of berries from one bush.
The advantage of the variety is its frost resistance. Even bushes not prepared for wintering can survive frosts down to -30⁰C. Also, stoically, a variety can tolerate hot and dry periods.
Grushenka refers to early plants. If you plant a two-year-old seedling, then next spring it will certainly be covered with berries. Of course, the harvest will be small, but in a year or two the variety will surely reach the optimum performance.
Another great advantage of the variety is its excellent immunity. He is not afraid of the diseases that most often affect gooseberries. Among them are powdery mildew, septoria, viral infections.
Grushenka's fruits perfectly tolerate transportation.

The listed abilities only emphasize the versatility of this variety.

Gooseberry Grushenka strikes with an abundance of harvest - branches generously, like beads, decorated with berries

Table: advantages and disadvantages

Advantages	disadvantages
Stable yield	The variety does not like waterlogged soils. Dampness Increases Opportunity fungal infections
The ability to tolerate frost and heat
Excellent disease resistance (powdery mildew and septoria are not terrible).
The absence of spikes on the shoots, which facilitates harvesting
Long plant life - 20 years
Simple agricultural technology

Landing Features

Gooseberry Grushenka is planted according to standard rules. The main thing is to comply with deadlines and recommendations.

Landing time

Wise experience gardeners, planting gooseberries Grushenka, prefer the autumn period. To be more precise, the first half of the season (late September - early October). In this favorable period, the seedling manages not only to take root, but also to grow the root system before the frosty weather.

It is also possible to land in the spring, but the risk is likely to be late with deadlines due to the early onset of the vegetative period. If you plant a seedling from which leaves began to bloom, the process of engraftment will drag on for a long time and the young plant may suffer in the first winter.

The optimal time for landing Grushenka - autumn

Suitable place and soil

Regarding the composition of the soil, Grushenka is very tolerant, which simplifies maintenance. This gooseberry will grow and bear fruit on almost all types of soils, but loam is considered ideal soil. Good friability of the earth, its air and moisture permeability, and nutrition are welcome. Soil acidity should also be considered. To make the reaction close to neutral, use dolomite flour or lime during site preparation.

Gooseberries have a very powerful root system that grows deeper and can independently provide moisture. Therefore, areas with a high occurrence of groundwater should be discarded. Young roots die from excess moisture. In flooded lowlands, Grushenka’s landing on artificial hills is recommended.

Gooseberry Grushenka does not tolerate transplants, so you need to choose a site for planting carefully. Lighted areas are good. Light penumbra is permissible during the hottest period of the day, but not a dense shadow. Another condition for the normal development of the seedling is protection from the north and east wind. For this reason, gardeners often plant gooseberries along fences or buildings.

Traditionally, light and windproof places are selected for gooseberries

Grushenka should not be planted in areas where currants or other gooseberry varieties have just been uprooted. Good precursors are vegetables.

Soil preparation and planting pit

To comply with absolutely all the rules of soil preparation, you need to start preparing for planting gooseberries in a year. Siderates (lupine or vetch) are planted on the selected site. Some gardeners recommend using areas where dahlias were grown before gooseberries. These noble flowers damp weeds, including wheat grass. In the preparatory period, they try to make the earth more nutritious. To do this, the following substances are added under deep digging, having previously distributed them on the soil surface (the amount of fertilizer is calculated for 10 m²):

manure or humus in the amount of 15 kg;
phosphorite flour - 2 kg;
potassium salt - 0.4 kg.

When making phosphorite flour, lime or dolomite flour for deoxidation of the soil can not be used.

In heavy soils containing a lot of clay, in the preparatory period, in addition to fertilizers, a large amount of sand is applied so that the earth can quickly remove excess moisture.

In the preparatory period before planting, it is important to properly fertilize the earth

A pit for planting is prepared in a month. If the landing was planned for spring, then dig a hole and fill it in the fall.

On a piece of land cleared of plant debris, we dig a hole 50/50 cm in size.
If preliminary soil preparation with fertilizing has not been carried out, then you can replenish the supply of nutrients at the stage of preparing the pit. To do this, add to the top layer of earth set aside during digging:
- 100 g of ash;
- 50 g of double superphosphate;
- 40 g of potassium sulfate;
- 5 kg of organics.
All components are mixed well and introduced into the landing pit.

If you are planting several bushes, then in order to avoid unnecessary thickening of plantings, you must adhere to the recommended scheme: the distance between the bushes should be from 1 to 2 m.

Seedling Selection

This is an important point. From the correct choice of planting material depends on how much later the potential of the variety is revealed. Therefore, it is worth paying attention to the following points:

The length of skeletal roots is not less than 14 cm. The root system itself should be fluffy and fibrous. The color is brownish yellow. The absence of black spots and mechanical damage indicates healthy roots.
The presence of developed shoots - at least 3 pcs. Length - from 40 cm. The bark is light, elastic, without spots and damage.
Inspect the foliage. It should be even color, without yellowness.
Make sure the seedling is not infected by pests.

Buying seedlings is best in the fall. A large selection allows you to correctly assess the condition of the tree.

To make the crop happy, choose only healthy seedlings

Step-by-step landing process

Before planting, be sure to assess the state of the root system and prepare a seedling. To do this, soak the roots for 12 hours in water with a dissolved root stimulant (for example, Kornevin, Kornerost, Heteroauxin). Then cut the shoots, leaving 5-6 buds, and spray with any adaptogen - Zircon, Epin, you can infused in a water mashed leaf of aloe.

In the middle of the pit, build a mound 9 cm high. Put a bush on its top and spread the roots with your hands.
Fill the roots with earth, gently shaking the seedling, so that the soil is better distributed between the roots.
When the pit is half-filled, water the bush using a watering can with a shower head. After the liquid has absorbed, fill up the remaining earth and water again.
After 15 minutes, when there is no water left on the surface, mulch the root zone. To do this, use cut grass, hay, sawdust or humus.

Video: planting gooseberries in spring

Care

Gooseberry Grushenka - unpretentious variety. But in order to help the plant show its full potential, it must be properly looked after.

Watering and loosening the soil

Grushenka tolerates dry periods well, but still it’s not worthwhile to completely dry the soil, especially during high temperatures, when moisture evaporates very quickly.

Frequent watering is not suitable for Grushenka. 4 humidifications per season are enough:

at the end of flowering;
when the ovaries begin to form;
during the ripening of berries;
before wintering - in October.

The first two waterings will positively affect the size of the fruit, the taste and juiciness. Pre-winter hydration will relieve the roots of dryness, which will help to avoid freezing.

For gooseberries planted in spring, more frequent watering is required, since the plant must successfully pass the adaptation period and grow roots.

At each watering under the bush, it is enough to pour 15-20 liters of water. Moreover, watering is carried out only on the projection of the crown, in specially designed circles. In the hottest period, you can additionally moisten the plants, but only if you notice leaves fading during the day or drying and sluggish fruits.

Gooseberry bush is watered in a specially formed circle

It is important to use warm water for irrigation of Grushenka. The gooseberry root system does not like the contrasting temperature difference between soil and water.

For the normal development of gooseberries, you need to keep the soil around the bush clean. It is important to get rid of weed grass in time, which takes away part of the nutrients from the plant, and loosen the ground in order to improve air exchange in the root system. On heavy soils, shallow digging can be used; for light soils, simple loosening will suffice.

During the growing season you need to carry out at least 4 cultivations.

Top dressing

Fertilizers added to the planting pit for 3 years will provide gooseberries with food. Starting at age 4, nutrients will need to be added regularly. With proper nutrition, Grushenka will delight you with large and sweet berries.

Table: Fertilizing

Period	Fertilizers
In March - April, until budding	Urea, ammonium nitrate and ammonium nitrate 10-20 g per 1 m²
The end of May - the beginning June, in the period ovary formation
At the time of pouring berries	Wood ash. Up to 400 g per bush
Fall	Superphosphate - 45 g and potassium salt - 30 g per 1 m². Before the last dig in October, compost is made. Manure is used as mulch

Pruning

Grushenka does not like bush thickening. A poorly ventilated plant can easily become infected with a fungal disease, branches grow old quickly, and gooseberry productivity decreases.

The first 5 years are engaged in the formation of the bush:

The first pruning is done at the time of planting. Weak shoots are completely cut out. On the strong - leave up to 5 kidneys.
In the second year and in subsequent years, 3-5 of the strongest and most well-located are selected from overgrown zero shoots. Unripe ends pinch for better branching. The rest are deleted.
The formed Grushenka bush should have 5 main shoots and from 12 to 20 branches of different ages.

The formation of a gooseberry bush is engaged in the first 5 years

Pruning adult bushes is as follows:

regulation of the number of branches by removing excess zero shoots;
cutting out sick, old (over 3 years old), weakly bearing, growing in the middle of the bush;
spring removal of frozen and wind-broken branches.

Video: gooseberry pruning

Backup

Gooseberry Grushenka during fruiting is densely strewn with berries. From the abundance of the crop, the branches often lie on the ground. To avoid such problems, pre-mount supports made of hard wire or wooden blocks.

So that the branches do not lie on the ground under the weight of the crop, you can build a support

Winter preparations

If you follow agricultural technology, water, cut and feed the bush on time, then an adult plant does not need shelter, as it can overcome the winter period. Except that a large snowdrift that can be gathered around gooseberries will not hurt. In a snowless winter, it will be useful to cover the basal area with a layer of manure.

Young seedlings are more vulnerable. For their safe wintering, you can use non-woven covering material and a thick layer of mulch.

Frosted adult gooseberry bush Grushenka is not afraid of frost

Diseases and Pests

The Grushenka variety is striking in its ability to withstand common gooseberry diseases, among which powdery mildew is most common. But failure to follow simple rules of care undermines the natural immunity of the plant. Then problems in the form of diseases and pests certainly cannot be avoided. Shrubs that grow in conditions of high humidity and are very thickened are especially affected. In order to start treating gooseberries in a timely manner, you need to recognize the disease in time.

Table: Diseases specific to the Grushenka variety

Disease	Symptoms	Control measures	Prevention
Antrdacnosis	It affects the leaves. They are covered in dark red spots. On the later stage disease development on sheet plate appears dry and rough brown crust. The patient plants observed early fall and termination fruiting.	During the flowering period, spray the bushes with copper sulfate.After harvesting, dig the soil and pour it with iron or copper sulfate.	In time, remove fallen leaves and heavily affected branches. Burn them. In early spring, dig and spray the bushes and the earth around with Bordeaux fluid. Perform thinning pruning. Make sure that the soil under the bush is not waterlogged
Drying out	Often striking groomed bushes. Appear on the bark cracks in which bead-like formations are visible. These are spores of mushrooms. The trunk is gradually drying out.	At the first sign of illness, use 3% copper sulfate.	Observe the basic rules for caring for gooseberries. When cutting, use a sanitized tool. Cut points with 1% Bordeaux fluid
Columnar rust	On the bottom side leaves on flowers and ovaries appear yellow pads or orange. Closer to fall, affected parts plants are covered fluffy coating. Leaves and fruits crumble.	Spray 3 sprays with 1% Bordeaux fluid: at the time of leaf opening; when flower buds swell; immediately after flowering. With a significant lesion, you can conduct another one 10 days after the third treatment. Fitosporin is also used, using the drug strictly according to the instructions.	Burn fallen leaves. Perform timely thinning pruning. Loosen the soil. Destroy sedge around landings
Sphere library	Disease causing mycelium overgrowth in all parts gooseberries - stalks, leaves, fruits. With time white felt plaque acquires brown color. Struck in early ripening berries stop developing.	An excellent result is shown by treatment with soda ash. The solution is prepared by mixing 50 g of soda and grated soap in 10 l of water. After 10 days, the treatment is repeated.	In the autumn, dig the soil under the bush with potash fertilizers. Promptly remove fallen leaves and berries from under the bush, cut diseased shoots and destroy them. Do not plant tomatoes and potatoes near gooseberries.

Photo gallery: learning to recognize diseases

: At the initial stage of anthracnose, the leaves become covered with small spots

: Gooseberry drying out caused by fungal spores

: Column rust causes shedding of leaves and fruits

: In addition to berries, a sphere library is capable of hitting leaves and stems.

Table: pests, how to recognize and destroy

Pest	Signs of infection	Control measures	Prevention
Aphid	It harms gooseberry leaves. It affects young shoots, sucks the juice from the leaves, as a result of which they curl, fade and fall off.	At the first appearance of aphids, spray the gooseberries with Actellic or Wofatox. When diluting the solution, use the instructions.	Fight Weed. Before the aphid has manifested, you can use folk remedies. A good result is shown by spraying with a strongly smelling garlic solution (300 g per 10 l of water). Planting spicy herbs around gooseberries.
Fire	Butterfly lays eggs in buds and inflorescences. Emerging caterpillars eat up the flesh of berries. A sure sign of damage with a fire-aid is a reddened fruit before the ripening period. The berries are as if covered with a thin cobweb.	Before budding and at the end of flowering, use Actellik, Karbofos or IskruM.	In late autumn, dig a land under the bush. Manually you can collect spider webs with a small lesion of the bush. To prevent the passage of caterpillars under the ground, lay out pieces of roofing material or other solid material under the bush.
Spider web mite	The first signs can be found in May. The pest braids with a thin spider web of the tops of young shoots, leaves and inflorescences. Eating juice, leaves traces on the sheet in the form of small bright spots, which, growing, resemble a marble pattern. The leaf blade dries and falls.	Before budding, treat gooseberries with Zolon, Metaphos, Karbofos or Wofatox. If another treatment is needed, it is carried out before flowering begins.	Collect and burn fallen leaves. Dig the soil under the bush in the fall. Use infusion of onion husks. 1 part of the husk is poured with 2 parts of water and insisted for 2 days. Filter and dilute with water 2 times. Processing is carried out once a week.

Photo gallery: by what signs can a pest be detected

: Aphids love to settle in a colony on young gooseberry shoots

: The sure signs of a firearm defeat are reddened berries before the ripening period

: The spider mite gives itself out as a light spider web and small light spots on the leaves

Harvesting

Berries are harvested when a period of full ripeness of gooseberries comes. This is easily recognized by the color of the skin. For harvesting, it is best to choose a non-hot and dry day. Place the berries in a shallow bowl, trying to immediately sort the whole berries separately from the damaged ones.

Fruit picking is best started with the outer branches. Only after they have been freed from the load of the crop, you can tackle the branches growing inside the bush.

Gooseberries in a cool room can be stored for up to 5 days. To do this, they are best collected in wicker baskets with a capacity of up to 2.5 kg.
If the fruits are harvested 2-3 days before ripening, then their shelf life may increase to 10 days.
Keep gooseberries up to one and a half months will help content at a temperature of 0⁰C and humidity 90%. In this case, the berries are poured into small cardboard boxes or baskets.
Temperature -2⁰C extend shelf life up to 3-4 months. But before laying the berries for storage, it is necessary to cool at a temperature of 3-4⁰C so that they do not fog up, and only then put in bags.

The most benefits you can get from eating Grushenka berries in their natural form. Fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are used in the treatment of anemia, hypertension. Antioxidant properties - an excellent prevention of oncology. In addition, low-calorie Grushenka berries are used in diet food.

But in the winter, you can cook a lot of goodies and usefulness from the gooseberry Grushenka. Jams, jams, compotes and toppings for baking come in handy in the cold season.

A generous harvest of gooseberries Grushenka is an excellent occasion for making jam

Gardeners reviews

More stable varieties than Grushenka, I have not yet seen, but why, it is not difficult to guess, to the torment, the rest is passing through, like anthracosis.
Lugovoi Vladimir//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=3813

The most favorite variety now - Grushenka - already yielded a wonderful harvest in the second year, the twigs were completely covered with berries, one minus - the twigs of such heaviness lay on the ground - put a spruce under them.
NIVE//forum.tvoysad.ru/viewtopic.php?t=971&start=90

Grushenka bears fruit for the 2nd season, there are a lot of berries, not a single bush is as loaded as this variety. The taste in that year was average. I like the shape and size of the berries.
Elvir//forum.vinograd.info/showthread.php?t=427&page=116

My friend collects a collection of fruit plants "for a lazy summer resident." These are plants of old proven varieties, which are not the most-most productive, but do not require pedantic and regular care, while not susceptible to disease and with very tasty fruits. He found a variety of gooseberries Grushenka. The variety is almost without thorns, with very tasty berries, highly winter-resistant and resistant to powdery mildew, Septoria, viral diseases. Productivity - 5-6 kg per bush! I really wanted to have such a variety in my household.
Moscow farmer//fermer.ru/forum/sadovodstvo/211153

Grushenka is medium-sized berries, but because of the abundance of berries they cannot be large. I have one bush formed on the stem, the yield is so large that there are not enough leaves to cover it. It is very stable, the taste is pleasant, not very sweet, but refreshing. Late variety, stored for a long time on the bush, spines are single at the bottom of the bush (in fact, I form all the bushes on the stem, look beautiful, easy to care for, easy to harvest).
lyulik//www.sadiba.com.ua/forum/showthread.php?p=3836

Gooseberry Grushenka is an indisputable favorite in many gardens of Russians and residents of the former Soviet republics. This unpretentious plant will not force you to spend a lot of effort on its cultivation. It is only necessary to observe some simple rules of care in order to maintain a strong immunity and endurance of the plant. In gratitude, you will receive a chic crop that carries many health benefits. And from the berry beads that adorn the branches, it will simply be impossible to take their eyes off.

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