To annually collect a good harvest of gooseberries, it is necessary to look after it properly. Including, properly prepare it for the winter. Autumn care for the bush is to carry out a set of activities: processing of trunks, feeding, pruning, watering, disease prevention and protection from the forthcoming frosts.
How to prepare gooseberry bushes for winter?
After the entire harvest is collected from the bushes, they must be treated against pests and diseases. Sprinkle them with a one-percent solution of Bordeaux liquid . You can use other fungicides.
Next, remove all fallen from the bush leaves and weeds and burn them outside the site. Having done this, you will remove all potential sources of diseases and pests.
Next - dig through the soil under the bushes. This is necessary to ensure that all pests that normally hibernate in the soil are frozen during frost, once on the surface.
The next stage of care for gooseberries in autumn when preparing it for winter is a fertilizing with autumn fertilizer. You can use potassium-phosphorus, but not nitrogen fertilizers. They must be brought in directly during the loosening and digging of the soil.
After that, the bushes are watered abundantly so that the roots become stronger and winter overwinter. To prevent pests, the ground around the bushes can be sprinkled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
How to cut gooseberries for the winter?
In early September and until mid-October, it is necessary to cut dry, damaged and old shoots, as well as remove branches that lie on the ground. All the cuts are treated with a solution of copper sulfate and garden varnish.
Pruning we update the plants, form the bushes, reduce the load and achieve larger berries during fruiting.
How to cover gooseberries for the winter?
Before the onset of cold weather, the ground around the gooseberries is mulched with peat or humus, spreading a layer of at least 10 cm.
On the question of whether to cover gooseberries for the winter, the answer depends on the region of residence. If you grow it in the middle band and you have snowy winters, then the snow cover is enough for a normal wintering. You can only periodically shovel snow to the bushes. But if the winters are snowless and cold, then you can hide gooseberries with any covering material.