Features of gooseberry propagation by cuttings

Gooseberry is not one of the most beloved berries, but you can certainly call it useful. These small berries, similar to small watermelons, have a good effect on the cardiovascular system, and with constant use, they can increase immunity to various diseases. Like any bush, the gooseberry bears fruit well and in large quantities. However, its reproduction has some nuances. One of the most effective methods is propagation by cuttings. All about how and when to do it correctly, as well as some other subtleties of this topic, will be discussed in the article.

Below are some of the reasons why many gardeners choose to propagate gooseberries by cuttings.

1. Relative simplicity of the procedure. The cuttings of the plant are simply stuck into the soil. Next, you will need to wait. Watering and constantly moist soil are a major part of cuttings care.

2. Some types of propagation by cuttings great for beginner gardeners.

3. If you want to propagate "foreign" or hybrid gooseberries, then cuttings are best suited. This method is especially good for propagating North American gooseberry hybrids.

4. The resulting seedlings fully inherit the characteristics of the mother bush. This condition cannot be guaranteed when propagated by seeds. Suitable for those farmers who are engaged in breeding one variety.

5. Propagation by cuttings is more gentlethan, for example, dividing a bush (when the rhizome is divided into several parts), for the mother plant and does not injure it much.

6. Further seedlings give good yields.

The culture can not always be propagated by cuttings for several reasons.

1. Propagating gooseberries by cuttings is not the best method if you want 100% rooting.... Reproduction by layering showed a higher level of efficiency.

2. You need to know the variety of the culture. Some varieties reproduce well in only one specific way. Not suitable for scarce gooseberry varieties. You don't need to plant branches in the soil on hot, too sunny or dry days. And also you do not need to do this just before winter.

3. The result largely depends on the quality of the selected materials and the climatic characteristics of the region.... There are no definite dates for the beginning of the preparation of seedlings, their planting in the soil, and so on. It is necessary to focus on suitable weather conditions and the condition of the branches.

4. It is best to start your preparations early. Best of all - a few months before planting. Seedlings prepared a couple of weeks before winter may not survive it.

As a rule, only adult branches (not young shoots) are suitable for grafting. The optimal age of the branches is 5 or 6 years. It is undesirable to take cuttings from branches of a younger age - if they are cut off, the mother bush may die. And also it is worth remembering that cuttings should be taken from the strongest and most fruiting bushes.

Some gardeners claim that the method of propagation by green cuttings is considered one of the most effective and simple. As already mentioned, it is better not to take young shoots, but an exception is made for such cuttings. The reason for this is quite trivial - the cells of young shoots are actively multiplying. Gooseberries are germinated from young shoots that emerged in the spring of the year of the planned planting. As a rule, these young and small shoots from the mother bush are cut off and planted throughout June.

Obviously, lignified shoots take root and adapt much worse than young shoots. Therefore, this method is used to propagate gooseberries even less often - only if the mother bush could not form even young shoots. Any branches are taken as cuttings, but preference is given to those that are at the top of the plant. Another reason why such cuttings are carried out is timing. In the spring there are still no shoots, but in case of urgent reproduction, this method is used.

This method involves the use of a lignified two-year-old shoot that has a small green shoot on it. For grafting, you can take only seedlings no more than 4 cm in length. This type of cuttings has three subspecies: with a crutch (the branch is cut along the growth line for the last year), with a stand (a lignified part is considered a "stand", located perpendicular to the green part of the plant) and with a heel (this category includes cuttings that are simply plucked or tore off).

You can breed gooseberries at almost any time of the year. It is important to comply with deadlines and correct technology.

This period is considered the best for preparing material for future planting. A large category of gardeners practice just such cuttings. However, it is not quite suitable for beginners due to the large number of procedures to be done.

The advantage is that it is easy to grow a cutting and does not need to be planted directly in the ground.... But it is not always possible to create ideal conditions for him to survive the winter safely. For the manufacture of cuttings, you need to choose lignified bushes with young shoots. The shoots themselves should be greenish brown and tough. The branch for future cuttings should already be in a state of suspended animation. Simply put, it should already completely get rid of the leaves. Next, one of the above-described grafting methods is selected. Cuttings of any of the three types are suitable for autumn propagation. Each copy must be at least 15 cm and no more than 25 cm in length. The cuttings of the autumn period are usually cut 2 cm below the extreme bud and the same centimeters above the apical bud.

An important part of growing gooseberries in the fall is preparing for wintering. For this, all seedlings are sprayed with protective agents. Then they are allowed to dry out a little and placed in a plastic bag. You can use cling film instead of a bag. Further, the prepared seedlings are stored in the cellar. You can equip a greenhouse or a small shed on the site. For optimal storage of specimens, the air temperature should not exceed +5 degrees Celsius.

The next stage comes - rooting. Winter is over and spring has come. After the cuttings are removed from the cellar or from the greenhouse, they are carefully examined. You can plant only those samples that have kept their buds alive. The "good" samples are again cut in place of the old ones. Then they are placed in containers of water for 5 hours. The water needs to be changed from time to time. All cuttings can be placed in one jar. The very same jar or container is closed from above with a package. Next, the container is placed in a warm and sunny place. After 5 hours, the package is removed, and the seedlings are stored simply in a container with water (which also needs to be changed regularly). After a certain time, small roots and leaves can be seen in the seedlings.When the roots are 2 cm long, the seedlings are transplanted into pots of water. In May, it is already possible to transplant into the ground.

During this period, they try to plant thermophilic varieties that do not tolerate cold weather. It is best to cut them during this period, because the warm season is ahead, and the plant will have enough strength and time to root before winter.

The method is often used by those who do not want to prepare cuttings for wintering, do not want to do this. All actions must be started at the beginning of March. When replanting in spring, it is important to pick up seedlings without traces of pests or diseases. Usually, half-lignified branches no more than 1 year old are selected for spring transplantation. As a rule, they are green-brown in color, very elastic and "saturated" with juice. For spring cuttings, tops with a length of about 25 cm are selected. The number of buds should be the same - from 4 to 6 pieces. After the seedlings are placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Further, at the bottom of the cutting, a cut is made at a 45-degree angle, and it itself is placed in a container of water for the same 5 hours. The next steps (water germination, potting, and soil transfer) are similar to those described above for autumn cuttings.

They try to root the cuttings in the summer, if in the spring none of the planted branches has taken root. You can plant until the second half of June. It is best if rooting takes place in two stages - first in water, and then in the ground.... The samples are first placed in a container of water. After they have taken root, they must be planted in moist soil at a short distance from each other. The most acceptable material for summer planting is green cuttings.

You can also use another method of planting seedlings. A branch is cut from the mother bush. Its length should be about 50 cm. Next, you need to cut off all the leaves from the branch. The exception is the top two leaves. Next, the prepared branches are planted in the ground. It should be pre-well saturated with fertilizers, and also abundantly watered (it should be wet, but not resemble a swamp).

You need to plant branches at a slight angle. This will help the bush to form lateral roots. After each seedling is covered with a jar. This creates a greenhouse effect. If planting takes place in a greenhouse, then the plants do not need to be covered. With the onset of hot days, the jars must be removed. This is done so that the culture does not overheat and die. It is recommended to install an automatic aeration system at the planting site. Spraying gooseberry leaves is an important part of care and the key to further survival. In summer, gooseberry cuttings take root for about 2 weeks. After that, it makes sense to apply fertilizers (phosphorus and potassium). In the future, these seedlings will also need to be prepared for winter - it will be necessary to reliably cover them with dry leaves or rags.