- Growth type: medium-sized
- Description of the bush: medium spreading, powerful, compact
- Escapes: upright
- Thorniness: medium
- Thorns: small and rare
- Spike location: mostly concentrated at the base of the branches
- Flowers: pale
- Berry size: large
- Berry weight, g: 6
- Berry shape: oval
Gooseberry with an interesting name Green rain was bred in Russia in the 80s. Today this culture has not lost its popularity. On the contrary, gardeners are increasingly paying attention to it due to its good yield and rather easy maintenance.
Description of the variety
Green rain is a fairly powerful medium spreading shrub. It grows on average up to one and a half meters, is characterized by compactness. There are thorns, their average number, so harvesting the fruits will be generally comfortable. Usually thorns in this culture are small and rare, grow at the base of the branches.
The shoots will be erect and densely leafy. The leaves are light green, in a classic gooseberry shape. The plant blooms with pale small flowers.
Characteristics of berries
This gooseberry forms large berries, the weight of which can reach 6 grams. Their shape is oval, and their color is yellow-green. The skin of the fruit is rather thin, there is a slight waxy bloom. Thanks to its transparency, you can easily see the inner veins. The stem of the plant is different in length, so it is very convenient to pick berries from the bush, there is no loss of pulp.
Taste qualities
The inner content of the berry is usually light green. The pulp has an increased juiciness, due to which the berries are most often eaten fresh. The taste has a good balance of sweetness and acidity, leaving a pleasant aftertaste after consumption. All this is accompanied by a light, unobtrusive aroma. Taste assessment by experts - 4.7 points.
Ripening and fruiting
Green rain is a medium-ripening gooseberry. At the end of July, it gives the first berries, but sometimes fruiting shifts to the beginning of August. The plant is fast-growing.
Yield
This variety produces quite a few fruits. The bush allows you to get from 5 to 10 kilograms per season, but if you grow the variety using the standard method, then the amount of harvest can be increased by ¼.
Growing regions
A very well described culture feels at home in the suburbs. But you can grow it not only there. Judging by the reviews of gardeners, Green Rain grows well in the Far East, Siberia, and, in general, in most of the Russian Federation.
Landing
Place the bushes of Green Rain in the sun or in partial shade. Gooseberries of this variety will not tolerate winds and close to the surface of groundwater. As for the soil, loamy fertile soils are the best options. It is important to remember that the plant will not take root on heavy soil with high acidity.
Landing pits are prepared in 14 days. It is very important to clear the site of plant debris, and it will also need to be dug up. When preparing, fertilizers must be applied to the holes, among which there will be humus, superphosphate, potassium sulfate. And you also need to add 2 kilograms of pure river sand.
Healthy two-year-old seedlings are selected for planting. The roots are dipped into a growth stimulator a couple of hours before the procedure. Plants are to be planted in a hole of standard depth (0.5x0.5 m), carefully straightening the roots.The distance between the bushes is 0.8 m. After planting, the plants are watered. The dose for each bush is 10 liters.
Growing and care
Green rain will require moderate watering from the gardener. So, they begin to water the culture when it actively grows. During flowering, irrigation will also have to be done, as in the period of fruit growth. But 14 days before harvesting, the water supply must be completely stopped, otherwise the berries will grow watery, not particularly tasty.
In the spring months, the soil in the near-trunk circle must be loosened, clearing weeds. It is not worth immersing the instrument deeply, so as not to touch the roots. After loosening, the soil is covered with mulch, preferably organic, so that it will then be rewound and become an additional fertilizer for the gooseberry.
In the third year, the plants of the described variety begin to fertilize. So, in the spring they need compost and urea. Such top dressing will allow the shrub to acquire abundant foliage. Shortly before the start of flowering and 14 days after, superphosphate feeding is organized to improve the quality of the ovaries. September is a month of rest. Plants need superphosphate to recuperate and prepare for the cold. It is to be supplemented with potassium sulfate.
You need to cut off and form Green Rain in March or after leaf fall. At the same time, it is important to ensure that there are no dry, diseased or frozen branches left on the plant. It is they who become a breeding ground for diseases.
Disease and pest resistance
Green rain is an extremely hardy crop. It resists powdery mildew especially well. However, it can be affected by white spotting as well as rust. Such ailments should be treated with fungicides. The most dangerous disease is mosaic. Unfortunately, it cannot be treated.
The main pests are sawfly and moth. However, it will be very easy for a careful gardener to get rid of them with insecticides. Aphids are also easy to expel using folk methods. Soap, garlic, wormwood will help here.
In order for the gooseberry to produce a good harvest, it is necessary to devote time to disease prevention.