Frost-resistant late-ripening Spinefree gooseberry

The Spinefree gooseberry variety was bred at the beginning of the 20th century and has not yet lost its popularity. This is due to a number of its advantages, including stable fruiting, immunity to diseases and pests, drought and frost resistance. Consider the technique of planting seedlings and the rules of care that are important to follow in order to obtain a rich harvest of berries.

What is this gooseberry variety

Spinefree is a late-ripening gooseberry variety that ripens in late summer. The bushes begin to bear fruit 2-3 years after planting, the yield is 4-6 kg per plant.

The readiness of the fruits for harvesting is judged by the color: they should turn dark red. The berries are stored in the refrigerator or cellar for no longer than 10 days.

History of origin and distribution

Spinefree gooseberry was bred by Canadian scientists in 1935 as a result of selection of 2 generations. So, initially the slightly thorny gooseberry was crossed with the Victoria variety, which resulted in the forms of completely thornless plants. To create Spinefree, they were crossed with the Canadian gooseberry Melby.

Description of Spinefree gooseberry

The plant is a tall shrub with long (1–1.2 m), powerful, arched, smooth shoots or shoots covered with a small number of weakly expressed thorns and a medium spreading spherical crown.

The leaves are rich, bright green, large.

Resistant to temperatures

It is a frost-resistant variety. Bushes and roots tolerate air temperature drops down to -30 ... -34 ° C, therefore Spinefree is successfully grown in all regions.

Moisture, drought resistance and immunity

The plant does not need frequent and abundant watering. Shrubs tolerate hot weather well, and periods of prolonged drought do not provoke shedding of fruits. At the same time, waterlogging of the soil increases the risk of decay of the root system.

The variety is resistant to powdery mildew and other crop-specific diseases and pests.

Characteristics and description of fruits

After a flowering period, which occurs in May, fruits appear on the bushes. At first, the skin of the berries is colored green, but as it ripens, the hue changes, and ripe fruits acquire a dark red color with green veins.

The berries are oblong-rounded, dense, weigh 4–6 g. Dessert taste, sweetness prevails, slight sourness is felt.

Areas of use

Spinefree berries are consumed fresh and used for processing: making jams, jams, jellies, marmalade, wine and other preparations.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The main advantages of the Spinefree gooseberry:

• the absence or a small number of thorns on the shoots;
• the possibility of universal use of fruits;
• high degree of drought and frost resistance;
• stable fruiting;
• abundant productivity;
• good keeping quality and transportability;
• excellent dessert taste;
• immunity to diseases and pests;
• self-fertility;
• ease of reproduction;
• no need for winter shelter.

Disadvantages:

• demanding lighting and soil composition;
• intolerance to high soil moisture;
• the need for regular pruning.

Growing technology

The agrotechnical requirements of the variety are to choose a suitable place for planting, proper soil preparation and proper plant care.

Optimal conditions

When choosing seedlings, preference is given to 2-year-old specimens with a height of at least 30 cm with 2-3 powerful shoots, 3-5 well-developed lignified roots 10 cm long and many fibrous roots. Before planting, remove all dry and damaged areas of the roots, and the aerial part is cut off, leaving no more than 5-6 buds.

For landing Spinefree, they choose a place located on a hill, well-lit and protected from gusty winds and drafts with a groundwater level of at least 1.5 m.

Reference. Lack of sunlight leads to a decrease in yield, deterioration in the quality and taste of the berry.

Gooseberry prefers fertile, loose soil with good air and moisture permeability, neutral to medium acidity (pH from 6.5). The best option is loam, and in clay, swampy and acidic soil, the culture does not grow and develop well.

2 weeks before planting the seedlings, the soil in the selected area is dug up, cleaned of weeds and fertilized with humus.

Terms and rules of landing

Plants are planted in spring (late March - early April) or autumn (late September - early October). In the case of autumn planting, the plants adapt faster to new conditions.

Landing scheme:

1. On the prepared area, form rows, keeping 1.5–2 m between them.
2. Every 1–1.5 m, dig planting holes 0.6 m deep and 0.5 m in diameter.
3. At the bottom of each recess, lay a layer of expanded clay or broken brick drainage.
4. Fill the wells halfway with nutritious soil mixture (1/2 of the excavated soil, 10 kg of manure or compost, 150-200 g of superphosphate, 1.5 tbsp. Wood ash and 60 g of limestone).
5. Place the seedlings in the holes, sprinkle with earth and tamp it.

To reduce the distance between the bushes by 20-30 cm and save space on the site, Spinefree is grown on a trellis.

Further care

The bushes are watered as the soil dries up, on average, once every 7-10 days, increasing the water consumption if dry weather is established during the ripening of the berries.

To improve aeration and moisture permeability of the soil, after watering or rain, the trunk circle is loosened to a depth of 5 cm maximum.

During the first 3 years after planting, the gooseberries are not feed, then fertilizers are applied according to the scheme:

• autumn: 5 kg of compost or manure, 40 g of superphosphate and 0.5 tbsp. wood ash under each bush;
• late spring - early summer: ammonium nitrate or urea (80 g / bush);
• early spring, immediately after flowering and during the formation of ovaries: liquid organic fertilizers (for example, a solution of mullein or bird droppings).

Formative pruning held annually, in early spring or late autumn. Remove old, damaged branches growing inside the bush, shoots older than 5 years with an increase of less than 15 cm and all root shoots, unless reproduction or rejuvenation of the plant is planned. 3-4 developed, strong annual shoots are left on the bush.

Possible problems, diseases, pests

Due to the high immunity of the variety and its resistance to diseases and pests, the bushes do not need regular preventive treatment with fungicidal and insecticidal preparations. It is enough to follow the rules of caring for shrubs, do not overmoisten the soil.

Wintering

The variety is characterized by a high degree of frost resistance and does not require additional shelter.

Preparation of bushes for winter consists in carrying out water-charging irrigation at the end of the growing season - 30–40 liters of water for each bush. In winter, the trunk circle is insulated with snow.

Reproduction

Spinefree gooseberries are propagated vegetatively. It is allowed to use cuttings that take root quickly, but the best way is basal shoots.

In early spring, shallow trenches are dug around the trunk of an adult bush.The shoots located below are tilted to the ground, laid in prepared trenches, secured with wire or special brackets and sprinkled with soil.

The young twigs that emerge from the shoots are provided with proper care, which consists primarily of weekly watering. When they reach a length of 10 cm, they are spud.

In autumn, root suckers are separated from the mother bush and planted in a permanent place.

Features of cultivation depending on the region

The Spinefree variety adapts to any climatic conditions, so its planting and care requirements do not change depending on the growing region.

Important! This is a self-fertile gooseberry. During flowering, bisexual flowers are formed on the bushes, therefore, no additional pollinating varieties are required for Spinefree to bear fruit.

Reviews of summer residents

Gardeners leave positive reviews about the Spinefree variety.

Valentina, Moscow region: “We bought a dacha 10-11 years ago, began to plant a plot, and I decided to plant gooseberries. We don't have much space, so I chose a self-pollinated variety so that I didn't have to plant other varieties as well. As a result, I bought Spinefree and never regretted it. The bush is large and very beautiful, especially during flowering, it bears fruit steadily, the harvest is rich. Large berries and delicious. We do not have time to eat them fresh, so I use some of them for processing - the jam and jams are simply delicious. "

Margarita, Bryansk region: “This is the best gooseberry for me. Yes, he is picky about watering, lighting and sun, but I do not consider this a serious drawback. It is enough to choose a suitable place on the site and take responsibility for caring for the bushes. But the yield is high, the fruiting is stable, the berries are very tasty. At the same time, Spinefree is also not afraid of frost, does not get sick and is not affected by pests. "

Conclusion

Spinefree is a drought and frost-resistant gooseberry variety characterized by sweet-sour berries of universal purpose, stable and high yields, self-fertility, and immunity to diseases and pests. Among the shortcomings are the plant's exactingness to lighting and soil composition, intolerance to waterlogging of the soil and the need for annual formative pruning.