Medium early gooseberry variety Honey

Gooseberry is one of the favorite berries of gardeners. There are many varieties of this plant, one of them is the mid-early Honey. It is distinguished by its amber color, increased sugar content of fruits and high yield... We will consider the features of the variety and the technology of cultivation in detail.

Description of the variety

Honey gooseberry is a shrub with bright yellow, almost orange berries. Their skin is thin, and the flesh is juicy and very sweet.

History of origin and distribution

This gooseberry was bred by the breeders of VNIIS im. Michurin from the American Purmen variety by pollination with European relatives (Phoenix, Industry, Green Bottle, Careless). The plant was never included in the State Register of Breeding Achievements.

Important! Sometimes the honey gooseberry is described as thornless. This is not true - there are many thorny and sharp thorns on the branches of the bush.

Due to the high varietal qualities of fruits and resistance to various climatic conditions, the culture has become widespread in Russia.

Characteristics and description of the bushes

Honey - a powerful, slightly spreading shrub up to 1.2–1.5 m high. The bark is gray-brown, abundantly covered with strong thorns. There is a lot of greenery, the leaf plate is three-lobed with pubescence on the underside.

The berries are round or drop-shaped, bright yellow in color, weighing 4.5–6.0 g. There are few seeds.

Resistant to temperatures

Honey is widespread due to its endurance - it calmly tolerates frosts down to -30 ° C without shelter. At even lower temperatures, it needs to be wrapped with foam rubber or burlap. In the northern regions, after the autumn pruning, the branches are bent to the ground and fixed with thick wire. The fallen snow will reliably protect the shrub from frost.

In hot climates, Honey tolerates high temperatures up to + 30 ° C, but needs additional watering.

Moisture and drought resistance

Gooseberry variety Honey grows well in moderately moist soils, but does not like soil that is too heavy, with poor drainage. Drought does not tolerate well.

Reference. Beekeepers value gooseberries as an early honey plant (shrub blooms in spring).

With a lack of moisture, the plant discards the resulting fruits. For this reason, it is not grown by agricultural enterprises in southern Russia. In private farmsteads, with regular watering, Honey gives up to 4.5-6 kg of berries from a bush.

Characteristics and description of fruits

The berries of the Medovoy gooseberry are large, round or drop-shaped, weighing about 4.2–6 g. The color ranges from bright yellow to orange, no pubescence. A slight tan is formed on the side facing the sun. The skin is thin. The pulp is juicy, sweet, with a light honey aroma and taste. There are few seeds.

Areas of use

Gooseberries are widely used in cooking. They are used to prepare preserves, jams, confitures, marmalades, preserves. The fruits keep well frozen.

Reference. In folk medicine, berries are used as a diuretic and laxative.

Honey fruits are suitable for transportation. At a temperature of + 12 ... + 15 ° C, they are stored for 1.5–2 weeks without loss of marketability.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Medovoy has many advantages:

• high productivity;
• excellent commercial quality of fruits;
• frost resistance;
• high content of sugars (20% by weight) and vitamin C (3 g per 100 g of berries).

The disadvantages include:

• exactingness to soil, moisture, fertilizers;
• vulnerability to pests;
• the need for regular pruning;
• a large number of thorns that make it difficult to harvest.

The calorie content of gooseberries is only 44 kcal. Therefore, it is recommended to eat overweight people.

Growing technology

Subject to agricultural technology, Honey responds with a generous harvest and longevity. In one place the bush grows and bears fruit for up to 30 years without losing the commercial qualities of the berries.

Optimal conditions

Honey grows well in temperate and temperate continental climates, on drained neutral or slightly acidic soils. With waterlogging, it suffers from fungal diseases, with a lack of moisture, drops the ovary. Shade and partial shade cannot stand.

Helpful! Berries contain a lot of pectins that cleanse the gastrointestinal tract.

Terms and rules of landing

Honey plant is planted in early spring or autumn. A place for a shrub is chosen on a hill, well lit by the sun. Lack of shading is important.

The soil is prepared in advance. The earth is dug to the depth of a bayonet, picking out weeds and roots. At the same time, organic fertilizers are applied - humus, manure.

Seedlings are selected strong, healthy, with at least 3 taproots 25-30 cm long. The fibrous root system should be well developed. The aerial part consists of 2-3 shoots, the bark is without damage and traces of damage.

Before planting, the roots are disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for a day in order to protect the plant from diseases.

A hole for a seedling is prepared with a depth of 40-50 cm and a width of 55-60 cm. An interval of 1.2-1.5 m is maintained between the plants, and 1.5-2 m between the rows.

Further care

To form a healthy, developed bush, gooseberries need watering, dressing and pruning.

Water the plant once every 2 weeks, consuming at least 3 buckets per 1 m². All water is fed under the roots, sprinkling is excluded. With the formation of ovaries and fruiting, the frequency of irrigation is increased up to 1 time per week. At the same time, waterlogging is not allowed.

Recommended application rates:

• every spring when digging, add urea (1 tbsp. l. per 1 m²);
• 1 time in 2 years, on the eve of blooming buds, use organic matter;
• the formation of ovaries requires "Nitrofoska";
• after harvest - organic or superphosphate.

Twice a year, Honey is thinned out - in early spring and autumn, dry branches and excess shoots are removed and removed.

After each watering, the soil under the bushes is loosened and dug up, while getting rid of weeds.

Disease and pest control

The most common reason for the death of bushes is powdery mildew... But Honey is quite resistant to it. The danger awaits gardeners with waterlogged soil, which makes the shrub vulnerable to root rot. Therefore, the plant is provided with good drainage and aeration.

They get rid of weeds in a timely manner, loosen the soil, do not plant gooseberries in the shade and in areas poorly lit by the sun.

Pests dangerous for the culture:

• the sawfly attacks greens, completely destroying the leaves;
• the moth lays eggs during the formation of buds, which leads to rotting of the fruit;
• spider mite leads to the death of leaves and shoots;
• scabbard affects branches and shoots;
• aphids (shoot or leaf gall) settle on the aerial parts of the plant, leading to deformation of leaves and branches.

To protect plants, prevention is carried out in a timely manner. Most pests and gooseberry diseases, gardeners acquire together with seedlings. Therefore, the main rule is to buy plants only from certified and proven nurseries. Gooseberries are propagated on their own only from completely healthy bushes.

If there is a risk of infection, before budding, the culture process solution of "Nitrafen". It is prepared at the rate of 300 g per 10 liters of water.A 5% solution of ferrous sulfate helps well.

In the summer, but not later than a month before harvesting (on average, until mid - end of June), when aphids are affected, Honey is treated with karbofos (1 tbsp. L per 10 l of water).

To protect plants from ticks, the affected shoots are removed and the swollen buds are plucked out.

Wintering

In preparation for the cold season, the near-stem circle is cleaned of dead leaves (eggs and larvae of pests remain on them), dry and old branches are cut out. Garbage is burned. The soil is loosened and sprinkled with sawdust.

In temperate climates, branches are bunched and tied. This will prevent them from breaking out in heavy snow and winds. To protect against rodents, the lower part of the bush is wrapped in a sackcloth.

Reproduction

Three main methods are used to form new bushes:

1. Dividing in autumn gooseberries tolerate well... This method is used when they want to transplant a plant to another place or for highly overgrown specimens. The bushes are divided every 5 years to increase yield.
2. Cuttings - the most difficult and time-consuming breeding procedure. At the beginning of summer, several young shoots with 5-6 leaves are cut off. The lower cut is made oblique, the upper one is horizontal. At a distance of 7-10 cm, the cuttings are planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse and covered with glass or plastic jars. Water as the earth dries up. For the winter, the banks are removed, and the cuttings are covered with acrylic and sawdust. In the spring, they are transplanted to a permanent place, leaving only 3 upper buds above the ground.
3. Layers... One-year-old shoots of an adult bush (5–7 pcs.) Are bent to the ground, placed in grooves 8–10 cm deep, covered with earth and watered. Gradually, the branches develop roots and vertical shoots. During the growing season, the layers are watered and sprinkled with humus 1-2 times per season. After the foliage has fallen off, the formed vertical branches with roots are separated from the layering and rooted in a permanent place.

The easiest way is to divide the bush. As a result of such actions, two are obtained from one plant, while when propagated by cuttings and layering, several dozen new bushes are obtained, but these methods are long and laborious.

Features of cultivation depending on the region

In the south of the country, Honey needs additional watering and mandatory shelter for the winter. The winter temperature in the southern regions drops to -20 ° C, and there is usually little snow. Under such conditions, there is a risk of freezing.

In the northern regions, high snowdrifts reliably protect the shrub from frost.

Pollinating varieties

The honey gooseberry is self-pollinated, therefore it does not need additional varieties of planting. Bees and bumblebees serve as pollinators for the plant.

Reviews of summer residents

Gardeners positively characterize the Honey variety. It is unpretentious in care, fertile, yields a harvest earlier than other relatives, and jam from it has an exquisite aroma and a light honey flavor.

Valentina Nikolaevna, Saratov: “I planted Honey only 3 years ago, but I have already reaped a good harvest. The bush is picky, the berries are beautiful and tasty. This year I made jam - it turned out golden-amber, very tasty and aromatic. "

Alexander Viktorovich, Moscow region: “According to some reviews, the honey yellow gooseberry without thorns, but in fact there are quite a few of them, and this interferes with harvesting. However, the variety ripens earlier than others on the site and looks very beautiful: the branches are literally covered with yellow berries. The taste lives up to the name of the plant. I have 5 grandchildren, so there are no berries left for jam - they eat everything right from the bush, despite the thorns. "

Conclusion

Medovy gooseberry medium-early variety is suitable for different regions, but grows best in temperate climates. The shrub is cold-resistant, but does not tolerate waterlogging and drought.

The berries are unusual - bright, sunny. Taste and aroma with a slight honey tint. The increased sugar content and high content of ascorbic acid make the fruits very valuable. It is not difficult to grow Honey, and it gives excellent yields.