In the gardens of the Central, Middle Volga and Ural regions of Russia, prune gooseberries have recently become widespread. What is interesting variety? What are the growing conditions for the crop? These questions are of interest to gardeners who decide to start growing a new crop for themselves.
Selection
Prune gooseberry appeared as a result of crossing two varieties - plum and plum 259-23. Breeding work was carried out at the I. V. Michurin All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture under the guidance of an employee of the institute K. D. Sergeeva. In 1992, the variety was approved for use and included in the list of the State Register of Breeding Achievements.
Prune gooseberry has a number of positive characteristics, which allowed it to take its rightful place in gardens and summer cottages. The variety belongs to the group of winter-hardy fruit and berry bushes. It is not very susceptible to powdery mildew, which is very important for a good harvest. The low thorniness of the bush makes it easier to care for the plant. Harvesting also does not cause inconvenience. Berries have high taste characteristics.
In addition to the listed advantages, the main disadvantages of the plant can be distinguished. The main one is the instability of the resulting mass of berries. In different years, it can vary significantly.
Prune gooseberries: variety description
The bush has average height, sprawling, branching and density of shoots. Growing young branches are thick, hairless, green. Old fruiting shoots of medium thickness, light brown. Thorns are weakly expressed, located at the bottom of the branches.
Berries of medium and large size. They are pear-shaped or oval in shape. Fruit color is dark red. When fully ripe, it acquires a black tint. The peculiarity of the variety is the specific sweet and sour taste of berries and their unusual aroma.
Plant care conditions
The prune gooseberry variety does not require special conditions for growing. Gardeners only need to remember the basic rules:
- to increase productivity, several gooseberry bushes of the same or different varieties should grow on the site;
- plant loves well-lit places;
- young shoots are planted in early spring before bud break or early autumn.
Before harvesting, three root dressings of the bush are usually performed with different types of mineral and organic fertilizers. Their first application occurs at the time of leaf blooming. At the very beginning of flowering, a second top dressing is done. During the formation of ovaries -third.
In addition to the listed types of care, it is imperative to remove weeds, loosen the soil, and water if necessary. Pest control also improves yields.
It is not recommended to plant prune gooseberries in areas where raspberries or currants have grown before.
Berry processing
Prune gooseberry with its juicy fragrant fruits is suitable for various types of processing and harvesting for future use. Jelly, juice, wine, jam, marshmallow are prepared from berries. Gooseberries can be used for freezing. Berries are also eaten fresh as a dessert.
Depending on the further purpose of the fruits, they can be harvested unripe, for example, for compotes and pickling. Semi-ripe berries go to jam. Fully ripened, they are excellent raw materials for dessert and table wines. The content of useful substances in them depends on the phase of fruit ripening.
Gooseberries tolerate transportation well. They can be stored up to 3-4 days, waiting for processing. But the fruits must be dry, and the containers where the berries are placed must have a volume of no more than 5 liters.
