How to Water Gooseberries in Summer - Best Ways to Water

Watering is an important step in the care of various crops. The vegetation, flowering and further ripening depend on whether the plant has enough moisture. This article provides information on how to water your gooseberries and which watering methods are best for you.

Description of culture

Gooseberry belongs to the genus of currant plants. His bushes usually do not grow taller than one and a half meters. The layered bark varies in color from dark gray to dark brown. It usually blooms in May with inconspicuous small flowers interspersed with red-green hues. The fruits outwardly resemble small watermelons, have a sweet and sour taste. Ripening of berries is uneven, therefore it is recommended to collect in parts. Ripe berries are rich in nutrients and a large amount of vitamin C.

Gooseberry sprig

How often to water gooseberries and currants

Gooseberry is a crop that grows well and bears fruit if the soil at the roots is in a constant moist state. Watering the bushes every day is not required, you should pay attention to the weather conditions. If it rains in a day or two, the roots will have time to absorb enough moisture. If the weather is dry, it is necessary to water the gooseberries once a week with clean water in an amount of about 30 liters under the bush.

In the first spring, the gooseberry bush after planting in the fall is recommended to be watered regularly throughout the growing season. The soil where the root system is located should be 65-80% moist. This is usually checked with a special device. In the absence of such, the following method of determination will help: take a handful of earth from the soil at a depth of 20 cm, crumple it in your hand and throw it from a height of 1 m.A whole lump or several large parts of it remain - the moisture is ideal, crumbled into small components - watering is required.

Gooseberries and currants

To obtain a rich harvest, watering is required during gooseberry flowering. It is recommended to pour warm water under the base of the plant so that the ground is saturated with moisture by 30-40 cm.

Mature fruiting plants require more intensive watering until the first softness of the berries appears. Then watering the gooseberries in the summer stops, thereby making it possible to accumulate sugar in the fruits. After harvesting, watering of the bush is resumed until the end of October - beginning of November. At the same time, pre-winter watering is strongly recommended, bringing the soil to a creamy state. It will allow the plants to accumulate as much moisture as possible, which will make it easier for them to endure frost and temperature changes during the winter months.

Gooseberry flowers

In early spring (late February - early March), even before the buds swell, gooseberries and the soil under them are spilled with boiling water more than once.Hot water with a temperature of up to 80 ° C will not harm the bush, because it is still at rest after hibernation, while relieving various infections, including powdery mildew spores. Then the bushes are cut and sprayed with special chemicals for various diseases and their pathogens. At the same time, the earth is sprinkled with a layer of peat, sawdust or humus. Such a pillow will retain moisture in itself, interfering with the full development of weeds.

Watering methods

There are several ways to water gooseberries in summer. Popular ones are presented below.

Drip

Drip irrigation is supplied through specially drawn irrigation lines, which are placed at a distance of no more than half a meter from the plant. Such an irrigation system does not require a warm water supply, since the low flow rate allows the water to heat up naturally. In addition, liquid plant food can be added to this system.

Drip irrigation

Wet soil, slow irrigation, top dressing will help the gooseberry to be nourished and not burn the roots, as, for example, when pouring liquid fertilizer on dry soil.

Aryk

Another economical type of irrigation from a ditch. The bush is slightly huddled so that its trunk is at the base of a small embankment. Then, along the perimeter of the root system, slightly stepping back from the crown, a mound of earth 10-15 cm high is laid out. You should get a small ditch, which is then filled with a sufficient amount of water.

Aryk

Aryk can be made in a simpler way: dig a recess around the bush to the size of a shovel's bayonet and fill this recess with water. This method of irrigation does not require constant loosening of the soil, it saves time and money.

Spraying

Spraying gooseberry foliage is carried out only in cloudy weather after sunset, so as not to burn the crown. This method will slightly refresh the foliage from dust and small insects, if any.

Spraying

Watering at the root

Watering under the root with warm water after sunset is done 3-4 times a season before the ripening of the first soft fruits. It is at this time that moisture is absorbed by the roots of the plant, without evaporating or burning them.

Watering at the root

Sprinkling

Sprinkling is the most popular way of watering garden and horticultural crops among summer residents. The specially installed system does not require any effort, irrigating the plants with water. This method is used when there is a threat of frost throughout the night before sunrise. For gooseberries, this is not the most favorable way of watering, since constant moisture on the leaves can cause the appearance of harmful microorganisms, and watering in the sun can burn the foliage.

Dissolve

Another, effortless, watering method is an influx. This is when water is calmly poured out of a hose laid on the ground. The position of the hose must be changed several times, so this method cannot be called uncontrolled. In addition, water spills in different directions, the soil does not always have time to absorb it immediately, which leads to uneven moisture in the open ground.

A few words about fertilization

To get a healthy and fruitful plant, do not forget about feeding. In the first year of planting, gooseberries only need a correct "drinking regime", loosening and stabilization of the number of shoots. Starting from the second spring, the berry culture should be fed.Before flowering, gooseberries need nitrogen, which can be used both dry and liquid. Nitrogen can be added until the second half of August. If you continue longer, this will cause the growth of new gooseberry shoots, which will not have time to get stronger before the frost.

In autumn, gooseberries can be fertilized with a mixture of phosphorus and potassium, which will help the wood to ripen and get stronger, and the plant to withstand the temperature drop in winter.

Fertilizer

Only moist soil is fertilized, which allows you not to burn the roots of the plant.

Compliance with the rules of watering, feeding and creating favorable conditions for gooseberries will help to collect a rich harvest and enjoy the pleasant sweet and sour taste of berries for more than one year.