Gooseberry Commander - features and characteristics
Content:
Gooseberry Commander, or, as it is also called, gooseberry Vladil, relatively recently became known to a wide circle of gardeners. The popularity of the variety, which arose literally from the first years, does not subside today, it still occupies one of the first positions in the list of desires not only for summer residents, but also for those who are engaged in the cultivation of gooseberries on an industrial scale.
Description and characteristics of the gooseberry Commander
The authorship of the variety belongs to V.S.Ilyin, an employee of the South Ural Research Institute. Work on breeding the variety began in 1990-1991. In 1995, the variety was included in the register of breeding achievements, received a registration certificate and was recommended for planting and cultivation in the Volga region, South Urals and Western Siberia.
Gooseberry Commander
The parental pair of crossing was the African gooseberry and the Chelyabinsk green varieties. After crossing, the variety obtained the qualities of both parent varieties.
Characteristics of the bushes
The bush belongs to the group of vigorous plants, reaching a height of 1.2-1.5 m. Gooseberry, thornless Commander of medium early maturity. Shoots are tall green with an emerald tint. Thorns on young shoots are absent, they appear in the last 3-4 years of the life of the bush in the lower root part of the shoots. The leaf plate is five-lobed, wrinkled, the veins are pronounced, the color is dark green. Flowers of medium size, bright color, collected in inflorescences of 2-3 flowers. Pedicels are long.
Characteristics of berries
The berries are calibrated, medium-sized, spherical in shape. The color at ripening is dark red with a transition to brown. The weight of young plants is up to 5 g, during the period of active fruiting, 2.5-4.5 g, depending on weather conditions. The peduncle is thin, long.
Gooseberry
Features of the variety
Gooseberry Commander, zoned for the unfavorable climate of the Southern Urals and Western Siberia, has a short ripening period. Harvesting begins in the second decade of July and ends by early August. The yield is high, starting from 3-4 years, the bushes reach maximum productivity. The duration of the fruiting period is on average 7-8 years. After that, there is a decline in yield from 3-7.5 kg of berries from a bush to 2.5-4 kg.
Taste qualities
The description of the Komandor gooseberry variety says that the berries have a sweet and sour taste. However, it is impossible to say that this is sour. In rainy years, the acidic component prevails in the flavor range, and in a sunny and dry year, acid will have a secondary tint.
In terms of chemical composition, berries have up to 13% plant sugars, and ascorbic acid can reach 53-54 mg / 100 g of fresh berries.
The berries have a low seed content and a thin peel, so they can be used both for fresh consumption and for making preserves, compotes, and jams. Dessert-type gooseberry Vladil (Commander).Great for preparing baby food.
Drought resistance and frost resistance
Cultivation of the variety is recommended for regions with long winters, fast, short summers and equally fleeting autumn and spring. The plant easily tolerates frosts down to -25 ° C. In summer, the fruits ripen at a temperature of 17-19 ° C.
The frost resistance of the plant has one feature - the variety does not tolerate strong winds and drafts. Therefore, it is recommended that you choose your seat carefully when landing.
Wintering a bush with tied branches
Disease and pest resistance
The advantage of the variety is not only the absence of thorns on the shoots, but also high resistance to diseases and pests. The variety is not affected by powdery mildew. Resistance to other biological ailments such as anthracnose and moth is mediocre.
Using berries
Ripe berries are suitable for making juices, mousses, mashed potatoes. In preparations for the winter, they are used as a product for making jam and jelly. In recipes for juices and compotes, berries are added as a natural carrier of ascorbic acid, which gives a pronounced sourness. It is also served as a fresh dessert berry.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Komandor variety (Vladil)
When grown on a personal plot, the variety is valued for its high yield and excellent taste. The Komandor gooseberry variety is high-yielding, it allows you to get consistently high yields in industrial cultivation. The economic benefit here lies in the possibility of systemic irrigation and cultivation when tied to trellises.
The gooseberries do not crumble, even when they are overripe, most of the berries remain hanging on the shoots.
The disadvantage of the variety is the need for its rapid processing, it is relatively poorly preserved and is difficult to transport.
Planting young seedlings on the site
For planting, well-rooted plants with developed shoots, 1-2 years old, are selected. The seedlings are pretreated with stimulating drugs. The roots are straightened and trimmed around the edges. Shoots are cut into 2-3 buds.
Landing time and pattern
For autumn planting, the time is chosen after harvest before the start of frost. This usually occurs in the second half of September and early October. For spring planting, the optimal time before the start of bud break is mid-April - early May.
Planting a bush by dividing
With a prolonged period of spring bad weather, the planting dates are shifted to a warmer period. In the fall, especially in dry years, additional watering and feeding of plants are necessarily carried out.
The planting scheme can be ordinary and trellis. In the first case, the distance is maintained at 1-1.5 m, in the second it decreases to 0.7-1 m.
Choosing a landing site
The peculiarity of the variety is that with a high demand for moisture, the gooseberry does not tolerate wetlands and lowlands. Where groundwater flows close to the surface, rainwater and moisture may accumulate from melting snow.
The plant does not tolerate open areas blown by north and north-west winds. Optimal landing conditions are wind-sheltered areas on the southern, well-warmed, slopes or sides of the site.
Site preparation
For the Komandor gooseberry, podzolic, sod and loamy soil types are considered preferable. For planting, a flat area of 2 × 2 m per one bush is planned. Before planting, it is recommended to remove unnecessary items from the site to ensure access to the plant from all sides. For planting, you need to prepare compost or manure.
Planting process
For planting, a hole is prepared with a depth of 30-40 cm and measuring 50 × 50 cm. Humus or manure is laid on the bottom with a layer of 4-5 cm, on top a layer of 1-2 cm of fertile soil.
The seedling is set straight, the roots are spread over the entire area of the hole. When backfilling the soil, a rammer is made, a pivot mound is formed and a groove for irrigation is formed on the surface.
Watering on the day of planting is abundant. The water temperature must be at least 10 ° C. After watering, the near-stem circle is mulched.
Features of seasonal care
The plant loves abundant watering, but this does not mean that it needs to be filled with water. In the spring, the first watering is carried out after removing the mulch layer. Usually, this watering is combined with fertilizing with iron sulfate or urea.
From the moment the ovary appears, a period of regular watering begins - 1 time in 5-7 days, feeding is done 1 time in 3 waterings. The last time fertilizing with minerals is carried out 14-21 days before harvest.
For the winter, it is recommended to fertilize with organic substances, bringing them under the bush and covering the roots with mulch.
Mulching and loosening
This variety is well located for the systematic loosening of the root zone to a depth of 15 cm.Mulching does not provide for special gooseberry technologies; straw, chopped grass, pine bark are suitable - everything that can be used to protect the roots from drying out.
Using supports
For the Commander, the use of supports or trellises is mandatory. High shoots up to 1.5 m need to be raised above the ground or fixed on something.
Garter on a trellis of a row of gooseberry bushes
The gardener can use plastic pipes, metal wire structures or traditional wooden slats as supports.
For trellis plantings, stands up to 2 m high and garden twine are used.
Preventive treatment
When pruning, a garden pitch or dusting with ashes is used. Before dissolving the kidneys, it is recommended to treat with a protective agent. During the growing season, complex preparations are used. For the winter, it is recommended to treat it with an anti-spore preparation.
Pruning
Seasonal pruning removes shoots older than 4 years. With sanitary summer pruning, dried and affected branches are subject to cut.
Preparing for winter
The bushes do not need to be covered for the winter, it is enough to cut them correctly, apply organic fertilizers and pour a layer of pine mulch under each bush. If desired, you can treat the shoots with protective paint.
Reproduction
There are three ways to propagate gooseberry bushes.
Cuttings
Propagation by cuttings is the most effective way. Cuttings are taken 1-2 years old, 20-25 cm long. When planting in spring, 2-3 buds remain on the surface, everything else is placed in the prepared soil under the jar. After 21 days, the greenhouse can be removed and planted in open ground at air temperatures above 18-20 ° C. Watering during cuttings in a greenhouse needs moderate.
Pine bark mulching
By dividing
The division of the bush is carried out in September-October. Young shoots with a developed root system are separated. After planting, watering and feeding are required.
Layers
To get a bush of a variety that does not have thorns is most effective by rooting a layer. For this, a 1-2-year-old shoot is used. You need to dig in the layers at the beginning of the season, and by the end of summer it can be separated from the mother bush and prepared for transplantation.
Among the varieties of Russian selection, the Komandor gooseberry has great potential for development. Planting 1-2 bushes on the site will allow you to get a good harvest for 6-8 years without the use of special technologies and special care.
