Old Geezer the Gardening Guru: Pruning fruits continued
Tuesday, 20 December 2011 9:43 AM
By Old Geezer
This week we'll look at pruning fruit bushes, starting with gooseberries as there are all manner of complicated methods advocated by different experts.
Gooseberries
When pruning a gooseberry bush there are two things to consider, the first is that the plant needs plenty of air circulating through and under the bush. This will reduce diseases as most moulds hate fresh air. Second thing to consider is that when the fruit comes, you need to be able to get to it!
Begin by clearing the short stem under the plant. As a guide you should be able to get your hand under the bush, and out again, without losing any blood (dangerous work gardening!).
Remove all the branches touching the ground, or cut them back to an upward or outward growing shoot. Also remove any new bits growing up from the main stem below the main branches.
This should leave things nice and clear under the bush.
Next job is to thin out the middle or 'crown' of the bush. First target for the secateurs should be new shoots growing across the centre. Once you can get your hand under you are well on your way.
Thin out any thick patches, remove any dead twigs and cut off about half of the length of any big new shoots. Gooseberries grow best on two and three year old wood, so the aim is to get the bush to regenerate its main fruiting branches every four years.
Red and white currants
Red and white currants are easy - these fruit on old, mature branches. It is a good idea to get the bush to regenerate itself about every three to four years.
The easy way to achieve this is to cut one out of four of these mature branches right back to a young,vigorous shoot, as low down as you can. In following years this will grow to replace the one you cut out.
Pruning like this prolongs the active fruiting life of the bush and keeps it healthy. Always aim to remove any dead wood along with the weakest spindly shoots.
Blackcurrants
Blackcurrants need different treatment to red and white currants. They fruit best on shoots from the previous growing season.
The aim here is to get the bush to grow as many new strong shoots each year as possible. To achieve this is simply a matter of cutting out as much as possible of the old wood, i.e. shoots more than one year old. As always remove any dead wood and spindly shoots.
Points to remember when pruning
If you are removing a substantial side branch, no matter what it is on, always cut it off cleanly and flush with the trunk or major branch.
Never leave a stub, this will either die back, letting rot in, or it will produce a mass of weak shoots, many of which will die, which will also let rot in.
It is easy to avoid the branch tearing a strip of bark off the trunk when it falls. Simply make a shallow cut upwards, around and underneath before cutting off the branch.
When shortening a branch or twig with the secateurs always cut carefully and cleanly about two millimetres above a bud which is pointing in the direction you want the new branch to grow.
Burn or chip your prunings as soon as possible.
All the best, Old Geezer.
Old Geezer (Paul Rix) is the author of 'Beyond the Potting Shed' a comprehensive guide to growing your own. Available from all good book shops or Amazon.
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