Soft fruit Flashcards
Bush Fruit
Gooseberries
Redcurrants and whitecurrants
Blackcurrants
Bleuberries
Cane fruit
Raspberries
Blackberries
Hybrid berries
Differences between soft and top fruit.
Soft fruit have a shorter lifespan.
Soft fruit are grown on their own roots.
Soft fruits are self pollinating.
Soft fruit.
General points.
Grow best in sunny, sheltered positions.
Enrich ground with organic matter prior to planting.
Area chosen should not have been used for growing soft fruit before.
Keep area weed free and mulch plants.
Watering is important, especially when fruit is forming.
Apply general fertiliser in spring.
Soft fruit.
Most common problems.
Birds - destroy fruit buds and fruit. Net fruit or grow in a fruit cage.
Virus infection - no cure. Burn infected plants and do not replant in same area for at least 3 years. By certified stock.
Gooseberries.
General info.
Easy to grow. Very hardy and will tolerate some shade. Cooking and dessert varieties. Not as prone to virus infection. Can be grown as bushes or single, double or triple stem cordons(will need support)
Planting bush gooseberries and initial pruning.
Plant 1.5m apart, row 1.5m apart.
Aim is create a bowl shaped bush with open centre.
Bushes grow in short main stem of 10-15cm (‘leg’) remove branches below this height. Shorten new growth on leaders by half to one third until 8 - 10 good branches have formed.
Planting cordon gooseberries and initial pruning.
Plant 50cm apart , 1.5m between rows.
Shorten the main leader by half to one third.
Shorten laterals to 3 buds
Pruning established gooseberries.
Bush
Fruit is carried in spurs of old wood; pruning should encourage this.
Prune in winter/spring.
Cut back new growth on leaders by half to a third, cut back laterals to two buds.
Pruning established gooseberry cordons.
Cut back new laterals to 5 leaves from their origin in summer.
In winter cut back leader to one bud above the previous year’s growth when required height has been reached. Until then cut back leader by half to one third. Prune laterals to one third.
Varieties and harvesting of gooseberries.
Careless (AGM) - cooking gooseberry.
Leveller(AGM) - dessert gooseberry.
For cooking pick in June when still green. Pick dessert gooseberries when fully ripe in July, when turning soft.
Gooseberry.
Pest.
Females lay eggs on underside of leaves, next to leaf veins.
Eggs hatch in one week and larvae eats leaves.
3 generations in year.
Signs - all leaves are eaten, leaving just veins, yield seriously affected.
Treatment- spray with deltamethrin or thiacloprid. ASAP.
Gooseberry.
Disease.
American gooseberry mildew.
Leaves, shoots and fruits covered in powdery, white coating.
Shoots can become distorted.
Treatment - use plants with some resistance. Ensure plants have enough space and good air circulation.
Blackcurrants.
General.
Generally easy to grow. Grown as bushes.
Early flowering plants be prone to frost damage.
Newer varieties flower later.
It is possible to have fruit from June to September.
Only use certified stock.
Blackcurrants.
Planting and initial pruning.
Choose sunny position, avoid frost pockets.
Generally sold bare rooted, plant in dormant season.
Little pruning required in first three years.
