Propagating gooseberries successfully is easy, even if you don't have the proverbial green thumb. We'll show you how.
Gooseberries are a real treat. Whether straight from the bush or processed - they are simply delicious. No wonder some just want more of it. You don't even have to go to the nearest garden center and buy a new gooseberry plant to plant later. Save yourself the money and just propagate your own plant. You have two different options:
» Propagation by layering
» Propagation by cuttings
You don't have to be a professional for both variants. Even garden novices can complete this task without anything going wrong.
Simple and effective - propagate gooseberries by lowering
Choose this method of propagation if you want a new plant to grow in the immediate vicinity of an existing gooseberry bush. How it works:
1 Pick up a leafy shoot, ideally on the outermost part of the shrub. Test bend the shoot all the way to the bottom to make sure it doesn't break.
2 Next, remove the leaves from the middle of the shoot and lightly score the bark about two inches long with a garden knife.
3 Now dig a furrow in the ground with a small shovel. Lower the defoliated, scored part of the shoot into this furrow and cover it with soil so that only the tip of the shoot is showing.
4 Then pat down the soil and make sure the shoot stays in the ground. For example, you can fix it with a tent hanger (better known as a peg) or weigh it down with a brick. The lowered shoot will now form new roots at the scratched and soil-covered spot.
The great advantage of this method: In the beginning, the nutrient supply is partly provided by the mother plant. Only when the new root system can completely take over this task itself does the connection drive die off.
For shrubs on a new oneLocation - the cuttings propagation
Propagation by cuttings is recommended if you want to grow gooseberry bushes at a distance from the mother plant. To get the cuttings, choose annual shoots with multiple buds. You can recognize the one-year-old parts of a shoot by their much lighter wood.
1 Cut the shoots just below a bud and trim it just above a bud. The length should be about 25 centimeters. But a few centimeters more or less won't hurt.
2 Now place the cutting in a prepared plant pot with potting soil. Two or more buds should remain visible.
3 Water the cuttings and place them in a partially shaded spot. In autumn of the following year you can then place the cuttings in the desired location.
Tip: Don't forget to keep the plants watered regularly.