Gooseberry Problems

General Fruit Growing
1

I have a couple questions regarding gooseberry I was hoping to get addressed. For context, I live in cental Kansas. Cold hardiness zone 6, heat zone 8. Silt crete loam soil type (relatively heavy).

I have an Oregon Champion gooseberry that is 5 years old, in partial shade. Every year it flowers, appears to be setting fruit, and then aborts the entire crop. Would too much shade cause this? I am concerned it would not do well in full sun during our hot summers.

The second issue I have run into with it is the vegetative growth rate seems out of control. It will often put on 2+ feet of growth in a year, both from existing and new canes. This means many canes laying on the ground by the end of the season. I prune it back every year. I do not fertilize it.

Any recommendations on controlling growth or encouraging the plant to keep its fruit crop?

Thanks!

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2

Maybe needs a pollinator? I don’t know if gooseberries are self pollinating or not.

Wild gooseberries seem to produce just fine here in full shade. They produce better in full sun though.
Maybe you could stick some of the cuttings in the ground out in full sun, to see if they survive in full sun for you? For me I have all of my gooseberries in full sun.

3

Gooseberries are supposed to be self-fertile. I had another variety plant close but it didn’t make it. Do you see excessive vegetative growth on yours? I am only dormant pruning, maybe I need to add another pruning during the growing season?

4

I don’t know about excessive, but 3’ shoots are normal for me, and the long shoots will have the beautiful string of gooseberries.

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I usually prune just any branches where they start arching down and any that are touching another.
I get quite good results with that.
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5

I have only removed one gooseberry- Oregon Champion. I had the same issue after many years of growing it- it got the axe last year. I have at least 8 other types of gooseberries that have no problem fruiting.

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6

Interesting. I will do some more looking into that. Maybe it is a varietal issue.

7

Are you pruning everything you remove all the way to the ground? Are you always pruning dormant?

Also, do you provide support? My canes always end up drooped all over the ground.

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8

I got my Oregon Champion cuttings from @danzeb Dennis- Have you had issues with the fruit dropping when very young?

9

So gooseberries are supposed heavy potassium feeders, maybe try giving a little bit of that ? Also they fruit on 2-4 yr wood. So don’t prune out the fruit wood. They should be self fertile.

It also might not be getting enough water maybe? Do you have it mulched?

I have a gooseberry at my mom’s house that one of the canes is easy 6 ft long and growing along the ground mostly. Thing has taken over an entire flower bed :rofl::rofl:

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10

I am getting fruit set, just never mature fruit. I will look into the potassium thing.

It’s mulched with woodchips and close to the house so it gets regular water. With how much growth I get I have trouble believing water is an issue.

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11

No, I only prune the canes that are turning downward back a little past where they are horizontal, where it’s still pointed up some.

No I don’t support mine, and they do droop after fruit weights them back down to the ground.