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gooseberry 'Invicta'
gooseberry
A vigorous, spreading bush with large, pale green berries (late July) which are good for both culinary and dessert use. It...
3 litre pot
available to order from summer
bare root plant
available to order from autumn
2 + 1 FREE bare root plants
available to order from autumn
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Plant description
A vigorous, spreading bush with large, pale green berries (late July) which are good for both culinary and dessert use. It is one of the most popular gooseberries grown due to heavy yields and resistance to American gooseberry mildew. Gooseberries are easy to grow shrubs for any size garden and are usually the first bush fruit to be picked. Grow them as bushes, fans, espaliers, cordons or even standards.
Eventual height & spread
Flowering period
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Plant features
Position
Full sun
Rate of growth
Average
Soil
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness
Fully hardy
How to care for gooseberry Invicta:
Prepare the ground well before planting. Remove all weeds and dig in plenty of well-rotted manure into the area. Space at 1.5m (5ft) intervals and once planted, apply a mulch of well-rotted manure every spring, as well as a nitrogen and potassium fertiliser. Make sure the plant is watered in dry weather and net the bushes to protect the fruit from birds.
Gooseberries are often grown as open-centred bushes with a good branching structure on a short stem and fruit on one year old wood. Prune in late winter/early spring. In the first year, prune all the shoots by 50-75% in winter. Tip prune any previously pruned shrubs to encourage the formation of side shoots. In their second winter, choose 8 to 10 of these new stems to form the main framework and shorten them by up to 25%. Remove any remaining shoots that are growing into the centre of the bush or are crossing/rubbing against other branches. Finally cut back all the remaining shoots to within four buds from the main stems.
In subsequent years, the plant can be pruned in two ways. Establishing fruiting spurs will produce a small crop of larger fruits, while removing whole branches right back to their base will produce a bigger crop of smaller fruit. To form fruiting spurs, cut back all the shoots that have formed in the previous year to a bud approximately 8cm (3in) from the point where it joins the main stem. New branch leaders should also be cut back to within a few buds of the older wood. Alternatively, completely remove old, weak or crossing branches to open up the centre of the bush and then cut back any growth that is coming from below 10cm (4in) above ground level.
Gooseberries are often grown as open-centred bushes with a good branching structure on a short stem and fruit on one year old wood. Prune in late winter/early spring. In the first year, prune all the shoots by 50-75% in winter. Tip prune any previously pruned shrubs to encourage the formation of side shoots. In their second winter, choose 8 to 10 of these new stems to form the main framework and shorten them by up to 25%. Remove any remaining shoots that are growing into the centre of the bush or are crossing/rubbing against other branches. Finally cut back all the remaining shoots to within four buds from the main stems.
In subsequent years, the plant can be pruned in two ways. Establishing fruiting spurs will produce a small crop of larger fruits, while removing whole branches right back to their base will produce a bigger crop of smaller fruit. To form fruiting spurs, cut back all the shoots that have formed in the previous year to a bud approximately 8cm (3in) from the point where it joins the main stem. New branch leaders should also be cut back to within a few buds of the older wood. Alternatively, completely remove old, weak or crossing branches to open up the centre of the bush and then cut back any growth that is coming from below 10cm (4in) above ground level.
Please note:
This plant is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.
GOES WELL WITH
'Easy- peasy' gooseberries
With a little bit of forward planning anyone could be picking fresh, vitamin-packed, flavoursome, fruit from their garden, which most importantly, are easy to grow. Look for plants with an AGM award, -these are plants that are chosen by a panel of expert
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