One of the most popular crops found on garden plots is gooseberries. These are not only delicious berries, but also very healthy. Of course, there are problems with the harvest, the most common is the inconvenience, since the bushes are prickly, and you can severely damage the skin. Now there are many varieties, the thorns of the bushes of which are not so sharp, among them - gooseberry Berill. You can see and learn about the variety description, photos and reviews about this berry from this article.
Selection history
Beryl is a relatively young gooseberry variety. It was bred in the seventies of the last century, and they were able to create it on the territory of the USSR. For selection, varieties Samorodok and Malachite were taken; agronom V.S. Ilyin, and he, in turn, continued the work of A.P. Gubenko, who was engaged in the breeding of new plants, and on his account a lot of successful varieties.
Gooseberry Beryl Description
The bush of this variety is medium in size - up to a meter in height. Its advantage is that there are a small number of spikes on the shoots, most often they are single, located in the lower part of the bush, directed downwards, that is, it is difficult to scratch them, but you should still wear protective gloves when harvesting. The crown is extensive, dense, the leaves are large, painted green. The leaf has five blades, large, pointed teeth are located at the edges, there is no pubescence, so the bush glistens beautifully in the sun.
The shoots of the plant are curved, their top is down. Petioles are medium in size with a small edge. The flowers have a goblet shape, they are quite large, the two-color inflorescence.
The plant is winter-hardy, does not need shelter, if in winter the temperature does not fall below -38 degrees. But the variety has its drawbacks, it is unstable to diseases, the most common is septoria.
Fruit characterization
Gooseberry Beryl, which is described in this article, is a medium-ripening variety, the berries are ready for harvest from mid-July. The fruits are not too large, the average weight of one is four grams, the maximum is nine grams. During the season, up to ten kilograms of gooseberries can be removed from an adult bush.
The fruits are not pubescent, they are smooth. The color is light green, the skin is durable, but thin, easy to eat. The taste of berries is sweet-sour, refers to dessert varieties. They are very refreshing, juicy. Keeping quality and portability are good. Due to the dense skin, the fruits can be transported without damage. Photos of gooseberry Beryl are available in our article.
Soil preparation
The variety is absolutely undemanding to the soil, it can grow and bear fruit even on the poorest soils. The only thing is that it will not grow in wetlands or acidic soil, it must be neutralized.
The place for planting is to choose a sunny one, the quality of taste and the size of future fruits will depend on this. Planting is recommended in early spring, or from mid-September to mid-October, while the soil is warm, but the plant will not have time to take root before frost. Young roots can freeze, as a result, the plant will die.
It is worth preparing in advance for planting pits for planting. They should be about forty centimeters deep, the same in width and length. Further, fertilizer must be added to each, this is a compost bucket, half a kilo of complex fertilizers, about two kilograms of wood ash. Mix everything with soil, after which you can plant a bush. It is worth remembering that organic fertilizers can be applied only during spring planting, but in the autumn this should not be done, since for the winter there are many insects hiding in them that can harm the bush.
Landing
Shrub should be planted vertically, without an angle. It is placed in a prepared hole, watered with water, sprinkled with prepared soil with fertilizers and ash. The root neck should remain on the surface for five centimeters. After that, water the plant again well, a trench should be dug around to prevent water from spreading during irrigation. Further, it is recommended to mulch the soil with peat or sawdust, they retain moisture, do not allow weeds to grow.
If planting occurs in the fall, bend the bush, cover it with a warm cloth before the onset of cold weather. If planted in the spring, then the shelter is not useful, only bend so that the snow covers the bush tightly and protects it from frost.
Further care
Gooseberry Beryl is quite unpretentious, but experienced gardeners know that even with the most calm disposition of the plant, proper care is necessary, it will achieve the maximum yield. In the spring you need to unlearn the bush, this procedure will avoid the appearance of diseases.
Weeds not only take nutrients, but also are carriers of many diseases, so weeding is simply necessary. During the summer season, the soil around the bushes needs to be loosened at least five times, this should be done carefully so that the tool does not damage the roots by accident. Every year it is worth trimming the bush. All shoots, which are more than four years old, must be cleaned, and weak, diseased and dry branches are also subject to cut. Three times a season you need to feed bushes with complex fertilizers.
Grade Benefits
Gooseberry Berill is endowed with a number of qualities that are higher than other varieties.
- The variety is ideal for Siberia and the Urals, as it is endowed with high frost resistance.
- It is rarely exposed to powdery mildew and fungi.
- Taste qualities of a high level.
- A self-fertile variety, it brings high yields without pollinators.
- There are few spikes, and they are located safely for humans.
- The berries are quite large, easy to carry.
Gooseberries contain a lot of vitamins and minerals. The taste qualities of Beryl allow the use of berries not only in cooking for the preparation of compotes, preserves and other preparations, but also to consume them fresh. Why is fresh gooseberry so useful?
Benefit
The healing properties of gooseberries have been known since time immemorial; it allows you to:
- Eliminate abnormalities in the digestive tract.
- Relieve swelling, as it is rich in potassium.
- Tone the body, normalize metabolism, if you drink fresh juice from berries.
- Normalize blood pressure.
In addition, gooseberry Beryl is a mild diuretic and weakening product. It also has many vitamins!
Gooseberry Beryl: reviews of gardeners
There are always many comments on the web about varieties that you can start with when choosing. Gooseberry Beryl is recommended by nine out of ten gardeners, and they write that this is one of the best varieties. Appreciated high yielding, unpretentiousness. They write that the berries are very tasty, sweet, slightly sour, but in moderation. A lot of reviews from the Urals, where it is rarely possible to achieve a high yield due to the harsh climate, where the summers are rainy and not very sunny, and winters are frosty. They write that even under such conditions the bushes feel excellent, delighting with a plentiful harvest.