Pruning Gooseberries.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLII, Issue 19, 12 May 1909, Page 40

Pruning Gooseberries.

We have now reached a period when it will be necessary to deal with the winter pruning of gooseberries, and unless this work is taken in hand in the near future it will be too late to think of doing anything until another season. There is th? probability that many of the bushes may have emitted growths from their base, this being brought about by “eyes” left mi the lower part of the cuttings which oibsequently develop into vigorous shoots. These ba>al shoots must be cut down without hesitation and overcrowded

1. A Gooseberry Bush, previous to the Winter Pruning. Note the weak and useless growths in the centre. growths in th* superstructure cut or spurred back. In Fig. 1. we have an example of a gooseberry bush that has been very much neglected, in which the growths are far too numerous and the prospects of satisfactory fruiting to some extent rendered unpromising. It will b* noticed how the growths crowd into one another, so that th • gathering of the fruit is ahnost an impo—ibility withoir ?übjecting the hands to a severe scratching. It will also be observed that th* main stem of the tree stan Is out quite by itself, ami some little distance tiom the surface -oil the bushes branch out into numerous growths, and the~e sho d 1 be so prim d that they -tand out as nearly as possible equidistant one from the

2. The same Bush after Winter Pruning. N< te how the weak growths have been spurred back. other. In some cases it is an advantag* to slightly prune back the points of th -hoots. thus core *ntrating the energies of the plant on the fruit spurs that are retained. and which invariably yield their -apply of berries of the very best kind. A comparison b tween Eig. 1 and Fig. 2 will show very clearly and distinctly how the pruning should be carried out. Readers should remember that the growths removed may in most instances -erve a very useful purpose for jierpetuat ing the different varieties. All too often the-.' are thrown away or burnt, whereawere the better pieces among them used for cutting purposes it would be an easy matter, within two or three years, to bring into being quite an interesting number of useful little bushes.