Gooseberry problem

alanlhargrave

Ive grown gooseberries successfully for years but after a recent move to Nottingham have had problems. The leaves and fruit have turned partly red/brown and the leaves look somewhat withered. Yields are low & the fruit small. No signs of pests nor any apparent disease. Is it soul ph, nutrient deficiency or what? Black currant has same problem. Red currents are fine. 

alanlhargrave

BobTheGardener

Looks like it could possibly be lack of water.  I'm not too far away and my garden is still really in a state of drought.  That very warm spell in February has also done some 'northern climate' fruit trees and shrubs no good at all.

alanlhargrave

Thanks - but I’ve got an automatic watering system so it’s not too dry. 

Dovefromabove

Frost/chill wind?

alanlhargrave

Neither. Possibly too much shade? Acid soil? 

Dovefromabove

My gooseberries and black currants are in shade for most of the afternoon and seem perfectly happy ... I’ve not tried growing them in acidic soil ... we’re on chalk here ... scratching my head ... 🤷‍♀️ 

mrtjforman

yeah definetely bad soil.

I take it you had to dig them up, put them in pots and move them to nottingham? That will have stressed them out loads anyway. Maybe dig up the planting site a bit, add some chicken manure or other organic matter. Some of my gooseberries have looked like that in the past, spend some time on digging them up and replanting and they should recover.
A garden neglected by a non gardener is usually a mission to sort out.

alanlhargrave

Actually it’s a new plant - Invicta. Soil has had a lot of compost & feed. I haven’t checked pH so i’ll Do that.