Gooseberries - no fruits
thymeandahalf
Posts: 3
in Fruit & veg
I have got two very healthy looking gooseberry bushes in my garden but for the second year they have produced no fruits whatsoever. Any ideas please?
Thank you.
0
thymeandahalf
Posts: 3
Posts
Have you pruned them at all?
I thought the same and started to dig out the bush in disgust. However on the lower branches I came across some fruit. With a little care and patience I collected over a pound of fruit.
Two things, patience is a virtue, and two years is a bit harsh, it has needed to develop roots and branches upon which to fruit. Also, when the flowers were about there were no pollinators about. Let's be honest - if you were a bee, would you have come out and about or stayed in your nice warm hive? I thought so - give them a chance, prune well and see if they try hard next year - which will of course be perfect as every next year always is.
I too have no fruits on my gooseberry bush (hinnonmaki red) after a fair crop in the first year. I had a problem with aphids which I tried to remove with soap and water.
when and how hard should I prune, grateful for all advice.
Hi, two reasons for lack of fruit,weather and lack of pruning.I keep mine well watered, esp. in Spring.(I gave them a major soak prior to hosepipe ban) and then they nearly drowned!! I think your problem might be lack of pruning.I do mine about now. I prune and open up the centre of the bush.I then sit in the sun and harvest the fruit off the pruninings! If your bushes are young there will be reduced fruit next year but vigours growth.But fear not, be patient and you will have an abundance of fruit the following year, especially if you give them a dusting of blood, fish and bone after pruining, and work it into the soil. They are very easy to grow, I promise you ; and will give you plenty of fruit for years.If you love gooseberries that's a luxury, as very few shops sell them and they are expensive to buy. Good luck.
Thank you everyone who replied with really helpful advice. The pruning and feeding will hopefully do the trick for next year. Now what the heck do I do about the woodpigeons that sneaked under the fruit netiing and gobbled up all my lovely redcurrants that were at ground level !!!!! (pigeon pie methinks)
Thanks again everyone.
Andrew
I took some cuttings from my mums gooseberry bush when after she passed away and we were clearing her Local Authority Owned property as a momento.
I planted them in a large planter at our house and they have taken very well although in the 5 years I have had the new bush it has never fruited.
Can anyone suggest where may have gone wrong?
Cheers
Bill
I had no fruit on mine for two years and this year they are covered in flowers and forming fruit. Just give them a little ash on the surface and feed them also give a layer of good quality compost on the surface but don't go right up to the bush leave a good few inches and I bet they produce next year. @ William Steadman do as I just said but put them in much larger pots ill bet they are root bound they need more room and give them some ash
William Steadman I put one of mine in a planter and after just one year I checked it by lifting it out of the planter and the root system had filled the planter so I gave it a nice new big pot 3ft wide x 3ft and 3ft deep gave it some good quality compost with mixed in farmyard manure and sprinkled some chicken manure pellets on top and gave it a dusting of ash and now its booming. It has new growth and forming fruit everywhere
Lots of info here http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=332 - good training and pruning will help, and a good dose of Sulphate of Potash will encourage flowering and fruiting