Gooseberries are a berry loved by many, and you can find a bush of gooseberries on almost any dacha site. However, sometimes you can face a very serious nuisance: the bush develops and even blooms, and the berries on it never appear. In this article we will try to understand why the gooseberry does not bear fruit, and how to fix it.
Incorrect trimming
A bush of gooseberries begins to bring a full crop somewhere for 4-5 years after planting. And then every year the plant forms new shoots, which will increase the number of fruits. However, if the fall is not properly pruned, the crown of the bush may become too thick and begin to take away the strength of potential berries. To prevent this from happening, every autumn it is necessary to remove branches that are more than 5 years old, because after this period of time their fruiting drops significantly. The new strong shoots, on the contrary, will yield a great harvest. Therefore, wondering what to do if the gooseberries do not bear fruit, think first of all about the correct pruning. Ideally, a healthy adult bush should have 15-20 shoots of different ages.
Lack of light
Another reason why gooseberry blossoms, but does not bear fruit, may be an insufficient amount of sunlight. This plant is very fond of light, therefore, when planted in the shade of trees or too close to other bushes, it can form a very small number of berries, and eventually cease to bloom.
Diseases
Such a common gooseberry disease, like spherote or powdery mildew, may be another reason why the gooseberry does not bear fruit. Affected berries fall from the bush, not having time to ripen, and if they remain, they have an ugly appearance and are absolutely inedible.
Weather
The bush of gooseberries, as a rule, begins to bloom very early. And if the air temperature in this period has not yet stabilized, then some flowers may die from morning frosts. As a result, gooseberry will bear fruit poorly. So, for example, a temperature of -5 ° C can be fatal to 80% of all flowers.