No flowers on gooseberry.

[Marb67]

This last couple of years I have noticed a decrease in flowers and fruit on my now rampant gooseberry bushes. The growth is lush and healthy, with many new shoots already grown but no flowers or sign of early fruit pods. Shall I cut it all right back as I may as well make the space available for bedding plants?

[mothhawk]

That looks really healthy, Marb. I think I would hesitate to cut it back when it looks so good, especially as the scent of the gooseberry will draw gooseberry sawfly to lay eggs, then you'll have caterpillars as the weather warms up. They can strip the leaves in a week. Get some sulphate of potash and give the ground under it a good sprinkling. That will encourage plenty of flowers next year. I guess it's too late to hope for flowers this year. Someone else may have better advice though.

[Mark Rand]

Yes, may be plenty of nitrogen and not enough potassium. Aquilegias look good though.(if that's what they are?)

[Nicos]

^^^ yup, my thoughts too
N:P:K = Leaf : Roots : Flower/Fruit

What have you been feeding/ watering it with?

[Andraste]

Hi Marb67

Definitely don't cut it back if you want fruit. Gooseberries don't fruit on new growth - they fruit on 2-3 year old stems.

The plants look really healthy to me but looks like you've given it a good prune so most of the growth is new?

I'd expect brown edges on the leaves if there were a potassium issue but a handful of blood, fish & bone or some tomato feed wouldn't do any harm.

[Marb67]

I have given them wood ash and bfb and some general veg/plant fertiliser. I'll leave pruning it then thanks.

[Plot70]

Cut part of it back so that it produces some long sapwood shoots as these will produce fruit next year.
If you prune in winter the wood can be thrown into the ground like spears. They will root and produce new plants so that the old one can eventually be pulled up.

[Marb67]

Cut part of it back so that it produces some long sapwood shoots as these will produce fruit next year.
If you prune in winter the wood can be thrown into the ground like spears. They will root and produce new plants so that the old one can eventually be pulled up.

The sappy new shoots have already grown this year. I think I pruned it a bit in Jan.

[Andraste]

If you didn't cut it right back hard then there might be some flowers lurking under all the lovely new growth. Feb is about the right time for pruning gooseberries in my neck of the woods (but we're always a few weeks behind everyone else). There's a 'growing guides' for gooseberries in the links at the top of the website which is quite decent if that might be of interests

[Marb67]

Well as you can see a lush healthy bush but no fruit bar one in the right hand side of the frame (if you can spot it) This is appalling considering the care and general health of the plants (3 in all)

[Jungle Jane]

I can see two,one next to the middle stake,there must be others hiding

[Andraste]

I can spot 2 as well

With gooseberries only fruiting on old stems not new you won't see the benefits of the lush new growth you have until next year.

The gooseberry bushes of my youth were generally neglected for years & always seemed to crop in abundance. I'd be inclined not to prune at all next year other than to take out any dead/dying stems or thin out if you think there are too many stems to allow good air circulation (for mildew prevention).

[Marb67]

2 or 3 at most from that whole area of 3 plants. Absolutely disastrous

[Andraste]

I'm sure they'll do better next year Marb67 - I'd just throw some fertilizer at them in the spring, maybe mulch with some compost/similar in the autumn if you're inclined.

We only have 3 gooseberry plants which were basically 1 stick with root when put in about 3 years ago. 1 red 'Captivator', 1 yellow Hinnon-whatsit and 1 green 'Invicta'.

I wish I'd had 2 from our yellow gooseberry this year - for some reason I thought it was the red plant and was patiently waiting for the fruit to change colour the birds noticed they were ripe before I did . No fruit for us or the birds from our green which seems slower to get growing than its neighbours.

We did have a good few dozen of the red which were beautiful.

Us gardening folk are always looking forward to next year aren't we