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We've been clearing the bottom end of our plot today, its actually a lot bigger than we thought, about 16' deep and the width of the plot, but very overgrown!
Whilst cutting back the elder tree and hawthorn, and weaving the blackberries into their branches (a living fedge!) we've managed to find 3 gooseberry bushes, which are all looking rather sad to say the least!
Two of them are about 3' high and very bushy and prickly, and the other is about 18" high, has only 3 main branches and also very spiney. The larger 2 have a total of 4 leaves each, and the branches feel very brittle.
Ther are going to be staying in the area they are in, and now have at least some access to light (as they were completely covered before we started clearing), so I'm hoping that they may recover next year. We are planning on creating a path arund the bed they are in and then covering the ground with weed control fabric and mulching with bark chippings to keep the weeds down and give them as good a chance as we can (less competition from the weeds).
Questions I'd like to ask are:-
Should they be this bare and brittle at this time of year, or are they dead?
Should we prune them back to encourage new growth or leave them alone and see what happens come springtime?
Is muylching beneath them a good idea, or is there something we can companion plant with them that would be a better idea?
Any specific care we should be looking at doing for them, any feeds that are recommended or anything else we can do?
Any help, advice, hints, tips or suggestions would be appreciated!
PS We've also a lone redcurrant bush that was at the front of the plot when we got it, it was also looking very sorry for itself with few leaves and very few berries, so it was taken out and has been planted in one of the veg beds temporarily, though it too looks like its dead! Should we plant it up and see whether it comes back to life in the spring (we do have room in the bottom fruit bed) or admit defeat and look to replace it?
Whilst cutting back the elder tree and hawthorn, and weaving the blackberries into their branches (a living fedge!) we've managed to find 3 gooseberry bushes, which are all looking rather sad to say the least!
Two of them are about 3' high and very bushy and prickly, and the other is about 18" high, has only 3 main branches and also very spiney. The larger 2 have a total of 4 leaves each, and the branches feel very brittle.
Ther are going to be staying in the area they are in, and now have at least some access to light (as they were completely covered before we started clearing), so I'm hoping that they may recover next year. We are planning on creating a path arund the bed they are in and then covering the ground with weed control fabric and mulching with bark chippings to keep the weeds down and give them as good a chance as we can (less competition from the weeds).
Questions I'd like to ask are:-
Should they be this bare and brittle at this time of year, or are they dead?
Should we prune them back to encourage new growth or leave them alone and see what happens come springtime?
Is muylching beneath them a good idea, or is there something we can companion plant with them that would be a better idea?
Any specific care we should be looking at doing for them, any feeds that are recommended or anything else we can do?
Any help, advice, hints, tips or suggestions would be appreciated!
PS We've also a lone redcurrant bush that was at the front of the plot when we got it, it was also looking very sorry for itself with few leaves and very few berries, so it was taken out and has been planted in one of the veg beds temporarily, though it too looks like its dead! Should we plant it up and see whether it comes back to life in the spring (we do have room in the bottom fruit bed) or admit defeat and look to replace it?
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