Standard Gooseberrys

[becslb]

Hi, does anyone have standard gooseberries?

I have 2 - was given them as gifts about 4 years ago, last year I repotted both into bigger pots as I found one kept blowing over (wherever I put it) and I restaked them for support as I found in the wind they would blow rather alarmingly! However, at the beginning of the year one bush completely bent over and now the other one has done the same - literally looks like this -> r I have tried to restake but nothing seems to be strong enough to help hold them upright.

Any suggestions? Would they be better in the ground (which will be difficult here as below the top surface there is a solid layer of clay which is awful (being polite!) to break up!)?

Bec

[Zenithtb]

Do you have anything solid you can put training wires on? Then place pot in front and tie to them? Rather than trying to make 'the solid thing' the pot, just put the pot near an actual solid thing??

[Brengirl]

Do you think your container is big enough. I have a standard in a very large ceramic pot. I do find that the gooseberry is not very stable (probably shallow roots) but the wind has never knocked it over.

There's always the first time lol

[sarraceniac]

I've got your clay problem but all my soft fruits are in the ground and I don't have any problems. It's only to do once but if you can get a posting spike or similar and break up sufficient clay to plant them deep it would be miles better.

[becslb]

getting tape measure to measure pots..... looking for empty walls.... poking through dh's tools.... lol!

[becslb]

I keep forgetting to get my tape measure but from memory the pots I have are at least 60cm - they are massive, I have fruit trees in the same size pots and they are doing fine.

Have asked FIL if he could help me prune both bushes once I have harvested the fruit.. they are very top heavy and quite "thick" (and I am a bit unsure how to prune so FIL & I can be unsure together! lol!)... I have no free wall space (tiny garden) so am a bit stuck with that but I think I might be able to find some garden space for next spring. The reason I kept them in pots was a)tiny garden/growing space and b) we had hoped to move by now and I wanted to take my fruit with me. That said we still hope to move in the next few years...... dilemmas!

[Snadger]

Zenithb's solution is he best one I reckon! I grow chrysanths in pots during the summer to bring indoors to flower for Christmas. I knock in stakes at each end and tie the canes supporting the chrysanths to a wire stretched between the two stakes.

Are you saying that the main stem on the standard has 'bent'? If so, it could be because you have too much top growth, in which case a bit of judicious pruning may be in order? Another way you could try to straighten it is to stake either side and tie the upright to a cross wire between the two stakes. Tilt the pot back a bit and let the weight of the pot full of soil gradually straighten the stem!..........hopefully!

[becslb]

Yes the main stem has bent - on both - first one and then the other... I had two stakes in each pot (probably not tall enough stakes) and used rubber ties to do a figure of 8 tie.

I think I will try and manage till I harvest which won't be long and then ask FIL to help me prune and re-pot along with new stakes/wire... I can't quite see how to tie the upright to the crosswire but I guess we will figure it out between us!