What to do with my gooseberry?

[hamster]

Hi all, I bought a gooseberry bush about 12 months ago, pruned it into a goblet shape and cut the middle out. All was well apart from the sawfly, and harvested about 8oz of gooseberries.

Since May the plant has gone bananas growing sideshoots some of which are now about a foot long. The question is am I supposed to cut them back or leave them? What's the best thing to do?

Also still got caterpillars on the bush, is that a 2nd wave of sawfly, or the ones I missed 1st time round? Thanks everyone.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I would personally leave the bush until the leaves drop in the autumn before doing any more pruning. That way you shouldn't get another crop of sideshoots.

[Nicos]

Peg the lower shoots to the ground and pop a bit of soil over the pegged area- you'll have new plants when you cut them back!

Yup- second round of sawfly...cover the soil if you can with a bit of black plastic so they don't drop down into the soil ready for next year ( mind you- they're probably there already after the last invasion!!!!)
Alternatively- now you've taken the gooseberries, you could chuck a pile of birdseed under the bush to encourage the birds to come along and eat the pests!!

(How big is your gooseberry bush? Mine are a good 3 ft wide/high/deep)

[hamster]

There are some very low branches, so will try that. Unfortunately the resident blackbird has developed a liking for my cherries and goes past the gooseberry everyday oblivious to green crawlies. The tree has been netted today so hopefully thats the end of that. So thanks for that, am hoping to move the gooseberry to the windiest part of the garden come winter, am told sawfly hate wind and exposure.

[hamster]

Nicos its about 4ft high by 3ft wide, last year I took a cutting from my plant and its doing really well, the cutting got the second wave of sawfly but not the first, as I could see. In April think I must have cut off about 100 caterpillars, some leaves had 5 caterpillars on. Then I bagged them up and put them in the bin.

[Nicos]

Didn't know that about wind and exposure-interesting!

Sounds like a nice healthy plant otherwise.

I seem to recall gooseberry bushes don't like being moved