Old gooseberry bush pruning, can I do anything now?

[Albanach]

Total novice here-we have got a couple of gooseberry bushes at my father on laws house which have been ignored for a number of years. They still produce fruit but this is the first year we are living close by so I want to try and get a small harvest from them. I've read the following from the RHS site:


1. In mid-June to July, shorten the current season’s growth back to five leaves, except for those branches needed to extend the main framework. This pruning should not remove fruit, as fruit develops mainly on the older wood, not the current season’s growth.
2. In winter, spur prune all side shoots by cutting them back to one to three buds from the base. Shorten branch tips by one quarter, cutting to a suitable outward facing bud.
3. Repeat steps 2 and 3 each year as maintenance pruning.

But I've also read that some pruning can be done in March?

The plants are around 3 foot high and look as though they are in good health-is there any pruning I can do now to improve the harvest? I plan on mulching the area around the bush and trimming the shrubs that surround it to give it more light.

[Bigmallly]

I have just removed braches that shows signs of death, plus removed any central braches that were rubbing together. I'll wait till it's finished fruiting now before pruning any more.

[Albanach]

Cheers bigmally will you be pruning as per item 1 shown above from RHS?

[Bigmallly]

Rightly or wrongly, I'm not that particular about pruning. I just tend to remove any branches that look dead or are touching. I do however test the "dead" brach first with a snip and if it is green, I will leave it.

[FB.]

You should only prune plants if they actually need it.
There's nothing gained by pruning for the sake of it, or because some book says "thou shalt prune in certain ways at certain times".

Pruning is used for the following:

In young plants winter pruning (while dormant) or very early spring pruning (buds swelling but no leaves) is to encourage vigour, increase branching and guide the plant towards an efficient shape and sturdy framework for heavy cropping in its mature years.

In older plants, winter or spring pruning as above is to keep them within their space, to prevent branches becoming a tangled mess and to remove dead or diseased parts. A little winter pruning on an old plant adds a little vigour to keep it healthy and producing some fresh new wood.

In plants which are too vigorous, mid-summer pruning of the soft new-season's shoots is used to restrict growth and encourage fruitfulness.

Also for plants which are a little too vigorous, completely cutting-out upright shoots at their point of origin during winter will encourage better cropping from the remaining horizontal branches. This is one reason (along with easier picking and better sunlight on the fruit) why well-pruned apple trees tend to be a mushroom shape, rather than a lollipop shape.

.

So ask yourself:

Are the bushes untidy or badly shaped?

Are the branches crowded?

Are there any dead bits?

Are they too vigorous? (I doubt it, if they're 3ft)

.

Since they're only about 3ft, I'd suggest simply removing any dead bits or overcrowded bits.
Then give them a good mulch with compost or manure, or some of the fertilisers suggested on the following topic:
> Link <

If you can get a big of vigour going and some new shoots, they can be used to take cuttings in autumn. Many currants and berries root very easily if cuttings are taken when the leaves are yellow and in the process of falling off for winter. Just cut a bit off about the size of a pencil and stick it in the ground or in a pot of compost. Often it will have rooted within 2-3 months.
Alternately, pull a branch to ground level and bury the end of it, leaving just the tip poking out. By the end of the growing season, it will have roots like a strawberry runner.

[FB.]

A little off-topic, but a bit related to what I just said about cutting out upright shoots on fruit trees, here's a picture of what a well-pruned fruit tree should look like and the sunlight/picking benefits of it being well-pruned:

[Albanach]

Cheers FB I'll do as you say and prune only the overcrowded or dead branches and will much with grass cuttings and feed with compost. I will clear any overhanging branches from other tress in the vicinity to get more light to them as well.

[northepaul]

The problem I have (and I dont think I can be the only one...) is that my grass has weeds in it, so mulching around plants would encourage them to grow there in instead!!

[Albanach]

OK so I went up to the father in law's house today to have a go at the gooseberry bushes and here is what I found. Excuse the photos they were taken on the phone.

Picture 1&2

This is the smallest of the 2 bushes so I mulched with well rotted grass cuttings and then covered the well rotted stuff with drier grass cuttings. In terms of pruning I didn't think it needed much - would I be right?





Picture 3&4

This is the larger of the 2 and again I mulched in the same way as above. However in terms of pruning I got rid of the dead branches and a few of the branches that inertwined with each other. I didn't want to go any harder at it - does anyone think I could prune more?





I saw a lot of new shoots coming from the end of whitey/grey dry looking branches so they can't be dead - is this normal? I also pruned an awful lot of the surrounding trees/folage to get more light into the bushes.