Purple leaves on Gooseberry plant?

[Mortimer]

Hi,

I planted two green gooseberry plants in my garden a few months ago. They are growing and already have fairly big gooseberries but their leaves have started to go purple. Some leaves are still nice and green, but many others have gone completely purple and some of the gooseberries are tinted this colour also.

The only thing I can find is this, Color Pictures of Mineral Deficiencies - Strawberry, Raspberry, Gooseberry, Currents, which suggests that my soil has a phosphorous deficiency. I should say that they are planted where I recently had pigs and although grass is finally sprouting, no flowers are present.

I am not intending on buying a fertiliser or a phosphorous booster or anything as the only people going to eat the gooseberries are my family, I just want to know if this is normal and if they are edible (and when can I eat them- they are Invictas).

Thanks for any help,

Ryan

[rustylady]

They should be fine to eat. Whereabouts are you? The weather can affect leaves quite badly.

[Mortimer]

Okay thanks for the reply. I'm in Donegal, Ireland. I heard of a gooseberry problem nearby but was told it probably wouldn't affect my area. The weather here is often terrible, very wet, but the last few weeks have been great and I watered them then.

Ryan

[rustylady]

What sort of gooseberry problem did you hear of? And could you add your location to your profile please - then it will show on your posts

[Mortimer]

I can't remember, it was in another part of the county but it could still be related. At least they're still growing though

[FB.]

Something about the soil which is blocking certain nutrient uptake?

Maybe the soil is too rich after pigs. Maybe the soil is too acidic due to rain - unusually high or low pH can cause malnutrition in some plants.

[Mortimer]

Thanks FB I thought something similar. Pity I didn't plant them somewhere else but hopefully they'll still taste great

[boundtothesoil]

Some leaves are still nice and green, but many others have gone completely purple and some of the gooseberries are tinted this colour also.

I'd tough it out. I have also noticed some extra reddening of developing gooseberries this year on the variety Invicta (see photo ). I put it down to 'stress' associated with the strangely varied weather (temp and wind especially) pattern over this year's very late spring. However, I don't have purpled leaves (anthocyanin pigments?). I wouldn't bother with adding any fertilizer of any kind now - it's too late to affect this year's crop.

For information:- According to MAFF's Bulletin No. 4. 'Bush Fruits' (1965), ''Phosphorus deficiency has been observed in (gooseberries) in phosphate starved pot culture experiments, but additions of phosphatic fertilizers are rarely necessary in commercial plantations as the gooseberry has a low phosphate requirement. Gooseberries are not usually affected by minor element deficiencies."

[Mortimer]

Thanks for that info and picture- but they make my gooseberries look like beetroot! I don't mind, as long as they still are edible and tasty, but should I remove the purple leaves or does it not matter?

Ryan

[rustylady]

I would leave them on.

[jessmorris]

I give mine potash. They are very hungry plants and will show nutrient deficiencies in the leaves...just before the sawfliy caterpillars get 'em!

[jessmorris]

If you don't make up deficiencies they will have low crops or stop cropping altogether so its worth finding out what is wrong and correcting it. I think you can use wood ash too, though its very quickly leached out so put it on when the plants are growing vigourously...your goosegogs look a lot better than mine anyway!