Pruning gooseberries

[Garden Manager]

The time has come around again when the books and magazines say to prune your gooseberry bushes.

However i have foung the instructoins given in such publications a little confusing and off putting and have tended to ignore the job. But now it needs doing, so i seek some help and guidance.

the plants are proper bushes (not cordons,) and have the stems arising from the ground without a 'leg'. the plants are quite mature, having been in the garden for several years.  I dont want to train them in any way just tidy them up and get a good crop.

Any help would be apreciated.  :)

Thank you.

[Garden Manager]

[cleo]

Hi Richard-just cut out the oldest wood to keep the habit `open`-if you have neglected the bushes for a while then take out a third each year until you have got on top of it.

Like so many of these things it`s  not so easy to describe in words.

Stephan

[Piglet]

Hi Richard, I read the books and looked at the plants and it was a bit daunting but the main thing to bear in mind is to try to aim for a goblet shape if possible to keep the bush open in the middle to let air circulate around the plant and reduce the threat of disease.  I did this but be warned had a very reduced crop that year (I started of with any dead wood then carried on aiming for the goblet shape, I  may have pruned the wood out that cropped this year).  The plants do look alot better now 2nd year after.

[Garden Manager]

Many thanks to Stephan and 'piglet'. This has clarified several points for me.

The one thing that bothers me is affecting the crop. One of the plants is a very good croppre buthas lots of old wood in it.  It needs to come out i think, but i do worry it will affect the crop.

The gooseberries are important to us.  My mother makes excellent chutney out of them, so the bigger the crop the more chutney we get!