Besshipless red-fruited gooseberry variety Fridonia
Choosing a gooseberry for their site among a variety of varieties and varieties, many prefer the thornless red-fruited Fridonia variety. You will learn about what gardeners fell in love with, as well as how to care for the shrub so that it does not disappoint, you will learn from our article.
The content of the article
Gooseberry Fridonia: variety description
Fridonia is a tall, thornless and mid-season gooseberry with delicious bright red berries. The variety is unpretentious and, subject to few rules of agricultural technology, gives an excellent harvest of fragrant berries.
History of origin and distribution
Fridonia is one of the oldest crop varieties. It was obtained by Canadian breeders back in 1927 and for almost 100 years it has been grown on plots next to new gooseberry varieties, not inferior to them either in taste or in the volume of the harvest.
Freedonia is successfully grown throughout Russia.
Characteristics and description of the bushes
The main distinguishing feature of the variety is its rigidity. If the branches of other varieties are covered with sharp thorns, then Freedonia has smooth shoots.
This gooseberry belongs to tall, the bush can reach up to 1.5 m in height. The variety is not spreading, erect, with a compact crown, which greatly facilitates harvesting. Shoots are powerful, can do without garters.
The berries are large, rounded, weighing up to 7 g, bright ruby color. The taste is memorable - a mixture of wild strawberries, pineapple and fresh linden honey.
Reference. The variety bears fruit from the third year after planting and up to 20-40 years.
Freedonia is also valued for its high yields and strong immunity to diseases.
Resistant to temperatures
Gooseberry Fridonia can withstand frosts down to -30 ° C, and if there is high-quality shelter for the winter, even lower temperatures.
Moisture and drought resistance
The variety tolerates moisture changes and short drought well. But since the root system of the shrub is shallow, prolonged drought can destroy the plant, so on such days it needs moderate watering.
Disease and pest resistance
The Fridonia variety is distinguished by increased resistance to fungal diseases (powdery mildew, rust, etc.) and pests (sawfly, aphids, etc.). But it must be remembered that immunity is maintained subject to proper care of the plant and adherence to the rules of agricultural technology.
Characteristics and description of fruits
Berries of the Fridonia variety are considered one of the most delicious and sweet, they combine three amazing aromas - strawberry, lime honey and pineapple. The berries are large in size, up to 7 g, rounded, bright red, after ripening they do not crumble and stay on the branch for a long time.
Gooseberry berries contain a large amount of:
- vitamins A, B, C, E, etc .;
- macronutrients (potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, etc.);
- trace elements (copper, aluminum, rubidium);
- saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6;
- fiber, fructose, sucrose.
Application area
Due to their rich chemical composition, Fridonia berries are widely used in home medicine and cosmetology, as an anti-inflammatory and regenerating agent.
In cooking, gooseberry fruits are used to prepare delicious compotes, jams and marmalade.
Advantages and disadvantages compared to other varieties and hybrids
According to gardeners, the Fridonia gooseberry variety has a number of advantages:
- rigidity;
- sweet memorable taste;
- high productivity;
- resistance to droughts and frosts;
- immunity to diseases and pests;
- berries stay on the branches for a long time after ripening;
- suitable for growing throughout Russia;
- many options for use - both fresh and in blanks.
There were almost no shortcomings in the variety. Summer residents note only the need to monitor the degree of soil moisture and take preventive measures in spring to maintain the plant's resistance to diseases and pests. The easiest method is to pour boiling water over it.
Growing technology
The cultivation technology of the Fridonia variety does not differ from the agricultural technology of other gooseberry varieties.
Optimal conditions
Gooseberry is a light-loving plant, so the planting site should be sunny. If the site is dominated by heavy clay soil, they must be sanded, and acidic ones must be deoxidized, for example, with wood ash (1-1.5 kg per 1 sq. m) or chalk (0.5 kg per 1 sq. m). The pH level for gooseberries should not exceed 6.5. The optimal soil is loam.
It is also necessary to pay attention to the level of groundwater - it should not be higher than 1 m from the surface of the earth, otherwise the roots of the gooseberry will start to rot due to high humidity.
Terms and rules of landing
The optimal planting time is autumn, from early September to mid-October. In this case, the plant will have time to take root and prepare for winter. In the southern regions, gooseberries can also be planted in early spring.
Pits for the bush are dug to a depth of 40 cm with a distance of 2-2.5 m from each other. The earth dug out of the hole is mixed with a quarter of a bucket of rotted manure and a quarter of a bucket of sand. The landing pits are filled with the resulting soil, where two more matchboxes of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added.
The root collar of the seedling is deepened by 7-9 cm.
Further care
Further actions are simple. This is the standard gooseberry care, which consists in timely pruning of damaged branches and, if necessary, watering and fertilizing.
Pruning damaged and dry branches is carried out in early spring, before the buds swell. In the fall, you need to prune old branches that are more than six years old. The berries will no longer appear on such branches.
Pruning is done to give the plant more light and air. The procedure also stimulates the emergence of new shoots.
Important! Be sure to treat the cut with garden pitch.
The gooseberries do not need regular watering, the bush is additionally watered only during prolonged drought... Watering is carried out with warm settled water.
To improve the growth of gooseberries and the quality of the harvest in spring, the soil near the bush can be enriched with organic matter, nitrogen or potash fertilizers.
Potential problems, diseases and pests
Diseases such as anthracnose, rust, gray rot can become a big problem for the culture. Among insect pests for gooseberries, the most dangerous are sawflies, moths, aphids, and spider mites.
It is easier to prevent the appearance of pests and diseases than to treat the plant later. Therefore, in early spring, preventive measures are needed.
The simplest and most effective method of preventing pests is boiling water... The method helps to destroy insect larvae in the ground. It is possible to pour boiling water over gooseberry bushes only in early spring before the first buds appear, otherwise the culture will die.It is not allowed to water the bush itself with boiling water; hot water is used either for spraying or for root watering. One bush takes 3-4 liters of boiling water.
If signs of pest infestation nevertheless appear, special preparations are used, for example, "Antara" or "Entobacterin". When processing the instructions on the packaging must be strictly followed.
Attention! Treatment with insecticides is carried out no later than a month before the harvest, with biological products - two weeks.
If the plant is damaged by fungal diseases, you can resort to folk methods and spray the gooseberry bush with copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid. For processing, a 1% solution is prepared, one bush accounts for about 1.5 liters of the drug. Spraying is carried out in spring, before bud break, and in autumn, after leaf fall.
If traditional methods do not work, apply chemical fungicides, for example, "Vectra" or "Cumulus", following the instructions.
Wintering
Although Fridonia tolerates severe frosts, it is still necessary to prepare the plant for wintering.
This is done according to the following algorithm:
- After harvesting, old branches are cut.
- If autumn is dry, the plant is shed abundantly. This increases its winter hardiness.
- At the end of the harvest, top dressing fertilizer, for example, "Autumn". To prevent the appearance of diseases and pests, the bush is spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
- Before covering the plant for the winter, the trunk circle is mulched with peat or humus.
- For the winter, the bush can be wrapped in a covering material.
- If the winter is snowy, a snow cushion is erected over the bush.
Reproduction
All gooseberry varieties reproduce in the same way: by seeds, cuttings, layering or by dividing the bush.
The most popular methods are propagation by cuttings and layering.
Reproduction by layering spend in early spring. The lower branches are pressed to the ground and sprinkled with soil so that a shoot with 5-6 buds remains on the surface. The place where the twig is underground is spilled abundantly. By the fall, such a layer has time to take root. Then it is carefully separated from the mother tree and transplanted into a school for growing.
Propagation by cuttings also carried out in early spring. Young shoots with 5-6 buds are cut and soaked for a day in a root formation stimulator, for example, in "Kornevin". The next day the cuttings transplanted into a substrate of peat and sand mixed 1: 1, periodically watered to keep the soil moist. By the fall, the cuttings take root, and they are transplanted into schools for growing.
Features of cultivation depending on the region
The gooseberry of the Fridonia variety grows well throughout Russia, there are no special differences in its cultivation in different regions.
The difference lies only in the preparation of the plant for winter and the timing of the ripening of the crop.
Pollinating varieties
Fridonia belongs to cross-pollinated plants, therefore it is better to plant 3-4 different varieties on the site.
Such varieties as Russian, Plum, Yubileiny and Chelyabinsk green are considered universal gooseberry pollinating varieties.
Gardeners reviews
Judging by the reviews of summer residents, Fridonia is not losing ground to new products, and everything is also in demand, as it was several decades ago.
Elena, Tyumen: “This variety is the best for me - the most delicious, the most productive and unpretentious. Every year I collect at least 7 kg from a bush, eat a lot of fresh berries, and make jam from the rest. Taste - lick your fingers! "
Semyon, pos. Taiga: “Fridonia has been growing on my site for ten years now, every year it pleases with delicious berries, grandchildren cannot be delayed! From experience I will tell you: if you loosen the root soil several times a season, the harvest will be much better and more. In the clogged soil, the bush probably does not have enough oxygen for full development. "
Conclusion
High yield, unpretentiousness and excellent taste won the hearts of gardeners back in the early 20th century.And until now, Fridonia is grown in all regions of our vast country. Observing the elementary rules of agricultural technology, you will delight yourself with a tasty and healthy harvest.