Glenn:

The most striking thing about your photos is the total absence of weeds. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but here at Jellyman Farms, there would be quite a few, perhaps some larger than 6 feet tall, in spite of best efforts.

Have you got weed mat under that mulch, or how do you manage to eliminate weeds so completely in your beds? I use both 2,4-D and Glyphosate under controlled conditions, but have really learned my lesson on the effects of vapors from 2,4-D on non-target plants. Tip: Don't spray 2,4-D anywhere near broccoli. Not that you would ever do anything like that, but I had to ask.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Hi Don-
I'll actually consider that a compliment! It's the front of the house which looks a little better than the back as far as the weeds go. No, nothing fancy going on here... just some weed mat from Walmart. That, plus a little mulch this year, and a little ol' fashion weeding. No spraying of 2,4-D... I've never touched the stuff. Thanks for the thoughts though. Happy fourth!!!
-Glenn

Glenn,
I'm wondering if too much direct sun and heat might be part of the problem. The remaining leaves look pretty healthy, but gooseberries don't take kindly to full afternoon sun and overwhelming heat - I killed several of the good 'dessert' types by planting them in full sun here in my hot zone 6 orchard. Pixwell and Glenndale are two of the more heat/sun tolerant gooseberry varieties, but true gooseberry affectionados sneer at their mediocre fruit quality. But, they will survive and fruit for me, so I keep 'em.

If yours is in a spot where it gets full or brutal afternoon sun, you might look for a shadier spot to move it to when it goes dormant.

I don't think the losing leaves should be a major problem. Mine have lost leaves, but (as usual) have a large number of berries.

Do you have experience with other cultivars? People with NAFEX seem to think not highly of Pixwell. I like it, both early (somewhat sour) & late (sweeter). But I must say that I now have a Hinnomaki Red, which does not appear to bear as well, but has more of a mix of sweet & sour when ripe.

Another two that appear to have promise (but probably won't bear as well, again): Red George, Black Velvet.

Hi Lucky_p & geo_7a-
You could be right about the too much afternoon sun. That's exactly what it gets. Shade until 11:00 or so, and then direct sun until 4:00 and it does get quite warm there. It's right near the house (maybe some reflected light too?) where the slab was built on a lot of sand... so it's just 8-10 inches of top soil, and then a few feet of sand. When the label said "full sun", I tried to give it as full sun as I had. Maybe next year I'll move it before it leafs out? Or, is there any chance, as the plant matures it would be more likely to be able to handle this area next year?

That's good to hear that someone elses looses some leaves though, but basically everything is OK.

Yeah, I had originally wanted to get a Hinnomaki Red. They had them the previous year at my nursery, and they were supposed to get me one this year... but, by the time they told me they couldn't get one in, it was too late to order one bare-root. I had always planned on planting a second one next year anyway. When the Pixwell showed up at another nursery, I knew it wouldn't taste quite as good, but I knew it would bear heavier so I figured I'd try it. I don't mind having two different types.

Thanks again for the help!
-Glenn

Well, after further examination and investigation, it looks like I have a classic case of Gooseberry Leaf Spot. *sigh*. This fruit growing thing aint easy.

{{gwi:120892}}

Here is a link that might be useful: Gooseberry Leaf Spot

I had the same problem on my Invicta gooseberry last summer, and it is reappearing this year. Despite the name, Invicta seems to be easily overcome by leaft spot and by the end of summer had lost most of its leaves. The Hinnomaki yellow right next to it was fine.

The good news is that the Invicta grew vigorously this spring (its second year) and set quite a bit of fruit. If you follow the growing advice others have given (afternoon shade, etc.), you can expect to get a crop next year.

Does anyone know the best way to fight Gooseberry leaf spot? On the link above, it looks like copper may work? I do have some Bonide "Spray or Dust" copper that I have never used. But, I don't see "Gooseberry" as one of the things mentioned on its label. Is copper safe when there is fruit on the plant? Thanks, -Glenn

Hi all-

I had a little surprise today. I was sure that after the bout with leaf spot last year and it loosing all of its leaves, my (not-so-recommended) Pixwell gooseberry was dead. (If it was, it would have been the first fruit plant that I have killed, I think) The branches were all grey like and showed no signs of life. At one point during the late fall/early winter, I broke off a branch hoping for green inside, but saw more of a brown. I thought it was a goner.

Today, I looked at it, and it's got tiny leaf buds next to each thorn which are starting to open, and I see green all over the plant! Im thinking that this green has only been visible for a day or two. My experience sounds exactly like Austransplant's.

The only slightly bad news is that I didn't bother transplanting it because I thought it was dead. So, it will still have to deal with the warm afternoon sun. But, I guess if it sets a decent crop, and then goes dormant-like towards the late summer, I donÂt really care. Perhaps, now that I know itÂs alive (but very ugly) during the winter, IÂll transplant it next year.

I have a better spot in mind for the Hinnomaki thatÂs coming in a few weeks.

So, now to deal with the leaf spot. It looks like the Kocide 3000 that I already have for apple scab is indeed rated for Gooseberry Leaf Spot. Good deal. The question is how much Kocide? The label always has everything in lbs/acre. For apple, for scab/fire blight, I see 3.5-7 lbs/acre which is very difficult to translate for the homeowner. With a little faith in my online friends (Scott, Jellyman, and others), this seems to translate into about 1.5 tbsp/gal. For gooseberry leaf spot, the label says 4.25 lbs/acre. So, IÂm guessing IÂll use a rate of 1 tbsp/gallon? Actually, in this case, IÂm just going to use a tiny 24 oz hand held sprayer only filled half way to 12 oz. So, I calculate I need 1/4 of a teaspoon of Kocide 3000. WorldÂs smallest batch!

The label says for Gooseberry Leaf Spot: "Make initial application after first leaves have expanded. Continue 10 to 14 day schedule or as needed during the wet conditions in the spring. Make an additional application after harvest

IÂm guessing "first leaves have expanded" means after the first leaves have fully opened up and look like small leaves? I donÂt want to misinterpret this and miss my window. With scab, we like to already have it on there as the tree comes out of dormancy. Because I missed the "after harvest spray", any harm spraying it a bit early? (Other than excess copper in soil/earthworms) And, then IÂm guessing IÂll spray it once or twice more beyond that "leaf expansion" at the recommended interval?

Anyone disagree with my calculations/thoughts?

Thanks for letting me think out loud!

-Glenn

P.S. This is far too much thinking about this little plant!

I have pixwell and hinnomaki (6 of each). After fighting leaf spot every year on pixwell, I took half of them out. Hinnomaki is waaay better disease resistant. I find the same thing true about other types of fruit. New varieties are better. I am planning to try some other newer gooseberry varieties in place of my very fragile pixwell.

Whitman Farms is selling a new gooseberry cultivar named Jeanne which seems very promising.Following is a discription of the plant:

The Agricultural Research Service announces the naming and release of a disease and pest resistant, high quality, dark-red, dessert gooseberry cultivar, JEANNE.

Ribes uva-crispa L. cv. JEANNE is a late-ripening, dark red, dessert gooseberry with an unknown mixed European/American gooseberry pedigree. This plant was tested under the selection number O. T. 126, CRIB 11, ad PI 555830, which was donated to the USDA ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository in 1981 from the Ribes collection maintained in collaboration between USDA and Oregon State University, Department of Horticulture, in Corvallis, Oregon. JEANNE should be suitable for commercial gooseberry production or home plantings.

Flowers and Fruit
In Corvallis, Oregon, JEANNE is a late blooming, late-ripening, dark red gooseberry. In most years, first leaf occurs in late March, full bloom occurs mid- to late-April, seven days to two weeks later than 'Malling Invicta' or 'Captivator'. The flowers are Plant
JEANNE has an upright growth habit with some sprawling lower branches. Plants grow to a moderate size of about 1m x 1 m. The leaves are glossy green in spring and summer. Some branches have an occasional single spine per node. The spines are about 0.9 cm.

Fruit Quality
The fruit taste is full and sweet, improved over 'Captivator'. Fruit quality measurements for mid-July 2005 are as follows: pH = 3.3, titratable acidity = 1.85 g citric acid/100g berries, and oBrix =16.6, total anthocyanins = 19.7 mg/100g berries (expressed as cyanidin-3-glucoside), total phenolics = 128.4 mg/100g berries (expressed as gallic acid equivalents).

Disease and Insect Resistance
The leaves and fruits of JEANNE are highly resistant to powdery mildew, caused by Sphaerotheca mors-uva (Schwein). Berk. & Curt. In 1995, JEANNE was rated 1 (1 = most resistant, 9 = most susceptible) to mildew on both shoots and fruits, while 'Captivator' was rated 2 on both; 'Malling Invicta' was rated 2 for shoot mildew and 3 for fruit mildew; 'Careless' was rated 8 for shoot mildew and 9 for fruit mildew. Over the years JEANNE has remained at rating 1 for shoot and fruit mildew in Corvallis. The leaves of JEANNE are also highly resistant to white pine blister rust, caused by Cronartium ribicola Fisher. Between 1995 and 2005, no uredia formed on JEANNE under natural infection in Corvallis, Oregon. A few uredia formed on leaves of this plant after artificial inoculation in the field with 20,000 spores/ml. In Corvallis, damage from aphids or defoliation from sawflies (Pachynematus spp.) was less severe on JEANNE than in other European gooseberries. In 1995, 1996 and 1997 JEANNE was rated 1 (least affected) for sawflies, while other gooseberries, such as 'Jubilee Careless', were rated 9 (severe defoliation). .Black leaf spot, caused by Drepanopeziza ribis (Kleb.) Hohn, is visible on some leaves in summer, but does not appear to cause plant damage.

Propagation
JEANNE can be propagated by hardwood cuttings taken after 1000 hours of chilling has been received, or by softwood cuttings taken after bloom is finished when new growth snaps when bent sharply. The rooting percentage of cuttings is usually improved from liquid application of auxin.

JEANNE was named in honor of the late Ms. Cheryl Jeanne Gunning, who worked in the tissue culture laboratory of the Corvallis Repository from 1981 to 1985.

Genetic material of this release is deposited in the National Plant Germplasm System, USDA ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository at Corvallis, Oregon, where it will be available for research purposes, including development and commercialization of new cultivars. Limited quantities of JEANNE cuttings or rooted plants are available from: Curator, USDA-ARS National Clonal Germplasm Repository, 33447 Peoria Road, Corvallis, OR 97333-2521. The Agricultural Research Service does not have plants for commercial sale.