Gooseberry

[Clarea1]

When I moved into my house last year, there was agooseberry bush in a pot. I repotted it but have done nothing else to it. We didn't get any fruit on it last year (it's not that big).

How do I look after it? Is it ok in a pot? Sun or shade? Is it an Autumn fruiter? Does it need feeding? etc etc!

[Lesley Jay]

Our gooseberries are planted out at the allotment but they are okay in pots. Fruit bushes don't usually fruit much the year after moving them so re potting it might be the reason why you had no fruit. They like the sun and need protecting from the birds and also the frost. Give it some Growmore and it should be fine. They grow between 2 - 5 foot and fruit in July. They do need pruning but I would wait and see what crop you get this year first.

[nick the grief]

And they need protecting from Saw fly, the little blighter munched their way through all the leaves on mine in a week! I went up one weekend , nice gooseberry next weekend skeleton They never really recovered from that, so they've got to go I'm afraid to make room for some Strawbs insead. That should please Higher authority down stairs
Nick

[sewer rat]

Gooseberry bush

If you have never seen sawfly at work - they are impressive. From fully foliaged bush to skeleton in no time at all - talk about voracious appetites . I had them on two gooseberry bushes I inherited upon moving in. I too gave up but might try again next year as I love goosegogs.
Rat

[Jaxom]

The common gooseberry sawfly is the most troublesome pest of gooseberries. It may have three generations of ofspring a year, with the larvae active in May to June, July and August to September. Here is the RHS advice. http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile...rry_sawfly.asp

[SueA]

Gooseberry sawfly

I planted a gooseberry bush years ago & had pretty good crops until the sawfly larvae found it. I picked them off daily & managed to salvage some fruit but the following year got so fed up with them that I dug the bush up. I'm going to try again this year though with a bush which I bought (very cheaply) in Morrisons' supermarket & grow it in a pot - maybe moving it around the garden will confuse the sawflies?