Pruning Gooseberry Plants

Pruning is an important part of proper edible plant care, but many people find the task overwhelming. It doesn’t have to be! Keep these things in mind:

  • You can have confidence in knowing that not everyone will prune the exact same way (even the experts).
  • There are several reasons to prune: to encourage vigorous growth and fruit production, improve sun penetration into the bush, and maintain good air circulation to minimize diseases.

NOTE: This is part 6 in a series of 9 articles. For a complete background on how to grow gooseberry plants, we recommend starting from the beginning.

Pruning Tips

  • Each spring, prune away weak and crowding branches, leaving only several shoots from each year’s growth.
  • Prune off all 3-year-old branches to make room for more fruitful, younger branches.
  • Gooseberries produce best on 1-year wood. Branches that produced the preceding year should be removed.

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