Gooseberry Commander

Gooseberry Commander or Vladil is a well-known black-fruited variety. It has almost no thorns, it is tasty and hardy. The variety was created over 20 years ago, but is still actively sold in nurseries.

The variety was bred by the South Ural Research Institute of Fruit and Vegetable and Potato Growing, and was approved for use in the Russian Federation in 1995. The parents of the variety are African and Chelyabinsk green. From the Chelyabinsk green variety borrowed resistance to cold and unpretentiousness, from the African - a magnificent color, reminiscent of black currant.

The bush is vigorous or medium, well-assembled, dense, slightly spreading. Thin straight shoots, slightly arcuate, practically without thorns, covered with large, rich green leaves. The leaves are slightly wrinkled, shiny. The tips of the shoots have a bright anthocyanin coloration, the lower 2/3 of the stem are colored green. Thorns are not numerous, soft, light brown, solitary, located mainly at the bottom of the stems. The flowers are quite beautiful, lemon-greenish, collected in small inflorescences, appear relatively late and do not have time to be damaged by recurrent frosts.

The berries are spherical, medium in size, sometimes quite large, weighing from 2.4 to 6.5 g, of a dense red-violet color. The color of the berries can vary from ruby ​​to almost black, depending on the light and the ripeness of the berries. There is a slight bluish bloom. The skin is thin. The pulp is crimson, juicy, few seeds.

The berries are sweet and sour. Tasting score - 4.2 points. Versatile variety: suitable for freezing, raw preserves, jams, jellies, juice distillation. The juice tastes delicious, slightly tart, similar to pomegranate. Looks great in mixed berries and compotes. Suitable for exotic gooseberry preparations: garlic sauces, adjika, marinades. The berries have excellent coloring properties, so they can be used to make colored wines and liqueurs.

Medium early variety. Ripe berries can be picked from the beginning of July. The term for the return of the crop is extended. The fruits are resistant to cracking and shedding, the variety does not force the gardener to rush to pick berries. The early maturity is high.

Productivity - 28 kg / ha. According to more recent data, the yield can reach 74-160 kg / ha. Up to 3.7 kg can be harvested from one bush. On high agricultural technology, the yield can reach 5-6 kg from 1 bush.

The variety is zoned. Perfect for growing in cold regions of central Russia, for example, in the north of the Tver region - here it hibernates without shelter.It is grown in the Middle Volga and Volga-Vyatka regions. It can grow in the Urals, in Siberia, in the North-West of the Russian Federation (Leningrad region).

Gooseberries love loose and nutritious soil. The Komandor variety is no exception. A sunny, well-ventilated place is chosen for him. In colder regions, choose areas with good snow cover in winter. Groundwater should lie no closer than one and a half meters - the plant does not like getting wet, it starts to hurt. Do not plant the plant near the paths, the roots of the gooseberry are not too adapted to overcome the dense soil.

Acidic soils are preliminarily deoxidized, add 200 g of dolomite flour per 1 sq. m.

They are planted either in early autumn, in September, or in the spring before the buds dissolve. Autumn planting is preferable. The seedlings are planted in pits 35 cm deep with a diameter of up to 60 cm.A bucket of compost and 1.5 cups of sifted wood ash are poured at the bottom of each pit, carefully loosened and sprinkled with fresh soil - the roots of the planted plant should not come into contact with fertilizers.

Young bushes are planted obliquely, sprinkled on 7 cm, the ground around is well crushed, watered abundantly. Then the ground part is cut off by 4-5 buds above the soil level.

The plant is prepared for winter - the soil is covered with a 10 cm layer of organic mulch.

Young plants are watered until they take root. Then watering is moderate. Gooseberries are watered only in hot and dry summers. It is the most drought-resistant berry shrub, its roots can reach 70 cm in depth and 2.5 meters in width. In the presence of rain, there is no need for watering.

The variety has very good winter hardiness, but according to this indicator it does not stand out. According to some reviews, the variety shows itself poorly, in comparison with others, it has small and tasteless berries. All negative reviews are from Siberia and other very cold regions for gooseberries. In Siberia, it is better to grow the variety according to the classical scheme - be sure to cover it for the winter:

1. the bushes are planted in initially sunny places, thinned out in time;

2. unripe shoots are removed in autumn;

3. the bushes should be completely covered with snow, all branches bend down.

So that the shoots have time to ripen, the dose of nitrogen fertilizers is carefully normalized, which stimulates the excessive growth of green mass, and the moisture is monitored. Humidity can also contribute to the spread of powdery mildew.

The immunity and health of the variety are average. It resists powdery mildew or septoria well, and is not susceptible to the invasion of the sawfly. However, additional treatments with biologics such as Fitosporin will be highly desirable.

The variety has good self-fertility (48.2%), which means that the Commander's plantings will yield yields, even if there are no other gooseberry varieties nearby. But if you need to maximize the set, it is better if the plantings are mixed.

The bush of the Komandor variety reproduces very easily. Cuttings can be cut from a 3-year-old plant.

Like all gooseberries, the variety will require classic care, which consists of simple steps.

1. Weeding and loosening. At the end of the season, excessively compacted soil can be dug onto the floor with a shovel bayonet. You need to loosen at least 4 times per season.

2. After watering, it is advisable to mulch the soil, with compost or humus, adding 3-4 kg per 1 sq. m. This procedure simultaneously fertilizes the soil.

3. Gooseberries are not picky about feeding, but you can apply mineral fertilizers with an emphasis on potassium and calcium for a better taste of the fruit.

From the 2nd year, the bushes are cut off. In the spring, remove all sick, frozen, creeping branches. Branches of 7-8 years old are removed from old plants - they are not productive.Thickening branches are removed, all branches of the bush should be open and well lit.

The variety is no longer a novelty and has managed to show itself. It is considered one of the best dark-fruited gooseberry varieties in the class. Very much like those who have already grown it. There are no thorns, it is very convenient to collect, the branches of the bush are literally strewn with berries. The bushes are unpretentious, resistant to diseases, do not require anything special, energetic, strong. They winter well, in summer with normal rains, even watering is not needed. Yields are stable. The pulp of the berries is sweet, rich, the skin is sour. The berries are tasty on their own, but in jam or compote they are just wonderful.