Gooseberry Shuffle

We have planted quite a few berry bushes on our property, and over the years have dealt with several insect pests that create various problems for our harvests (aphids, I'm looking at you!)

This year, despite the promise of a huge gooseberry harvest, I lost out to (what I believe I have identified as) Currant Fruit Fly.  The life cycle of this pest involves laying eggs inside the emerging fruit, to grow, then cause the early spoilage of the fruit - which drops to the ground where they can pupate.  Sounds lovely, doesn't it? 

The infestation isn't 100%, but anyone who has harvested these berries from thorny, scratchy plants, and then spent time topping and tailing the fruit for baking or jam making can tell you that it's frustrating enough to throw in the towel at the sign of an obvious battle lost.  To mitigate the problem in the future, I pulled three of my plants and re-planted them far apart from one another in the front yard of our property.  This means that the remaining currant bushes (which are in the same family), have better air flow, and the ground around them is more open to the weather.

Before moving the plants, I harvested and destroyed the remaining fruit (oh, the waste!), and then took time to root some cuttings for future plantings, or to share with friends and neighbours. The ribes family are quite happy to put out roots, and I like to help them along with a little dash of rooting hormone, and a splash of homemade manure tea.