I would like to know how one keeps a gooseberry bush grown in tree form (like a tree rose) pruned to maintain productivity. Standard practice for gooseberry bushes grown as multistemmed shrubs calls for stems to be cut to the ground after 4 years and to select and cultivate replacements. In the tree form, does one cut back some branches in the top to near the trunk to stimulate new growth? Is the pruning done in the dormant season? I know that Europeans have grown Ribes grossularia or Ribes uva-crispa in this form for many years, so there must be knowledge out there somewhere. It certainly makes them a lot easier to pick for someone with years in excess of 3-score-and-ten.

Thanks,

baumgrenze