[londongardener]

I know it is the wrong time of year but I have (for reasons that I cannot control) to move a gooseberry bush ASAP, any advice?

[Goosegirl]

Actually it is a good time to move shrubs and fruit bushes because the soil is still warm enough for them to settle in before winter. I'd reduce the growth by about a third to help with the stress of being moved. Dig around then under the main stems as wide as you can manage it when lifted. Dig a well-prepared hole that's had some bone meal scattered in and watered then replant your bush. Gently firm down the soil then give it another watering.

[New shoot]

Water it really well to make the soil cling round the roots.  Get the new spot ready before you lift it and get a load of water into the new hole.  Lift the rootball with as much soil as you can.  Sliding it onto a tarp or other thick sheet can help.  Wrap the roots up as much as you can and get it into the new space fast.  Water really well and keep watering over the next few weeks.

I wouldn't worry too much about feeding it.  You just need the roots to take for now.  A good mulch of manure or compost over the winter would be good though 

[londongardener]

What should I do to prepare the hole before hand?

[New shoot]

The main thing is to break up the bottom so the soil is easy for roots to get in and make it big, so you get lots of free flowing soil in around the roots.

I'm not a massive fan of bone meal, but you could use it.  It does attract foxes to dig, so bear that in mind.  You could also add some compost or manure, but make sure it is pretty well rotted.  Big bits make air gaps around the roots.

[Mr Dog]

I moved one around this time last year from a friend's house to the plot following pretty much the advice already given. It has done much better this year, having had a bit of time to start getting established before winter, than the ones I moved later when they'd gone dormant.

[snowdrops]

Might be worth getting some mycorrhizal fungi to add to the planting hole & roots to get it settled in.

[Growster...]

I'd also take a few cuttings now. Why not?

Did it a couple of years ago - at the wrong time, and they grew well.

There's a whole lot of cuttings taken from all these plants hanging around here, and of course, I've lost the labels...

[lettice]

Ive moved some gooseberry bushes early October over the years.
Certainly down here a gooseberry bush would be nowhere near dormant this time of year.
Pretty much the same as above. I add a mixture of homemade compost to the hole before planting.
Do water it in well and keep watering it a few times a week for its first month.
Do not feed gooseberries, just mulch well over winter with homemade compost and of course do not forget late autumn  and early winter to prune well.

Also, as mentioned above, take some cuttings from the plant before lifting as they will be fine to grow on this time of year. I have in the past planted my cuttings in old buckets, making them easier to transplant on after a year. Do not prune too harshly first year in their final position, they start producing first year but will produce best their second year, when you prune well.

[londongardener]

Thank you all, I moved it yesterday and watered well it. Do I need to water it (and a cutting that came off it) again every day for a few days or should it be fine?

[Yorkie]

It will partly depend on the weather, but I would suggest keeping it watered properly until the leaves have dropped.

If it's really hot and dry next summer, I'd keep on watering it then too.

[londongardener]

It will partly depend on the weather, but I would suggest keeping it watered properly until the leaves have dropped.

If it's really hot and dry next summer, I'd keep on watering it then too.

Do you think it needs every day at the moment or every couple of days?

[grinling]

I would water daily for a week, then every few days.
I prefer to glug, allow it to soak in and repeat it until the watering can is used up.

[Yorkie]

Whatever you are watering, the technique is to ensure that you do a proper water - perhaps less often - instead of a daily trickle of water.  If you only put a tiny amount of water on the surface, then the plant's roots stay near the surface, and so the plant is very susceptible to drought.  As grinling says, do a proper watering.

[Growster...]

"If you only put a tiny amount of water on the surface, then the plant's roots stay near the surface, and so the plant is very susceptible to drought.  As grinling says, do a proper watering."

Sound advice Yorkie - and Grinling!

Let 'em work!