Currant
Currant is a shrub that can be found in any garden or garden. The popularity of currants is due to the unsurpassed taste of its berries, as well as the fact that this is one of the few shrubs that can begin to bear fruit within a year after planting. In addition, currant berries have a lot of useful properties and are used in traditional medicine and cosmetology. Planting currants and caring for them, despite their apparent simplicity, actually have a number of features that it is desirable to take into account in order to get good yields.
Content:
Read also: Projects of country houses for 6-10 acres: 120 photos, description and requirements | The most interesting ideas
Introduction
In our climate, you can grow several dozen types of currants. These include both wild and cultivated species. The greatest variety of wild-growing currants is observed in mountainous regions: in the Caucasus and the eastern Urals. In addition to the traditional red and black currants, there are also white and golden currants. However, the palm of popularity was and is occupied by blackcurrant for its taste and useful properties.
red currant bush
Currants can be consumed raw, from which you can get excellent jams, compotes, jams, syrups, and so on. Since there is enough sugar in the currant and it is capable of fermentation, a variety of artisanal alcohol is obtained from it, from wines and liqueurs to strong tinctures.
Black currant berries
The use of currants in medicine is primarily due to the presence of a huge amount of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) in it., as well as flavonoids and tannins. Moreover, these substances are found not only in the berries of the plant, but also in its stems and leaves. In folk medicine, various infusions, decoctions and teas are prepared from currant leaves and berries.
Read also: Pepper: description, growing from seeds, planting in open ground and care (Photo & Video) + Reviews Biological description
currant flower
Currant belongs to the Gooseberry family. In total, there are almost 200 species of wild and cultivated currants. The plant has a worldwide distribution: it can be found both in the equatorial belts and beyond the Arctic Circle.
Blackcurrant bush in early spring. Old and young shoots are visible
From the point of view of botany, currant is a shrub with stiff shoots and lobed leaves. The flowers of the plant are arranged in brush-type inflorescences.
Usually, each brush contains up to two dozen flowers. The flowers are small, with five sepals and five petals. Each flower has one pistil and five stamens in the center. Flowering occurs from April to May, fruits in the form of berries appear in a month. And another one to two months is spent on ripening, after which (most often in July) the harvest is carried out.
standard currant
The size of the plant varies significantly depending on its type or variety. Usually the height of the bush is about 1 meter, but there are also giant plants whose growth exceeds 2.5 m. The diameter of the bushes is from 50 cm to 120 cm. The size of the berries can also be varied: from 2 to 15 mm. The yield of currants depends on the variety and region of cultivation and can range from 1 to 7 kg per bush. On average, in a temperate climate, this figure is 3 kg per bush, or about 120 kg per hundred square meters.
Currant is a long-liver in any garden. The high yield of the bush is maintained with proper care for 10-15 years. Some individual specimens do not degrade and continue to live even longer.
Despite the fact that many seeds are formed in currant berries, no one propagates it by seed, since the plant reproduces perfectly vegetatively.
Read also: Irises: description, types and varieties, planting in open ground and care (150+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
Planting currants
Usually, currants begin to bear fruit in the next season after planting. It is believed that the best time for planting currants is the first months of autumn, and only in the most extreme case is it allowed to plant in the spring.
Arrangement of currants in the form of a separate bush
For planting plants, seedlings are chosen at least 2 years old, in which three skeletal roots have formed. When choosing seedlings, it is imperative to inspect its root system so as not to acquire diseased or weak planting material.
The best place for planting currants is a sunny area, which is well protected from the winds. The soil for the plant should be neutral or slightly alkaline. Growing bushes on acidic soils is unacceptable, so acidic soils must be limed.
Simultaneously with liming, additional fertilizing should also be introduced under the bushes in order to provide the plant with all the elements necessary for normal growth and fruiting. Liming for a guaranteed result is best done immediately not with ash, but with lime.
Site preparation begins in advance. About a month before planting, the area for currants is dug up to a depth of about 20-25 cm, all debris and wood residues are removed from it.
After digging into the soil, the following components must be added:
- lime 300 - 1000 g
- superphosphate or double superphosphate (200 g or 100 g respectively)
- potassium sulfate 20-30 g
- organic fertilizer (compost, rotted manure, humus) - 3 kg
Planting currants in autumn
In fact, currants can be planted at any time during its growing season, however, the best results are obtained when planting a plant in the autumn.
Pits for planting seedlings must be prepared two weeks after the preliminary preparation of the site. Thus, two weeks will remain before planting the seedlings, and the soil will have time to settle. The size of the pits for planting seedlings should be 50 by 50 cm, and their depth should be about 40 cm. The bushes are arranged in rows or in a checkerboard pattern with a distance between bushes and rows from one and a half to two meters.
Currant seedlings
In addition to the top dressings listed above, about one bucket of humus (or any similar organic fertilizer) must be added under each bush, as well as 100 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium chloride. In order to avoid contact between the roots of the seedling and large fragments of fertilizer that can lead to a burn of the root system, top dressing should be sprinkled with a layer of earth of the order of 5-6 cm.
Seedlings are placed in pits at an angle of 45°. At the same time, they must be placed in a hole in such a way that the root collar is at a depth of no more than 5 cm.The roots should be carefully straightened, otherwise the process of formation of additional roots will go very slowly. In addition, it is desirable to place the bush in such a way that part of the kidneys is below ground level. Their similar arrangement will allow the formation of new roots and shoots from these buds. Thanks to this, it is possible to form currant bushes, consisting of a large number of fairly strong branches.
The roots and part of the kidneys are slightly (3-4 cm) sprinkled with earth, it is slightly compacted and watered. Irrigation rates are about 5 liters per bush. After watering, soil is poured into the pit until it is completely filled. Around the bush, it is necessary to make a circular furrow with a diameter of 30 to 40 cm and a depth of 5-10 cm, into which water must be poured.
After that, the bush should be mulched with humus. This is necessary so that after watering a crust does not form on the ground, preventing air from reaching the roots.
Young rooted bush
When mulching is completed, it is necessary to trim the shoots of the seedling at a height of 12-15 cm from the ground level (not mulch). At the same time, at least 5 buds should remain on the shoots. If at such a distance there is not the required number of buds, pruning must be done at such a height that there are exactly five buds. Trimmings are also stuck into the ground at a distance of 20-30 cm from the middle of the bush. With a very high probability, these improvised cuttings will also be able to take root.
Planting currants in spring
In fact, this method of planting a plant is not welcome, since with it there is a high probability not only not to get a crop this season, but also to spoil the seedlings. The problem is that it is necessary to plant a plant in the spring before the start of sap flow, that is, at a time before the active period of bud opening has begun. This segment, which characterizes the beginning of the growing season, is quite short and by the time it begins, the soil may simply not have time to warm up in order to be able to plant bushes in it.
Spring planting is not recommended.
Therefore, such a planting is carried out either in the case of a very early spring, or when there is no other way out and the seedlings simply “do not hold out” until autumn.
Read also: Ranunculus (Buttercup): description, types and varieties, cultivation and reproduction, planting in open ground and care, useful properties (50 Photos & Videos) + Reviews seasonal care
Throughout the growing season, depending on the season, the plant requires various manipulations. Caring for a plant in different periods often requires a completely different approach. Let's take a closer look at how to care for currants depending on the season:
In the spring time
Pruning currants in spring
This period is, in fact, the easiest to grow a plant, it includes the following issues:
- Removal of kidneys that could be affected by pests, in particular, mites. If there are a majority of such buds on the shoot, it is necessary to remove the entire shoot to ground level.
- Renovation of the circular furrow along the perimeter of the bush and replacement of the mulch layer after the winter period. Mulch, as in autumn, is made from compost, rotted manure or humus.
- In case of refusal to mulch, regular loosening of the soil under the plant and removal of weeds 2-3 times during the week. Loosening must be carried out to a depth of at least 8 cm. It is recommended to perform it after watering.
- Regular watering as the soil dries. Pay special attention to watering during flowering and fruit set.
- From time to time, sanitary pruning of the plant should be carried out. Mandatory sanitary pruning immediately after winter.
- About a week after the first sanitary pruning this year, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of the bush from various pests and diseases. The means and methods depend on what the gardener has already encountered and what pests and diseases may be present in this particular climate or locality.
- After the start of flowering, you should regularly inspect the inflorescences for the search for double inflorescences. These inflorescences must be cut off, since terry can spread to the entire bush, and from it to other bushes.
- At the beginning of the growing season (when the first buds swell), nitrogen fertilizers must be applied. It is not recommended to use saltpeter; urea is better suited for currants.
In summer time
In this period, the most important care issue is watering. In addition, during the heat period, with sufficient watering of the soil around the currant bushes, the mass appearance of weeds begins. It is necessary to constantly monitor the cleanliness of the soil and get rid of weeds by any means.
In summer, do not forget about watering
Also in the summer it is necessary to make regular top dressing of the plant with organic fertilizers, combining these top dressings with watering. It is recommended to fertilize with each watering, reducing the one-time application rates.
Plants should be inspected daily, paying attention to any changes in their appearance and responding to any negative deviations. At the same time, do not forget that about 15-20 days before the planned harvest, it is not recommended to treat the plant with chemicals (insecticides, fungicides, etc.), it is better to use some "folk" methods.
Berry picking should be done selectively, which is as it ripens. Well, we should not forget that black currants are collected by one berry, and red (as well as white and golden) - by one brush.
autumn
Pruning bushes to give them the desired shape
Everything is relatively simple here: after harvesting, the bushes need only watering and loosening the soil. And only by mid-September you need to apply organic or mineral fertilizers for each plant.
Around the end of September, sanitary pruning of bushes is carried out, which is often combined with the forming one. And it is at this time that currants are propagated and planted.
In addition, in the fall it is necessary to carry out preventive treatment of the plant from various pests that want to use the bushes as a place for wintering.
Usually, they hide in the bark of the shoots and the soil directly under the bush. It is necessary to carefully examine the old shoots of the plant and the soil under them.
In the event of a too dry autumn, the plant needs watering to help it gain strength before wintering.
Read also: Saxifrage: description, types and varieties, reproduction, growing from seeds, planting in open ground, care (110+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews
General questions about plant care
Watering
Watering in the first month of spring depends on how snowy the winter was. In the case of sufficient snow cover, the soil will be well saturated with water and the plant will not need watering. If there was little snow, currants should be watered regularly.
Blackcurrant is more demanding on water
During the formation of berries and flowers, especially in cases where the weather is hot, the soil should be moistened at least once every 4-5 days. The currant root system requires moisture to penetrate to a depth of about 30-40 cm, which means that for irrigation in hot and dry times, the water consumption will be about 25 liters per 1 sq. m plot.
Water should be poured directly under the bush so that drops do not fall on the leaves. You can either use the previously mentioned circular furrow around the bush, into which water is poured during irrigation, or, conversely, make a small hill around a circle with a diameter of 30-40 cm, which does not blow water to spread. The height of such a slide should be about 15 cm.
At the end of the growing season, if dry weather persists, it is necessary to water the plant before the onset of mid-autumn so that it can prepare for winter.
top dressing
Top dressing currants
When planting seedlings, the supply of fertilizers will be enough for them for a period of up to two years, however, after its completion, they will need to be fertilized regularly. In early spring, the plant requires nitrogenous fertilizers. An ideal fertilizer for young bushes would be urea. Its application rates are about 40 g per bush for young plants, while plants over four years old will require about 20 g per bush.
In autumn, it is best to use organic fertilizers. Approximately 5-6 kg of chicken manure, compost or rotted manure is applied under each plant. In addition, mineral fertilizers will also be needed - about 50 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium sulfate.
Do not forget about immunizing dressings. At the beginning of summer, the plant must be fed three times with a special mixture consisting of:
- boric acid (3 g)
- potassium permanganate (5 g)
- copper sulfate (30 g)
These substances are mixed in 10 liters of water and it is necessary to irrigate with this water. The next two irrigations are repeated. Such watering will increase the plant's resistance to most diseases and pests.
pruning
This procedure is necessary so that the plant can bear fruit as efficiently as possible. To do this, diseased, weak and too old shoots must be removed from the plant. Most of the berries are tied on last year's shoots of branches of 4-5 years of age. Therefore, if a plant branch is more than 6 years old, it must be removed.
Removing old branches from blackcurrant
Dried or diseased branches and branches affected by pests and diseases should also be removed. With proper pruning, red currants can bear fruit without loss of yield for about 15 years, black currants for about 20 years.
The main pruning of the plant should be done in the fall. However, some of it is produced in the spring. In the spring, frozen branches are cut off, broken and dead ones are removed.
In the summer, young shoots of this year should be pinched to stimulate their branching or form the correct shape of the bush.
Pruning in the fall of blackcurrant is done as follows:
- when planting a plant - to a height of 12-15 cm from ground level
- the second year of life - all branches are cut, except for 3-5 of the strongest; they will become the basis of the bush
- the third and fourth years - the shoots of this year are cut off, leaving 3-8 of the most developed
Older plants are cut from year to year according to the following scheme:
- last year's shoots - the tops are shortened by about 1/4 or 1/3 of the length
- branches of the 2nd and 3rd years are cut to 2-3 buds on each branch
- branches older than 6 years are removed completely
The main part of pruning of red (white and golden) currants is done in the spring. Its principle exactly repeats the procedure carried out with blackcurrant, but with a slight difference. The tops of the increments are not pinched and the shoots of the 2nd and 3rd years are not shortened. As for the "old" branches, you should simply delete all branches older than 7 years.
Read also: Snapdragon: description, types, growing from seeds, planting in open ground and plant care, medicinal properties (85+ Photos & Videos) + Reviews reproduction
Currants are propagated mainly by vegetative means. The main methods of reproduction: layering, cuttings and rooting of two-year-old shoots. It is believed that red currants are best propagated by layering, and black currants are best propagated by cuttings. However, as practice shows, all three methods are perfect for both varieties of currants.
Seed propagation is used exclusively for scientific or breeding purposes. In "home conditions" it is rather difficult, long and unreliable, therefore it is not considered here.
With the help of cuttings
It can be carried out by two types of cuttings - young and lignified. The easiest way to reproduce is by lignified cuttings. In addition, this seed is available at any time of the year: cuttings can be planted in spring, summer, and autumn.
Planting currant cuttings
Cuttings are harvested at the beginning of winter, before the onset of frost, since severe frost can destroy the buds. Shoots from 8 to 10 mm in thickness are selected for cuttings. They are cut up to 15-20 cm long. It is preferable to use the middle of the shoot.Both sections of the cutting should be sealed with garden pitch or paraffin. This will keep moisture in them. The cuttings should be wrapped in damp paper and polyethylene, and then placed under a layer of snow or in the refrigerator.
Rooting cuttings in containers with water
In early spring, cuttings are planted on special beds at an angle of 45 ° in several rows at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other and between rows. At the same time, the lower cut of the cutting is cut obliquely and it is buried in the soil so that 2-3 buds are above it.
The beds must be mulched with sawdust, peat or humus. Usually, a simple polyethylene greenhouse on metal arcs is placed above the beds. A greenhouse is needed until the first leaves bloom on the cuttings.
The soil in the greenhouse should never dry out. After removing the greenhouse, moderate watering is necessary. In summer, the bed should be regularly weeded and fertilized, for example, with a solution of mullein in water. By autumn, ready-made seedlings with a height of about 50 cm will form from the cuttings; they will have 1-2 shoots. The most developed of the seedlings can already be used for planting this year. The rest spend another year in the garden.
If green cuttings are used, then the propagation procedure is slightly different.. They can only be grown and rooted in a greenhouse. In addition, when using them, there is one interesting trick.
Blackcurrant cuttings
Its essence lies in the fact that the cutting is taken from a well-developed shoot, but the top is not used for its rooting. The length of the cutting is chosen from 5 to 10 cm (at the same time, it should not have buds, but 2-3 leaves). The stalk is placed in water, and after 10-15 days, when it has roots, it is transplanted into a special bag with soil. This bag has holes to drain excess water. The stalk is watered almost daily to keep the soil concentration in the bag like liquid sour cream.
After about a week of such watering, the root system of the cutting is finally formed and they can be stopped.. As soon as the soil acquires normal density, they proceed to the usual frequency of watering. In such packages, the cuttings are grown until they are about 50 cm in height. After that, they are transplanted to the garden, deepening by 15-20 cm at an angle of 45 °.
With the help of offsets
The simplest and most commonly used method of propagating currants. As a result, it is possible to obtain good and strong seedlings that have a fairly powerful root system literally within a year.
Propagation of currants by layering
As a layering, it is best to choose a healthy and strong branch of a two-year-old currant bush, which has the following features:
- grows at an angle or spreads along the ground
- located on the periphery of the bush
- located on the south side
Such conditions are necessary so that the branch can be bent to the ground as easily as possible. The latter circumstance is not critical, so it can be ignored. Simply, if all three conditions are met, the quality of the plant obtained from the layering will be maximum.
Under the branch-layer, in the direction of its growth, a furrow is dug 10-15 cm deep, into which it fits and is fixed. Fixation is carried out using steel staples or hooks. In this case, it is necessary that the top of the branch protrude 25-30 cm from the furrow and be directed vertically upwards.
After that, the furrow is filled in and throughout the summer it is irrigated along its entire length. If everything went well, by the fall, a full-fledged seedling with a well-developed root system is obtained from the layering. In addition, several branches will already exist on the seedling and it can be easily dug up and transferred to a new place.
Read also: How to make flower pots with your own hands: outdoor, indoor, hanging | Step by Step Charts (120+ Original Photo Ideas & Videos) Varietal diversity
Currant has not only many species, but also a wide variety of varieties that differ in growing conditions, yield and ripening time.
Among the abundance of varieties, you can always choose those that are suitable for a given type of terrain, climatic conditions and personal preferences of the owner of the site. Consider the classification of currant varieties depending on its ripening time:
Early varieties
Redcurrant variety Jonker
- Venus. Black currant, weight of berries is about 5 g. Tall bushes with sweet and sour berries.
- Pearl. Blackcurrant with large berries, weighing up to 6 g.
- Ural white. Currant with white-yellow berries. The weight of berries is up to 5 g. The bush is sprawling, branching.
- Jonker. Red currant with very large berries weighing up to 7 g. The taste is sweet and sour.
- Umka. Currant white. Berries are sweet and large. The bush is tall, not sprawling.
Mid-season varieties
Variety Sanyuta
- Osipovskaya sweet. Red Ribes. The berries are large, up to 5 g. The bush is tall, slightly branching. Berries are very sweet.
- Roland. Red Ribes. The taste is sweet and sour. The variety is disease and frost resistant.
- Anniversary. Black currant. The bush is tall, compact. The taste of berries is sweet and sour.
- Imperial. White currant. The berries are medium 5-6 mm in diameter. The growth of the bush is average. The bush itself is spreading.
- Sanyuta. Blackcurrant, berries weighing up to 5 g. The bush is tall, compact.
Late varieties
Lazy person
- Valentinovka. Large berries (up to 10 mm in diameter). The bush is tall, not sprawling. Berries are sweet and sour.
- Lazy person. Blackcurrant The bush is compact. Berries are sweet.
7 Secrets of Currant Fertility
Currant: description, planting in open ground, care in spring, summer and autumn, reproduction, popular varieties (23 Photos & Video) + Reviews
