How to plant and care for blackcurrant. Secrets of growing blackcurrant: from planting to care Currant bush

Currant (lat. Ribes) belongs to the genus of the Gooseberry family, which has about 200 plant species. For the first time, currant bushes appeared in the 11th century in the monastery gardens of Rus', and later they learned about it in Europe, where it gained immense popularity. In our country, currants are one of the most beloved and common berries, which are grown by summer residents and gardeners on their plots. Black currant is especially loved, which is the most useful and delicious berry of all other types of currant. It is consumed both fresh and cooked compotes, jelly, harvested for future use: frozen and cook jam, and also make wine, liqueurs and flavored liqueurs. In addition to blackcurrant, red and white currant rich in vitamins and microelements. Except useful properties berries, fragrant currant leaves are also medicinal, which are used for preservation, for brewing tea. Currant leaves are rich in vitamin C and are used to prevent colds.

Blackcurrant is considered one of the most useful and delicious berries. Blackcurrant is used in medicine, cooking. It is used to prevent certain diseases.

Blackcurrant provides the human body different kind vitamins (A, vitamins of group E, B, C, H), microelements (fluorine, iron, iodine, copper, cobalt, zinc, manganese), macronutrients (calcium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium). It is the most beneficial for health, gives strength and vigor.

Also, blackcurrant is valued due to the content of dietary fiber, organic acids, pectins, sugar, essential oils in it. Currant leaves are also endowed with generally useful properties. After all, it has a large number of phytoncides are volatile substances that fight microbes. The berry, black currant, is used for brewing various teas. With her, tea is tastier and healthier.

Blackcurrant is endowed with such useful properties:

1. Blackcurrant is splendid folk remedy to strengthen immunity. It contains a lot of ascorbic acid.
2. Rich in antioxidants.
3. It contains many macronutrients, and without them, cellular metabolism is impossible.
4. The trace elements included in the composition are necessary for cellular metabolism.
5. Currants are saturated with anthocyanins (these substances act as protection against various damages).
6. It perfectly disinfects, relieves inflammation. It is advised to take it with ARVI, in the postoperative period.
7. It has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system. Also, it is recommended to eat it for those who have poor eyesight, or have liver problems.
8. When using blackcurrant, small wrinkles may disappear.
9. It has also been proven that currants are excellent for the prevention of such serious diseases as Alzheimer's disease, the appearance of malignant tumors.

Blackcurrant keeps in itself useful qualities, even after freezing, heat treatment. IN traditional medicine It is used to treat cough.

The most popular varieties

Today you can count 224 varieties of currants. They are divided into early ripe ( Exotic, Nara, Summer resident, Nika, Sevchanka), mid-season varieties ( Dubrovskaya, Dobrynya, Perun) and later ( Vologda, Katyusha, Nuclear, Mermaid) varieties.

To the types of currants that bring maximum yield, include: "treasure" - the sweetest berry, "nuclear" - the largest, "gross" - the tastiest. The birthplace of these varieties is Altai. From one currant bush you can collect almost five buckets of berries. The size of one berry will be the size of a grape. All currants sing almost simultaneously.

1. Variety "Ilya Muromets". He is immune to such a pest as a kidney mite. This is a strong, huge and immense bush. When ripe, the berries do not crumble.
2. Variety "Vasilisa the Beautiful" refers to mid-season bushes. Invulnerable to powdery mildew.
3. The variety "Yubileynaya Kopanya" has strong bushes, has high yields. This variety is not picky about hot summers and various pests.
4. Another variety that is immune to heat and fungal microorganisms is Selechenskaya-2. She will also grow comfortably in the shade.

How to plant currants

Planting dates for blackcurrant

by the most best time year for planting currants - autumn. Although it can be planted in the spring. But, it is not recommended to do this, since the buds bloom very quickly in spring, and there is very little time left for the plant to get stronger.

Currant bushes are planted at the end of September - at the beginning of October, it is desirable to be in time before the onset of frost. The advantage of planting in the fall is that the earth becomes denser near the root system during the hibernation period, and in the spring the bushes wake up and begin to grow well.

Currant prefers moist soil. Therefore, she will like it in the northern or northwestern part of the land. The main thing is that the place is protected from the wind. Currant can live not only in the shade, but also where it is Sun rays but everything should be in moderation.

Soil requirements (acidity, pit depth)

14 days before the start of planting currants, pits must be dug. All harmful substances will leave the open pit, for example, chlorine, which got in when fertilizer was applied in the form of manure. This is the first step.

The second step will be feeding the pit, i.e. the introduction of nutrients. A mixture should be prepared for application to the ground in the following proportion: 300 grams of ash and 200 grams of superphosphate are taken for 1 bucket of manure.

Calculate the depth of the hole. It should be twice as large as the roots of future seedlings. A standard pit for seedlings will be a pit of this size: 60 cm wide and almost 50 cm deep.

Now we will talk about the acidity of the soil. If the acidity of the soil where the seedlings will grow is 4-5 pH and lower, then 100 g of limestone is poured into the pit, for example, chalk, lime slaked with water. To maintain moisture, you need to periodically loosen the soil under the seedlings.

Proper care is the key to a good harvest

Don't forget to water

Currants are watered infrequently, usually two to three times a season. The first watering is the beginning of the growth of shoots and the formation of ovaries, the second is when the berries begin to sing, and the third watering is after the end of the harvest. Sometimes they are watered in the fall, but this is only when there is no rain.

Currants are watered in an amount per 1 sq. m. 4-5 buckets of water, in pre-built holes, about 15 cm deep. summer heat it is necessary to check the soil moisture, this is done the easy way. It is necessary to dig up the earth for one bayonet of a shovel, if the earth is wet, then additional watering is not necessary.

With a lack of moisture, the plants show a slow growth of shoots, and during the ripening of berries, the fruits can crumble. During drought, in autumn, the bushes can freeze.

Fertilizer for blackcurrant

Sometimes in the ground, blackcurrant is not enough the most useful substances. She needs to be fed. This is done throughout the entire period of growth of the currant bush. Immediately after planting the plant in the ground, and in the first two years, the currant receives the required amount of potassium and phosphorus from the soil, which fertilized the ground before planting. At the beginning of spring, she needs nitrogen, it is brought under the currant, it is buried and watered.

Three years later, in addition to fertilizing with nitrogen in the spring, about 5 kg are applied to the soil in the autumn. organic fertilizers, superphosphate (50 grams) and potassium sulfate (20 grams).

If the currant grows on marsh-peat soils, then it needs to be fed every three years. Lime must be added to the soil 4 times during the year. Also superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

Currants, which grow on sandy soils. This is done in the spring.

Is pruning necessary?

Blackcurrants need to be pruned annually. Each currant branch should be renewed once every three years, as old branches give a poor harvest.

Currant pruning has a beneficial effect on the formation of the bush, on the constant renewal and rationing of the crop load on the bush.

Currants can be cut in spring and autumn. The main purpose of cutting in the spring is to remove frozen branches, you need to thin out the thick branches of the currant. Cut should be in early spring, until the juice flows. Slices of branches are smeared with var. But, you need to do this as early as possible, until the buds have blossomed. In autumn, unnecessary one-year stems are eliminated: these are branches that lie on the ground, are infected with pests that have been growing on the plant for more than two years and have a darker color.

Getting ready for winter

Preparing blackcurrants for winter requires a lot of attention. It is better to do this at the end of October, while there are no cold weather yet. IN winter period it must be protected from severe and persistent frosts, from lack of water, and from various pests.

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Blackcurrant is a berry shrub popular with summer residents and gardeners. It will take a little effort to grow it, but it is simply necessary to know some of the features of this plant. The full development of the crop and the amount of the harvest will depend on this.

Currant fruits are considered incredibly useful, saturated with a large number of various vitamins and substances necessary for the human body. That is why almost all gardeners grow blackcurrant bushes on their plots. Berries can be consumed fresh, frozen, dried. They can be preserved, made into juices or compotes, used as a filling for pies and as a decoration for cakes, added to berry mousses and jelly, make jam and even make wine.

Black currant belongs to the Gooseberry family and is a perennial plant that can bring abundant and high-quality crops for 10-15 years. For such a long life, the culture needs high-quality care and comfortable growing conditions. The shrub consists of branches of different ages, which are located at different heights. This arrangement of branches contributes to a long period of fruiting.

Selection of seedlings

You need to start with the choice of high-quality planting material. This choice will depend general development crops and fruit quality. Experienced gardeners recommend purchasing young blackcurrant seedlings in special nurseries. Such seedlings in most cases begin fruiting in the summer season following planting.

Choice of landing site

Currant shrubs are very fond of moist soil, so they can grow in partial shade conditions, where moisture lasts longer. The site for planting a berry crop should be with moist soil, but without drafts and strong gusts of wind.

Landing times and dates

Landing is carried out in autumn or spring time depending on the climate in this region. In warm regions, it is recommended to plant seedlings in the fall. They will have time to take root well before the onset of frost and may bear the first fruits next summer.

Desirable in areas with severe winters spring planting. It is necessary to plant currants before the moment when the first buds begin to bloom on it.

For the full development of the culture and for convenience when caring for shrubs, planting pits should be located at a distance of at least 1.5-2 m from each other and about the same amount should be left between the rows. When planting at a closer distance, there is a possibility of reduced yields and deterioration quality characteristics fruits.

In planting pits with a diameter of about 60 cm and a depth of at least 45-50 cm, you must first pour the prepared mixture - fertilizer. It contains potassium chloride (50 g), superphosphate (100 g) and humus with earth (1 large bucket). A ten-centimeter layer of soil should be poured on top of the top dressing, which will protect the root system of a young seedling from burns.

Top dressings and fertilizers

As a top dressing for seedlings, another version of the mixture can be poured into the planting holes. It contains wood ash (250 milliliters), 2 equal parts of earth and humus.

Landing method

It is very important to lay currant seedlings in a hole not vertically, but with a slight slope and deepen by about 5-6 cm.

How to care for young seedlings

Immediately after landing, it is necessary to carry out abundant watering and mulching the soil with humus or a small layer river sand. It is also recommended to carry out the first and very important pruning of buds on seedlings for further growth and development. Only 4-5 buds should remain on each shoot, the rest are removed.

Watering

The volume and frequency of irrigation depends on many factors: climatic and weather conditions, the composition and level of soil moisture in the area, as well as the stage of development of the crop. Abundant watering is necessary for blackcurrants during the period of active growth of shoots, during the formation of the ovary, at the stage of fruit ripening and after harvesting. It is also recommended to water the shrubs abundantly during the dry summer months and in regions with a dry and hot climate and rare rainfall.

Soil loosening

This important blackcurrant care rule must be performed regularly, from early spring to late autumn at least once a month. Loosening is carried out shallow.

pruning

It is recommended to prune weak and poorly developed shoots in the second year after planting (during the spring months) and excess shoots in the third year after planting seedlings. After the third pruning, only the strongest branches in the amount of no more than five pieces should remain on the shrub. In each subsequent season, this procedure is already necessary only as sanitization and for the rejuvenation of culture. Pruning is carried out before the opening of the kidneys. It is recommended to remove shoots small size, as well as damaged, dried and second-order shoots.

Blackcurrant is a berry crop that is susceptible to diseases and pests. The gardener needs to carry out preventive actions, and also do not miss the moment of the appearance of harmful insects or disease and rid the plants of them.

The most common currant pests are bud mites and glass bugs, and of the frequently occurring diseases are white spot, anthracnose and goblet rust.

A tick is a pest that settles inside the kidney and feeds on the contents of the plant without leaving it. That is why it is very difficult to detect it with the naked eye. Experienced gardeners determine the appearance of a currant mite by the condition and size of the kidney. Long before its opening, it significantly increases in size, which is a confirmation of the presence of a pest in it. The most important thing to do is to urgently remove all such buds, and spray blackcurrant bushes (all without exception) with special solutions. A 10% solution of karbofos, as well as garlic or tobacco infusion, will perfectly cope with this pest.

The presence of currant glass can be seen by the delay in the flowering period on individual shoots. They must be removed already in early spring, and all shrubs should be treated with ash infusion or wormwood infusion.

White spot can damage not only leaves, but often spreads to fruits. A solution with copper sulphate, which is sprayed on all plants, will help save the crops. Signs of this disease are brownish small spots (about 2-3 cm in diameter), which gradually become White color in their central part.

Anthracnose is a disease of the leaf part of currant bushes. Small spots - tubercles with a brown tint can a short time infect a large number of leaves. It is recommended to spray with a solution based on blue vitriol not only diseased berry crops, but all currant plantations, as well as soil areas around them.

Rolled rust often appears in the vicinity of currant sedge on the site. You can defeat this fungal disease by removing infected leaves that need to be burned, and treating plants with fungicides.

At proper care blackcurrant for many years will fully develop and bring a large number of tasty and healthy berries.

Blackcurrant care: loosening, top dressing, pruning, mulching, cuttings (video)

Types of berry bushes found on summer cottages, a lot. But in the list of preferences of their owners, blackcurrant is in the first place: its planting, as well as caring for plants, does not cause difficulties, it is not afraid of harsh winters, it begins to bear fruit early and thanks the owner for caring for generous harvests for years. It is easy to propagate, and you can do it different ways. And everyone knows about the benefits of its berries and leaves.

Soil and lighting requirements

Blackcurrant is one of the most viable crops. It can grow almost anywhere. On sand, in dense shade or in flooded lowlands, her bushes will turn out to be less lush, but even in such conditions they will not die. The plant will be most comfortable in open sunlight areas with moderate wet soil protected from wind and drafts.

Shrubs are also planted in light partial shade. But in this case, expectations about the harvest should be lowered: the lack of light will make blackcurrant berries more acidic and reduce their number. To understand whether the chosen place is suitable for the plants, their appearance will help. In favorable conditions, they branch well, and their leaves are rich in color and look healthy.

Planting currants in fertile loose soil will be productive. It should freely pass air to the roots of plants and retain moisture. The ideal option for the shrub will be light loam. In dense soil, its development will slow down, and the yield will decrease. It is important to consider the reaction of the soil. It should be slightly alkaline or neutral. Currants do not like acidic soil. Such soil will have to be limed before planting.

The culture is moisture-loving, but it grows and bears fruit poorly in swampy soil. It is best to plant shrubs on gentle slopes. It will not be successful to place it in closed lowlands or on sand, as well as on lawns. Distance to ground water should be at least 0.5-1 m.

Dates and landing scheme

Blackcurrants are planted in spring and autumn. Basically, summer residents prefer the second option. Bushes placed on plots in spring begin to grow quickly, so it is more difficult for them to take root. There is one trick in which the planting of blackcurrants at this time will be successful. For her, you need to choose plants whose root system is closed. They are easier and faster to take root in open field if watered abundantly. You can place them in summer cottages at almost any time.

Autumn planting in conditions middle lane are usually held in early October, at the latest - in the middle of the month. Under the weight of snow, the ground around the currant bushes will naturally compact. In the spring they wake up early and show rapid growth.

Planting blackcurrants in a row has already become a tradition. This placement facilitates the care of her bushes and saves site space. 1-1.25 m is left between neighboring plants. Some summer residents increase this distance to 2 m. It is important to consider the proximity of other shrubs and trees when planting. At least 1.5-2 m recede from the first, and 3-4 m from the second. Currant grows quickly. When only 3-4 years have passed, the area that seemed bare will not be recognized.

If you want to get a crop earlier, you can leave between the bushes less space(70-80 cm). They will begin to bear fruit with a dense planting after 2-3 years, but fewer berries form on them, and they will become old faster.

Having decided to place the currant near the fence or walls of buildings, you need to leave enough space for it. The minimum distance to them is 1.2 m. It will not be possible to harvest from the branches pressed against the fence.

Seedling selection and site preparation

Preparing a place in the country for currant bushes does not take much time. If earlier this site was used for growing vegetable or flower crops, it is simply dug up well, deepening by 1 bayonet of a shovel and choosing the roots of perennial weeds from the soil. Deep depressions or pits are covered with soil, carefully leveling the surface.

Properly planting blackcurrant means taking into account the features of crop rotation. In order for the plants to have enough nutrients and they get sick less, the culture is returned to the former site only after 3 years. The same recommendation is followed if there used to be gooseberry bushes at the landing site.

For those who do not have time to wait, there are 2 options:

1. find another site;
2. retreat from the old at least 1 m.

Choosing a seedling, it is carefully examined. In a viable plant, the roots are lignified and branched. 3-5 of them should be skeletal and reach a length of at least 15-20 cm. A quality seedling has 1-2 (or more) 30-40 cm branches. The plant should look fresh and free of signs of infection and pests.

Pay attention to the specific characteristics of the variety:

• its compliance with the local climate;
• the presence of immunity to diseases;
• frost resistance.

The harvest will be more abundant, and the berries will be larger if you plant several varieties of crops in the country. This rule applies even to self-fertile blackcurrants. Planting on plant sites with different terms flowering. So even in a cold spring it will be possible to get a crop from at least a few bushes.

How to plant currants

Planting currants begins with the preparation of the pit. It is usually made shallow (35-40 cm) and wide (50-60 cm in diameter). If the soil in the country is poor, the size of the pit is increased so that it can be filled with a nutrient substrate. Lay it out in 2 layers. Fertile soil is poured at the bottom, adding the following components to it:

• compost;
• rotted manure (you can use peat instead);
• wood ash or potassium sulfate;
• superphosphate.

Fill about ¾ of the hole with this mixture. It should be under the roots of the seedling. The rest of the deepening will be occupied by simple fertile soil without fertilizers. Sprinkling it with a nutrient substrate, they begin to plant the plant.

His roots are examined. If damaged or dry areas are identified, they are cut to healthy tissues. With proper planting, the bush will be 5 cm below the mark at which it grew before it. The root neck should be underground (at a distance of 6-8 cm from the surface). This will give impetus to the intensive formation of basal buds, and the bush will grow lush.

The next step is abundant watering. ½ buckets of water are brought into the pit itself and the same amount into the hole, which is made at the landing site. Then the soil under the bushes is mulched without falling asleep the plants themselves.

As a mulch you can use:

• peat;
• compost;
• straw;
• sawdust.

The recommended thickness of the mulching layer of organic materials is 5-8 cm. If they are not at hand, dry soil is used. It is poured in a thinner layer (1-2 cm). Planting ends with pruning. Only a stump is left from it, which should rise 7 cm above the soil surface. You should not feel sorry for the seedling. Already next year it will turn into a small but branchy bush. Without pruning, it will take a season longer to wait for this.

Soil treatment and watering

Legends can be made about the unpretentiousness of blackcurrant. But so that the plantings do not overgrow, and the yield does not fall, you still have to take care of them. The bush does not like neighborhood weeds. They are his main competitors in the fight for moisture and nutrients. Best of all, currants feel on soil that is clean from any other plants.

It is impossible to spray herbicides near currant plantations, so there are 2 ways to remove weeds:

1. weeding;
2. mulching.

"General cleaning" of competing plants is carried out twice per season: in spring, when fertilizers have already been applied, and in summer, when the last berries are harvested.

Blackcurrant responds well to soil loosening. It uses any gardening Tools: chopper, shovel, pitchfork. Near the root neck, the soil is cultivated to a depth of 6-8 cm. Under the bushes, loosening is made more intense, affecting a 10-12 cm layer of earth. If the trunk circle is mulched, the soil stays wet longer and the frequency of loosening is reduced.

The roots of the shrub are shallow - only 50 cm from the soil surface. Therefore, currants cannot do without watering for a long time. Seedlings and young bushes are especially affected by the lack of water. adult plants regular moisturizing it is necessary in June, when their shoots are actively growing and berries are pouring, and in late summer and early autumn, when the flower buds of the next season are laid. Drying out of the soil during this period will lead to shedding of immature berries and grinding the remaining ones. It will also have a negative impact on the next year's harvest.

If the summer turned out to be dry, the plantings are watered often (at intervals of 7-10 days) and plentifully. For each plant spend 1.5-2 buckets of water. It is more convenient to carry out watering in grooves. They are dug around the bush, retreating 20-25 cm from the tips of its shoots. If it rains periodically, 4-5 waterings per season will be enough for adult plants. Loves currants and spraying leaves. On hot days, it is better to spend them more often.

top dressing

At proper preparation planting pits, the cultivation of blackcurrant on the site in the first 2 years does without top dressing. When this milestone is passed, plants will have to be fertilized annually. Some summer residents feed plantings less often - once every 2 years. Currants respond equally well to mineral and organic compounds. They are mainly applied in autumn or early spring. Having scattered humus or compost (4-5 kg ​​per plant) and complex mineral fertilizer (about 40 g) under the bushes, they loosen the soil.

Toward the end of spring (but before the beginning of summer), when the currant bushes enter the phase of active growth, they spend another root dressing. To do this, it is good to use one of the following tools:

• manure diluted with water in a ratio of 1:8;
• bird droppings solution (1 part fertilizer to 10 parts water);
• herbal infusion.

The nutrient composition is poured into the grooves, immediately sprinkling them. Each plant takes 1.5-2 buckets. The introduction of a comprehensive mineral fertilizer at this stage will be less useful, but you can use it.

With the onset of flowering, currant bushes are watered with infused potato peels. The starch contained in it will increase the yield of plants. Prepare a solution from dried potato peelings. They are added to boiling water (at a ratio of 1:10), covered with a lid and, having wrapped the container well, left to cool completely. For each currant bush, 1 liter of the resulting composition is spent.

In September, plantings are fed with phosphorus-potassium preparations. They will help plants survive the winter with minimal damage.

pruning

Growing blackcurrants in the country requires regular pruning. It is most convenient to carry them out in the fall, when the bush is completely exposed, exposing old and extra branches. On an adult plant, young (under 5 years old) shoots are left. Old branches are cut strictly at the level of the soil, leaving no stumps. The wound is treated with garden pitch.

Young shoots are disposed of only in extreme cases - if they:

• injured;
• sick;
• poorly developed;
• thicken the bush.

Pruning is also needed for young plants. In the first years of life on permanent place the bush is formed by shortening its shoots to 10-15 cm. After the procedure, 2 to 4 developed buds should remain on them. The following year, they get rid of small shoots, simultaneously removing weak branches. They begin to form the skeleton of the bush, leaving a maximum of 4 well-developed zero-order shoots.

A year later, the main attention is paid to the branches of the first order. Of these, the 5 most powerful are kept on the plant, and the rest are removed. By the age of 4-5, the currant bush should have 15-20 skeletal branches. In the future, the task of the gardener becomes their sanitary and rejuvenating pruning, which is carried out annually.

Props and winterization

In many varieties of currant bushes grow sprawling. This makes it difficult to care for them and leads to the fact that part of the crop is soiled in the ground. Under such bushes it is convenient to put props. You can buy ready-made ones in stores or make them yourself. The easiest option is to drive stakes around the plant and pull the branches with twine. But here it is important not to overdo it. Currant shoots should not be pressed against each other. That's right, if there is a lot of free space between them.

After autumn feeding planting spud. If the soil on the site is heavy, it is better to dig it to a shallow depth without breaking the lumps. This will keep more moisture in the ground. Light and loose soil trunk circles you can just loosen it well by 5-8 cm. But you can’t do without digging the row spacing (by 10-12 cm). Watering is also required at this time, especially if the autumn is dry. Under each plant contribute 20-30 liters of water.

Before the onset of cold weather, it is advisable to tie the bushes with a rope or twine so that the branches do not break and do not bend down to the ground under the weight of snow. You can build around them a kind of fence of stakes. In winter, the bushes are covered with a thick layer of snow.

With the advent of heat, plants should be carefully examined. Frost-beaten branches are cut out, and the remaining ones are treated with Bordeaux liquid (1%). It is worth paying attention to swelling kidneys. They may be infested with mites. Signs of its presence are a strong increase in the kidneys, their inflated rounded shape. It is impossible to leave such shoots on a bush, they must be immediately removed and burned.

The agrotechnics of blackcurrant is simple, but following it will allow you to get rich harvests of tasty and healthy berries. With the planting of this particular shrub on the site, inexperienced summer residents should start their experiments. Currant, like no other culture, is tolerant of the owner's mistakes. Neither overflow, nor lack of nutrition and moisture, nor frosty winters, nor improper pruning can ruin it.

It will not bring trouble and reproduction of the shrub. The most productive are 6-year-old plants, so professionals in country affairs do not allow plantings to grow old. When the currant bush reaches the age of 3, cuttings are cut from it or a branch is bent to the ground and dug in, receiving layering. They are placed on separate plot. By the time the yield of the mother plant decreases, the first berries will already be tied on young bushes.