Currants are among the most popular berry bushes grown in gardens and gardens. This is due to the content in it of a large number of nutrients and vitamins, as well as a pleasant taste and aroma. Some varieties of plants (currant alpine) are widely used for landscaping hedges and landscaping.

Currant: description, varieties and nuances of growing shrubs

Currant is a shrub formed from several branches that differ in age. This bush reaches a height of 1 to 2.5 m and may have, depending on the species and variety, a sprawling or compressed shape. Currant leaves are lobed, small flowers gather in inflorescences in the form of tassels, the fruits are arranged in clusters. Fruiting begins after 3 - 5 years after planting a seedling.

After disembarking, needs regular care. It is desirable that the soil be nutritious, loose, with sufficient moisture and have drainage properties.For currants, it is better to choose a site with good illumination and protection from drafts, but it also adapts to other growing conditions (shade tolerance, grows within the city).

The best varieties of black currant

The variety of black currant varieties is huge. Varieties adapted to any climatic conditions with different periods of fruit ripening, with a sour, sour-sweet taste or dessert are bred.

The most common and sought after are:

1. Early grades:

  • Exotic - compact, straight bush up to 1.5 m high. Has large, sweet berries, with a rich aroma. The variety is frost-resistant and resistant to disease.
  • Summer resident - low, sprawling bush. It is characterized by high fecundity, large, sweet fruits. The harvest is long, because berries do not ripen synchronously. Cross-pollination is necessary for a better crop. The variety is resistant to various diseases and pests.
  • Selechenskaya 2 - a straight, tall bush. Good yield. The berries are large, sweet and sour taste (considered the most delicious). The increased content of vitamin C. Resistant to drought and cold, anthracnose and powdery mildew.

2. Middle grades:

  • Dubrovskaya - undersized bush, compact. The average yield, the berry is of normal size, with a sweet and sour taste. The variety is self-pollinated, frost-resistant. Good resistance to anthracnose and kidney mites.
  • Dobrynya - Weak, straight bushes. Large, sweet berries in large numbers. Resistant to spring frosts and summer droughts. Good resistance to powdery mildew, anthracnose and kidney mites.
  • Raisin - medium-sized, moderately sprawling bush. High yield, large and very sweet berry. Tolerates frost and drought. Resistant to powdery mildew.

3. Later varieties:

  • Venus - tall, sprawling bushes. Stably high yield, very large and sweet berry. The variety is resistant to drought and frost.
  • Vologda - a very sprawling low bush. Branch backup required. Good yield, large, sweet and sour fruits. It overwinters well, but spring frosts can damage the plant. Various diseases and pests are not terrible.
  • Mermaid - sprawling shrub of small height. The berries are large, dessert. Productivity is relatively small. Not afraid of winter cold. Good is immune to diseases and pests.

White currant - growing in the garden

White currant is a close relative of red, black currant, as well as gooseberries. Berries are yellow, beige and light pink in color with good taste.

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This type of currant loves sunlight and heat, while it is frost-resistant. In the shade, growth slows down, the level of fruiting decreases, more susceptible to disease. Therefore, it is better to choose a place in the garden on a hill and so that without strong drafts. On fertile or fertilized soil it will bear fruit under any weather conditions due to the developed root system. This shrub is resistant to diseases and pests.

The best varieties for fruiting, berry size, taste and resistance to weather conditions, diseases are Ural, Cream, Minusinsk, Primus, White Potapenko and Belyana.

Redcurrant: the best varieties for growing

For cultivation in the garden, many varieties of red currant are bred and each of them is distinguished by its yield, fruit ripening, size of berries and their taste.

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The best varieties of currants:

1. Early ripening:

  • Early sweet - tall bushes up to 1.5 m. The berries are medium, sweet and sour taste (although the name suggests otherwise), are well preserved and suitable for long transport. The bushes of this variety are frost-resistant and resistant during the period of drought, there is immunity to many diseases and pests.
  • Jonker van Tets - a tall bush of a sprawling shape (in appearance it resembles a ball).It is characterized by high productivity, large fruits with sourness for a long time can be on the branches without falling. Frost and drought do not affect the quality of growth and productivity. Resistant to diseases of fungal origin.
  • Viksne - a tall bush with a very spreading shape. High productivity, medium-sized berries with a delicate sweet and sour taste, transportable. Resistant to anthracnose and low temperatures. It often suffers from aphids.

2. Mid-season:

  • Cascade - tall but compact bush. High yield, large berries with a very pleasant and refreshing taste. It tolerates frosts. There is resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose, but requires additional processing.
  • Houghton Castle - medium in size and very dense bushes. Fruits are not large, but at the same time, very high yield. Berries are transportable, good dessert characteristics. The variety is resistant to drought and frost.
  • Darling - not a tall shrub with a compact, spherical shape. High yield, medium-sized berries with high gustatory characteristics, juicy and soft. Stable immunity to fungus (powdery mildew, anthracnose), frost resistance.

3. Late ripening:

  • Rondom - compact, tall bush. With good care, you can achieve a high yield. The berries are medium in size, juicy, with a pleasant, refreshing taste. Fruits can be stored on bushes for a long time, suitable for transportation and storage. It is resistant to frost, and the dry period requires additional care.
  • Asora - A sprawling bush with powerful branches, of medium height. Gather a high crop of large, sweet berries. Frosts are not terrible for growth, they are resistant to attacks of most pests and powdery mildew.

What is the difference between black, red and white currants

Red and white currants are similar to each other in terms of technology for growing and caring for them. The main difference is the color of the berries, as well as a small difference in chemical composition (the content of vitamin C is greater in red currants).

Black currant differs from white and red in terms of growth and fruiting:

  • in red and white currants, perennial fruit buds (2-3 years in black) are collected in bouquet twigs, bushes, slightly thickened with a life expectancy of up to 20 years (black should be renewed after 6-7 years). It requires regular bush formation, as due to the increased density, productivity decreases and the bush becomes more susceptible to disease;
  • the blackcurrant root system constantly needs moisture, and red and white tolerate the dry period well;
  • red and white currants have developed a more stable immunity to diseases and pests, in contrast to black;
  • blackcurrant is distinguished by fragrant leaves, a high content of vitamin C and fleshy, sweet berries, the leaves of red and white hardly smell and the berry is watery with a predominant acidity;
  • black currants are propagated mainly by cuttings, and red and white - by dividing the bush.

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Planting currants in open ground

Currant bushes can be found in any suburban area, but not every gardener knows the main rules for planting this plant and makes mistakes that lead to low productivity, and sometimes to death of the bush.

Soil preparation and location

The activity of growth and fruiting of currants largely depends on the chosen place for planting. More sun, less shade and drafts - the main principles when choosing a place on the site. In this case, it is necessary to control the moisture level, as with its excess, the root system may not take root.

Soils are preferred fertile, with moderate acidity, drained. If the land is poor, then two months before planting, fertilizers are applied to it: peat, mineral fertilizers, compost, potassium salt, ash. With increased acidity, lime is added to the ground. After adding fertilizer, the site is dug up.

How and when to plant

For planting currant seedlings, the beginning of autumn is considered the best period. Until spring, the bush has time to take root and harden. If the landing occurs in the spring, then this must be done as soon as the snow melts.

Shrubs should be planted at a distance of at least 1.5 m from each other and between rows of up to 2 m. The holes under them should be 50 cm in diameter and the same in depth. If the soil has not been prepared, then fertilizers are poured into the bottom of the hole and watered abundantly (up to 10 liters of water). Seedlings in the holes are placed at an angle and deepen the roots by 8-10 cm. This allows you to accelerate the appearance of basal shoots. Further, the hole is covered with earth and rammed, but not very tightly.

In the first 5 days after planting, seedlings should be watered.

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Currant care at different times of the year

Although currant is not a whimsical plant, it is necessary to give it a lot of attention and care for a good harvest.

Watering schedule

After a snowy winter, there is enough moisture in the land and you can skip spring watering. Otherwise, during the period of spring growth, occasional watering should be provided. When the formation of the ovary and the fruit has already begun, abundant watering is carried out once every 5 days. This is especially necessary on hot and dry days. To retain moisture around the bush, mulching is carried out.

Important! After harvesting, currants also need abundant and regular watering to store moisture for the winter.

Top dressing and treatment of shrubs

A bush of currant, planted in prepared and fertilized soil, is dispensed with for 2 years. At the end of this period, for healthy growth and a good harvest, the plant already needs additional nutrients.

In early spring, feeding for currants should consist of nitrogen fertilizers. To do this, use urea or complex fertilizers with a high nitrogen content. Mineral fertilizers will not be superfluous, ashes can be used in their quality. This contributes to a better development of young shoots and leaves.

During flowering and ovary formation, along with nitrogen fertilizers, top dressing with phosphorus and potassium content is introduced. Such fertilizers alternate with organic ones - compost, mullein, chicken droppings. All this affects the quality and quantity of fruits (size, taste of berries).

In order for the plant to be able to painlessly transfer the winter, in the autumn it is necessary to introduce complex phosphorus-potash and organic fertilizers.

To provide currants with immunity to diseases and pests and to improve the formation of the ovary, experts recommend several foliar dressings. To do this, it is necessary to treat the shrub with an aqueous solution of boric acid, potassium permanganate and vitriol in the period from June to July. Such a bush treatment is necessarily carried out in the evening and in the absence of wind.

How to care for fruiting currants, harvesting

During the fruiting period, care for currants is not a complicated process.

It is only necessary to observe some rules:

  • Provide good and timely watering, especially on hot and dry days.
  • To remove weeds and get rid of diseases and pests, not only with chemicals, but with folk remedies.
  • Carry out root and foliar feeding, for better growth and ripening of berries.
  • The branches of the fruiting currant are tied up, or propped up, which facilitates watering and top dressing of the bush, and also prevents bending and breaking of shoots under a load of fruits.
  • For better ripening of berries, you can remove part of the leaves that obscure them.
  • Berries should be collected individually, as they ripen, but not in a bunch. This can harm the plant and reduce the yield for next year.

Important! Before harvesting, stop watering and top dressing for 2 to 3 weeks.

Crop nuances by grade

Pruning black, red and white currants are slightly different.This is due to the fact that the shoots of red and white currants retain a longer yield.

When pruning, shoots older than 7 years old are removed from red and white currants, and blacks older than 3-4 years are removed. In the blackcurrant bushes, pinch the tops of the shoots for better branching, but in red and white not, because the main ovary is formed there.

Stem currant is formed by removing all branches and leaves from the main shoot to a height of 40 cm. With this method of pruning, the bush grows in the form of a tree.

How to prune currants in spring and autumn

Shrub pruning is divided into three types:

  • sanitary - removal of dry and damaged branches;
  • formative - to give shape to the bush;
  • anti-aging - removal of old, non-fertile shoots.

Spring is chosen for sanitary pruning. It should be carried out as soon as the snow melts, before the sap flow begins. This is a very short period. If you tighten the procedure, then the wounds do not have time to heal and the plant may hurt.

In the fall leave anti-aging and shaping pruning. It is carried out when almost no leaves remain on the bushes until the end of autumn. Such pruning allows you to prepare the plant for wintering, stimulate new growth in the spring and get rid of parasites that could settle there.

Preparing for the winter

Before wintering, the bush is trimmed, root dressing and plentiful watering are carried out, the earth around the bush is dug up, loosened and covered with foliage or grass, so that it dries less and freezes.

In regions where frosts are observed in winter below -25 degrees. Branches of currant bushes bend to the ground and cover. This will help protect the bush from freezing and damage by the winds.

Prevention and disposal of pests and diseases

The main preventive measures against diseases and pests are:

  • sanitary pruning;
  • weed removal;
  • root and foliar top dressing.
  • spring treatment of currants from diseases and pests with boiling water.

Important! If the bush is exposed to the disease and treatment with these measures does not help, then the damaged leaves, fruits and branches are removed and burned, and the plant is treated with special chemicals or folk remedies (during fruiting).

Reproduction of currants: the main methods

The following methods are used to propagate currants:

  • cuttings - for this, cuttings with a length of up to 20 cm are cut from annual shoots. They are buried in the ground and provided with regular watering and top dressing;
  • bends - shoots of 2 to 3 years of age are suitable. The shoot is tilted to the ground, an incision is made and, at a distance of 15 cm from the bush, is fixed and dug into the ground. The top of the shoot is tied up. Watering and fertilizer are required. After the formation of the root system, the tap is transplanted to a separate place;
  • dividing the bush - using an ax or a shovel, the bush is divided into two parts, so that in each part a good root system remains. The halves are seated, regularly fed and watered until completely rooted.

The right place, prepared soil and a little effort when caring for currants and beautiful, healthy currant bushes will not only decorate any garden and plot, but will also delight a good harvest with tasty and healthy berries.

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