Fertilizing currants in spring, summer, autumn: schemes, features, recommendations

Proper care of a currant bush is not only about watering and preventive measures against diseases and pests. The plant requires seasonal feeding, which is especially important for bushes growing in poor soils. In order for fruit crops to annually delight you with a rich and tasty harvest, you need to know exactly what to feed the currants before and during fruiting. At each stage of growth, the shrub requires different fertilizers.

It is recommended to drop the granules

When to feed currants in summer

In the first half of June, organic fertilizing of currants should be carried out. Experienced gardeners advise carrying out at least two more feedings with liquid fertilizers in the summer. One - at the beginning of July, during the period of filling berries, the other - after harvesting, when new flower buds are laid, that is, at the end of July - beginning of August. Fertilizing after picking berries will ensure a good currant harvest next year.

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Specialists highly welcome foliar feeding of currants, which is carried out in June-July. To do this, use an aqueous mixture of urea and microelements. For 10 liters of water take 20 g of urea, 5 g of boric acid, 3 g of potassium permanganate and 30 g of copper sulfate. Boric acid, potassium permanganate and vitriol are mixed in a separate container, and then combined together and the plant is sprayed with this mixture.

Rules for applying fertilizers

You need to regularly inspect black currants, trim weak branches, and pay special attention to the condition of the leaves. It is from them that it will be clearly visible what the plant lacks. Under no circumstances should organic fertilizers be applied fresh. Fertilizing currants is carried out exclusively with rotted or diluted manure, since fresh manure can burn the tender roots and destroy the bushes. It is necessary to strictly follow the instructions for using ready-made fertilizers and work in protective equipment. The more evenly the fertilizer is distributed, the better the final harvest will be.

Deadlines

Currants begin to be fertilized in the second year after planting. Typically, plants are fed up to five times from early spring to mid-autumn. Fertilizers are used for the first time in early spring, then at the beginning of flowering. After - during the formation of ovaries, after harvesting and 4-5 weeks before the first cold snap. Each different season requires a different type of fertilizer and different methods of applying it.

in spring

To “wake up” the root system after winter, you can lightly water each bush with moderately hot water. Use water in its pure form or with fertilizers dissolved in it. The first feeding is always aimed at replenishing the lack of nitrogen, which is responsible for the active growth of leaves and new shoots. Most often, liquid fertilizers are used in the spring so that the root system receives the necessary substances as quickly as possible. It would also be a good idea to trim shoots frozen in winter, inspect for pests, and clean the soil around the bush.

In summer

During this period, all the plant’s forces are directed to the formation of berries. Lack of feeding in summer will certainly have a negative impact on both the quantity and quality of the harvest. Summer feeding can be both root and foliar - the plant needs the whole range of minerals, which will help it during the growing season and after fruiting. At the beginning of summer, arrange at least one abundant watering, but it is better to constantly monitor the soil moisture, especially in dry years. In May-June, a second nitrogen fertilizing or complex fertilizers are applied. By the end of summer, young shoots that grow in the center of the bush are removed. They will bring virtually no benefit, but will make the bush very “dense”, which is why the entire plant will suffer from lack of air and sun. In the mid-to-late summer season, it is worth eliminating nitrogen fertilizers. They stimulate the formation of new shoots, which will take away the plant’s strength and will not be able to survive the winter. The best choice for late summer feeding will be phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, which will help the plant prepare for winter.

in autumn

The main emphasis in the fall should be on the fact that currants are preparing to spend the winter, so they need to recover after fruiting and accumulate a supply of nutrients for the dormant period. It is necessary to completely eliminate fertilizers that contain nitrogen. When feeding in autumn, it is optimal to use complex mixtures or phosphorus-potassium ones. It is optimal to carry out root feeding with liquid fertilizers - this way the plant will receive a maximum of minerals and nutrients. If the winter promises to be very frosty, it is better to apply ready-made fertilizer directly to the soil. It will be useful to feed the plants with organic matter, at the same time loosening the soil around the bushes. When preparing the plant for wintering, it is worth trimming excess weak shoots, carefully inspecting the currants and removing pests.

You can sprinkle the soil around the bushes with ready-made mixtures, then water the bushes generously. This method is not recommended only if there is very little time left before the cold weather.

Periods

Depending on the growth period of the bushes, the type and method of using fertilizers differs. In the first years, currants grow very actively and quickly deplete the soil. In the third or fourth year, growth begins to take place more calmly, the main part of the bush has formed and the plant does not need to be fed so actively during this period. The main part of fertilizing is applied when the plant is preparing for the growing season and fruiting.

Before flowering

Before the flowers appear, black currants are helped by adding nitrogen to the soil. It stimulates the swelling of buds, the growth of shoots and leaves. Bushes that are fed for the first time in the second year of life should be fertilized more richly than those that grow longer. Most often, liquid fertilizers are applied in May, dissolving the prepared mixtures in hot water and abundantly watering the soil under the bushes. This way the root system can quickly wake up and begin delivering the necessary substances. You can also add dry fertilizer to the soil. This method is usually used when planting new currant seedlings - fertilizers are mixed with soil and the plants are planted in such prepared soil. This method is justified if the winter was snowy and the spring, accordingly, wet - there will be enough liquid in the soil to dissolve the applied fertilizer.

During flowering

While the plant is blooming, it is worth continuing to feed it with nitrogen-containing fertilizers. During this period, the plant directs all the received nutrients to the growth of greenery. The combined feeding method is optimal - part is added to the soil, the other part is sprayed on the bushes. Well-formed leaves absorb minerals well and are capable of transferring them to the main part of the plant just as well as the root system.

It is necessary to pay attention to the condition of the leaves and shoots. They will show which substances are added in excess and what black currants lack for normal growth. The flowering period is considered dangerous in terms of the appearance of pests, so it is necessary to regularly carry out prevention and treatment of bushes.

After flowering

After the end of the flowering period, black currants are fed again. This time - so that strong ovaries are formed, the green mass of the plant increases and a supply of necessary substances is formed for the development of large and healthy berries. The combination of potassium and fluorine will help the plant quickly move from vegetation to fruiting. It is acceptable to add a small amount of nitrogen fertilizers, but the fertilizing mixture should contain much less of them than in the spring and during flowering. Phosphates are also included in the mixture - they stimulate the formation of ovaries and improve the general condition of the bushes.

While tying berries

It is recommended to switch to foliar feeding during the period of ovary formation, while the concentration of fertilizer in the solution must be significantly reduced so as not to damage the leaves and shoots.

Nitrogen is completely eliminated - now the plant directs all resources to the formation of berries.

Potassium fertilizers, as well as ready-made mixtures, will contribute to the formation of large, juicy berries. During this period, plants need a lot of light and good watering. Loosening of the soil is carried out as necessary. This is the most important preparatory moment for fruiting - it is during the formation of ovaries that the future taste and beneficial properties of the berries are laid. Spraying with combined fertilizers can also be combined with fertilizing the soil, but you need to correctly balance the amount of nutrients applied.

During fruiting

Mulching the soil with compost and/or humus is an excellent fertilizing method. Fertilizers need to be distributed as evenly as possible in the root zone of currant bushes. Substances beneficial to the plant will help during the most difficult period for currants. As before, the main emphasis is on potassium and phosphate - they contribute to the growth of a plentiful and healthy harvest. You can also spray with natural infusions. It is undesirable to spray the plant with solutions of mineral fertilizers - they will settle on the berries and can cause food poisoning. There is no need to actively loosen the soil. Pay attention to maintaining soil moisture and trimming excess greenery so that it does not take up nutrients. Read why currant branches dry out here.

After harvest

When the berries have already been picked from the bushes, the preparation of black currants for winter begins. It is best to apply liquid fertilizers and infusions. Spraying during this period does not make sense, since the leaves are soon shed along with the beneficial substances they contain. Root feeding is combined with active loosening of the soil, creating a kind of cushion that will help insulate the roots of the plant. Watering is reduced in quantity, based on the condition of the soil. The application of nitrogen-containing fertilizers should not be allowed, as they will direct all the plant’s resources to green growth.

Precautions when feeding currants

You especially need to pay attention to the fact that mineral fertilizers purchased for currant bushes do not contain chlorine, this element has a bad effect on the plant. You also need to be careful when using nitrogen fertilizers. They have a good effect on the growth of the bush, but at the same time they reduce the fruitfulness of the plant and make it more vulnerable to fungal diseases. Excessive nitrogen fertilizers for currants after harvest are especially dangerous, since they inhibit the ripening of branches, and this can lead to freezing of the bush in winter. However, it is important to observe the dosage of any fertilizer, not just nitrogen, so that the currant roots are not damaged.

How to understand that a plant needs to be fertilized

The plant clearly demonstrates the most obvious signs of deficiency of certain substances. These symptoms are used as a guide when preparing mixtures for feeding and regulating their composition.

Nitrogen deficiency

A lack of nitrogen compounds will be visible almost immediately. With nitrogen deficiency, plants develop poorly and practically do not grow throughout the year. The buds swell and bloom very slowly, leaves and new shoots are formed in small quantities. Find out about the best varieties of currants in this article.

Phosphorus deficiency

If there is insufficient phosphorus, noticeable signs will be small leaves with a purple tint, sometimes with spots of necrosis. Buds and ovaries on such bushes will form extremely reluctantly. During the fruiting process, such a deficiency will have a significant impact - the berries will not be able to fully form and will remain small, sour and dry.

Potassium deficiency

First yellow and then brown spots on the leaves indicate a lack of potassium. In this case, the leaves will not fall off, despite the fact that they die. Thin, pale and weak shoots will also indicate that it is worth adding potash fertilizers to the soil.

How to properly feed currants

In order not to harm currants, every gardener should know how to properly add nutrients. Nitrogen fertilizing is usually applied by the root method, since the foliage absorbs it somewhat less well.

Before fertilizing, the soil around the bush should be dug well and watered abundantly, otherwise the fertilizer may burn the young roots. For the same reason, bird droppings should not be placed directly in the tree trunk circle.

It is better to step back 20–30 cm from the stems and scatter the fertilizer over the ground, and then cover it with a small layer of earth or mulch on top. Cow dung is applied quite deeply. To do this, the rotted mass is laid out around the bush and the soil is dug up to a depth of 20–25 cm within a radius of about one meter.

Why do you need to fertilize currants?

This necessity is connected primarily with the fact that currants draw their strength from the soil, gradually taking away the necessary substances and microelements, and thereby depleting it. It is much easier to provide additional nutrition for the shrub than to periodically replant it to a new location. Proper application of fertilizers stimulates the growth of the bush, increases the number and size of berries, and improves their taste.

When fertilizing, the following factors must be taken into account:

• soil composition;
• time of previous feeding;
• stage of plant vegetation.

Fertilized currants bear fruit much more actively

Fertilizing the bush should be regular, because not only currants consume nutrients from the soil, they are also washed out with water and eroded.

Fertilizing currants in the summer after flowering

Immediately after flowering and during the summer, experts advise using liquid fertilizers for blackcurrants - organic and mineral. For organic fertilizing, an infusion of chicken mint diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, an infusion of liquid mullein diluted with water 1:4, or “green fertilizer” - infusions of weeds, which is also diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, are suitable.

For mineral liquid fertilizers, 10 g of nitrogen, 20 g of phosphorus and 10 g of potassium fertilizers are diluted per 10 liters of water. You can use a complex fertilizer with a high content of phosphorus and potassium, using 20-30 g per 10 liters of water. Liquid fertilizer - both organic and mineral - is applied at the rate of 10 liters of solution for each bush. Feeding with liquid fertilizers after flowering is necessary to support the plant and get a good harvest. Liquid fertilizers are applied after good watering or rain into the furrows that are made around each currant bush. After watering and fertilizing, it is advisable to mulch the soil around the bush.

Types of fertilizing

Without additional nutrients, currants bear fruit poorly on poor soils; the berries grow small and less juicy. To achieve better results, summer residents practice 2 types of fertilizing:

1. Root - watering with a nutrient solution or adding a dry preparation to the soil. Conducted several times per season. Fertilizers with nitrogen are applied preferentially in this way, since it is poorly absorbed by leaf tissues. When granules are added to the soil, nutrition will flow to the roots with rainwater and after watering.
2. Foliar - spraying the bush, nutrients enter the plant tissue through the stomata. With this honey, the bush is fed with microelements - boron, selenium, zinc. It is recommended to start foliar feeding in June. The first treatment is carried out before flowering, the second – after the appearance of the ovaries. The solution should be applied to both the top and bottom of the sheet.

   
   Spraying is organized in cloudy weather

When foliar spraying, the concentration of the solution is reduced by three times, otherwise the foliage will get burned.

Regardless of the varieties of black or red currants, the types of fertilizing should be alternated. For example, the application of dry preparation is optimal in the spring. Feeding currants in summer means using two methods alternately. In dry weather with a lack of moisture, watering with a nutrient solution is preferable. In the fall, it is more advisable to spread organic matter under the bush or dig in granules.

Liquid fertilizer for currants in summer

In addition to applying basic fertilizers, black currants are given liquid fertilizers, which are combined with watering. They are usually used during flowering (May), during the period of shoot growth (May, June), when filling berries (June) and immediately after harvest (August), when flower buds are formed.

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For fertilizing, use an infusion of mullein or slurry, diluting 3-4 times (a bucket of solution per bush); infusion of bird droppings, diluted 8-10 times (half a bucket to a bucket of solution per bush). Sometimes it is difficult to get natural organic fertilizers; in these cases, you can use ready-made preparations from the store, for example “Barrel and 4 Buckets”, “Tops-Roots”, etc.

Methods

Taking into account the difference in the required fertilizers at different periods of black currant growth, two methods of fertilizing are used - root feeding, when liquid or dry fertilizing is applied to the soil, and spraying. During the fruiting period, you should not overuse spraying, especially shortly before harvesting - fertilizers will settle on the berries and cause nutritional disorders and poisoning. This link will tell you how to treat currants against aphids and ants.

Basal

This type of fertilizing includes both the application of fertilizers to the soil in dry or wet form, and watering with solutions and infusions. When planting seedlings in the ground, it is recommended to add a mixture of nutrients and minerals for better rooting. Organic fertilizers are applied in advance so that they are better mixed with the soil. Dry mineral fertilizers should be used if the ground is too wet to spill the solution. Before this, you need to carefully dig up the soil to distribute the mineral supplements as evenly as possible.

Spraying

When the plant has already gained green mass, it makes sense to start spraying - the leaves absorb nutrients well and the rate of their absorption increases significantly. Solutions for spraying should be two to three times less concentrated than for root feeding. Concentrates that are too saturated when sprayed can burn the leaves and even destroy the plants.

Fertilizing currants in summer using folk methods

1. Feeding with ash. Pour half a bucket of ash with water 1:1 and leave for 2 days, dilute the resulting composition 1:10, consumption per bush is 1-2 buckets of solution.
2. Starch. It is advised to dig dried potato peelings under the bushes, but the process of collecting and drying the peelings is very labor-intensive and lengthy. You can use store-bought starch - dilute 200 grams of starch in 3 liters of water, boil and dilute in 1 bucket of water, consumption per bush is 2-3 liters. The downside of this recipe is that such starch is poorly digestible. The most acceptable way to use potato peelings is to prepare an infusion from them. From the beginning of the summer season, we put the potato peelings in a large bucket or barrel with a small amount of water, you can add chopped green grass and banana peels there throughout the season, after 2-5 weeks the infusion can be used. Dilute 1:10 and water the currant bushes at the rate of 1 bucket of infusion per bush.
3. Grain fertilizer. Bread crusts are filled with water from 5 to 10 liters and left in a warm place for 2 weeks. You can dilute from 1:10 to 1:3 depending on the amount of solution and its concentration.

How to feed currants in the fall?

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Currant bush in autumn

In autumn, currants are weakened after fruiting. The most important thing for it is to recover before frost in order to survive the winter, because a weakened bush is less resistant to frost. How to feed currants in the fall? The restoration of the bush occurs mainly due to potassium and phosphorus. Nitrogen is also important, but in small quantities.

• 5 kg of compost, a tablespoon of potassium sulfate, 2 tablespoons of superphosphate are mixed in a large trough or bucket, and then laid out under the bush. To make the effect of the fertilizer more active, it is worth digging up the soil under the bush along with the fertilizer.
• Before the onset of frost, gardeners often mulch currant bushes with fertilizers. A useful “cushion” of a mixture of peat, compost and humus is placed under the bush. And so that useful substances are absorbed faster, this mixture is added under digging. But it is important to carry out the procedure very carefully so that when mixing with soil, you do not damage the roots at the base of the bush. If there are concerns, it is better to use a rake or a not very sharp hoe.

Interesting!

Instead of humus, you can add chicken manure, but in small quantities. Take no more than half a bucket of infusion of fresh droppings per square meter.

What other care is needed for currants in summer?

Watering plays an important role when caring for currants in the hot summer. Also keep cleanliness between the bushes and remove weeds on time. Fertilize with organic fertilizers along with watering. Inspect the bushes all the time, and if pests or diseases are identified, take action, but do not treat them with chemicals three weeks before the berries ripen; use folk remedies. When the berries begin to ripe, they need to be collected individually and selectively - only ripe ones as they ripen.

Knowing how to fertilize currants in the summer and carrying out preventive inspections, you can get a large harvest of this berry every year.

Feed throughout the growing season

During flowering, it is good to treat the bushes with a solution of boric acid for better fruiting.
Fertilizing currants:

1. In the second year after planting, currants need nutrients. For a rich harvest, it is necessary to carry out 6 feedings per season. In early spring, nitrogen fertilizer is necessary for the development of the crown; during the flowering period, complex fertilizers are needed. To produce fruit, currants need potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
2. There are folk remedies for feeding bushes , these are yeast, potato residues, green fertilizer, which have a beneficial effect on the development of plants and nourish the soil with all the necessary elements.
3. There are root and foliar feeding. Thus, the plant receives nutrients not only from the soil, but also through leaves and shoots. Foliar spraying of currants promotes better fruit set and increased yield.

The author of the video recommends feeding currants with potato peelings in early spring before the buds open. Potatoes are rich in mineral elements that can provide the plant with useful substances for the whole season:

What to do if currants do not bear fruit

1. The plantings are in the shade. Fruiting in the shady part of currants is delayed or completely stopped due to poor pollination of flowers and retarded plant growth. To solve the problem, you should transplant the bush to a sunny area.
2. The terms and rules for applying fertilizers were violated. If you feed currants with organic and nitrogen fertilizers, then they will not flower or bear fruit. The bush will strive to increase its voluminous green mass.
3. Too old bush. If timely shaping and pruning of the bush was not carried out, then the old branches stop bearing fruit due to age. The bush should be replaced or anti-aging pruning should be done.