Black currant Exotic - characteristics, planting algorithm and care recommendations

Since ancient times, currants have been the most widespread berry crop in Russia. Currant Exotica is good, but not ideal. We will talk about the advantages and disadvantages of the variety below.

Blackcurrant “Exotic”

“Exotica” variety suitable for industrial cultivation

black currant “Exotic” with good taste characteristics, universal use

Description of black currant Exotic

The plant is strong - with straight, not too massive shoots. Young stems are clean, light green in color, quite dense, and have plant pigments.

Adult shoots are straight, gray in color. The buds are ovoid, asymmetrically located on a short stem, slightly deviated from the main stem, quite large, pink in color.

The leaves are very large, consist of 5 lobes, are green, and have a corrugated appearance. The flowers are pale, large, the sepals are small in size.

The cluster is small, a bit like a bunch of grapes, with large shiny black berries, equally round with thin skin. Sweet and sour, aromatic.

This variety is winter-hardy, capable of bearing fruit quickly after planting, and does not require cross-pollination.

Black currant Exotica - a variety included in the State Register in 2001

Black currant Exotica, an early ripening variety, was obtained at the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Selection and the Siberian Horticulture Research Institute named after. M.A. Lisavenko from pollination of the Seyanets Golubki variety with a mixture of pollen from seedlings obtained from free pollination of the Bredtorp variety. Authors: T.P. Ogoltsova, Z.S. Zotova, S.D. Knyazev, L.V. Bayanova. In 2001, it was included in the State Register of varieties approved for use in the Central region.

The Exotic black currant bush is vigorous, upright, and of medium density. Growing shoots are light green, pubescent, colored with anthocyanin, thick. Woody - thick, straight, shiny, gray with a gray-yellow tip, with long internodes. The buds are large, pink, asymmetrical, with clearly visible glands, deviated from the shoot, sitting on a very short stalk, ovoid, with a pointed apex or somewhat obtuse. The apical bud is not free, large (the adjacent buds are large), the shape of the leaf scar is round or rounded-wedge-shaped.

The leaf is five-lobed, very large, rough, coarsely corrugated, finely wrinkled, green, with a slight sheen, wide. The middle lobe is triangular, massive, wide and long, with a sharp tip, bent down, with additional projections. The lateral lobes are obtuse, short, the angle between their veins is obtuse. The upper sides of the side blades are lowered down in an arc, the lower sides are beveled or vertical. The notches between the blades are blunt and small. The basal lobes are weakly expressed, their veins are raised upward and directed towards the petiole. The base of the sheet has a shallow, locked recess. The teeth are large, blunt, the petioles are colored and pubescent.

The flowers are large, pale in color, the sepals are medium and wide. The cluster is medium, hanging down, the berries in the cluster are arranged densely, 8-10 pieces each, the axis is thick, straight, and pubescent.

Exotic black currant produces very large, round, one-dimensional, black, shiny berries, thin skin, sweet and sour taste, refreshing, with aroma. The calyx is closed, small, the stalk is long, dark green.

Black currant Exotic - chemical composition

• soluble solids - 12.8%,
• total sugars - 8.9%,
• titratable acidity - 2.8%,
• ascorbic acid -197.1 mg/100 g,
• anthocyanins - 101.1 mg/100 g,
• leukoanthocyanins - 151.7 mg/100 g,
• catechins - 431.7 mg/100 g,
• the amount of P-active substances is 684.5 mg/100 g.

Exotic is a winter-hardy variety, early fruiting, self-fertile (54%), resistant to powdery mildew and columnar rust, moderately resistant to anthracnose, septoria and bud mite, suitable for mechanized harvesting, average yield 6.9 t/ha (1 .0 kg/bush).

Currants on a trunk

Black currant - preparation recipes

Advantages and disadvantages

Exotic black currant has many advantages that attract gardeners. However, there are also flaws. Let's consider the pros and cons of the variety.

Positive points:

• large berries;
• high resistance to pests and diseases typical of currants;
• high vitality in severe frost conditions;
• early ripeness and abundant yield;
• excellent transportability of berries;
• long shelf life of the crop.

The negative aspects include:

• return frosts can harm early flowering;
• intolerance to lack of moisture;
• weak resistance to some diseases.

Watch a review of the “Exotic” blackcurrant variety in the video below:

Harvesting

The fruits of the Exotic blackcurrant begin to ripen in early July. The yield from one bush is about 1-1.5 kg.

The Exotic currant variety is characterized by high yield

The berries are versatile because they can be eaten fresh and used to make jam, jam, etc. The fruits can be stored in the refrigerator without losing their beneficial properties for several weeks.

Exotic is a currant variety that is distinguished by its versatility. You can enjoy the berries already in early July, since Exotica is an early variety. To get a decent harvest of berries, the gardener will have to put in a lot of effort, but it’s worth it!

Breeders do not stop working on developing new varieties of currants. Each, according to objective professional descriptions, as well as reviews from summer residents from different regions of the country, has both advantages and disadvantages. Gardeners value early varieties, with large and tasty berries, productive and resistant to diseases. Currant Exotica meets these requirements.

Preparing for landing

By listening to the advice of experts, the planting process will become easy and enjoyable for you.

To purchase seedlings, contact specialized nurseries, garden stores, or gardeners you trust. This way you will avoid buying low-quality goods.

The best solution is to find a nursery in the same area where your garden plot is located, or a little further north. Plants purchased from these nurseries are adapted to the climate of your region.

Purchasing seedlings

When choosing additives, pay special attention to the root system. The roots must be strong and healthy, have at least 3 main root shoots 20 cm long. It is unlikely that short roots will take root well.

Carefully inspect the seedlings for damage or rotten areas. The root system must be powerful.

Choose a seedling with elastic and healthy shoots, dense and uniform in color. Buy two-year-old seedlings - these take root better.

Choose seedlings in containers. They are planted with existing soil, which will allow the plant to quickly and better adapt to new conditions.

Selecting a location

Blackcurrant Exotica, despite its northern origin, loves warmth and light. Set aside the sunniest and most well-warmed area in the garden for this variety.

Make sure that the air does not stagnate. Protect the seedlings from the harsh and severe north wind - this is important.

The distance to groundwater at the site where bushes are planted should be 2 m or deeper. This condition will allow the root system to develop successfully.

Select date

Exotic seedlings are planted in spring and autumn. If you purchase a pet with an open root system, start planting in mid-autumn or the first ten days of October.

Young roots must adapt before the onset of severe cold. The bushes get used to the new soil and with the onset of spring they quickly grow.

The situation is different with a seedling in a container. No adaptation of the root system to new conditions is necessary. Therefore, such young trees can be planted both in autumn and spring.

Site preparation

Before planting plants, gardeners select and prepare the area.

Give preference to an open, draft-free place. If the seedlings are planted in the shade, the bushes will stretch out and the size of the berries will greatly decrease. Clear the area for planting currants from weeds, carefully level it, removing any uneven areas.

Blackcurrant Exotica prefers not too acidic soil.

Algorithm for planting Exotic currants

Maintain the correct distance between seedlings or bushes and any fence. It should be 1 m, you can increase the gap, but not too much (1.3 m). Otherwise, Exotic currants will not please you with a bountiful harvest.

Features of planting and caring for black currants can be found in this article.

Proceed to the step-by-step planting process:

1. On a leveled and cleared plot, dig holes with dimensions: diameter 40-50 cm, depth up to 30 cm.
2. Fill the holes with useful substances: use a mixture of a bucket of compost, superphosphate (200 g), wood ash (300 g) and a small amount of soil.
3. Bury the seedling into fertilized soil at a slight slope from 8 cm to 10 cm above the root collar, the angle of inclination is within 45 degrees.
4. Be sure to spread the roots along the bottom of the hole, do not allow them to be positioned upward.
5. Pay attention to the buds at the bottom of the stem; they should remain underground.
6. Use pruning shears to cut off the remaining branches of the bush.
7. Pour a bucket of water into the prepared hole with the seedling.
8. To retain moisture, fill the hole with soil mixed with peat.
9. The final step is to lightly compact the soil.

The landing is complete. Now high productivity depends only on proper attitude towards plants.

Features of cultivation and care

Exotic currants need to be planted and grown correctly. The quality of the berries and their condition depends directly on how much work the gardener puts into them.

1. You can plant Exotic currants only in an open place with a lot of sun (in the shade the berries will be small, sour and take longer to ripen).
2. Prefers light, fertile soil and organic fertilizer.
3. It is better to postpone the time of planting this variety until the autumn months (September, October). In spring, the bushes take root poorly and slowly.
4. During planting, the root collar of the Exotic currant is deeply buried (by 10 cm) so that many basal shoots appear.
5. The soil should always be moist, but not swampy. It is worth using mulch several times a year: during the summer drought, in the spring, to protect against return frosts, in the fall, for protection from frost and nutrition.
6. If several more varieties (pollinators) are planted nearby, the yield will increase by 1.5-2 times.
7. Currant pruning should be done regularly, at least once a year, but preferably twice (spring and autumn). It is necessary to constantly monitor the number of branches on the bush so that there is no thickening, and also remove dry, damaged, diseased branches in a timely manner.

If you follow the rules of planting and care, exotic currants will delight the gardener with delicious, juicy berries for 20 years! Then it will need to be replaced with a young bush.

Sources

• https://agronomu.com/bok/6761-sort-chernoy-smorodiny-ekzotika-harakteristika-agrotehnika-vyraschivaniya.html
• https://cemicvet.mediasole.ru/chrnaya_smorodina_ekzotika_opisanie_i_harakteristika_sorta_dostoinstva_i_nedostatki_osobennosti_posadki_i_uhoda__foto_i_otzyvy
• https://remontanta.ru/sorta-smorodini/39-smorodina-ekzotika
• https://fermerok.info/smorodina-ekzotika
• https://fermilon.ru/sad-i-ogorod/kustarniki/chernaya-smorodina-ekzotika.html

Caring for currant bushes

Caring for Exotics is traditional and includes: watering, loosening the soil, mulching, pruning, weed control, fertilizing, preventive measures to destroy pests, and treatment of shrubs. More is written about caring for currants in the fall here.

By observing all the care conditions, you will achieve a high, high-quality and tasty harvest. Let's look step by step at the points of caring for shrubs.

On our website you can find information on how to properly care for currants in the spring.

Watering

A special feature of the procedure is scrupulous regularity. Monitor the watering process during dry spring and early summer. At least 1-2 buckets of water are added to each bush once a week.

Be sure to keep a substantial layer of mulch under the seedlings to prevent moisture evaporation. Stop watering as soon as clusters form and the berries begin to ripen. The harvest will be juicy.

Experienced gardeners advise: sprinkling irrigation is suitable for this variety, since Exotica is resistant to powdery mildew.

Trimming

You will achieve high yields if you take the trouble to form the bushes correctly. In the 2nd year, the young bush will produce many zero shoots from the center of the plant.

With the onset of autumn, trim the resulting growth on the branches by 1/3, and remove new shoots. But not all of them - leave 3-4 of the strongest and most viable branches. 1:1 repeat this procedure after 3 years, again in the fall.

About the correct pruning of currants in the fall is written here.

Throughout the entire fruiting period, maintain the bush in an unthickened state, leaving no more than 12 shoots. Prune annually, and cut out branches that are older than 4 years completely.

Read our article on how to prune currants in spring.

Loosening and mulching

Cultivating the soil protects it from rapid drying out, and also generously enriches the soil with oxygen and destroys weed seedlings. If the mulch layer under the bush consists of humus, try to loosen the soil to a depth of no more than 9 cm, but not less than 6 cm.

If the shelter is made of other components, proceed as follows: move the mulch away from the bush, loosen it to a depth of 5 cm, then cover the ground under the bush again.

Perform this procedure monthly (once is enough) from the moment the kidneys swell. If it rains frequently, loosen the soil more often to prevent compaction of the soil clod.

Fertilizer

After planting Exotic blackcurrant seedlings, care for a couple of years comes down to watering, mulching, and exterminating all kinds of weeds. As the plant gets older, it needs feeding. During each fertilization period, different fertilizers and their mode of use are required. Read this article for useful tips on applying spring fertilizing.

As soon as the snow melts, scatter bone meal and urea under the Exotica bushes (2 tablespoons for each seedling). Then cover thoroughly with humus, the layer of which should be up to 10 cm. Finally, water generously.

Also feed your pets with an infusion of fermented grass. Add 1 liter of the composition to a bucket of water - feed each bush with this amount. Cover the tree trunk soil with compost, use the grass after creating the infusion.

After a week, make a groove around the perimeter of the bush, fill it with 2 cups of wood ash and mulch. Carry out this procedure in June, as soon as ovaries form on the bushes.

After harvesting, feed the plants again with ash. In late autumn, add a bucket of humus or compost under each bush.

Read about how and what to fertilize currants in the autumn here.

Preparing for winter

Before the onset of frost (no later than October), prepare the Exotic for wintering. Be sure to inspect the bushes to identify branches that need to be removed.

Feed the plants, dig up the soil, but shallowly, and mulch the tree trunk. Various materials, even snowdrifts, can serve as shelter options.

We organize care

The development of bushes, size, taste and quantity of fruits depend on proper care.

Irrigation and fertilizing

Water Exotic currants in dry, clear weather once a week, being careful not to splash the foliage and stems. The bush needs two buckets of water at a time. The variety is especially demanding when it comes to irrigation before budding and filling of berries.

Keeping a plant in one place for a long time depletes the substrate. The crop needs fertilizing with mineral fertilizers and organic matter from early spring to autumn.

Before the buds open, urea is applied under the bushes to promote vegetation. After two weeks, a second feeding is carried out with organic matter rich in nitrogen - infusions of mullein, bird droppings. If preparing fertilizing and manure per bucket of water requires 2 kg, then bird droppings require 1 kg.

From mid-summer and autumn, currants are fertilized with mineral complexes with a predominance of phosphorus, potassium or superphosphate and potassium sulfate. After leaf fall, closer to the cold weather, compost or manure is added under Exotica, which helps the bush to safely overwinter.

Bush formation

Pruning Exotic currant bushes stimulates branching of basal shoots and the regrowth of young branches on old skeletal ones. Thickening and damage to the plant by diseases and pests are prevented.

The first pruning is performed immediately after planting. The shoots are shortened, leaving 3–4 buds. In the second year, they get rid of diseased, thickening shoots. Starting from the third year, old, non-fruit-bearing branches are cut out under the base, leaving 4 powerful basal shoots.

It is mandatory to get rid of disease-damaged and broken branches. If the growth of basal shoots is weak, two skeletal branches are removed, which continue to bear fruit poorly.

Old branches differ from young ones in the darker color of the bark and the smaller size of the buds at the tops. A properly formed adult bush includes 10–15 skeletal branches formed in different years. Each year there are 3-4 branches.

Preparing for winter

Preparatory activities include:

• sanitary pruning of diseased, deformed branches;
• shallow digging of the circle around the trunk;
• abundant watering;
• mulching the ground with sawdust, bark, hay.

In the southern and central regions of Russia, covering material is not used for wintering currants. In the northern regions, branches are wrapped with rope, and the crop is insulated with cardboard and agrofibre. A snowdrift is raked into the base of the bush.

Reproduction of Exotics

The simplest and most commonly used method of propagation is cuttings. From one-year-old shoots, cut cuttings from 15 cm to 20 cm in length, use only healthy shoots.

Make a solution of humic acid salt and place the cuttings in it for 12 hours. Then plant in prepared soil.

To speed up the formation of a new blackcurrant bush, plant 2 or 3 cuttings in one hole. An important point is that the cuttings must be of the same variety and they must be laid crosswise.

Do not forget about the distance - 15 cm between petioles and half a meter between rows. Tilt the base to the south and the top of the cut branch to the north.

The second propagation option is to bend the lower branch of the bush to the ground and then bury it (the top of the branch should be above the soil surface). After some time, the shoot will take root.

Collection, storage and use of berries

Exotic berries ripen in early July. Do not delay harvesting, otherwise it will crumble.

Pick blackcurrants by hand (this method is gentle), but if acceptable mechanisms are available, use them calmly. Manual harvesting keeps the berries in the refrigerator much longer.

Time the harvest to coincide with dry weather. For storage, pick whole bunches of berries, choose a small container. If desired, you can store Exotic from 10 days to 1.5 months (the period depends on the selected temperature).

It is best to eat the berries fresh. If you want to stock up on them, make jam or compote, grind currants with sugar, prepare juice, puree, freeze the berries. This way you can replenish your vitamin supply during the winter.

Susceptibility to diseases and parasites

Compliance with the rules of care, careful attention to plants and prevention is the key to ensuring that the currants do not get sick. Exotics have an innate immunity to diseases such as columnar rust and powdery mildew.

But Exotica doesn’t have the strength to fight all the adversities on her own. Your help with this is simply needed. How best to do this:

• Anthracnose is a disease of leaves, petioles, and young shoots. In 2-3 years it leads to the death of the bush. For prevention purposes, do not form the bush too dense. In the fall, after dropping the leaves, spray the bushes and the ground underneath them with a seven percent urea solution. In the spring, go over the young leaves with a solution of Fitosporin, add 2-3 drops of Zircon and Epin-extra to it. In case of illness, spray the plant with the same preparation (carefully read the instructions). In the fall, collect fallen leaves and burn them, treat the bushes and soil with a solution of copper sulfate. In spring, spray with one percent Bordeaux mixture.
• Terry disease is a viral disease. Cannot be treated. Infected bushes are destroyed; under no circumstances throw them into the compost pit. Prevention is the fight against sucking insects that spread the disease.
• Septoria blight is a foliar disease. Leads to loss of winter hardiness. Preventive methods and treatment methods are identical to those for anthracnose.
• Kidney mite - affects the kidneys and spreads the terry virus. If the bush is highly infected, it dies. Inspect the plants carefully. Swollen buds are a sign of mite infestation. If detected, remove immediately. Before the buds open (in early spring) and with the onset of late autumn, treat the bushes with boiling water.
• Aphids (another name is shoot aphid ) - reproduces on the tips of young shoots. The leaves are deformed and firmly glued together. For prevention, spray Exotic bushes every decade with Fitoverm. If there is a large accumulation of aphids, add green soap to this preparation and rinse the infected ends of the branches. Find more information about aphid control products here.
• Glasswort is a butterfly caterpillar. It can completely destroy the core of the bush, causing the branches to dry out. Spraying is similar to treatment for anthracnose. Do not plant Exotica near bird cherry, it is on it that the glassberry lives and reproduces.
• The gooseberry moth is a caterpillar. It strongly entangles fruits, eats seeds, and lays eggs in buds. The result is damaged berries, a spoiled harvest. Remove the caterpillars along with the berries; during the formation of buds and until the very beginning of flowering, treat with the same preparation as when fighting aphids, every 10 days. Cover the soil under the bushes with a thick layer of mulch from old newspapers - they will reliably protect the ground from the emergence of a wintering butterfly.
• Currant leaf gall midge is harmful to leaf development. The larvae feed exclusively on leaf pulp. Fruiting may not occur on damaged bushes. As a preventative measure, after harvesting, remove and burn the infected branches. Water and feed Exotica, mulch the soil over a large radius. If the larvae have already damaged the leaves, spray the black currants with a solution of karbofos. Carry out this procedure before flowering, at its completion, after picking the berries.

Characteristics of culture

Black currant Exotic is the brainchild of domestic breeders from the Siberian All-Russian Scientific Research Institute. To obtain a productive and large-fruited crop, scientists crossed the Golubka variety with pollen from Orlovia and Ershista. The result is a large-fruited variety with good taste characteristics, universal purpose, suitable for industrial cultivation.

The Exotic variety received the following description:

• the crop is early-ripening, early-fruiting - the berries ripen by the first days of July;
• the largest-fruited currant of all the early varieties of Russian selection;
• bushes of medium size, shoots smooth, straight;
• Exotica's leaves are large, wrinkled, dense;
• leaf petioles are painted in a lilac shade;
• the brushes are large and loose;
• the shape of the Exotic clusters resembles grapes, each of them contains 8-10 berries;
• the fruits are large, regular round in shape, with a shiny surface;
• the average weight of berries is 3.5-5 grams, sometimes there are specimens larger than cherries;
• the peel of the fruit is thin and not durable - the berries are prone to cracking and rotting;
• the pulp is tender, fleshy, sweet and sour, with a delicate aroma;
• tasting score of the variety – 4.4 points;
• the balance of acids and sugars in Exotic fruits may vary depending on the composition of the soil and weather conditions of a particular year;
• the tear is not very dry, so the berries often drain and do not tolerate transportation well;
• when overripe, currant fruits may fall off;
• the crop is self-fertile - about 50%, can be grown without pollinators;
• the yield of black currant Exotic is high - about 3.5 kg per bush;
• on an industrial scale, the variety’s yield ranges from 1.5 to 5.1 tons per hectare (depending on growing conditions);
• The plant has good winter hardiness (up to -26 degrees) - the variety is suitable for cultivation in both the Central and Siberian regions;
• Exotics have strong immunity to columnar rust and powdery mildew;
• The variety has average resistance to terry blight, anthracnose, and septoria;
• this crop is rarely affected by the bud mite.

Attention! Exotic currants are suitable for mechanized assembly, so they can be grown on the largest industrial scale.

Advantages and disadvantages

Exotic black currant often becomes a subject of controversy for many gardeners and farmers. This is due to the ambiguity of the variety, approximately the same number of positive and negative qualities of this crop.

So, the advantages of Exotic are obvious:

• the gigantic size of the berries, which can rightfully be called exotic;
• high productivity, both on a private and industrial scale;
• good taste and vitamin value of fruits (high content of vitamin C);
• frost resistance normal for the Russian climate;
• immunity to dangerous diseases and pests.

Unfortunately, large-fruited Exotics also have some very significant disadvantages:

• due to not very dry separation, the berries quickly drain and are not suitable for transportation;
• in different climatic conditions, the taste characteristics of black currant fruits can vary greatly;
• overripe fruits fall off the bush, so Exotica requires regular and frequent picking;
• in conditions of high humidity, the skin of the currant cracks and rot may appear;
• The variety does not tolerate heat and drought well and needs regular watering.

Important! As practice shows, gardeners' reviews of Exotic currants can vary greatly. This depends on the region and growing conditions, the composition of the soil on the site, and care measures.

For many summer residents and farmers, Exotica is becoming the most favorite variety of blackcurrant; they have been growing it on their plots for years and are not going to change it for something else. Other farmers (and there are quite a few of them too) quickly become disillusioned with exotic berries, claiming that they are not that large and, moreover, quite sour.

Reviews from gardeners about Exotic currants

★★★★★
Tatyana, 54 years old, gardener. I highly appreciate the taste qualities of Exotica, the rich aroma of berries.
I would like to draw the attention of beginning amateur gardeners to the fact that it is necessary to take into account the specific conditions for the quality growth and fruiting of this type of crop. Of all the varieties that I planted earlier, I kept only Exotic. ★★★★★
Stepan Ilyich, 62 years old, amateur gardener. I bought seedlings, but they froze.
But it was my mistake. So when purchasing seedlings, be guided by the area in which you are going to grow Exotics. ★★★★★
Evgeniy, 35 years old, summer resident. Having encountered a rainy period during the Exotic harvest, I now focus the attention of amateur gardeners on weather conditions.
Harvesting should not be delayed, especially if the weather is hot during this period. Be careful when choosing this blackcurrant variety. Hide

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There are no ideal plants in nature; each species has a lot of advantages and a certain number of disadvantages. The same can be said about the Exotic blackcurrant variety.

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