Sugar - an overview of the red currant variety and the rules for growing it

Red currant Sugar was bred by Russian breeders. Its bushes produce a large harvest, have many clusters and large sweet and sour berries. You can simply eat them, or you can make jams, compotes or currant casseroles with cottage cheese from them. The Sugar variety is widespread in our regions, as it is easy to grow.

red currant variety “Sugar”

“Sugar” currant variety has excellent taste

“Sugar” currant bushes are an invariable decoration of any garden

Description of red currant Sugar

Bush of medium size, straight formation. The size of the shoots is 1-1.5 m. The berries are bright red, average weight is 0.7-1 g. The skin is shiny, the pulp is tasty and aromatic.

The variety produces a rich harvest; some gardeners harvest 4 kg of berries per year. This currant is best suited for use in its raw form; it also makes excellent jellies, jams, compotes and other preparations.

In addition to its pleasant taste, the Sugar variety has an excellent appearance. A flowering bush is a decoration of a garden plot, and large red bunches of berries attract attention with their brightness.

Such a bush is placed around the perimeter of the site or along paths. The main thing is to make sure it doesn’t grow too much.

This variety is unpretentious, is not afraid of cold weather and is not too difficult to care for. It is grown in different climatic zones: in Ukraine, Belarus, central and southern Russia, in the Urals.

Appearance, characteristics of berries, ripening time, yield

The shrub is medium-sized, tall, grows up to 1.5–2 m. The crown is compact, no more than 1.2 m in diameter. The stems are erect, covered with grayish-brown bark. The foliage is average. The leaves are five-lobed, toothed, dark green with a shiny tint.

The berries ripen in a round shape. The peel is bright red, durable. The pulp is of moderate density. The average weight of one fruit is 8 g. The taste is sweet with a slight sourness.

Red currant contains:

• vitamins A, E, C, group B;
• alimentary fiber;
• fatty acid;
• ash;
• potassium;
• calcium;
• sodium;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• iron.

Ripening dates are early. The first fruits begin to appear by the end of May. Gardeners manage to harvest approximately 4–7 kg of crop from a bush.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The list of advantages of the Sugar variety is extensive. In addition to unpretentiousness, the following advantages are noted:

• high yield;
• unusual sweetness of berries;
• cold resistance, the variety copes well with temperature changes;
• the berries ripen early and are harvested from late June to September;
• the variety is easy to care for;
• The lifespan of the bush is up to 25 years;
• well suited for any type of workpiece;
• resistance to pests.

The variety has almost no disadvantages, except that the berries are too large and the level of self-pollination is low. For the sake of a rich harvest, you will have to plant other varieties of currants nearby.

See below for a review of the “Sugar” red currant variety:

Harvesting and transportation (shelf life), shelf life of berries

Fresh currants have a glossy black color; if the berries are not stored in the refrigerator, the gloss will disappear and the berries will wrinkle. To keep them attractive longer (7–10 days), they need to be kept in a cool room or in the refrigerator. It is necessary to remove soft, wrinkled berries in a timely manner, especially with leaking juice. The Sugar blackcurrant variety is perfect for transportation, since the berries are very dense.

By planting this variety of currant crop on your plot, you can get a storehouse of vitamins that will last for a whole year. This is because the berries can not only be eaten fresh, but also frozen, dried, and prepared into delicious treats.

Before boarding

The variety takes root well in almost any conditions. To ensure a long life and a rich and tasty harvest, adhere to the basic planting rules.

Select a location

Moderately moist, sandy or loamy soil is suitable for currants. If groundwater comes too close to the surface, the bush will quickly become lethargic, frail, and will be more susceptible to disease.

If the soil is heavy, clayey or contains acid, it is better to plant the plant on a small earthen mound.

For proper development, plants use a certain planting scheme. The variety has a compact shape, the bush does not take up much space, a distance of 1.2-1.4 m between seedlings will be sufficient.

Select time

The Sugar variety is unpretentious and resistant to cold weather, so it is planted not only in temperate regions, but also in the north. In areas of moderate latitude, planting is carried out in September, and in the south - in October, before the onset of severe frosts.

If you are going to plant currants in the spring, do it in March, at the beginning or end of the month, depending on the climate.

If you are interested in how to properly care for currants in the spring, then this article can be found here.

Select planting material

For seedlings, choose strong, healthy seedlings about 30-40 cm long. Pay attention to the roots, they should be flexible and elastic. If the roots break easily, it means they are of low quality or were stored incorrectly.

The roots must be branched and have at least 3 buds on each root; if there are only 1-2 of them, such a seedling is definitely not worth taking.

The shoots should be free of stains, rot, traces of pests or diseases, so that the infection does not spread throughout the garden.

Seedlings without leaves or with spots on them are not suitable; they could be affected by a fungus.

Till the soil

Select your landing site in advance. Dig holes 40 cm deep and 50 cm in diameter. Place fertilizer at the bottom - peat, manure, or other organic product. After this, leave the soil for a week or two to settle.

After planting, water the soil well. Continue 2 times every day. Wet soil is a little trampling. Mulch using sawdust or pine needles.

Characteristic

1. leaves consist of 3-6 lobes, jagged and elongated, which run alternately. The color can be from dark green to bright light green, the top of the leaves is darker than the bottom. Hairiness is observed on the underside of the leaf, which runs along the veins.
2. Flowers can be up to 1 centimeter long and white, pink or yellow. One flower cluster can contain from 4 to several dozen flowers on a branch. Flowering occurs (depending on the region) in early April-June and can last until early July.
3. The fruits are berries and can be round or oval in shape. The taste of currants can be sweet or sweet and sour, sour or completely bland. Red sugar currants have a glossy red fruit color with a waxy coating.

This article will tell you when red currants ripen.

Proper planting of red currant Sugar

Everything is prepared, now let's talk about the planting process itself. When planting currants, follow these tips:

1. The hole for the seedling should not be very deep, 35-40 cm is enough. If you are planting several bushes at once, make a trench for them.
2. Leave the hole for a week to allow the ground to settle.
3. Place fertilizers, such as compost or rotted manure, at the bottom of the hole.
4. Water the hole generously and place the prepared seedling in it at an angle of 45 degrees. Cover the bush with soil, placing the root collar at a depth of 5 cm.
5. Press down the soil and make a hole.
6. Water the bush well. Use at least 3 liters of water for this.
7. After planting, trim the shoots by about a third. There will be good growth next year.

This variety grows even without care. To get a good harvest, you need to work a little and follow the basic rules for growing currants. We'll talk about them further.

Where is the best place to plant

Red currant variety Sugar is a sun-loving plant, so you should not plant it in the shade. Lack of light will weaken the root system, and the branches will rush upward in search of the sun. The plant will not produce a good harvest in such conditions.

The ideal soil for sugar currants is humus loam or black soil. The soil must be processed to a depth of at least 50-60 cm and should not retain moisture. To enrich the soil and form humus in non-chernozem areas, manure, compost, and rotted weed are used. Heavy soil with a dense layer of clay is “diluted” with peat soil.

Since Sugar currant bushes are compact, seedlings can be placed at a distance of one and a half meters from each other.

Important! If there is soil on the site, you need to plant currants as far as possible from groundwater, on specially formed mounds.

Nuances of care

Sugar currant is easy to care for, so it is suitable for a novice gardener.

Sugar currants bring 4 to 15 kg of berries per year to a caring owner. So what can you do to achieve such great results?

We recommend reading the article on how to care for currant bushes in the autumn.

Trim

Like any plant, currants grow strongly, so they are pruned every year, giving them the correct shape (autumn pruning is written about here). An adult bush consists of 15-20 large strong branches, for this you need to leave 2-3 shoots every spring and remove the rest.

Water

This variety loves water, so don't rely on natural precipitation. Water the bushes regularly to ensure they bear fruit.

When the berries are forming, watering the plant is doubly important. Pour water directly under the bush, on the roots, without touching the currant trunk itself.

When there is drought, the berries quickly fall off. In summer, during periods of extreme heat, 1 currant bush should require at least 5 buckets of water every 10 days.

Fertilize

A young healthy plant does not need constant fertilization. But in the first years, to accelerate growth and form a good bush, a solution of nitroammophoska is used.

For one bush you will need 1 box of the drug per 10 liters of water. In addition, it does not hurt to add nitrogen fertilizer, such as urea or saltpeter, to the soil at the rate of 10 g of product per 1 square meter. m.

You will learn how and with what to fertilize currants in the autumn from this article.

Loosen and mulch

Soil care is important for getting a good harvest, because the condition of the soil affects the health of the plant. Loosening and mulching are carried out to preserve moisture in the soil and saturate it with oxygen.

This must be done annually: the first time in early spring, then throughout the entire season, at least once every 2 months. Loosen the soil well using rakes and other equipment.

Cover for the winter

If you grow the variety in regions with a temperate climate, do not worry about closing the bush for the winter - Sugar currant is very resistant to frost and temperature changes.

In colder areas, the plant is prepared for winter. To do this, each branch of the bush after pruning is buried or covered with agrofibre.

When covering, you cannot use polyethylene - it does not allow air to pass through.

Features of agricultural technology

Thanks to proper planting and care of the plant, even a novice gardener will receive a good harvest of sweet currants for himself or for sale.

Landing

To plant in the fall, perform the following steps:

1. For seedlings, a shallow hole of 40 cm with a diameter of 55 cm is dug. If it is a plantation, currants are planted in rows and a trench with the same dimensions is dug.
2. The soil fertility and compost are suitable for the nutrient mixture. Each hole should have a bucket of mixture poured out and half a bucket of water filled in.
3. After absorbing the liquid, the bush is installed at an angle. The root system is spread along the bottom of the hole and covered with soil. The soil level is several centimeters above the neck of the rhizome. The location will help to grow a basal shoot from a buried bud.
4. The loose soil near the bush is lightly pressed. Next, water is poured into the hole in the amount of three buckets. When roots appear after the completed actions, the protrusions should be sprinkled with fresh soil. Sawdust or peat mulch is scattered on top.

In spring, currants are planted in April in the same way as in autumn. But there are some exceptions: holes for bushes with a fertile mixture are prepared six months in advance, organic matter is added to the soil, and phosphorus and potassium are added before planting. Read about planting blackcurrants in spring here.

Deadlines

Pygmy currant seedlings, like Sugar black currant, take root well after autumn planting, in September. It is recommended to plant the plant in September. Until severe frosts occur, the shrub will have enough time for the root system to become denser.

A description of the Early Sweet Currant variety can be found in this article.

Selection of seedlings

The main propagation often occurs from seedlings. Planting material must be of high quality so that the bush develops sufficiently and the yield increases. Seedlings are selected taking into account the following characteristics:

1. Developed rhizome. This can be determined by the shade: light brown, and the minimum length of 15 cm is also determined. The bundle must contain many threads and the main root.
2. The aboveground part of the Sugar currant planting material should not have dry buds , damage to the shoots, spots, or unnecessary formations.
3. A well-developed bush for planting should be at least 40 cm.

Nurseries will come to the rescue to purchase material. Even postage will not affect the quality of the crop. Nurseries and specialty stores follow storage conditions to guarantee a high survival rate.

Preparing the landing site

If there is a high level of groundwater in the crop germination zone, an embankment is erected. To do this, entire raised rows or a certain hill are erected to each bush. The rhizome of this black berry variety develops well in the upper soil layers, so a thickness of 35-40 cm is sufficient.

To protect the plant from drafts and gusty winds, it is planted near buildings, solid fences and houses.

The soil

The common miracle develops well on sandy loam or light loamy soil. Increased clay purity and acidity harm the root system of the bush. The plant in such areas will develop poorly, produce a small harvest, which will lead to death.

Black currants need adequate levels of light and sunlight. The area must be ventilated. With free air movement, the risk of developing powdery mildew is reduced.

Distance between bushes

If the arrangement of currant seedlings is not correct, there will be no free access left in vain. The plant will grow and interfere with the second crop, which will lead to a lack of light. To arrange the currant bushes you will need 1.2-1.5 meters. This is a non-compact berry that will grow with wide branches and interfere with other crops.

Scheme of distance between bushes

Care

At the beginning of spring, the pruning period begins with the formation of a bush. The next month, fertilizing with urea is carried out on the wet soil, and after drying the top soil layer, an area 7 cm deep should be loosened. If the currants were hilled up in winter, the soil from the bushes should be raked. Next, the surface is leveled using a rake and mulch is introduced into the area with a peat layer of up to 10 cm.

When the currants begin to bloom, frosts may begin, so the bush will need to be smoked. During this period, the plant is inspected in order to identify specimens infected with plant diseases. If there are problems, the bell-shaped flowering becomes separate-petalled. If single double inflorescences are found, they should be cut off, but if the entire plant is affected, it should be completely removed.

In spring, the berries will not feel thirsty if you keep the soil slightly moist. Weeds must be removed while the soil is loosened. The procedure is carried out to a depth of 7 cm every half month. The row spacing is loosened to a depth of 11 cm.

Watering

Sugar currant variety does not require frequent watering. Ground swamping is not allowed. The liquid is added in such an amount that the soil around the bush is saturated to a greater depth - from 40 cm.

If there is a lack of moisture during the formation of juiciness of the berries, their shedding may begin.

Water flows under the root system. Avoid sprinkling when the berry is in bloom. The frequency of watering depends on weather conditions. During drought, 5 buckets of liquid are poured under adult bushes every two weeks. If the summer period is cool and humid, water once a month.

Mulching the soil under the plant helps prevent periodic loosening. For mulching, humus with peat, wood chips or plant debris is used. The mulch is renewed in layers. During the first cold weather, even in the southern parts of the country, it is necessary to cover the plant with spruce branches or other material.

Pruning and shaping the bush

On a properly formed plant, about 18 fruiting shoots of different ages sprout. Formation has the following form: every year several new stems are left, which sprout in different sides of the bush, the remaining branches are removed.

According to the period of ripeness, the shoots last up to 5 years, after which they need to be removed to allow younger ones to develop. Formative and sanitary pruning is acceptable, which involves removing old, broken, diseased or growing stems inside the bush.

Each of the procedures is carried out during a quiet period - in early spring or autumn. In July, the tops of young shoots are pinched to activate the formation of replacement shoots.

Top dressing

While the fruits are forming, the berry consumes a large amount of micronutrients from the soil, so reserves should be renewed. In the third year of the plant’s life, new feeding will be needed. In April, a mixture of several kg of humus, a small amount of superphosphate and potassium-based fertilizer is added to the bush. After the plant begins to bloom, manure is applied in a ratio of 1/10 l . In October, for a comfortable rest, 50 grams of superphosphate is added under the currants, after which mulch is needed in the form of a thick layer of rotted manure.

Reproduction

Inexperienced gardeners purchase chokeberry seedlings at markets or from other agricultural specialists. But no one guarantees that the Sugar variety will grow. To grow a good harvest, you should do plant propagation yourself. Blackcurrant propagates vegetatively, using layering, cuttings and bush division.

To quickly and easily start growing the crop, you should select young currant bushes from 3-5 years old; in March, the soil under them is loosened, fertilized, holes are made in the ground, up to 10 cm deep, which extend to the middle of the plant. Next, strong, developed shoots are placed in them, good fixation is needed with plastic hooks, after which the shoots are covered with soil so that the top is visible. Shoots that have reached a height of 11-12 cm are covered with moist soil every half month. Throughout the summer, the cuttings are well watered with organic mulching.

In autumn, the layerings that have sprung are separated from the mother plant, after which they are divided along their length into separate shoots with roots and transplanted permanently. In a few years, these plants will bear their first fruits.

Methods of controlling diseases and pests

Red currants are more resistant to diseases and parasites compared to black currants. Sugar red currant is a leader in this regard, as it is practically not susceptible to diseases or pests.

Still, there is something to be wary of - anthracnose. Anthracnose is a fungal disease common in regions with humid climates. Fungal spores are easily transferred from plant to plant by wind and insects. Bushes that are weakened or damaged are easily infected.

Depressed spots disrupt the normal movement of nutrition in the plant. As a result, when there is high humidity, the branches rot and break, and when there is drought, they quickly wither and crack.

If anthracnose is ignored, the whole bush will soon die.

At the first signs of currant damage, remove the parts of the bush affected by the disease and treat with a fungicide. For spraying, select a product from the list:

• Oksikhom;
• Yamato;
• Cuproxat;
• Copper oxychloride.

To prevent anthracnose, practice prevention. The tips are as follows:

• Before planting a new plant, treat it with a one percent solution of copper sulfate. The seedling should remain in the solution for several minutes. Then rinse it and lower it into the ground.
• Adult plants are treated until the buds appear; a solution of vitriol or Nitrofen is also suitable for this.
• One of the reasons for the appearance of anthracnose is a lack of potassium and phosphorus in the soil, so feed the plants with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer.
• The disease can also be caused by fallen leaves under the bush - remove them in a timely manner.

The Sugar variety is resistant to insects and parasites and does not particularly need insecticidal treatment. But to be sure that pests do not attack currant bushes, you can use the following tips:

• Spray the currant bush with infusion of tobacco or wormwood, this will protect it from spider mites.
• Mustard solution will save you from currant bud moth.
• Loosening the soil, as well as wood ash and ground pepper, help in the fight against currant glass.

Cultivation of sugar currants

This currant variety is bred in the same way as other varieties, although there are some peculiarities.

Propagation with green cuttings is carried out in early spring, but this currant is less easily propagated with wood cuttings. The bush is also propagated using layering, horizontal and vertical; shoots are taken exclusively from young bushes.

The most effective method of propagation is propagation by combined cuttings. You need to prepare the cuttings from the end of May to the beginning of June. Take branches that remain from last year and have small green shoots.

The shoot must have a small piece of wood, 3-4 cm in length. Plant the shoots, plunging the woody part into the soil a few centimeters.

Water twice a day. After 2 weeks, the plant will take root well and begin to grow.

Productivity

The Sugar variety produces at least 4 kg of berries per year, but there are ways to improve this figure.

Red currants produce a good harvest in the first 6-8 years. The maximum number of fruits is at 3-4 years of life.

Branches that stop producing berries must be removed so that new branches receive as much nutrients as possible. Fertilize the soil so that the bush receives enough potassium and phosphorus; they are important for normal growth and fruiting of currants.

In one place, the bush bears fruit for up to 20 years, after this period the soil is depleted, then currants are replaced by other crops.

Collect ripe currants carefully so as not to crush them. Choose morning time for collection, cool and dry weather.

The fruits of the Sakharnaya variety are very sweet and good for consumption in their raw form. There are also many recipes for jelly, jam, compotes, pies; they are especially good from this variety of currant.

Tips for increasing yield

Approach the place where you plant currants responsibly. She does not like even the minimal presence of chlorine, salts, and soap products in the soil. For this reason, it is not planted close to buildings, waste heaps, or street washbasins.

Currant bushes should be well lit and protected from strong winds. Make the distance between bushes no less than 1.2-1.5 m.

Too dense planting will lead to the fact that the currants will be lethargic, neglected, and the number of berries will noticeably decrease due to a lack of nutrients.

For feeding, organic fertilizers are used - humus, tinctures of various plants, compost, ash. Compost made from food waste is not suitable as a fertilizer.

Avoid mistakes that ruin your harvest:

• wrong place for a berry garden;
• improper pruning;
• loosening the soil too deeply - the roots of the bushes are located close to the surface, and if they are damaged, the bush weakens and begins to hurt.

Reviews about the variety

★★★★★
Natalya, 34 years old, housewife, Chelyabinsk. I always plant currants and immediately trim them a little after the third bud.
And if you prune the bush in the fall, about two years from planting, it will be much thicker and the harvest will be larger. ★★★★★
Olga, 57 years old, summer resident, Moscow region. Sugar currant is indeed quite sweet, but there is also a strong acid in it.
Much stronger than, say, Versailles white or Gazelle. I can’t classify this variety as one of my favorites, although it produces a good harvest. ★★★★★
Nikolay, 47 years old, amateur gardener, Moscow. I have been successfully growing Sugar for a long time.
As a piece of advice, it can be noted that loosening does not have to be done after every rain or watering, but only twice a year: in the spring - after awakening, and in the fall - after the final harvest. Hide

Add your review

A responsible attitude to planting and growing sugar red currants will help achieve high yields. The variety is great for beginner gardeners or those who spend little time on the site. In addition, the Sakharnaya variety pleases with a delicious harvest for many years.

0

0

Copy link

Which variety of blackcurrant is better?

The many varieties of crops make it difficult to choose the right option for your garden. Experienced summer residents have been choosing their bushes for years, planting crops of different ripening periods, large fruits, productivity and taste of berries. Our rating describes in some detail the advantages and disadvantages of 15 types. For those who still find it difficult to choose, we have selected 4 of the best options, differing in their resistance to most diseases, productivity and taste.

• Vigorous: not afraid of frost, diseases and pests, produces abundant harvests. Excellent dessert.
• Gift of Smolyaninova. The relatively young hybrid can withstand frost and drought, is resistant to most diseases and pests, the berries are large, sweet, and have a good tasting rating. There are practically no disadvantages.
• Perun. One of the best early species. The characteristics are excellent: it withstands frosts, is not afraid of heat, and staunchly defends itself against diseases and pests. The yield is considerable,
• Dobrynya. One of the best mid-ripe varieties of domestic selection. Working qualities are above average: the yield is decent, the berries are large, the taste is sweet and sour, balanced, it is not afraid of heat, cold and powdery mildew.
• Lazy is the best of the late hybrids, large-fruited, highly productive with a good tasting assessment of taste. He is protected from most diseases by immunity; he fights kidney mites with varying success.

Black currant is a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients. In terms of vitamin C and ascorbic acid content, it is ahead of citrus fruits. It is unpretentious to soil and climatic conditions. The berries are good as a dessert, for making preserves and jams. You won't find a better crop for the garden. The editors of the site “VyborExperta.ru” hope that the presented description of blackcurrant varieties will help beginning gardeners find the best crops to grow on their “acres,” no matter what region of Russia they are located in.