Standard of taste: black currant Gift of Smolyaninova and its description

The variety is notable for its large round berries and early ripening. From one bush you can collect 2.3 kg of sweet berries, weighing almost 4.5 g each. The pulp is juicy, the skin is thin and durable. Currant clusters are dense and short, easily detached from the branch.

The variety Dar Smolyaninova is a self-fertile plant. The fragrant blackcurrant harvest can be harvested as early as mid-July. This is a dessert, large variety with a dry release. Shows resistance to kidney mites. This currant is called the standard of taste.

History of selection

The authors of the selection achievement are the outstanding scientific figure A.I. Astakhov and L.I. Zueva. A.I. Astakhov and a group of scientists tried to obtain a variety that was resistant to typical blackcurrant diseases and at the same time with large, tasty berries.

For this purpose, specially selected hybrids were used:

• with pronounced immunity to bud mite, powdery mildew;
• with large, sugary berries.

The result exceeded expectations. As a result, we received the variety Dar Smolyaninova. Black currant berries have inherited other positive advantages:

• equal size of berries,
• skin strength;
• good taste and high vitamin C content.

Photo of black currant variety Dar Smolyaninova:

The best varieties of blackcurrant

Blackcurrant is a vitamin superstar with a unique concentration of vitamins and microelements.
It strengthens the immune system, slows down aging, helps with heart and circulatory diseases, skin diseases, diabetes and perfectly relieves eye fatigue. Currants are not difficult to grow and get a bountiful harvest if you choose the right variety and understand the basic rules of care. Each variety has special characteristics. And only by comparing them, it becomes possible to make the right choice, identifying one or another variety of berries for cultivation in your garden. Here, the ripening time, differences in taste, thickness of the berry skin, resistance to hot periods, ability to withstand frosty winters, and resistance to diseases and harmful parasites are taken into account.

Appearance of the bush

The shrub is compact, height no more than 75 cm. The plant is neat in shape, not spreading, with erect stems.

The leaves are three-lobed, slightly convex, with a bare surface . The middle blades are located at right angles. The leaves are large, slightly wrinkled, densely covering the branches. The color is light green or light green.

The olive-green bark of the petioles is covered with a pigment, anthocyanin. The raceme consists of 6-8 flowers with pale purple petals. The axis of the brush is sinuous. The currant stalk is short.

Dobrynya

The variety is classified as mid-season. It will require high knowledge in agricultural technology. The bush grows to a medium size and forms a compact crown. The bush will require special supports for the branches so that they do not spread along the ground. The berries are oval in shape and weigh up to 6 grams, and taste like dessert.

Pros:

1. Dessert taste;
2. Large berries;
3. High level of winter hardiness;
4. Resistance to powdery mildew.

Minuses:

1. Affected by kidney mites;
2. High requirements for soil fertility.

Berries

Black currant berries are round in shape and large in size. The weight of 1 berry reaches 4.5 g . Currant fruits have a thin and durable black skin with a glossy sheen. The pulp is juicy, with a sweet taste. Taste qualities are high - 4.9 points.

Currant berries ripen evenly. It is advisable to process freshly picked currants within 24 hours.

At temperatures from 10° to 12°, the crop is stored for two weeks, in the refrigerator at 0° for a month. Complete freezing allows you to extend the shelf life to 2 or more years. To store fresh berries, you need a dark, ventilated room.

Smolyaninova's gift is used:

• as an ornamental plant;
• medicinal raw materials;
• for food use.

Breeders use the blackcurrant variety as an adaptive material for new varieties.

How to plant a variety on a plot

To grow this variety on your site, you need to follow some important planting rules for black currants, taking into account the characteristics and needs of this variety (soil, light).

The best time to carry out work

The best time for planting is considered to be the end of September and the beginning of October. Before the onset of cold weather, the roots should be well established and strengthened in the soil. This time will be enough, and in the spring new shoots will appear. You can plant in the spring, only early. Before the kidneys begin to awaken and sap begins to flow.

Selecting a seedling and planting site

A place for planting must be chosen that is sunny and preferably protected from northern winds. Experienced gardeners recommend planting along fences or paths.

Currants can grow in any soil, except saline and swampy soil, with low air permeability, as well as in areas flooded with flood waters. In such areas, bushes need to be planted on a hill or made into mounds.

If the soil is too light, sandy or, conversely, heavy and clayey, it must be fertilized with compost or humus before planting the bush. The most desirable soil for this crop is slightly acidic.

It is advisable to choose a two-year-old seedling that has already undergone the first formative pruning. It is done in order to increase the density of the bush. Its root system should already be well formed. Leaves and shoots should be clean and healthy, without visible diseases.

Preparing the beds

When planting currants in the fall, the beds are prepared in advance. In spring, the land needs to be prepared in the fall. To do this, you need to add nutrients to the soil, per 1 square meter:

• humus - 10 kilograms;
• wood ash – 1 kilogram;
• superphosphate 100 - 200 grams.

Mix everything well and dig up, adding this nutrient mixture.

Currant planting technology

There is nothing complicated in planting this crop, the main thing is to follow some rules:

1. Prepare the site in autumn or winter.
2. Dig it up and fertilize it further: add 10 kilograms of humus per 1 meter.
3. Fill the planting holes with a nutrient mixture 2 weeks before the intended planting. The hole should be about 50 centimeters deep and wide. Mix the soil from the pit with 2 tablespoons of superphosphate, a handful of wood ash and 5 kilograms of compost. Stir and fill the hole 2/3 full.
4. Wait until the soil settles and becomes compacted.
5. Pour 5 liters of water into the hole.
6. Place the seedling in the hole, maintaining an angle of 45 C.
7. Spread the roots, sprinkle soil on top and press down a little with your hand.
8. Add another bucket of water.
9. Then you need to trim the shoots, leaving 2-3 buds on each.

After planting, currants will require care.

Main properties and characteristics

Currants winter well.
Thanks to its powerful roots, reaching a depth of up to 2 m, it can withstand dry periods well. But to improve the taste, it is necessary to water the plant when there is insufficient rain. Currants begin to bloom in late April to early June. Ripens by the end of July. With careful care, the yield reaches up to 2.9 kg per bush .

The Dar Smolyaninova variety is considered self-fertile and does not depend on pollinating insects. The best harvest is achieved when there are several currant bushes on the site. It is better to plant currants on the sunny side or in partial shade.

Spring frosts or lack of moisture in spring and summer can have a strong impact on the growing season.

The large-fruited trait is strongly related to growing conditions . During the development and ripening of currant fruits, moderately humid weather is especially important. The size of currant berries decreases noticeably as the branches age.

How I looked for successful varieties

I began to learn the secrets of gardening from the literature available at that time. I went to Pavlovsk, to an experimental station near Leningrad and purchased a dozen cuttings of immune varieties: in the early 90s these were Detskoselskaya (really smells like currants), Veloy, Binar, Volodinka and varieties of Belarusian selection - Belorusskaya Sladkaya, Minai Shmyrev, Paulinka , Pilot A. Mamkin.

A couple of years later, in the new garden, two-year-old bushes of these varieties pleased me with an abundance of vitamin-rich berries of all sizes and flavors. In addition, these plants did not get sick.

This is how we fell in love with currants. They made compotes in three-liter jars - there were no freezers in those years. A few years later, I became fascinated by this crop and began corresponding with amateur gardeners and breeding centers.

Then the fashion for large-fruited varieties appeared. In my garden, literally in every free space, varieties from T.P. Ogoltsova (Eagle) were planted for testing: Kipiana Gratsia, Zusha, Lazy, Exotic.

Then our family began to enjoy the following varieties:

• from A.A. Astakhov from the All-Russian Research Institute of Lupine (Bryansk) - Gulliver, Nara, Sevchanka, Selechinskaya;
• from L.N. Zabelina (Altai) and the Lisavenko Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia (Barnaul) - Vigorous, Altai Pozdnyaya, Hercules, Zhuravushka, Black Stork.

Then other varieties appeared from all over Russia:

• YUNIIPOK (Chelyabinsk) - Sibylla, Pygmy, Venus, Sudarushka;
• VSTISP (Moscow) - Riddle, Openwork, Vologda;
• VNIIS named after Michurin (Michurinsk) - Bagheera, Green Haze, Constellation, Black Pearl; Sverdlovsk SSS – Slavyanka, Romance, Rhapsody.

It was interesting to conduct variety trials and adapt these varieties to my conditions. But I listed only the most outstanding varieties from our best breeders.

Varieties from different places also had different characters: they withstood harsh winters differently, reacted differently to rainy summers, but all responded well to organic fertilizing. Most of these acquisitions are still bearing fruit for me.

Well, how can we part with the varieties Yadrenaya , whose berries are larger than cherries, or Sybil , whose bushes are distinguished by unprecedented productivity, or Lazy , on which large clusters of sweet berries hang until September, capable of competing with grapes, or Izyumnaya , the berries of which can be eaten from the bush at any time every morning, and it won’t get boring indefinitely.

At this time, I re-read all the monographs about currants and realized that there are amateur (sweet and large) varieties - and there are industrial ones (for machine harvesting). The latter are characterized by high yield, simultaneously ripening berries with dense skin and easily separated stalks; All the berries on such bushes are leveled and of medium size.

Rules of agricultural technology

Before planting Dara Smolyaninova, it is necessary to drain the soil. Pre-prepare a hole forty centimeters wide. Add a bucket of ground manure and a glass of ash.

In the first year, the currant bush grows, and in the second year it bears fruit. Hygienic pruning is carried out every year . From the fifth year of life, old diseased branches begin to be cut off. Remove weak, unproductive shoots and those that thicken the bush.

Expert opinion

Chernyaeva Tatyana Dmitrievna

Absolutely loves gardening and grows only organic vegetables

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Onions are an ideal neighbor for black currants. Apple and blackcurrant go well together.

Conditions for better growing season

Landing conditions and rules:

Features of reproduction

Smolyaninova's gift is propagated using conventional methods:

1. By cuttings.
2. Dividing the bush.
3. Formation of horizontal layers.

Cuttings are harvested in the summer. To do this, cut off young shoots at least 6 mm thick. Each stem, 20 cm long, is planted at an angle. Two or three buds are left above the ground.

The best time for planting is mid-August . For better development of cuttings, use fertile soil with good drainage. It is necessary to ensure regular watering.

Care instructions

Basic bush care activities:

Older plants are characterized by the appearance of red, brown, and white spots on the leaves. It is recommended to burn or compost affected leaves off-site.

Further care for currants

In order for the bush to develop normally, it must be adequately cared for. In this case, it is worth following a number of recommendations.

Watering mode

The culture is considered moisture-loving and requires systematic watering. It is carried out 2-3 times a week. With a lack of liquid, the berries become small and the yield decreases. 3-4 buckets of water are poured under 1 bush.

Loosening and mulching the soil

It is worth loosening the soil as needed. This will ensure the supply of oxygen to the roots.

After watering, it is worth covering the ground with mulch. This will help avoid moisture loss.

Fertilizer application

It is worth actively applying fertilizers from the age of 3 years. It is recommended to use fertilizer in the spring. In this case, mineral agents, a solution of litter or manure are used. In the fall, it is worth adding compounds based on potassium and phosphorus.

Pruning: formative, sanitary, rejuvenating

This procedure promotes bush formation and improves yield parameters. Pruning is carried out at different periods:

1. After landing. In this case, only 3 shoots are left.
2. Second year. You need to cut off the young branches, leaving the 5 strongest ones.
3. Third and fourth year. Of the young shoots, no more than 6 of the most powerful ones are left.
4. Fifth and subsequent years. During this period, anti-aging pruning is carried out. All shoots older than 5 years should be cut to the root.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of the variety:

1. Not susceptible to powdery mildew fungus, aphids, bud mites.
2. Excellent taste.
3. Very early ripening.
4. Resistance to frost and drought.
5. High content of ascorbic acid in berries (up to 160 mg%).
6. The density of the berries allows the use of machine harvesting.
7. Good transportability.

Minuses:

1. Does not tolerate waterlogged and acidified soils.
2. Requires watering in dry summers.

Reviews from gardeners

Gardeners note resistance to bud mites. Pay attention to the excellent taste characteristics of the variety. There are reviews about insufficient yields, but this indicates incorrect agricultural practices by the gardener. During the growing season, especially during flowering and ripening, fertilizing and watering are necessary. Reviews can be found here and here.

Do you grow black currants?

Not really

Blackcurrant in organic farming

We have always planted currants throughout our forty years of gardening.
It grew with all the neighbors, and there was nothing easier than asking for layering or rooting a green cutting from the bushes you liked. But disappointment quickly set in. The berries from the neighbor's bushes were small and low-yielding. The bushes are infected with bud mites, and as a result, viruses. In the damp summer, the plantings were completely covered with powdery mildew.

The neighbors loved to share the secrets of folk methods of combating these diseases, and we sprayed the currants with everything that was recommended, but the result was zero.

Seedling cost

The price depends on the standard of delivery and the age of the seedling. The average price ranges from 250 - 140 rubles per piece. Plus transport and postage costs. Legend:

1. Closed delivery : for example, ZKS-9/1/70. Designation of numbers: pot diameter = 9 cm, seedling 1 year old, bush height 70 cm.
2. Open delivery : for example, OKS-1/75/3. The first number indicates the age of the seedling. The second is the height in cm. The third is the number of branches in the seedling.

Summer resident

The currant variety is an early ripening variety. It forms a low-growing bush with a rounded crown. The shoots themselves grow low to the ground and can spread along it. The berries are black and blue in color and have a matte finish. The berries weigh from 2.2 to 4 grams, and taste delicately sweet and have a pronounced aroma. From one bush you can collect from 1.4 to 1.5 kg.

Pros:

1. High immunity to powdery mildew;
2. Self-fertility;
3. Practically not colonized by the bud mite;
4. Pleasant and delicate taste of berries;
5. High level of winter hardiness.

Minuses:

1. Requires increased care;
2. They crumble;
3. Low yield.

Tamerlane

The variety belongs to the average ripening period. It forms into a tall bush that grows quickly but moderately. The berries have a round shape and weigh up to 1.5 grams, and taste sweet, but with a characteristic sourness. From one bush you can collect from 3.5-4 kg of berries.

Pros:

1. Dessert taste;
2. High yield;
3. Easy to transport;
4. Disease resistance;
5. Dry picking of berries.

Minuses:

1. Doesn't like heat very much;
2. The older the bush, the greater the likelihood of being damaged by bud mites.

Blackcurrant Good Genie: propagation

Black currant Good Gin: photo of the variety

The most common and widespread method of propagation of this plant is cuttings. This procedure is carried out in the following ways:

• By layering. To do this, the edge of two-year-old shoots should be buried to a depth of approximately 15 centimeters. With regular watering, after one year the cuttings will take root and adapt. After this, they are separated from the main bush and replanted. In this case, a cutting should be formed, having a length of approximately 20 centimeters.
• Lignified cuttings. In the spring or autumn seasons, lignified shoots need to be cut into separate pieces approximately 20 centimeters long. The resulting seedlings are rooted in the soil, with plenty of watering throughout the growing season. After a year, the rooted cuttings should be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.
• Green cuttings. In the first ten days of March, seedlings with a maximum length of 10 centimeters, with two or three full leaves, are cut from young stems. They are rooted in separate containers, at home, at an air temperature of +18 to +25 degrees. By the beginning of the second half of May, these cuttings will take root quite successfully, then they can be transplanted to a permanent place of growth.

Does the Dobryi Gin currant variety need other pollinating bushes?

Almost all varieties of such fruit and berry crops as currants are considered self-fertile shrubs. These are subspecies capable of self-pollination, and to obtain a high-quality and abundant harvest of tasty berries from them, you can plant just a few shrubs next to them. Although, in order to obtain the greatest yield, possessing their excellent qualities in full force, it is possible only with cross-pollination. To do this, you need to plant several bushes of any productive subspecies, the flowering period of which is identical to the moment of flowering of the variety in question.