Rejuvenation of currants: red and black, old bush

There are at least a couple of currant bushes, black or “colored”, in literally every garden plot, usually along its perimeter, and sometimes in the center - in a place of honor. The seedlings of this crop are valued cheaply, perhaps because they reproduce easily (just stick a lignified cutting into the ground), or perhaps because the breeders have bred so many varieties of currants that almost every inhabitant of planet Earth will find their favorite . All this has led to the fact that not every gardener asks the question of rejuvenating currant bushes. But there are still situations when it is preferable to rejuvenate an old currant bush than to plant a new one. To help gardeners who find it easier to put an old bush in order by rejuvenating it rather than uprooting it, we are publishing today’s material.

How to rejuvenate currant bushes? © Hedges Direct

Why is rejuvenation performed?

A currant bush goes through several stages during its life: development after planting, the beginning of fruiting, the productive period, and a gradual decrease in yield.

As it ages, the number of berries on the bush decreases. The size of the fruit decreases. Berries on old plants lose their taste and smell, which is why the species is valued.

Rejuvenation by pruning improves the yield.

Transplantation, division or vegetative propagation gives the gardener a young plant of the variety he likes.

When to rejuvenate currants - in spring or autumn?

Currant bushes can be restored in early spring, before the buds swell, or in the fall, after waiting for all the foliage to fall. It is most advisable to improve the health of plants in the spring, since damaged shoots that will need to be removed are clearly visible. With the onset of warmth, active sap flow begins in the plants, the bushes rise in height, so it is important to have time to cut off the affected parts.

When should the procedure be performed?

Most blackcurrant varieties bear fruit well in one place for 8–9 years, and the yield begins to decline 7 years after planting.

For red and white varieties the timing is slightly longer. The yield decreases in the 9th year, and by the 12th year it drops almost completely.

If the bush is updated in time, the period of productive use can be extended by a couple of years.

Causes of aging

The aging of currants largely depends on the condition of the root system and soil fertility.

Gardeners cut off the green, above-ground part, and new branches grow in place of old branches.

The root system cannot be updated without transplantation. Gradually, nutrients leave the ground, and the structure of the soil changes.

Signs indicating the need for an update are:

unkempt appearance, the appearance of dry, twisted branches, deformed leaves;
severe damage by pests and diseases;
lack of formation, excessive or insufficient number of fruiting branches;
decrease in yield for 2–3 years;
branches lie on the ground or bend excessively.

Rejuvenation operations are carried out in spring and autumn.

Basic rules of anti-aging pruning

Many, deciding to rejuvenate currants, ask a number of questions: “What to do first? Where to begin? How to carry out the procedure as efficiently as possible? You can answer some of the questions by studying the basic recommendations for the procedure:

After the harvest is harvested, the fruiting branches should be cut off, leaving room for the growth of young organs.
The number of young branches should be adjusted based on the power of the bush. Otherwise, at first it will be possible to reap a rich harvest, but the growth will not be the best. After some time, the harvest may also deteriorate.
If the currant bush is weak and grows only 0.4 meters per year, it is worth pruning it, leaving about 5 buds. As a result, the culture will be stronger and healthier.
For old plants that still bear a lot of fruit, we will do a radical rejuvenation. This procedure involves the elimination of all old branches.
Before you start forming a bush, consider its variety. Non-hybrids usually form fruits on two-year-old branches, so it is worth removing only part of the fruiting branch.
You can decide on the number of shoots that should be left taking into account the strength of the bush. The strong one should have at least 15 branches, and the weak one should have no more than 5.

Care after pruning

After currant rejuvenation, what to do? Proper care of bushes after pruning is as important as the rejuvenation procedure itself. In summer, the renewed culture begins to grow actively and forms young shoots. Of these organs, up to 5 should be left, all others should be removed. After this, nitrogen fertilizers are added to the soil (humus or sawdust can be added on top).

In summer, currants are moistened infrequently: especially actively during flowering, once every 21 days. In the fall, the soil is fertilized with complex fertilizing, and in the spring with nitrogen. In the summer, remove excess branches as they grow (you can leave no more than 5 strong branches).

In the year when pruning was carried out, the currant crop will not form, but it will delight you next season. So, the currant rejuvenation procedure has a positive effect on the quality and quantity of the harvest.

Rules

There are three ways to rejuvenate currants:

root a cutting of the desired variety or dig in cuttings;
propagate the plant by division;
carry out anti-aging pruning.

The first two methods are used for neglected bushes and in cases where the plant has been in one place for more than 10 years.

Anti-aging pruning is carried out as needed.

Preparing tools

For shaping, a garden hacksaw or pruning shears is used, sometimes a shovel or an ax is required.

The tool should be sharpened, which will help cut off excess with minimal effort. In addition, harmful microorganisms and pests penetrate less through straight cuts.

See also Popular varieties, planting and care of red currants

The devices are treated with a disinfectant - sources of infection may be present on previously trimmed garden plants.

Stages of the procedure

Without replanting, rejuvenating pruning should be carried out in spring and autumn; in each case there are specific features of the work.

Features of spring work

Early spring pruning is carried out early, before the buds swell. The best time is considered to be until the soil warms up to 5–8°C.

At this time, the skeleton of the bush is clearly visible, which simplifies the procedure.

Broken, pest-damaged and diseased branches must be removed. If this is not done, then viruses and bacteria with the juice will begin to spread throughout all organs: stems, roots, leaves.

Advice! After removing the branch, the stump should not be higher than 2 cm, otherwise the cut site will rot.

In the spring you can dig in cuttings and get a new young bush. In the spring, the parent bushes are divided into several seedlings. New bushes are planted in a previously prepared hole.

Rejuvenation in autumn

After leaf fall, currant bushes are prepared for winter.

At this time the following are subject to removal:

broken branches;
growth inside the bush, to which the rays of the sun do not penetrate;
the weakest of the annual shoots;
bowed and fallen branches;
lateral processes on skeletal branches are shortened to a length of 15 cm;
skeletal shoots over 5 years old.

When forming, they try to achieve approximately equal numbers of branches of different ages. Their number can be 3 or 4 pieces. for every year.

Expert opinion

Stanislav Pavlovich

Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert

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Important! 4–5 zero young shoots are left on the assumption that some will die from frost or be broken by snow.

Is there a difference for red and black currants?

Renewal for red and black currants is carried out after different times.

This is explained by differences in the root system of these species.

In black currant, the roots are located closer to the surface, therefore they are more susceptible to the influence of climatic factors. In winter, the underground part freezes out more often, and with precipitation it often gets wet.

For red and white currants, choose dry areas, preferably with light soils. The roots go deeper and are less affected by the weather. At the same time, due to the depth of the roots, the plant receives more nutrients.

Based on this, complete rejuvenation is carried out by division or vegetative propagation.

There are differences in pruning between the species.

In low-growing varieties of the red variety, at the end of the season, young shoots are shortened by a third to obtain lateral shoots. Strongly growing varieties can be left untouched.

See also How to deal with aphids on currants

Fruit-bearing shoots of black currant are shortened by half or removed completely if no lateral shoots appear on them.

Features of carrying out for neglected bushes

In cases where the bush has not been cared for for several years, it can be revived in a radical way.

To properly improve the health of the plant, all shoots are cut off at the root in the fall.

Next year, many new shoots will appear from the ground, from which the crown of a new plant will be formed.

It is important to choose the 10-12 strongest branches, which are located at the maximum distance from each other. This will allow the sun to penetrate deep into the bush, and the air will not stagnate, leading to diseases and pests.

Features of pruning currant bushes

Firstly, no rainy weather, although water is useful to all living things, its drops can contain bacteria, so when you cut a shoot and a drop of water falls on it, there is a high probability that the plant will already be infected.

Pay attention to cutting tools - saws, hacksaws, secateurs, garden knives, axes - everything should be sharp and clean. Take a jar of alcohol and cotton wool with you, and as soon as you move from one plant to another, be sure to wipe the blade of the cutting tool with alcohol to disinfect it and prevent the spread of infection.

After pruning the currants, be sure to remove all the cut shoots as quickly as possible; they may contain pests, which, sensing something is wrong, will literally rush into the soil in search of shelter; you cannot hesitate to do this - they cut and burned.

If you have currant bushes that are older than seven years old and you want to rejuvenate them, then do not do it in one year, stretch out the rejuvenation of such plants for two, or better yet, three years, so that the plant does not experience severe stress from removing a large number of shoots at the same time.

You should also know that, like the age of a person, the age of a plant is not infinite, so a blackcurrant bush with more fibrous and active roots can be rejuvenated four times in its entire life. But for cauliflower currants, in which the root system is more pronounced towards the taproot, rejuvenation should be carried out no more than three times during the life of the plant, then it is still advisable to uproot the bushes. Why only threefold rejuvenation? Because the maximum life span of currants as a plant is usually calculated (from experience) at 30-35 years.

Bush care after rejuvenation

After rejuvenation, the soil is dug up shallowly, adding organic or mineral fertilizers.

Watering is carried out regularly and little by little. Moisture should not stagnate under the bush.

In spring, the plant is fed with ammonia fertilizers at the rate of 40–50 g. on the bush. Add 1 bucket of organic matter for digging. Nitrogen promotes the growth of green mass.

It is advisable to mulch to prevent cracking of the soil, and the mulch itself, when decomposed, will become an additional fertilizer.

At the beginning of autumn, currants are fertilized with complex compounds that are needed to ripen the wood of the shoots and strengthen the roots.

Currant rejuvenation - a guide to action

In the autumn, the first thing to do is to choose the wood that we will remove and the one that we will leave. We will immediately understand how radical our further actions will be in terms of pruning. The darkest one is the old wood, it needs to be removed, leaving only shoots with light wood.

If you carry out pruning in the autumn, then the bushes need to be watered by pouring a couple of buckets of water, and if in the spring, then it is better to feed them with nitroammophoska, dissolving a teaspoon of fertilizer in a bucket of water, and pour this amount of liquid under each rejuvenated currant bush.

In addition to pruning old wood, cut into rings all twisted shoots growing deep into the crown, all those that were broken by snow or after harvesting, remove all diseased currant shoots.

The main rule in this case: you should leave the most lively, young currant shoots and, like a sculptor, “remove everything unnecessary” so that the plant comes to life and the young shoots begin to develop as actively as possible, without interference. Here the shoots formed from the roots (from under the ground) will begin to grow.

Many people think that it is difficult to activate the growth of such shoots (“nulls”) in currants, but in fact, it is not: you just need to cut a couple of old branches into a ring and the nuls will begin to appear above the soil surface.

By the way, nuleviks are very useful in terms of renewing a currant bush, they are strong, the main thing is not to let them form tops, that is, shoots that grow strictly vertically and grow at the very base of the nulevik. And there is also no need to leave too many of the zeros on one plant, otherwise we will thicken the bush; it is enough to leave only three of the strongest and strongest zeros, and remove the rest from the soil surface.

Also, be sure to trim the tips of all the currant shoots that are left by a couple of centimeters; this simple technique will help thicken the shoots, they will stop stretching into a string and a larger number of inflorescences will form on them, and at the same time - berries.

It is interesting that with the help of such pruning it is quite possible to rejuvenate even currant bushes that are fifteen years old, but in this case you need to act “barbarously”: just take and cut out the entire bush, leaving only a part of each shoot with a couple or three live and healthy kidneys on it.

Next, the currant bush that has been subjected to such execution must be watered with three buckets of water if the pruning was carried out in the fall, or fed with a tablespoon of nitroammophoska, also necessarily dissolved in a bucket of water.

In the future, such a currant bush will begin to actively grow, a lot of shoots will form and you will need to select about five from a whole bunch of young branches, and mercilessly remove the rest, cutting them into a ring. After such pruning, when carrying out only sanitary pruning, you can forget about anti-aging pruning for eight, or even nine years.

It is better to carry out rejuvenating pruning of currant bushes older than seven years over more than one season. © Choice Gardening Club

The easiest way to rejuvenate a currant bush

There is an option for the simplest rejuvenation of any old currant bush - early in spring or late autumn, you simply remove, cutting out a quarter of all shoots at the surface of the soil, and so on for four seasons in a row, the main thing is not to confuse or cut out the same shoots for two seasons in a row, otherwise There will be no benefit from such anti-aging pruning.

Tips and tricks from experienced gardeners

Experienced gardeners give several recommendations for caring for currants and carrying out rejuvenation:

A bush consisting of 16–20 shoots of different ages is considered ideal;
The most prolific branches are 4–5 years old, so some gardeners remove all shoots older than this age;
old bushes are rejuvenated not at once, but over 2-3 years, so as not to be left without a harvest;
Autumn mulching prolongs the life of the root system.

In addition, experienced gardeners recommend treating the soil and above-ground parts with growth stimulants.

How to renew a plant without transplanting

There is a way to rejuvenate an old bush without transplanting it to a new place. To do this, it is necessary, on the eve of the first frost, to thoroughly loosen the soil around the plant and remove old branches, debris and cuttings of shoots. This will help get rid of pests that live in the soil.

Regular pruning is also a prerequisite for the rejuvenation of bushes . First of all, remove damaged branches and those located in the lower shaded part. Undeveloped annual shoots and branches that bear little harvest should also be removed. The ends of the branches that are left on the bushes are pruned to powerful stepsons in order to enhance growth and increase productivity.

Autumn care

In addition to pruning, blackcurrant bushes need additional nutrition and autumn watering. It is necessary to take care of preventive treatments of plantings against diseases and protection from cold weather.

A long wintering period is stressful for plants; without care and preparation for winter, plantings freeze and become sick. All this affects future productivity indicators.

Treatment of the bite area

The area around the bushes requires special attention in the fall. There are different points of view of gardeners on the use of agricultural techniques:

mandatory digging of the soil around the bushes in order to destroy possible pests;
only mulching the area, without digging up the soil.

All options have supporters, but the results are tested in practice. Some gardeners loosen the tree trunk area, and after fertilizing and watering, mulch the soil. Others limit themselves to only one digging, while others do not touch the soil, sprinkling the soil with mulch closer to frost.

When digging, dig the forks no more than 8-10 cm so as not to damage the currant root system. For mulching, choose any suitable materials:

covering fabrics;
leaves (dry, without rot);
small twigs;
shavings;
dry sawdust.

Mulch the soil after moisture-discharge irrigation. Mulch will retain moisture and protect the currant root system from frost in the absence of snow cover

Watering

In the fall, in the absence of rain, water-recharging watering of the plantings is carried out. What does this procedure give?

Saturation of the soil with moisture.
Growth of the root system.
Protecting the ground from rapid freezing.
Reducing the risk of rapid soil defrosting during winter thaws.
Maintaining stability of the soil structure.
Creating a moisture reserve for spring.

It is no coincidence that watering is called charging, since its essence is to add a large amount of water. The timing is from mid-September, when the bushes begin to shed their leaves.

Standards:

plantings up to five years old are watered with 3 buckets per bush;
older plantings - 5-6 buckets per bush.

Water should be absorbed into the soil in the bush area and not spread outside. It is recommended to water with a hose and sprinkle the plants. On sandy soils, watering rates are higher; on clay soils, the amount of water is reduced by 2-3 times. The norms are also reduced if there are prolonged rains in the fall.

Top dressing

After harvesting, currant bushes need adequate nutrition. The plant has devoted all its strength to ripening the berries, has weakened, and without fertilizing may not be able to withstand the winter cold.

On a note!

Fresh manure is excluded from autumn feeding of black currants. The nitrogen it contains promotes the growth of new shoots, which will not survive the cold in winter and will freeze out.

Suitable fertilizer mixtures:

superphosphate and potassium (it is enough to scatter 1 heaping tablespoon of fertilizer under the bushes and plant them in the ground);
wood ash (for nutrition and mulching at the same time).

For bushes whose age has “passed” after five years, fertilizer rates are doubled. Just before frost, humus or well-rotted mullein can be added under the bushes. When applied in the fall, organic matter will decompose over the winter into easily digestible components, which will be useful for currants in the spring. In addition, organic matter, like mulch, will protect the ground from freezing and retain moisture in the soil.

Adding soil

Another technique is adding soil for planting currants. After abundant moisture-recharging watering and fertilizing, the roots of the bushes are often exposed. Such plants run the risk of freezing in cold weather, so add fresh, clean soil. It is recommended to lightly compact the soil after filling.

Some summer residents mix soil with ash and then sprinkle the mixture under the bushes.

How to spray currants in the fall against pests and diseases

In October, currant plantings are treated against pests and various diseases. If there are lesions, cut out the damaged shoots, dig up and disinfect the soil around the bushes. During berry picking, spraying with drugs is prohibited; after harvesting, treatment of the bushes begins.

The danger is posed by the kidney mite. Before the cold weather, the insect climbs into the buds of the berry plant, overwinters there, continuing its dangerous activity in the spring. Bushes damaged by mites slow down their growth and dry out. Buds do not bloom on the shoots, and the normal development of the crop is disrupted. The bud mite spreads various infections dangerous to currants, for example, mycoplasma disease.

Various drugs are used to combat:

Fitoverm;
Akarin.

The bushes are treated immediately after picking the berries, while it is warm. The action of bactericidal agents will not be as effective when the air temperature drops.

Closer to October, more effective drugs are used against ticks:

Nitrafen;
Rotor-S.

When processing, follow the instructions for use of the product and personal protective measures.

If powdery mildew was noticed on currant bushes in the summer, then in the fall it is necessary to treat the plantings with special preparations. Without spraying, infected blackcurrant plantings often freeze in winter and become sick. By spring, the bushes look weak, lifeless, and often die. Ready-made products are offered:

Speed;
Fundazol.

Spraying the branches with a solution of tar soap and sulfur gives a good result:

rub soap shavings (about 2 tablespoons);
add 40 grams of sulfur to the water and mix;
add soap shavings to the solution.

The bushes are treated with the composition immediately after harvesting the berries, while there are still leaves. It is advisable to spray the plantings 2-3 times. All damaged and diseased shoots are cut out and burned. They also carefully rake and destroy all the foliage collected under the currant bushes.

Prevention of black currant infections in autumn

In addition to treating damaged bushes, gardeners do not forget about disease prevention and protecting healthy plantings from possible attacks by pests. Activity:

spraying with karbofos, Bordeaux mixture;
spray treatment of plantings with copper oxychloride;
disinfection of bushes with infusions of onion peels, ash, tobacco.

To disinfect the soil under plantings, use a 1% solution of copper sulfate and a pink solution of potassium permanganate.

Possible propagation of black currant in autumn

In the fall, gardeners prepare currant cuttings for planting in the spring. This is how they propagate the variety they like, and also save diseased bushes from complete death.

It happens that signs of disease are found on currants. Pruning did not help, and the plant has to be uprooted. But before this, it is recommended to carefully examine the shoots, since there is a possibility of finding healthy branches for cuttings among the one-year-old shoots.

They are cut, cut into cuttings (10-15 cm), and planted in a pre-prepared bed. A pair of buds are left above the surface, and the shoots are planted at a slight slope.

In winter, the bed with cuttings is covered with cloth, burlap, and then snow. In the spring, after the cuttings awaken, the strongest and most developed ones are selected, the rest are removed. The cuttings that have grown by autumn are transplanted to a permanent place. Planting and care are standard, in compliance with the rules of agricultural technology. Planting cuttings in the fall is suitable for the southern regions; in areas of risky farming, it is advisable to plant bushes in the spring.

Bending down branches

Black currant is unpretentious and frost-resistant, but in cold winters there is a risk of branches freezing. It is believed that the plant can withstand frosts down to -27ºC...-30ºC, but at lower temperatures the bushes freeze out.

To avoid this disaster, in regions with harsh winters, bush branches are bent to the ground.

Methods:

Bend branches to the ground, press them with stones or fragments of bricks. Sprinkle soil on top.
Wrap the branches with agrofibre and bend them slightly to the ground.
The currants are wrapped in non-woven materials, adding mineral wool as an insulating layer.

Some summer residents use plastic film. But it is not recommended to do this, the shoots do not “breathe”, condensation forms, and there is a risk of plant death.

In spring, currants are opened early, carefully removing the protection and straightening the branches. You can’t be late, otherwise the branches will rot, the bush will get sick and die.

Benefits of spring pruning

Pruning currants in spring

This type of care for a fruit plant has its advantages; it can be done by both novice and experienced gardeners. This type of pruning has sanitary and formative properties, which leads to a positive result:

Bad branches that will uselessly draw juices and nutrients from the trunk and roots are eliminated, and fruiting will improve;
The load on the bush is reduced, which gives it more strength to nourish more berries with nutrients for ripening;
The plant takes on a beautiful, well-groomed appearance;
The area for pests to reproduce is reduced, and it becomes better to treat foliage against them;
Access to berries becomes easier, and harvesting is easier.

Important! In order for pruning to benefit the crop, it must be done in a timely manner, because a late procedure will lead to a slowdown in its growth.

Timing and stages of pruning

Pruning red currants can be carried out at any time of the year, and in each of them this procedure will have a special purpose. To carry out the work, you will need garden tools, which can be a regular pruner or a pruner with extended handles. You may also need a garden knife, lopper and hacksaw. A prerequisite is the presence of sharp blades on the selected devices.

Important! Pruning by hand (breaking off branches) is strictly not recommended.

The following describes the main timing and purpose of pruning for each season.

Spring

When carrying out the procedure in the spring, you should focus on the climate of the region and weather conditions. The optimal time for work is after the snow melts, but always before the beginning of the growing season (for the middle zone - from late March to early April). Pruning at a later date will injure the bush and cause the plant to lag in development.

Spring pruning involves shortening and removing the following branches and shoots:

diseased, damaged and dry branches;
all branches that have reached 4 years of age and above;
inclined, practically lying on the ground (with the arrival of summer, such shoots will need sunlight, and therefore fruiting will be very poor);
central branches that thicken the bush;
annual shoots, except for the 4-5 strongest and healthiest branches;
two- and three-year-old shoots (one-year growth is removed, the tips above the buds are shortened).

In this case, diseased and old branches are removed to the very root, without stumps, and when shortening young shoots, the branches are cut to the outer bud, which promotes the growth of a new shoot outward, not inward.