Planting red currants in spring: planting seedlings correctly

Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: Fruit and berry plants Published: May 16, 2016Last edits: November 02, 2020

Red currant (lat. Ribes rubrum), or garden currant, or common currant , is a deciduous shrub of the Gooseberry family. In nature, red currants grow in the forest zone of Eurasia, forming thickets on the edges of rivers and streams. The Dutch began to grow red currants in culture back in the 5th century, not as a berry bush, but as an ornamental plant. This is why red currants are much more popular in Europe than black currants. Red currants appeared in Muscovy only in the 15th century.

Planting and caring for red currants

• Planting: September or mid to late April.
• Lighting: bright sunlight.
• Soil: slightly acidic or neutral chernozems, forest soils with a high humus content or loams.
• Watering: regular and sufficient, especially during the period of active growth and formation of ovaries (early June), as well as during the period of berry filling (late July or early August). Consumption – 20-30 liters of water per m²: the soil should be saturated to a depth of 30-40 cm.
• Top dressing: in April, urea is added to the soil, in June - slurry or a solution of bird droppings, although the soil can also be fertilized with a mineral complex. In summer, on cloudy days or in the evenings, foliar feeding is carried out on the leaves with solutions of microelements - boric acid, zinc sulfate, copper sulfate, manganese sulfate and ammonium molybdate. In early October, the soil around the bushes is dug up with organic matter, potash and phosphorus fertilizer.
• Pruning: early spring or after leaf fall.
• Reproduction: layering, dividing the bush and cuttings.
• Pests: the plant can be affected by blackcurrant fruit, gooseberry yellow and pale-legged sawflies, currant gall midges, glass midges, bud and spider mites, leaf gall and gooseberry shoot aphids, gooseberry moth, moth and biennial leaf roller.
• Diseases: anthracnose, white spot, European powdery mildew, doubleness (growth, reversion), nectric drying of shoots, striped mosaic, goblet and columnar rust, gray rot.

Read more about growing red currants below.

Landing place

Now let's look at the features of choosing a landing site.

Soil composition

Currants have a superficial root system, so deep planting holes are not needed, but the composition of the soil is very important.
Fill the hole or hole with rotted manure (fresh manure can cause burns to the green parts) or compost. Currants love slightly acidic soils, but they also tolerate acidic soils normally. If the soil is acidic and, especially, strongly acidic, it would be advisable to add a deoxidizer to the hole. It is undesirable to use lime, but gypsum, chalk, dolomite, old cement, and plaster are ideal. To prevent calcium from being washed out by water, apply phosphorus fertilizers along with it. Additionally, when planting in a hole, you can add a spoonful of potassium and urea, but without chlorine. When planting in the fall, only phosphorus is added, and a dose of potassium (half) and nitrogen are used in the spring after the end of frost. This link will tell you when to plant cucumber seedlings.

Place

Choose a place that is not in a lowland, sufficiently moist, but not swampy, with bright lighting. There should not be strong wind on it. Open, dry slopes are not suitable for red currants, but they can be planted along the borders of the site along the hedge. The type of soil is no less important - medium and light fertile loams themselves will provide an excellent base for starting and will increase the chances of successful rooting. There is no point in applying fertilizers deeply when preparing the hole, since the root system of the plant is still superficial. The site itself should be warm and sunny - red currants, unlike black currants, do not tolerate shade well. This material will tell you about the Chinese cold-resistant cucumber variety-F1.

Illumination

The planting hole should be dug where the currants will be as comfortable as possible. The culture loves the sun, but not moisture. Therefore, sunny, dry, and not shaded areas with close surface groundwater are ideal for it. If possible, root bushes in well-lit hillocks or other sunny areas. Growing red currants in the shade of trees and buildings is unacceptable. Therefore, focus on the cardinal direction and choose the brightest illuminated place, taking into account the characteristics of the terrain, climate, and the area as a whole.

Predecessors

The best predecessors are row crops and perennial grasses. The plant produces the highest quality, most abundant harvests when grown in areas protected from the wind, well lit, but this does not mean that the rules of agricultural technology can be ignored. Red currants grow poorly in wetlands, in places where groundwater stagnates - skeletal branches begin to ache, become overgrown with lichens, age and stop growing. Therefore, do not ignore preparatory measures and choose the right predecessors and neighbors. Learn about growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter from this article.

What can be planted nearby?

A good neighborhood is also an important point. Red currant varieties get along well with gooseberries, but they grow and bear fruit poorly with black currants. Yields decrease when adjacent to cherries, raspberries, and other shrubs and trees that produce shoots. The root shoots of neighbors can grow inside the bush, and it will no longer be possible to remove them from there. Since the main part of the roots of the bushes is located at a depth of up to 50 cm, strawberries, onions, garlic, herbs, vegetables, and other crops with the same superficial root system can be planted nearby. This balance will give the plant enough strength to grow and bear fruit.

If you plant onions around red currants, the bush will be reliably protected from pests.

Botanical description

Red currant bushes reach a height of 1 to 2 m. The root system of red currants is quite powerful. Its shoots are yellowish or gray, the wood is green with a light core. The leaves of red currant are three to five lobed, smooth and shiny on the upper side, and on the lower side a lighter shade and sometimes with pubescence along the veins. Blooming in May, inconspicuous red-brown or yellow-green flowers are collected in clusters. The fruits of red currants are juicy and sour-tasting red berries with a diameter of up to 1 mm, collected in clusters.

Red and black currants are close relatives. White currants and gooseberries are also related to them. In our gardens, red currants are grown as often as black currants, strawberries and raspberries, and much more often than blackberries, blueberries and blueberries that are just beginning to develop in amateur gardens.

Red currants bloom much later than black currants, so they are less likely to suffer from return frosts. It tolerates drought more easily, and with proper care it produces richer harvests. The red currant bush lives for 30-35 years. Almost all varieties of the crop are self-fertile.

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From this article you will learn how to plant and care for red currants - how and when to water them, what to feed them with, how to prune red currants, how to treat them against diseases and pests, and whether red currants can be grown in areas with a cool climate. In addition, we will give you a description of the varieties of red currants, and you will surely be able to choose excellent varieties for your area.

Seedling

In order for the bush to be healthy and fertile, you need to choose the right seedling.

Signs of a good seedling

The first thing you should do when purchasing is to inspect the root system. If the roots are elastic, whole, strong, with a large number of small branches, everything is fine with the seedling, and you can safely use it for planting. The varieties Izyumnaya, Sakharnaya and others should not have thickening or peeling - these indicate infection, freezing and other problems. Now evaluate the bark - ideally it is clean and smooth. If there are wrinkles, the plant is sick and will most likely die. The buds can and should be felt - in a healthy plant they are dense.

When purchasing container seedlings, you need to look at the soil. Compacted soil with a greenish coating of moss indicates that the plant has been in it for a long time, has taken root, will stretch out with an earthen lump and take root well.

Pull the stem (only carefully) - if it pulls out easily, it means it was immersed in the ground the day before the sale. It is better not to buy such a seedling.

The larger the container, the more room the root system will have to grow.

Signs of bad

Plants that are sold in passages and markets are very rarely good. If you don’t want to throw money away, go to a nursery or specialty store. Find out about bunched cucumbers for open ground here.

Seedlings must have documents. If there is no certificate, this is a good reason to go on further searches.

It is better not to take imported seedlings, since they take root only mediocrely in harsh climates. The optimal type of origin for planting material is domestic nurseries from the middle zone.

If there are very few roots, or they look unhealthy, the seedling is either sick, or frozen, or simply not viable. The best variety for the Urals and other regions has elastic, intact, powerful roots and a significant number of branches. Wrinkled, damaged bark are also bad signs. There is also no point in buying a tree older than two years. Yes, they are tall and beautiful, but they take root very poorly.

Planting red currants

When to plant

The optimal time for planting red currants is September. If for some reason you were unable to plant red currants in the fall, you can postpone the planting to the spring - to mid or late April.

Since red currants are very light-loving, they need to be grown on a well-lit and ventilated southern slope. The best soils for it are chernozem, forest soils with a high humus content and loams with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. For planting, choose one- or two-year-old red currant seedlings with an extensive and healthy root system about 20 cm long. Before planting, you need to remove all the leaves from the seedlings and keep their roots in a bucket of water for 2-3 hours.

Planting in autumn

2-3 weeks before autumn planting, dig a hole with a diameter of 50-60 cm and a depth of about 40 cm. Thoroughly mix the soil removed from the hole with 8-10 kg of peat or humus, 200 g of superphosphate and 40 g of wood ash or potassium sulfate - this is the calculation for 1 plant. Pour half of the mixture into the hole and leave the other part nearby. If you are planting several bushes, dig holes for them at a distance of at least 1.5-2 m. When planting red currants along a fence or paths, step back at least one and a half meters from them.

When the soil in the hole settles after 2-3 weeks, lower the roots of the seedling into the hole and straighten them. Place the seedling itself directly or at an angle, deepening the root collar by 5-6 cm to stimulate the formation of additional roots and shoots of renewal. When filling the roots of the seedling with a nutritious earthen mixture, shake it from time to time so that there are no voids left in the roots. When the hole is filled, compact the soil, make a circular furrow around the seedling at a distance of 20 cm and fill it with water several times. After the water is absorbed, mulch the area around the seedling with peat or humus, and cut the shoots at a height of 10-15 cm, leaving no more than 2-3 buds on each - this measure contributes to the formation of a well-branched bush and the development of a strong root system. Before the seedling takes root, it needs to be watered at least twice a week.

Spring planting

Spring planting of red currants is carried out from mid to late April in the same order as autumn, with one exception: holes for seedlings and a fertile mixture are prepared in the fall, but only organic matter is added to the soil, and phosphorus and potassium are added to it before planting.

Landing Features

It is recommended to plant the plant in the fall, but some gardeners also carry out work in the spring. When planting, you need to prepare the site and choose the right seedling. When carrying out work, it is worth remembering the optimal planting scheme.

When to plant red currants?

According to experienced gardeners, the best time to plant seedlings is mid-autumn, so that the plant has time to take root in a new place. In this case, you can harvest as early as early July under favorable weather conditions.

But if you accidentally miss the autumn planting, you can reschedule the work until the spring. True, if a number of rules are not followed, there is a high risk that the planted shrubs will not take root.

Watch the video below about planting red currants:

Planting in autumn

Autumn is considered the most favorable period for planting red currants. This time of year has several advantages:

• you can prepare a landing site in advance;
• seedlings - fresh, recently received (and not stored in the basement all winter);
• It’s not scary if the leaves dry out after planting, since the buds on the seedling are already formed.

However, there is an important point: seedlings need to be planted at least a month before sub-zero temperatures (usually the beginning of September), otherwise the bush will not take root and will freeze.

Planting in spring

Planting red currants in spring is more difficult. In order for the bush to take root in the spring, it should be planted before the buds open. During this period, the earth does not dry out completely, so many gardeners plant shrubs with already formed buds and blossoming leaves. However, there is a high probability that red currants may not take root.

Selection and preparation of seedlings

When choosing a seedling, you should look at the root: the more developed the root system, the better the plant will take root (it is advisable to have at least 3 skeletal roots). If the bark peels off a little, it’s not a big deal, it’s important that the branches are not dry. The height of the above-ground part is about 40 cm.

If the seedling was purchased in a pot, it must be carefully removed from the container to ventilate the root system.

Soil preparation

It is very important to prepare the site in advance. If planting is planned in the spring, the holes should be made in the fall. This is required for soil settlement. To speed up the process, pour water over them. Red currants prefer slightly acidic loamy soil.

It is necessary to properly prepare the land. If the soil is sandy, you need to add a little clay, if it is sandy, add minerals. Due to this, the soil will “breathe”. Chalk or limestone is added to the acidic soil (40 kg per hundred square meters).

The holes need to be formed a couple of months before planting the seedlings. Thanks to this, harmful substances that are part of many fertilizers will evaporate from the soil. Fertilizers mixed with the top layer of soil are placed at the bottom of the hole. The fertilizer consists of 10 kg of compost, 300 g of ash, 200 g of superphosphate. Manure will also work, but in this case add some straw and sawdust. The main thing is not to use nitrogen-based fertilizers.

4-5 months before planting, you need to add 15 kg of organic matter, 50 g of potassium and phosphorus additives per 1 square meter. m plot.

Planting scheme

The optimal distance between seedlings is 1.5 m, at least 2.5 m from the bush to the trees. Planting closer will result in slower plant growth due to intertwined roots. Also try to plant the bushes at least 1.2 m from the fence, otherwise the plant will be very darkened.

It is not recommended to plant the plant near other bushes that grow quickly (for example, near raspberries, gooseberries) - they will begin to choke the growth of currants.

Caring for red currants

How to care in spring

At the end of March, as soon as the weather permits, it is time for sanitary pruning and the formation of red currant bushes. In April, red currants are fed with urea in wet soil, and then, as soon as the top layer of soil dries, they begin to loosen the area around the bushes to a depth of 6-8 cm. If you hilled red currants for the winter, rake the soil away from the bushes. After this, level the surface with a rake and mulch the area with a layer of peat 5-10 cm thick.

If frost returns in May, during the flowering period of red currants, you may have to protect the bushes from them by smoking. At the same time, red currants are examined to identify specimens infected with doubleness (growth) - on such plants the bell-shaped flowers become separate-petaled. If you find single double inflorescences, cut them off, but if the entire bush is damaged, uproot it without delay.

To prevent red currants from becoming thirsty in the spring, keep the soil in the area slightly moist. Remove weeds while loosening the soil, which should be carried out to a depth of 6-8 cm once every two to three weeks. The row spacing is loosened to a depth of 10-12 cm.

What care is needed in summer

In June, red currants are fed with organic fertilizers. In addition to root feeding, the bushes are sprayed with a solution of microfertilizers on the leaves. If you find moth nests, collect them from the bushes and destroy them along with the pest-affected berries. Most likely, this will have to be done several times.

When the time comes to harvest, collect red currants as they ripen in whole clusters in small trays or boxes in which the fruits will not be crushed. After harvesting, currants require mandatory watering followed by loosening.

Autumn care

At the beginning of autumn, you can start vegetative propagation of red currants. At the end of September or a little later, organic and mineral fertilizers are added to the pre-moistened soil in the area with red currants, after which the soil is dug up to incorporate them.

After leaf fall, the currants are pruned, and if the autumn is dry, winter watering of the area is carried out.

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Processing red currants

At the beginning of March, red currant bushes need to be awakened from winter sleep - watered with water heated to 80 ºC from a watering can. After this, on the still dormant buds, preventive treatment of the bushes against diseases is carried out with copper sulfate or Nitrafen. The next preventive treatment of red currants against fungal diseases with the same drugs is carried out 10 days after harvesting.

During the budding period, for preventive purposes, red currants are treated against insect pests with Actellik, Karbofos or Rovikurt. Repeated processing is carried out after harvesting.

Watering

Despite the fact that red currants, due to their well-developed root system, are much more tolerant of dry conditions than black currants, a lack of water retards their growth, and during the period of fruit formation and filling, it often leads to their crushing and even shedding. Therefore, regular and sufficient watering of red currants during the period of active growth and formation of ovaries, that is, in early June, as well as in late July and early August, when the berries are full, becomes especially important.

Watering is carried out at the rate of 20-30 liters per m² of area in order to saturate the soil to a depth of 30-40 cm. Water is poured into circular grooves 10-15 cm deep, made at a distance of 30-40 cm from the bush. You can arrange an irrigation area around each bush, fencing it with an earthen roller 15 cm high. When the well-moistened soil dries, loosen the area so that a crust does not form on its surface. If in the spring you took the trouble to mulch the ground on your site with humus, decomposed peat or rotted manure at the rate of 10-15 kg per bush, you will have to water the site and loosen it much less often.

Top dressing

In April, urea is added to the moistened soil at the site for embedding at the rate of 10-15 g per m². In June, red currants are fed with 1 liter of slurry infusion diluted in a bucket of water or a solution of half a liter of bird droppings infusion in 10 liters of water. If you can’t find organic matter, add 10-15 g of urea, the same amount of potassium sulfate and 20 g of superphosphate under each bush.

In summer, red currants need foliar feeding with microelements. To do this, in 10 liters of water you need to dissolve up to 2.5 g of boric acid, 5-10 g of manganese sulfate, 1-2 g of copper sulfate, 2-3 g of ammonium molybdate and the same amount of zinc sulfate. Processing red currants by leaves is carried out on a cloudy day or in the evening.

At the beginning of October, red currants are fed for the last time: 10-15 kg of organic fertilizer, 100 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium chloride are added to each bush for digging. Mineral fertilizers can be replaced with garden or fruit and berry mixture at the rate of 500 g per bush.

Seasonal care rules

Red currant plants require standard care, like most berry bushes. It includes regular watering, fertilizing, loosening, mulching, weeding, pruning, preventive treatments against diseases and harmful insects.

Before rooting, the seedling should be moistened 2 times every 7 days. The fact that the roots have strengthened will be indicated by the growth of the plant and the appearance of young leaves. Subsequently, the amount of irrigation is reduced to once every 1–1.5 weeks. Intensive watering is required during the period of fruit filling, after flowering. Watering must be combined with loosening, which helps improve the supply of moisture and oxygen to the roots. The procedure is carried out to a depth of 6–8 cm.

Since one of the main reasons for the development of diseases and the proliferation of pests in the garden is dense vegetation, it is important to remove weeds in a timely manner. They not only become a “habitat” for infections, but also “take away” the necessary nutrients and moisture from the berry bushes and protect them from the sun. Weeds must be removed from the roots.

Mulching with straw, sawdust, pine needles, peat, humus, and mown grass allows you to reduce the number of moistening, loosening and weeding. Mulch maintains the required level of moisture in the soil and inhibits the growth of weeds.

Important! Since red currants do not grow well if there is a lot of chlorine in the soil, fertilizer complexes should be selected taking this feature into account - this element should not be present in them or it may be present in small quantities.

In April, when the soil is still moist, it is recommended to fertilize the bushes with urea (15 g/m²) or ammonium nitrate (25 g/m²). After the plant has flowered, you need to add a liquid solution of mullein (1:6) or bird droppings (1:12) in a bucket under the bush. In the fall, after the harvest is harvested, phosphorus- and potassium-containing fertilizers are required. At this time, you can add superphosphate (100–120 g/m²), potassium chloride (30–40 g/m²). There are also special ready-made mixtures for feeding currant bushes, which can be selected in a specialized store.

Pruning red currants

When to prune

Growing red currants involves regular formative, rejuvenating and sanitary pruning of bushes. Red currants are pruned in early spring or late autumn, when they are dormant.

The structure of red currant is similar to that of black currant, but its fruiting shoots last twice as long. Fruit buds of red currants almost always form on the tops of annual shoots, and its fruits are located in the upper part of the branches, so when pruning, the tips should never be cut off. Since the fruiting period of red currant shoots is longer than that of black currant shoots, its anti-aging pruning is not done so often.

Pruning in spring

In a one-year-old redcurrant seedling, all shoots are shortened by half to the outer bud, forming a compact spherical bush. Since red currant is a very light-loving plant and when the bush thickens, it sharply loses productivity, its bush is formed for 5-6 years from no more than 15-20 branches, and from the seventh year, in addition to sanitary pruning, which involves the removal of unnecessary, diseased, broken or dried branches, it will be necessary to carry out rejuvenation - remove branches that have expired and regulate the growth of zero shoots.

Of the zero shoots, the most developed and well-located ones are left for renewal, that is, those that grow closer to the bush, do not lie on the ground and do not intersect with other shoots. They are shortened by half the length to the outer bud pointing upward, and the remaining growths are cut out.

Autumn pruning

In the autumn, after leaf fall, when the red currants bear fruit and enter a dormant period, the bushes are sanitized: branches that are broken, diseased, dried out or growing in the wrong direction are removed. If for some reason you did not carry out formative pruning of the bush in the spring, you can do it in the fall.

When to plant red currants in open ground

When planting, gardeners focus on the condition of the seedling - planting work must be completed before the buds open on the shoots. Usually they start planting currants in late April - early May, when the ground has completely thawed and warmed up slightly. Light frosts are not dangerous for berry bushes.

Seedlings with a closed root system (in pots) are allowed to be planted at a later date. You can carry out planting work even in summer, and not just in spring.

Propagation of red currants

Reproduction methods

You, of course, can buy red currant seedlings at any market, but there is no guarantee that they will sell you exactly the varieties that you decide to buy. If you don't want to experience disappointment, do the breeding yourself. Red currants are propagated vegetatively - by layering, cuttings and dividing the bush.

Reproduction by layering

This is the simplest and most effective way to propagate a crop. For it, choose a young bush of three, four or five years old, in early spring they loosen the soil under it, fertilize it, make grooves in the soil 8-10 cm deep, running from the center of the bush, place well-developed one- or two-year-old shoots in them, securely fix them them in several places with metal hooks and cover the middle part of the layering with soil so that their top remains on the surface. When the shoots developing on the layering reach a height of 10-12 cm, they are spudded twice with an interval of 2-3 weeks with moist, loose soil. Throughout the summer, the cuttings are watered abundantly, mulching the area around them with organic matter.

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In the fall, the rooted and sprouting cuttings are separated from the mother plant and, dividing them along the length into separate plants with a root system, they are transplanted to a permanent place. In two to three years, the most developed of them will already begin to bear fruit.

Propagation by cuttings

Cuttings are also a reliable method of propagation. Lignified red currant cuttings from one-year-old shoots grown from the root or on two- to three-year-old branches take root more easily and quickly. The thickness of the cuttings should be at least 8 mm, and the length should be 18-20 cm. Planting material is prepared in the fall, after which the cuttings are placed in a box with wet sand to form root primordia and kept for 2.5-3 months at a temperature of 2-3 ºC, and then placed under the snow or in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator until spring planting.

The cuttings are planted in open ground in early spring at an angle at a distance of 20 cm from each other under plastic bottles or glass jars. The depth of immersion of the cutting into the soil is as follows: only two buds should remain above the ground, and the rest are immersed in the soil. The soil around the cuttings is compacted and watered, and when it dries, the area is mulched with humus or fine peat. Rooted cuttings are transplanted to a permanent place in September.

Currants can also be propagated by green cuttings, but they take too long to form the root system to the detriment of the ground part, so they are planted in a permanent place no earlier than a year later, and, therefore, they begin to bear fruit later than red currants from lignified cuttings.

Dividing the bush

Usually this method of propagation is resorted to when there is a need to transplant the currant bush to another place. First, all diseased, old and broken branches are removed from the bush, after which the bush is dug up, divided into parts with a sharp sterile instrument, each of which should have well-developed roots and shoots, then the cuts are treated with crushed coal and the sections are planted in prepared holes for 5- 7 cm deeper than the mother bush grew. After planting, the shoots are shortened to 15-20 cm, watered generously and the soil continues to be moistened daily until parts of the bush take root in the new location.

Reproduction

Gardeners can purchase ready-made seedlings at fairs, but propagation of this crop is a fairly simple process, which is why many grow plants themselves.

By layering

The main advantage is that the cuttings do not have to be separated from the mother plant. This means that he will not lack water or nutrients. But this method also has a disadvantage - it produces little material for planting.

Reproduction instructions:

1. Carefully loosen the soil around the bush, add a small amount of rotted manure. Due to this, more moisture will remain in the ground, which will get rid of crusts on the surface of the soil.
2. Make holes about 15 cm deep along the radius of the bush. Carefully place the shoots in them and press them to the ground.
3. Sprinkle with soil. Do not forget to care for the plant - water it, hill it.
4. In the fall, separate the cuttings and divide them into parts - these will be ready-made seedlings.

But it is worth remembering that the shoots of this plant break easily and it is quite difficult to bend them to the ground so as not to damage them. Therefore, the method of propagation using vertical layering is often used:

1. In spring, cut out a healthy bush, leaving a stump up to 10 cm high.
2. Sprinkle it with damp soil and hill it up.
3. Water periodically to encourage new growth to appear.
4. In the fall, carefully separate the branches along with the roots and plant them in a new place.

Cuttings

Reproduction by this method has the following advantages:

• due to the lack of replanting, the roots are not injured, which means that the cuttings take root more easily;
• you can get a lot of planting material;
• the survival rate is more than 90%.

You need to harvest cuttings in early August - during this period the movement of juices slows down, moisture is retained in the cuttings, which means they will take root more easily. If you start propagation later, the rooting process will slow down.

The breeding guidelines are as follows:

1. We choose a healthy bush, cut off annual shoots about 5-8 mm thick. We divide the branch into parts up to 20 cm long (they should have 5-7 buds). In this case, the upper cut must be made straight so that the shoots are formed correctly, the lower cut must be made oblique, which will allow the roots to better absorb moisture. Place the cuttings in a glass of water until roots form.
2. We prepare the place for planting: we dig up the soil, fertilize it with compost, add ash - this is necessary to deoxidize the soil, and water it abundantly. We make a trench about 15 cm deep. We plant it at a slight slope so that there is a distance of about 20 cm between them. A few buds should remain on the surface.
3. The soil around the cuttings needs to be compacted, watered, and mulched with humus in a layer of about 5 cm. It is recommended to cover each cutting with a plastic bottle.
4. When the cuttings overwinter and become stronger, they can be planted in a new location.

Dividing the roots

If you want to replant a bush, you can divide it into parts to immediately get plants ready for planting. The work must be carried out after the end of the growing season (usually mid-to-late October), so that the bush has time to prepare for the cold or in early spring - in this case, young seedlings will be able to take root in a new place.

Reproduction is simple:

1. We prepare holes about 50-70 cm deep, add humus, ash, and water.
2. We dig up so as not to damage the root system. We leave annual shoots and cut them to a length of 30 cm.
3. We divide the bush into parts with roots and shoots. A sharp knife is best. After completing the procedure, all sections are treated with charcoal.
4. We divide the plant into several parts so that each has roots and shoots.
5. We plant, water, hill.

Pests and diseases of red currant

Diseases and their treatment

Red currant diseases are typical for all Gooseberries. On our website there is an article “Diseases and pests of gooseberries”, which describes in detail all the dangers that await representatives of this family, so we will not dwell in detail on each disease, but will simply remind you of them.

Pests and diseases of currants - control and prevention

So, red currants are affected by anthracnose, white spot, European powdery mildew, doubleness (growth, reversion), nectrium drying of shoots, striped mosaic, goblet and columnar rust, gray rot. In the fight against fungal diseases, good results have been shown by such fungicides as Bordeaux mixture, Captan, Homitsin, Fthalan, Topsin M, Fundazol, colloidal sulfur, Cuprozan and other drugs with a similar effect. And viral diseases such as terry and mosaic, unfortunately, cannot be cured by any medicine. If the virus has infected only individual branches or inflorescences, cut them out and burn them, but if the entire bush is infected, you will have to get rid of it.

Pests and their control

Just like black, white currants and gooseberries, red currant bushes can be affected by blackcurrant fruit, gooseberry yellow and pale-legged sawflies, currant gall midges, glass midges, bud and spider mites, leaf gall and gooseberry shoot aphids, gooseberry moth, moth and biennial leaf roller.

The best insecticides today are Actellik, Karbofos and Rovikurt. Aktara, Metaphos, Etafos Ambush, Phosfamide, Vofatox, Tedion, Tsidial, Zolon, Antio and others also showed good results in pest control.

We would like to remind you that mostly weakened and unkempt plants are affected by disease or insects, so the main protection against diseases and pests is compliance with cultural practices and timely care. And, of course, preventative treatment of bushes in early spring and after fruiting will not hurt.

Selecting a seat

Red currants are unpretentious to soil and can grow even on low-fertility soil. But in order to achieve a good harvest, you need to plant berry bushes on loose, air- and moisture-permeable, fertile soil that is neutral in acidity. Lowlands should be avoided, as currants cannot tolerate prolonged stagnation of moisture.

The shrub is light-loving, so an open southern area, protected from cold winds, is chosen for it. You should not plant them in a garden bed where raspberries, gooseberries, currants and other berry bushes previously grew. The ideal option is considered to be a place after flowers, vegetables, legumes and green manure.

Varieties of red currants

Red currants are popular all over the world. Currants are grown on an industrial scale in the USA, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia and Estonia. The demand for the culture is caused not only by its taste, but also by the valuable medicinal properties that it possesses. We offer you an introduction to the most popular varieties of red currants.

Large varieties

Large-fruited currants are represented by the following varieties:

• Viksne is a large, sweet red currant of Latvian selection of early ripening with berries of a dark cherry color and a sweet and sour taste. Viksne is a winter-hardy and drought-resistant variety, almost not affected by diseases and pests. The yield from one bush is 5-7 kg;
• Ural beauty is a high-yielding and winter-hardy self-fertile variety with large red berries of a sweet dessert taste weighing up to 1.7 g. The variety is not damaged by sawflies and moths, it is also resistant to powdery mildew;
• Fertodi is a self-fertile, productive, winter-hardy and fungus-resistant variety of Hungarian selection with round, bright red berries weighing up to 1.2 g with a pleasant sweet and sour taste;
• Darnitsa is a large red currant, the weight of the berries reaches 1.5 g. The variety has a medium ripening period, drought- and frost-resistant, high-yielding, rarely affected by diseases. The shiny, dark red berries are used both for fresh consumption and for freezing and processing;
• Rondom is a high-yielding, anthracnose-resistant, frost-resistant late variety of Dutch selection with large berries of sweet and sour taste, ripening on low compact bushes.

The varieties Asora, Obsky Zakat, and Ilyinka are also distinguished by their large fruits.

Sweet varieties

The most famous sweet varieties are:

• Sugar - aromatic, tasty and sweet red currants that can be eaten straight from the bush. However, the variety is characterized by low self-fertility, and for good fruiting it needs pollinators - for example, red currant variety Natalie;
• Red Cross is a medium-ripening variety with large light red berries with a dessert taste, becoming smaller towards the end of the cluster. Unfortunately, the variety is affected by anthracnose;
• Early sweet - a winter-hardy, productive variety, demanding care and soil fertility, with medium-sized sweet light red berries of equal size;
• Svetlana is a winter-hardy and productive variety of medium ripening with small round berries of light red color with thin skin;
• Houghton's Castle is a Western European winter-hardy and productive variety with medium-sized red berries and a pleasant taste.

Early varieties of red currants

Early ripening red currant varieties include:

• Victoria is a high-yielding variety of European origin with medium-sized berries of good taste, consumed fresh and suitable for processing;
• Crystal - self-fertile variety with yellowish round berries with transparent skin, good balanced taste, medium or large size;
• Firstborn is a frost-resistant, high-yielding and mycoses-resistant red currant of Finnish selection, from the bush of which you can pick up to 10 kg of sweet and sour, medium-sized, pleasant-tasting berries. The variety is a universal pollinator for self-sterile varieties;
• Serpentine is a high-yielding variety resistant to diseases and pests with large sweet and sour berries located on long clusters;
• Generous - resistant to anthracnose and bud mites, high-yielding and winter-hardy red currant with light red, moderately sour berries.

Famous early varieties of red currants are also Dutch red, Early sweet, Laturnais, Chulkovskaya, Rachnovskaya and Konstantinovskaya.

Mid-season

There are many more varieties of red currants of medium ripening than early or late ones. The most commonly grown of these are:

• Versailles Red - a productive large-fruited and self-fertile variety with large red berries with dense skin, consumed both fresh and processed;
• Rose is a disease-resistant dessert variety with medium-sized pink one-dimensional berries, a delicate sweet taste with a slight sourness;
• Buzhanskaya is a Ukrainian high-yielding and mycoses-resistant variety with bright red large berries weighing up to 1 g, suitable for both fresh consumption and freezing and processing;
• Gazelle is a high-yielding winter-hardy and fungus-resistant variety with small but very tasty red berries;
• Red Andreichenko is a self-fertile, winter-hardy, high-yielding variety, resistant to fungal diseases, with red round berries weighing up to 0.8 g with a pleasant sweet and sour taste.

In addition to those described, there are other mid-season varieties of red currants that are popular in amateur gardening: Purple, Hero, Gonduin, Reibey Castle, Star of the North, Natalie, Polyana, Samburskaya, Vika, Niva, Beloved and others.

Late varieties

Among late-ripening varieties, the most commonly cultivated varieties are:

• Valentinovka is a winter-hardy, high-yielding self-fertile variety, resistant to powdery mildew, with medium-sized, one-dimensional berries with a sour taste and high gelling properties;
• Marmeladnitsa is a winter-hardy, productive, and resistant to anthracnose and powdery mildew variety of very late ripening with orange-red berries of sour taste, medium or large size;
• Osipovskaya is a winter-hardy, productive and disease-resistant variety of Russian selection with dark red berries of equal size and good taste;
• Dutch red is a hardy, unpretentious, winter-hardy, productive and anthracnose-resistant variety of Dutch selection with medium-sized red berries of sweet and sour taste with transparent skin;
• Lapland is a winter-hardy, productive self-fertile variety with light red berries of medium and small size and an excellent, delicate sweet and sour taste.

In addition to those mentioned, late-ripening varieties Dana, Ogonyok, Orlovskaya Zvezda, Pamyatnaya, Orlovchanka, Rosita, Gift of Summer, Ural Dawns and others are grown in cultivation.

The best varieties of red currants

Taking into account such criteria as the size of the berries, their taste, the amount of vitamins and sugars they contain, as well as the degree of their winter hardiness, the best varieties of red currants can be considered Viksne, Dutch Red, Cascade, Ural Beauty and Serpentine.

Varieties for the Moscow region

Red currants are one of the most winter-hardy berry crops, and they can be successfully grown in areas with a cool climate. Red currants for the Moscow region should have precisely the same quality as winter hardiness. What varieties can we recommend for cultivation in the Moscow region? The best red currant, in addition to winter hardiness, should have other advantages - a fairly large size, a high content of vitamin C and sugars, good taste and, preferably, aroma. Varieties with the listed qualities include the following:

• Asya is a mid-early, high-yielding and disease-resistant variety with medium-sized dark red berries with a sweet and sour taste;
• Natalie is a productive, self-fertile and winter-hardy variety, highly resistant to diseases and pests. The berries of this variety are large, round, deep red in color and have a sweet and sour taste;
• Jonker van Tets is a winter-hardy, productive, disease-resistant, self-fertile and early-ripening variety with round or almost pear-shaped large bright red berries of pleasant taste;
• Rachnovskaya is a high-yielding, winter-hardy, self-fertile variety, resistant to diseases and pests. The currant berries of this variety are medium-sized, red, sweet and sour;
• Nadezhda is an early, high-yielding, winter-hardy, self-fertile variety, resistant to pests and diseases, with round, medium-sized purple-red berries, sweet and sour taste and universal purpose.

How to plant correctly

The event is held under favorable temperature conditions, in the evening or morning.

Step-by-step algorithm for planting work for red currants:

• in the center of the hole a small earthen cone 8-10 cm high is formed;
• the plant is installed obliquely, the base of the root system should rest against the top of the mound;
• the roots are evenly distributed along the slopes of the elevation, they should be located freely, not intertwined;
• the hole is filled with a nutrient mixture, the seedling is periodically slightly shaken, preventing the formation of air voids around the roots;
• the addition of soil is stopped when the root collar of the seedling is 5-7 cm below the ground level, the soil around the plant is compacted;
• Along the perimeter of the planting hole, sides are made of soil, and the planted currant bush is watered abundantly.

A red currant seedling will take root faster if you immediately prune all shoots into 2-4 buds, balancing the above-ground and underground parts of the plant.

Properties of red currant - harm and benefit

Beneficial features

Red currant berries are rich in vitamins A, C, E, potassium, iron and selenium, malic and succinic acid, nitrogenous and pectin substances. They contain many antioxidants that can fight cancer cells. What makes red currant beneficial for humans is primarily the high content of provitamin A in its berries, which is necessary for healthy hair, skin and bones, and also prevents aging.

The presence of a unique substance, oxycoumarin, in red currants ensures the prevention of heart attacks and has a positive effect on the activity of the cardiovascular system. People suffering from atherosclerosis are advised to consume red currants daily because of the pectins they contain, which remove excess cholesterol and thereby prevent the formation of plaques in the blood vessels.

In addition, red currant improves the functioning of the stomach and intestines, increases sweating, which helps remove excess salts, waste and toxins from the body. It has anti-inflammatory, choleretic, antipyretic, hemostatic, cleansing and laxative properties.

When consumed regularly, red currant juice normalizes the level of hemoglobin in the blood, relieves constipation and uric acid salts, and helps pregnant women fight the symptoms of toxicosis - nausea and vomiting. The juice helps athletes maintain tone and restore strength after competitions. Drinking juice reduces fever during fevers in children and adults. It is also indicated for anemia, diabetes, loss of strength and chronic fatigue.

Planting and caring for currants - how to grow them in the garden

Compared to many other berries and fruits that are beneficial to the body, red currant is a product that does not cause allergies - it is prescribed even for dermatitis.

Contraindications

But, despite such obvious benefits of red currants, we cannot remain silent about the fact that it can cause harm to some people. These categories include patients with stomach and duodenal ulcers, acute gastritis, hepatitis, and hemophilia. Regular consumption of red currants is not advisable for people with increased blood clotting.

Advantages and disadvantages of growing red currants

The positive features of this culture include:

• beneficial properties, high taste value, which makes the plant one of the most popular;
• early maturity - the harvest can be harvested already in the first year after planting the seedling;
• winter hardiness - having chosen a suitable variety, you don’t have to worry that the crop will die when the first frosts occur;
• the possibility of freezing berries without losing their medicinal properties.

But the culture also has some minor disadvantages:

• despite the ease of care, we must not forget the basic rules of planting and growing - otherwise, you should not expect large harvests;
• this plant is picky about its neighbors - you should not plant it close to plums, cherries, raspberries; unsuitable neighbors include birch and pine trees.

If you have a small plot, such “capriciousness” of the plant will not allow you to grow all the desired crops.

How to plant red currants

The process of planting currants allows you to gradually increase the number of shrubs on the site. During each season, plants grow new branches that need to be cut off and planted in new places for rooting. If you do not plant currants, excessive thickening will have a bad effect on fruiting, size and taste of the berries.

Methods for growing red currants

Cultivation of red currants is carried out mainly vegetatively - by dividing the bush, layering or cuttings. The seed method is used in rare cases, since the berries do not inherit all the characteristics of the variety.

In order to prevent the spread of diseases as a result of currant cultivation, it is important to pay attention to growing healthy planting material. Preparation of layering and cuttings should be carried out from special queen cells. The mother seedlings are placed in isolation from other plantings, including wild currants.

After the bushes have propagated, standard care is carried out for the rooted shoots, including watering, mulching, weed removal and preventive protective spraying. Over the course of several years, new plants begin to bear fruit, while old ones gradually lose productivity and must be dug up.

Which variety of currant to choose

Breeders have developed many interesting varieties of currants. When choosing planting material, you first need to decide on your own preferences. The following characteristics should be taken into account:

• height of bushes;
• berry ripening time;
• berry size;
• taste qualities.

The timing of ripening is very important. Early ripe currants begin to bear fruit in June, and late ones in August. If possible, you need to plant several varieties on the site at once in order to harvest throughout the summer. Early varieties include Serpentine, Black Boomer, Early Sweet. Late ripening - Snow Queen, Harmony, Tatiana's Day.

The largest varieties of black currant are Dobrynya, Comfort, Titan. Harvesting from such bushes is very easy. Taste is also very important. In terms of sugar content, the leaders are such varieties as Bagheera, Black Haze, and Zhemchuzhina.

On a note!

The sweeter the currant, the less vitamin C it contains. That is why more acidic varieties can be planted for medicinal purposes.

For some gardeners, the shape of the bush and its height are also important. This is important when the area is small and the plantings should not shade each other, or when you need to integrate currants into the landscape design. The bushes are small (up to 0.8 m in height) and quite tall (up to 2 m). Standard currants look very interesting. You can form it yourself or buy ready-made planting material. She looks like a miniature tree.

Dates for planting currants in spring by region

Depending on the climate in the region, the timing of planting currants may be different. Experienced gardeners recommend planning planting for a period when the snow has already melted, the threat of frost has passed, but sap flow has not yet begun. If the seedling or cutting is already rooted, it can be transferred to open ground until the end of spring.

In outskirts of Moscow

Currants in the Moscow region are transplanted from late March to mid-May. If we are talking about propagating the crop by cuttings, it is better to cut them in mid-March and keep them in a jar of water. Once the roots have formed, they can be replanted in the ground.

In Central Russia

The timing for transplanting currants in the spring is the same as in the Moscow region: from late March to mid-May. If the forecast for May is favorable and the air temperature is high, it is better to plant the cuttings early.

In the Leningrad region

The likelihood of return frosts in this region is high. That is why in the Leningrad region it is better to plant currants no earlier than April.

In Siberia

Gardeners in Siberia prefer to replant currants from April to the end of May. It is advisable to first root the cuttings in water.

In Bashkiria

The planting time in Bashkiria is slightly delayed compared to central Russia. It is better to plant currants in March or early April.

On a note!

If the weather outside does not allow you to plant cuttings, but they are available (this happens after early spring pruning), you can place them in a tub with soil and water them generously. The container must be placed in a cool room. Rooted cuttings can be transferred to open ground in summer or autumn.

Preparation of seedlings

The yield of currants largely depends on the quality and proper preparation of planting material. Seedlings with a well-formed root system grow and bear fruit best. For the active development of bushes, 3-5 skeletal roots up to 20 cm long and a pair of ground shoots 35-40 cm long are enough.

To prevent the fine roots from drying out before transplanting the plants, you should wrap them in soft cloth and cover them with polyethylene. Before transplanting plants into the ground, it is necessary to trim the bases of the roots and dip them in a solution of clay with mullein and water.

See also

Description of black currant variety Belorusskaya sweet, planting and careRead

How red currants grow and what year they bear fruit after planting

The bushes begin to grow actively closer to mid-spring. Under optimal growing conditions, growth can begin at the end of March. The greatest number of fruits are produced by shoots that grow from 2 to 5 years.

Fruit branches with flower buds are formed on the skeletal branches. Usually the fruiting branches are located at the top of the skeletal branch. This placement of fruit branches forms a tiered fruiting pattern, due to which most of the berries ripen in the area between the old shoots and new shoots.

Red currants begin to bear fruit later than black currants and bear fruit in the second year after planting. The yield increases every year, and with proper care, full fruiting occurs after 3-4 years. In order to increase productivity, it is recommended to periodically plant new varieties, shape the plants and adhere to the rules of agricultural technology.

Is it possible to plant red and black currants side by side? What to do to get a big harvest?

Irina Shabalina

If your area is homogeneous in terms of humidity, you can side by side, if it’s convenient, but if you have damper and drier places, then red is better where it’s drier, and black where it’s more humid., and they help each other grow do not affect in any way - care, except for pruning and the degree of watering, is the same, pests and diseases are also the same. In order for the harvest to be at the level, in late autumn, add a bucket of humus to an adult bush and mulch with a thick layer of everything that is available - leaves, grass, straw... - do not dig or loosen under the bushes, so as not to damage the small suction roots responsible for nutrition. Constantly cut out shoots older than 3-4 years on the black one and older than 5 years on the red one, destroying pests, especially aphids - they twist the annual growth, do not allow it to grow, and since the main harvest of the black one is on the annual growth, the yield immediately drops already for another year, and on red for the second year. —-1-2 treatments before flowering and 1 after flowering.

Lelya Casanova

Can. Abundant watering + fertilizing with ash after harvesting.

KATERINKA

We’ve had them growing nearby for about 15 years now, practically right next to each other, we don’t prune anything, we don’t take care of anything at all, there are a lot of berries every year. Apparently it's a matter of good soil

[I Am Your Legend]™

you can feed

Lada

It is also advisable to rejuvenate, pruning once every 3/4 years (remove the oldest, least fruitful shoots), the young ones have more berries and they are larger.

Larisa

Red currants are usually very prolific in themselves and produce abundant harvests, even if you don’t do anything agrotechnically with them, but simply plant them in the right place. But black currants will have more modest yields. To get the most from it, you need good care: pest control (primarily bud mites and gall midges), fertilizing, mandatory abundant watering, periodic rejuvenation. But there are some things that are impossible to fight: black currants bloom very early and often fall under return frosts, so part of the harvest is lost. And you can plant them together - red with black, black with red. Just don’t plant the black one (one bush) on its own, away from your friends. I know from experience that even with good care, it bears little fruit.

Athena

It grows near us. black 20 bushes or more and 2 white and red currant bushes each... I’ve been looking for currants since the very early spring. I splash the mixture like a bard. then before picking berries I spray it and spray it 2-3 times in the fall. but not bardish, but chemistry... she collected and burned the leaf herself. The stsuka aphid rages. . and fed it in the fall for harvest. I asked here. bought fertilizers. but the harvest was excellent. tasty and very large.

Igor Kapkov

Our red and white ones are planted together (intertwined, as if in one pot) They bear fruit without any problems.

Advantages and disadvantages of cuttings

Red currant bushes are distinguished by long-term fruiting, but over the years the berries become small and sour, old plants are more often affected by diseases. Regular renewal of bushes obtained by cuttings allows you to constantly maintain crop productivity at a high level.

Advantages of the method:

• the ability to harvest large quantities of planting material without causing damage to the mother plant;
• effective renewal of berry fields with minimal financial costs;
• young seedlings retain the varietal qualities of their parents;
• Harvesting and planting cuttings can be carried out at a time of year convenient for the gardener.

Disadvantages of shrub cuttings:

• some varieties of red currant do not take root well;
• the method is labor-intensive, young seedlings require constant care;
• winter storage of cuttings requires the creation of special conditions.

The survival rate of red currant cuttings is slightly lower than that of black currants, on average 75-85%.