In the Kuban, black currant is tight. It is difficult to get such crops here as in central Russia. Blackcurrant, cultivation, its harvest, its well-being completely depends on the knowledge and skills of the gardener. The soil and climatic conditions of our region affect the growth of bushes, their fruiting in two directions: 1) negative - worsen life, growth of bushes, crop formation; 2) positive - create longer vegetation of bushes, better provide plants with heat, light, nutrients (Kuban soils are rich), reduce the risk of freezing (winters are almost freezing).
In this regard, the success of harvesting, growing blackcurrant in the Kuban completely depends on the gardener. Does he know how to manage the growth, fruiting of bushes, help them with various agricultural techniques, technology to tolerate heat, drought, spring return frosts, waterlogging of the soil? Will he be able to correctly and timely use positive natural factors to grow strong, healthy bushes that can tolerate negative (adverse) conditions well?
Knowledge, a correct understanding of the biological characteristics of currants dictates the need for gardeners to carry out all technological, agrotechnical measures for growing bushes and crops, taking into account the soil and climatic conditions of the Krasnodar Territory.
The biological characteristics of Kuban currants are manifested in different ways. This is growth, fruiting of bushes, this is the work of the root system, pollination of flowers, the ratio of plants to light, their exactingness to moisture, soil, nutrients, methods of planting seedlings, and other agricultural techniques for growing crops.
Blackcurrant is a berry perennial shrub. Usually it consists of one and a half to two dozen branches - they are all of different ages. The height of the currant bush can be from 1 m to 2.5 m - it depends on the cultivation conditions or on the variety. The shape of the bush depends on varietal characteristics. The life expectancy of the bushes is 10-12 years.
Kuban conditions affect the fruiting of currant bushes. Usually it is 6-8 years. The bushes have a lifespan of 7–9 years. After that, they must be uprooted. Then lay a new plantation. The productive age of individual branches of the bush is 3-4 years, then they must be cut, replaced with new young ones. To do this, annually it is necessary to grow at least 5 strong basal (zero) shoots from the bush. Each year, old three-four-year axial branches are replaced in the fall. They are just cut out. Currant bushes must be rejuvenated annually.
One of the characteristics of blackcurrant - the roots do not have growth buds. If you plant a seedling on the root neck, then a standard bush will grow, like a small tree. Young shoots will not go from the root. Such a plant is short-lived. Harvesting from it, you also will not collect much, well, except that the kids will regale themselves. Therefore, seedlings are planted deeper. The root neck when planting should be at least 8-10 cm below the surface of the earth. Carefully inspect the seedling before planting - there should be buds at the bottom of the shoots. Try to keep these kidneys (at least 5) underground. Root shoots will grow from them. Experts call them null. They quickly grow into their own roots. But not all kidneys found underground will give root shoots. Still, the soil and climatic features of the Kuban play an important role. But varietal features are also important.
By the ability to form basal (zero) shoots of the currant variety are divided into three groups:
- Group I - varieties with a strong, high ability to form many zero shoots, they grow to 8 per year.
- Group II - varieties with an average ability to form zero shoots, they grow to 4 per year.
- Group III - varieties with a weak, low ability to form zero shoots, they grow in a bush up to 2 per year.
In the conditions of the Kuban, the number of growing zero shoots decreases to 40-50% in all groups. And especially in the 2nd and 3rd groups, they grow 1-2 in a year, and often not a single one. Bushes grow stump. This is one of the causes of low yields in many gardeners.
All varieties of his collection based on many years of study and observation Kuban scientist agronomist D.G. Sobolev distributed the following 3 groups.
The distribution of varieties into groups according to their ability to form zero shoots in the conditions of the Kuban:
I group. Varieties with a strong ability to produce many zero shoots (up to 8 shoots per year) | II group. Varieties with an average ability to form zero shoots (up to 3-4 shoots per year) | III group. Varieties with poor ability to form zero shoots (up to 2 shoots per year) |
---|---|---|
Gamma | Augustine | Fidelity (Epic) |
Harmony | Altayanka (Effect) | Grape |
Summer resident | Amethyst | Vologda |
Mila | Annadi | Gulliver |
Ants | Argut | Green haze |
Sybil | Belorussian sweet | Selechenskaya |
Mysterious | Gross | Constellation |
Titania | Veloy | Tatyana's Day |
Ural | Venus | Black pearls |
Cherneca | the globe | Keen |
Chereshneva | Grace | |
Delicacy | ||
Dessert Olkhina | ||
Dobrynya | ||
Epic daughter | ||
Pearl | ||
Fun | ||
Raisin | ||
Kipiana | ||
Large | ||
Ksenia | ||
Lazy person | ||
Lyubava | ||
Maryushka | ||
Moskovskaya-17 | ||
Nadina | ||
Nara | ||
News of Carpathians | ||
Nooralnat | ||
Memory of Vavilov | ||
Pygmy | ||
Hi | ||
Rhapsody | ||
Rachel | ||
Mermaid | ||
Sanyuta | ||
Sevchanka | ||
Selechenskaya-2 | ||
Seedling Doves | ||
Slav | ||
Sweetened | ||
Treasure | ||
Favorite | ||
Black veil | ||
Black centaur | ||
Miracle woman | ||
Wonderful moment | ||
Shadriha | ||
Spherical | ||
Bushes tie berries on fruit formations of several types:
- kolchatka - annual growth up to 3 cm long, living 1-2 years;
- fruit shoot - annual growth up to 25 cm long;
- on a mixed shoot - annual growth of more than 25 cm in length. Mixed-type fruit buds give rise and flower brush.
Blackcurrant has three to four branching orders. The number of lateral branches in the axial (skeletal) branches varies for different varieties. It depends on the varietal characteristics, the development of branches, the location in the bush, the level of agricultural technology, nutrition. In the year of occurrence, root shoots, as a rule, do not branch. But with abundant nutrition in some varieties in the first year, side branches form simultaneously with their growth. The next year they give a crop. Lateral branches in terms of strength of growth and their properties are not equivalent. The main crop is formed on annual growths of the first branching order. Strong growths of young branches are the most valuable fruiting organs. Three to four year old wood produces few fruits.
In different varieties of black currant, the ability to form branch shoots is different. Shaping ability is the ability of a variety to form shoots on skeletal (axial) branches and zero (basal) shoots.
Varieties are available with high, medium, low shoot-forming ability.
Grades I group with a strong ability to form many (up to 8) shoots at the roots weakly branch. The task of gardeners is to trim the branching of skeletal or zero shoots of these varieties by cropping, so that in the second year of the bush's life to create a large, strong fruit-forming wood. For this, during autumn or spring pruning of currant bushes near the axial (skeletal) branches, it is possible to shorten (trim) the tops of the growths of the first and second order of branching to a highly developed bud. And for growths longer than 20 cm, trim the top with three to five weak kidneys. Shorten annual root shoots (cut) by 1/3, if their growth is weak. In strong, normally developed shoots, cut off half their length. This stimulates branching. This means that stronger skeletal branches are formed. The skeletal branches of this group grow old earlier, and they must be cut at the age of four.
Grades II group, with an average ability to form up to 4 basal shoots per year. They branch less than varieties of group I. They cut only weak tops in autumn.
Varieties of group III form little basal shoots per year (up to 2), but have a high, good ability to branch. They form many lateral branches of the first, second, even third order. This compensates for the lack of shoots at the roots. When pruning these varieties of currants, we remove only unripe tops with close internodes, poorly developed buds, on which the main crop will grow.
In the growth of young shoots, the formation of buds, there are a number of features that must be taken into account by gardeners in the Kuban. These features are that root and young branching shoots grow intensively in the first half of summer, until the end of June. And in the second half of summer (July-September), they are forming kidneys. In the conditions of the Kuban this cyclicity is sharp, clearly visible, it must be managed.
In April-June, we carry out a complex of agricultural activities that promote the growth of strong shoots of all kinds. We carry out root or foliar top dressing of bushes. We add nitroammophoskos with irrigation water of 25-30 g per bush once every 10 days. If possible, we use manure, bird droppings, which we bring together with mineral fertilizers in liquid form. If the shoots grow quickly, but thin with long internodes, then we feed the bushes with superphosphate, 20-25 g, potassium sulfate, 15 g per 10 liters of water per 1 plant. We exclude nitrogen fertilizers from top dressing. If the shoots grow slowly, then we increase the application of nitrogen fertilizers.
At the end of June, intense heat sets in, the growth of shoots of all kinds stops. The phase of ripening, the formation of flowering buds, is approaching. Kuban weather in July-August is the worst for blackcurrant. The heat is very hot, the temperature often rises to + 40 ° C and higher, dry air, soil, rains in July-August rarely and little. Currant bushes greatly weaken from overheating of air, soil, moisture deficiency. They are attacked by pests, diseases, their active life slows down, the leaves burn out, the root hairs in the top layer of the soil dry out. The formation of flowering buds is poor. They are formed a little, they are weak, inferior. For this reason, the crop is often scanty. During this period, it is necessary to bush blackcurrant well, often (2-3 times a week), water, mulch the soil, protect from direct sun from 11 to 16 hours. Feed the bushes with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, fight pests, diseases.
An important feature of blackcurrant is rapid aging, an annual sharp decrease in the annual growth rate of young shoots along the central axis of the skeletal branches, as well as along the side branches. Moreover, the decrease in growth begins with the second year of the branch's life. For example, if the root shoot grew during the year by 80 cm, then in the second year, the growth rate of the branch of the first branching order formed on its basis is 35-40 cm, in the third - 18-20 cm, and in the fourth year only 9-12 cm.
The growth rate of young shoots in the conditions of the Kuban on skeletal branches at the 4-5th year of life is reduced to 10-12 cm. These branches give a meager yield of small berries at the top of the bush, they must be cut, replaced with young basal shoots or branches grown from planted cuttings.
With the age of the shoots, the roots grow less and less, and by the age of 6-7 years one or two, and in some varieties - not a single one. Such bushes must be uprooted, there is nothing to update them. The visible signs of the old blackcurrant bush, according to which the gardener decides for himself whether to uproot or leave for another 1-2 years, are: the yield from the bush, the growth rate of young shoots on the skeletal branches, the quantity, condition of the growing root branches necessary for replacing old cut branches. If the yield of berries from the bush is scanty, the growth of young shoots does not exceed 15 cm, there are no root shoots or 1-2 or they are weak, unsuitable for replacing cut branches, then the time has come - it is necessary to uproot. Do not wait for something to change for the better in a year or two. Will not change. All of its potential productive capabilities have already been utilized. Not only the branches are obsolete, but also the roots.