Blackcurrant in the country ... What does a beginner gardener need to know about her? How to grow blackcurrant in the country? This berry shrub is widespread in almost all regions of our country because of its tasty and healthy fruits. Blackcurrant can be grown without any difficulty in sandy soil, which retains moisture well, is drained. It does not tolerate heavy clay, but can produce good crops on all types of moist soil, provided that it contains a sufficient amount of organic matter.
It should be noted that blackcurrant during cultivation requires a lot of nitrogen, prefers soil with acidity - the pH range is from 6.7 to 7, it can not tolerate acidic soil. In addition, it gives a small crop if grown in places open to winds. This plant has the ability to tolerate temperatures up to -20 ° C. But the flowers are damaged when the temperature drops to -1 ° C. The fruits of such damage are not tied.
Blackcurrant in the Kuban begins vegetation very early. The kidneys awaken in early March. Flowering takes place in the first or second decade of April, when the air temperature exceeds + 8-10 ° C and lasts 7-12 days. It depends on the characteristics of the variety of currants, weather conditions. Flowering can be shifted to earlier or later dates by 8-15 days.
Good preservation of flowers and their pollination is one of the important conditions for obtaining a crop. In black currant, the flowers are of regular shape, bisexual, with a five-parted cup, five petals, 5 stamens and pistils. Fertilization occurs when pollen enters from bursted anthers on the stigma of a pestle. Productivity depends on normal pollination. Very often, currants bloom profusely, but there is no crop. The ovaries fall 2-3 weeks after flowering, that is, fertilization does not occur. What is the reason?
It turns out that currant varieties are self-fertile and cross-pollinated. Self-fertilized are well pollinated with their pollen or pollen of their varieties. Although the variety is self-fertile, cross-pollination is also possible. Moreover, with cross-pollination on self-fertile bushes, large berries are obtained, and the crop is higher.
Self-infertile varieties (cross-pollinated) are not pollinated by their pollen. They are pollinated only by pollen from other pollinating varieties. They need certain conditions: the presence of nearby planted pollinating varieties, the attraction of bees, and other pollinating insects. To do this, during flowering, it is necessary to spray the bushes with a honey solution (100 g of honey per 1 liter of water). The aroma of honey attracts bees, bumblebees, and other insects that work even in windy weather. This contributes to better cross-pollination of flowers, tying berries.
For full pollination, it is also effective to spray the flowering currant bushes with a solution of potassium permanganate 1.5 g + boric acid 1.5 g per 10 l of water. It is very important in the garden areas to have self-fertile varieties that are able to pollinate, to tie berries in adverse weather conditions during flowering. All varieties of blackcurrant ripen in the month of June. Only very late varieties sometimes ripen in the first decade of July. The weather conditions for the growth and ripening of berries in May-June are quite favorable, that is, the harvest depends on gardeners, on their care and protective measures in their areas.
Most varieties of blackcurrant are highly winter-hardy, withstand frosts of 40 degrees, even lower, the kidneys are not damaged. But during its flowering in the Kuban, adverse weather conditions often develop: rainy, windy weather, which makes years more difficult for pollinating insects; low positive air temperatures during the day; spring return frosts at night, during which damage occurs to flowers, young ovaries in unstable varieties.
To increase the stability of currants to such adverse conditions, it is necessary to prepare bushes in the fall. Under digging or loosening the soil, phosphorus-potash fertilizers, ash should be applied. If dry autumn carry out watering. Plant several varieties at home. Place pollinating varieties near low-fertile varieties. Instead of varieties that are unstable to spring back frost, for example, Belorusskaya sweet, plant highly resistant ones that can withstand temperature drops during flowering to -5 ° С. Such varieties were bred by Russian breeders, there are many of them in the Kuban. Here are some of them: Altayanka, Grape, Dobrynya, Raisin, Lyubava, Nara, Gift to Kuminov, Sevchanka, Selechenskaya-2, others.
Blackcurrant refers to winter-hardy berry plants. New varieties bred with the participation of Siberian wild species have higher winter hardiness. It tolerates a decrease in air temperature to -40 ° C and below. In the conditions of the Kuban, currants do not suffer from frost or low temperature, but from its drops in winter. That is, when the air temperature first rises to + 10 ° C degrees, and then drops sharply to -10 ° C and lower. From such temperature changes, freezing of flower primordia in mixed buds can occur.
During flowering, currants suffer from spring return frosts in some years. Its vegetation begins at a temperature of + 6 ° C, and in some varieties at + 2 ° C. The optimum temperature for the growth of bushes is + 18-22 ° С. In hotter weather, their growth slows down or even completely stops.
Where to plant blackcurrant in the country? Blackcurrant during cultivation is quite demanding on lighting conditions. In the shade, it gives a very low yield, more damaged by diseases, pests. But new shade-tolerant varieties have been developed that grow well, bear fruit in shaded places. So when choosing a place for planting currants in the country, focus on the features of your variety.
In the Kuban, blackcurrant does not tolerate heat, dry air, and strong solar radiation, especially in July-August. In extreme heat and dry weather, the leaves begin to burn from the edges, and the tops of bushes in many varieties can completely dry. The root system during heat suffers greatly from overheating of the soil, lack of moisture. Its active activity decreases sharply, small roots in the upper soil layer die off or dry out. Currant bushes are attacked by pests, diseases (aphids, ticks, powdery mildew, others). At the same time, there is a bookmark, the formation of buds on the shoots. Naturally, without the intervention of gardeners and summer residents to reduce the impact of adverse weather conditions on the life of bushes, buds on the shoots, very few are formed, they are weak, the yield next year is low.
To reduce soil overheating, preserve the root system, leaves from drying out in July-August, it is necessary to systematically water the bushes, mulch the soil with any materials (humus, straw, grass, cardboard, etc.). It is necessary to use natural protection from hot rays, place currant bushes in partial shade behind buildings and trees, so that at lunchtime (from 11 to 16 hours) they are hidden from the sun.
In the south, blackcurrant grows well, bears fruit in partial shade, most varieties suffer from excessive solar radiation, heat. In the Kuban, despite the fact that the day is shorter than in many other regions of Russia, the amount of light entering the leaves is greater, that is, the total physiologically active solar radiation is higher. Therefore, even in partial shade, enough light rays for photosynthesis come to the leaves of currant. And excessive solar radiation, high temperature enhance the process of respiration, the evaporation of moisture from the leaves is faster than its roots. Leaves burn out, currant bushes are depleted in the crucial period of laying and forming flower buds. Therefore, there is a need to look for various techniques, to protect the bushes from the hot sun, to create a chill for them, to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the leaves.
Good results on the protection of currant bushes from direct sun in July-August provide tall plants - tomatoes, corn, sorghum, and others. They are planted on the south side of the bushes at a distance of 40-50 cm from the crown. By the month of July, they grow up to 2 meters tall, so they protect currants well, take all the heat of the sun upon themselves. You can make temporary (in July-August) sunscreens. Pull a rope or wire onto tall stakes of 2.5-3 meters, hang a black film or old sheets. It is necessary to place screens next to the crown of bushes on the south side. All these techniques allow you to maintain the active life of the bushes in July-August, to reduce the adverse effects of heat, drought on the formation of next year's crop.
Many new varieties of blackcurrant are drought-resistant, tolerate the Kuban heat, drought, grow in open sunny places, do not require protection. For example, Altayanka, Gulliver, Grape, Venus, Harmony, Shadriha, Dessert, Olkhinoy, Grace, Green haze, Black pearl, others. For many Kuban gardeners, such varieties of black currant are simply necessary, especially when there is a lack of water for watering the bushes.