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Many Russians prefer to grow currants with berries of different colors on their plots. The Versailles white currant is one of the favorite varieties. The authors are French breeders who created the variety back in the nineteenth century. The variety came to Russia in the last century. In 1959, currants were included in the State Register and recommended for cultivation in a number of regions:
- Northwest and Central;
- Volgo-Vyatka and Central Black Earth;
- Middle Volga and Ural.
Description and characteristics
It is difficult to understand the features of the Versailles currant variety without a description, photo and reviews of gardeners. It is by the outward signs of bushes, leaves and berries that plants can be recognized.
Bushes
White currant from French breeders belongs to early ripening varieties, stands out with a well-developed root system. Horizontal (lateral) roots are located at a depth of 40 cm and can grow beyond the crown. The central root goes to a depth of more than a meter.
The bushes are erect, the height of an adult currant of the Versailles white variety is from 120 to 150 cm. There are not too many shoots, but they have a drawback - they do not have great vigor.
The leaves are large, dark green with a bluish tinge, with five lobes. The lower part of the leaf blade has fine pubescence. The edges of the leaves are on white currants with short blunt teeth.
Flowers and berries
White currant Versailles high-yielding variety. During flowering, yellowish-white bells bloom on long clusters (see photo). Flowers, and then berries, sit on long, straight stalks.
Fruits are large up to 10 mm and weighing up to 1.3 grams. This can be clearly seen in the photo. With good agricultural technology, you can collect up to 4 kg of rounded berries from a bush. Fruits with a dense, transparent skin of a pale cream color and sweet and sour pulp. Ripening berries on the white Versailles currant, according to the description and reviews of gardeners, firmly adhere to the petioles and do not crumble.
White currant variety Versailles, due to its dense skin, tolerates transportation well. Plants are frost-resistant, have good immunity. It is no more difficult to care for this variety of currants than for other berry bushes.
Reproduction methods
White currants of the Versailles variety are propagated in the same way as other varieties:
- layering;
- cuttings;
- dividing the bush.
Let's consider all the methods in detail.
Layers
This method for the Versailles white currant is the most common and reliable:
- Early in the spring, until the sap begins to move, a groove 10 centimeters deep is dug around the bush of the most fertile currant. Fertile land is brought into it.
- Then several one-year or two-year-old shoots are selected and folded down, leaving the top at the top. Secure the stem with metal staples. Pour earth on top and watered well.
- After a while, the white currant will take root and shoots will appear.
- When it grows to 10 cm, hilling is carried out until the middle of the shoot.
- After 14-18 days, future seedlings are again spud up to half the height. Drying out of the soil must not be allowed.
By the fall, full-fledged saplings of the Versailles white currant variety grow on the layers, which can be transplanted to a permanent place or to a separate bed for growing.Plants grown from cuttings begin to bear fruit for 2-3 years.
Cuttings
You can propagate the Versailles white currant variety by cuttings. They are cut in February from one-year or two-year-old shoots located in the middle of the bush. The branches should be no thinner than a pencil. A stalk with 5 or 7 buds is cut to a length of 18-20 centimeters. The cuts are made obliquely and sprinkled with wood ash. The lower part of the currant petiole is placed in water to obtain a root system.
With the onset of heat currant cuttings Versailles white is placed on a bed in loose soil at an angle of 45 degrees. Plastic cans are installed on top to create a greenhouse. The seedlings are planted in a permanent place from the nursery after two years.
Planting currants
According to gardeners, the best time to plant white currants is early September. Plants have enough time to root and prepare for winter. You can, of course, do the work in the spring, until the buds begin to swell.
Seat selection
For planting, a well-lit area is chosen where cold winds do not host. The best place for the Versailles variety is along the fence or near the wall of buildings. If the groundwater on the site comes close to the surface, you will have to lay good drainage or plant seedlings in high beds.
The pit for currants should be at least 40 cm deep, and about half a meter in diameter. When digging, the soil is stored on one side, it will be required in the future. Manure is added to the ground, 500 ml of wood ash. All are mixed.
Preparation and planting of seedlings
Before planting, you need to carefully inspect the seedlings for damage. If the roots are long, then they are shortened to 15-20 cm. It is advisable to soak seedlings with an open root system for a day in a growth stimulator (according to the instructions) or in a solution of honey. One tablespoon of sweetness is added to a bucket of water.
Planting stages:
- A hole filled with soil is poured with water and allowed to soak.
- Then the seedling is placed at an angle of 45 degrees. The immersion depth of the currant should be seven centimeters lower than it grew before planting.
- After sprinkling with earth, the white currant bush is again watered abundantly. This is necessary so that air comes out from under the roots. In this case, the adhesion to the ground will be higher, the seedling will move into growth faster.
- When the water is slightly absorbed, sprinkle fertile soil and mulch on top again. The moisture will last longer.
- Immediately after planting, the white currant seedling is pruned. Above the surface, shoots are left no more than 15 cm with 5-6 buds.
Inexperienced gardeners often omit such an operation as pruning, as a result of which they greatly weaken the seedling. After all, the plant has to make a double effort: to build up the root system and "maintain" the aboveground part. As a result, the weak development of the existing branches and a small increase in replacement shoots.
White currant bushes planted in the fall must be spilled, a layer of humus or compost is poured into the trunk circle to save the root system from freezing.
Care features
White Versailles currant, as indicated in the description, does not impose any special requirements when growing. Planting care comes down to traditional activities:
- timely watering and weeding weeds;
- surface loosening of the soil and top dressing;
- pruning and preventive treatment of bushes from diseases and pests.
Watering
The Versailles variety, like other varieties of white currants, loves abundant watering. Lack of moisture slows down the rate of development, which further negatively affects the size and taste of berries, and reduces productivity.
Abundant or moisture-charging watering is carried out twice: in spring, when the plants wake up, and in autumn. Plants need a lot of water during flowering and pouring berries. Otherwise, flowers and fruits may crumble.
To understand that the currants have enough water, you can take measurements. If the soil is moistened 40 centimeters deep, then the plant has enough moisture. As a rule, 2-3 buckets are required for one watering, depending on the power of the bush. It is best to pour the water not under the root, but into the grooves dug out in a circle.
Immediately after watering, when the water is absorbed, it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds. This must be done carefully, to a shallow depth (up to 10 cm), since the root system of the Versailles White variety is located close to the surface.
How to feed
White currant of the Versailles variety responds well to timely feeding.
In the spring, you can water the bushes with infusion of mullein (1:10) or bird droppings (0.5: 10). A ten-liter bucket is enough for 2-3 bushes, depending on the size.
For summer foliar feeding on leaves, you can use a mixture of micronutrients (per bucket of water):
- Zinc sulfate - 2-3 grams;
- Manganese sulfate - 5-10 grams;
- Boric acid - 2-2.5 grams;
- Ammonium molybdenum acid - 2.3 grams;
- Copper sulfate - 1-2 grams.
During fruiting, you can water the white currant bushes with infusions of green grass, nettle. It is a good idea to sprinkle the bushes and the surface under them with wood ash.
In autumn, up to 15 kg of compost or humus are poured under each bush of the Versailles white variety. You do not need to stir it. This is not only food, but also shelter of the root system from frost.
Plant protection
As noted in the description, as well as in the reviews of gardeners dealing with varieties of the Versailles white currant, the plants are resistant to some diseases. But be that as it may, preventive measures still need to be followed.
For treatment against diseases and pests, special means are needed. You can use Bordeaux liquid, copper sulfate, Nitrafen or other drugs. The method of dilution and use is indicated on the package.
Pruning
Cut the Versailles white currant several times per season:
- Sanitary, anti-aging and formative pruning is done in the spring.
- In the summer, branches affected by diseases and excess annual shoots are cut out.
- In autumn, dry branches are removed, and the number of shoots of different ages is also adjusted. Older ones must be removed.
Thanks to pruning, the currant develops and branches better. Cutting out excess shoots ensures air circulation in the bush, protects plantings from diseases and pests.
4-5 shoots of the first year of life are left annually. As a result, after a few years, a powerful bush grows, giving a rich harvest.
Rules for autumn pruning of white currant:
If all agrotechnical standards are fulfilled, excellent yields of Versailles white currants are obtained annually, as in the photo below.
