Content
The choice of a variety of currants for a summer cottage is fraught with difficulties. The plant must be unpretentious, adapt to the climatic conditions of the region, and bear fruit abundantly. Modern breeders believe that Nightingale's night currant meets all these requirements. In addition, the culture has an excellent dessert taste.
Breeding history
The variety of black currant Nightingale Night was obtained in Russia, in the Bryansk region, at the Lupin Research Institute. The culture was the result of crossing the varieties Selechenskaya 2 and Sokrovische. The authors of the new product are scientists A.I. Astakhov and L.I. Zueva. The culture has been in state variety testing since 2009.
Currant Nightingale Night is famous for its large sweet berries, the weight of which can reach up to 4 g
Description of the variety of black currant Nightingale night
The bush is low, the shoots are erect, smooth, thick. Over time, they become covered with dense gray bark. Buds are oval, pointed at the ends, deflected from the stem, the surface is covered with a light down.
The leaves are characteristic for currants, three-lobed, dark green, soft, wrinkled. The edges are jagged and jagged. The petiole is strong, slightly colored.
Light purple flowers form on long, winding racemes of up to ten each.
The fruit cluster is medium in size, the berries are loosely arranged. Ripe currants are regular, round in shape, black in color, the skin is thin, but dense, smooth and shiny, not pubescent. The fruits are easily separated from the brush, the juice does not flow out. The average weight of a berry is about 2.7 g, with good and proper care it can reach 4 g. The tasting score is 4.9 points. The taste is sweet, the aroma is pronounced.
Characteristics
Black currant Nightingale night is characterized by early ripening. In central Russia, the berries turn black in the first half of June.
Drought tolerance, winter hardiness
Currant variety Nightingale Night is moderately resistant to prolonged drought. The culture tolerates frost well, snowless winter.
Snow is an additional shelter for shrubs in winter, and in spring it saturates the plant with moisture
Pollination, flowering period and ripening times
To get a good harvest of black currant Nightingale Night, it is necessary to select pollinating varieties. There may be several of them, bushes are planted nearby, on the same summer cottage. In May, cross-pollination occurs during flowering. The most common variety suitable for these purposes is Dovewing. You can also plant Leia, Neapolitan, Exhibition.
Even self-fertile blackcurrant varieties need pollinators, this will significantly increase their yield.
Early black currant Nightingale night blooms with the arrival of May. Fruit ripening begins after 40-45 days (mid-June).
Productivity and fruiting
From one adult bush of the Nightingale Night currant, you can collect up to 1.5 kg of berries. Under favorable climatic conditions, this figure can grow up to 2 kg.
Indicators of productivity of currant Nightingale's night are quite modest, but this deficiency is compensated by the mass and sweet taste of berries
After planting, the young plant begins to bear fruit as early as the next season.With correct autumn pruning, the yield indicator increases every year, its peak falls on 6-8 years. On average, the culture retains its productive qualities for up to 12 years.
The berries ripen amicably, in the first half of June they begin to be harvested. The process is simple, since the currants are well separated from the brush.
Dry separation of fruits guarantees their integrity during storage and transportation
Disease and pest resistance
Blackcurrant variety Nightingale Night is resistant to fungal diseases, in particular, powdery mildew. The culture of bud mites and other main pests of fruit and berry bushes are not afraid.
Kidney mite destroys currant buds, leaf growth stops
Advantages and disadvantages
The variety has practically no flaws. These include early ripening periods with a high probability of return frosts in regions with a difficult climate.
Advantages of the variety:
- high taste;
- resistance to pests and diseases;
- unpretentiousness;
- versatility in the use of fruits.
The berries of the variety are distinguished by a pronounced currant aroma and a high content of ascorbic acid.
Features of planting and care
Rooting blackcurrant seedlings Nightingale night is better in September. Before winter they will take root, in the spring they will grow. Planting can be carried out at the end of March, it is important to do this before the start of sap flow and swelling of the buds.
Currant bushes are rooted on fertile loams, in the southern side of the site. It should be well lit and protected from the wind. Inadmissibly close occurrence of groundwater.
At the end of summer, 2-3 weeks before the expected date of planting of the Nightingale Night currants, dig holes measuring 0.5x0.5x0.5 m.The distance between them is maintained at 1.3 m.In the row spacing, the intervals are 1.5 m.
The top layer of earth is mixed with 50 g of superphosphate, a handful of ash and humus. More than half of the pits are filled with the mixture. Before planting, the nutrient soil will be compacted and settled.
Immediately before rooting, half a bucket of water is poured into the hole. The seedling is lowered into a pit 5 cm deeper than it grew in the mother liquor, and placed at an angle of 45ᵒ to the ground level.
To avoid infection, the young bush is not planted in areas previously occupied by raspberries or gooseberries.
The root processes are straightened, covered with a layer of light, frayed earth, and tamped. The seedling is watered abundantly, after absorbing water, the soil is mulched. To stimulate the growth of rhizomes, ground shoots are cut, leaving short shoots with three buds.
After pruning in spring, the young plant will intensively grow, new shoots will appear
In the spring, before the buds swell, dry shoots and broken branches are cut off at Nightingale's Night. The soil around the bush is dug up, weeds are removed, watering is carried out, the mulch is renewed.
In the spring, black currants are fertilized, fertilized with nitrogen.
The first fertilizers in the new season stimulate the awakening of the plant, the formation of buds, leaves, ovaries
The soil is loosened twice a week, the bushes can be watered once every seven days, if spring and summer are dry - more often.
In June, the bushes are fed with organic fertilizers. Black currant also responds well to foliar feeding.
At this time, a moth butterfly or sawfly can be activated in the garden. At the first signs of damage (twisted dry leaves, deformation of berries), spraying with appropriate preparations is carried out.
Modern insecticides successfully fight pests that can destroy most of the crop
After harvesting, the bushes are watered abundantly, and the soil is loosened weekly.
At the end of September, Nightingale's Night currants are fertilized with organic matter, the site is dug up. It is important not to skip pruning during this period, it is necessary to remove excess branches and damaged processes.
Conclusion
Currant Nightingale Night is a fairly young, early variety of Russian selection. The culture is distinguished by abundant fruiting, good berry taste.The variety is unpretentious, tolerates short periods of drought at high temperatures, and is not afraid of frosts. Thanks to this, Nightingale Night currants can be grown in the northern and southern regions of the country without losing the taste of the berries and reducing the yield.
Reviews about currants Nightingale night
The soil on the site is dense, loamy, dry, the garden is blown by the winds. At the same time, I am a lazy summer resident to everyone, I do not water the bushes or feed them, in the summer I only mulch abundantly with hay. Not all fruit and berry crops respond well to such "care". Currant Nightingale Night bears fruit well, I consistently get my kilogram of berries every year at the beginning of summer. I think if the care is good, then the harvests will increase significantly.
