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Currant has long won universal love - its black matte, red or light berries, in addition to excellent taste, have healing properties. They are rich in useful vitamins and minerals and are used for colds and other diseases. Many are sure that planting currant seedlings in the fall will guarantee a wonderful harvest next year.
Gardeners who have been growing currants for many years are well aware of its beneficial properties and the rules of agricultural technology.
Properties and application
Currant is a perennial shrub that belongs to the gooseberry family. Its bushes have a lush crown and reach one and a half to two meters in height. They have a strong root system extending to a depth of 1.5 meters. Depending on the species, the shade of green leaves changes - from bright to dark. They fall late, often last until the very frost. Due to this, as well as the beauty of the plant, currants are often used as an ornamental shrub.
The type of black currant differs from others not only in the color of the berries, but also in the high content of fragrant essential oil, which is found in the berries of the plant and its leaves. Its leaves are especially beautiful - they have jagged edges, smooth on top, and golden veins on the lower side.
Red currant resembles black currant in the shape of a bush. Its ripe berries with a slight sourness hang beautifully from the bush in bright red bunches.
White currants are high in glucose. Its white berries with a yellowish tinge are collected in small bunches.
Several centuries ago, golden currants were exported from America. Now it is ubiquitous and pleases gardeners with delicious yellow berries and beautiful leaves.
There are many other types of currants, but these are mainly wild-growing or ornamental shrubs.
Leaves and berries are rich in ascorbic acid, especially in black currant. It is also characterized by a high content of other vitamins and minerals, organic acids, tannins. The plant is popular in folk medicine for its anti-inflammatory properties. In the form of infusions and decoctions, it is an effective additional agent in the treatment of:
- blood diseases;
- diabetes;
- stomach ulcers;
- insomnia.
However, using the healing properties of currants, one should not forget about contraindications. They are related:
- with increased blood clotting;
- hepatitis;
- thrombosis;
- individual intolerance.
Benefits of autumn planting
You can plant seedlings in spring and autumn. But the best option is the autumn planting of currant bushes, since: during the winter, the soil around the planted bush is compacted, reliably fixing the root system; roots damaged during transplantation will be restored; currant seedlings will take root faster, since the ground shoots will be at rest, and all the nutrients will get to the roots.
Thanks to these processes, the plant will grow faster in the spring.
The time for planting currant seedlings should be properly planned so that the bush has time to take root before the frost begins. But planting them too early is also not recommended - if the autumn is warm, the buds will begin to revive. The most comfortable time for planting currant seedlings is 3-4 weeks before frost. Usually this period falls in mid-September - early October.
Site selection
You can plant currant seedlings anywhere in the fall, and then transplant... However, it is much better to immediately pick up a permanent place, then the bushes will take root faster.
- For planting, you need to choose open, sunlit areas. This condition is extremely important - the intensity of photosynthesis in green currant leaves greatly affects the size and taste of the berries.
- The planting site for bushes should be protected from strong winds.
- Currant seedlings love moist soils, but not swampy, otherwise they will be overcome by fungal diseases.
- The plant grows well on loam, if you provide it with normal drainage.
- Currant bushes develop well after crops such as vegetables, legumes and cereals. It is not recommended to plant them in an area where gooseberries or raspberries grew.
- Taking into account the size and height of the currant bushes, do not plant them in the center of the site. The best place is near the fence, 1.5 meters away from it.
Preparing seedlings for planting
For planting currant bushes, two-year-old seedlings with three to four roots and their shoots already developed up to 15 cm are usually selected. The ground part of the bush should be represented by one or two shoots up to 30 cm long. To protect the currant seedlings from drying out, they must be kept wrapped in cellophane during transportation and until planting. In order for them to take root faster, you need:
- put currant seedlings in water for an hour and a half;
- after carefully examining, cut off weak or damaged processes from the root system;
- free the shoots of the seedling from the leaves;
- hold the roots in a nutrient solution.
Planting seedlings
The intensity of development and yield depend on the correct planting of currant seedlings.
Hole preparation
The area chosen for currants must be well leveled and dug up, and then proceed to the preparatory work:
- if the soil is highly acidic, sprinkle it with lime and dig it up again;
- 3 weeks before planting currant seedlings, prepare spacious pits so that plant roots can be freely placed in them - up to about 40 cm deep;
- so that the growing bushes do not interfere with each other, it is necessary to leave a distance of about one and a half to two meters between them;
- for varieties that form a more spreading crown, the distance between the bushes must be increased;
- lay out the bottom with humus with the addition of a small amount of wood ash, sand;
- during the preparatory period, potato peelings can be poured into the hole - they are favorable for the development of young currant seedlings;
- if there is little time before planting, you can simply pour a mixture of starch and ash with water into the hole;
- if mineral fertilizers are introduced into the hole, they should not be allowed to come into contact with the roots in order to avoid burns.
Landing
You need to remember a few simple rules that should be followed when planting currant bushes:
- plant the seedling deeper than it grew in the nursery so that the root collar remains at a depth of several centimeters;
- cut off the ground part, leaving 2-3 buds on the shoot - the cuttings can also be planted in moist soil so that they begin;
- currant seedlings should be placed at an angle of 45 degrees to the ground - the shoots should fan out;
- the buds located in the lower part of the shoot should be covered with earth - new roots and shoots will appear from them, which will form a strong bush in the first year;
- currant bushes will take root better if you take measures to preserve moisture, for example, by mulching the bushes with humus or compost - mulch will also protect the roots from freezing in winters with little snow;
- leave a hole around the bush and pour plenty of water.
Currant care
Currant seedlings require regular watering, especially in dry times, otherwise they will quickly shed all their foliage. It is very useful to water the bushes with the water in which the potatoes were boiled. To increase yields, you need to properly shape the bushes using pruning. It should be started immediately after planting. Only 3-4 buds are left on the shoots.
Mature shrubs are usually pruned in early spring or late autumn. When pruning them, old branches that have reached the age of five are removed at the base so that they do not interfere with the growth of young shoots. Twigs growing inside the bush are also removed. On each of them, up to one and a half dozen shoots of different ages are left. All parts of the plant should be evenly illuminated by the sun - then the yield will be larger, and the berries will be tastier.
If currant seedlings were planted in fertile or well-fertilized soil, then for two to three years they can not be fed. It will be enough for them to loosen the soil around the bushes at the same time as incorporating mulch into it. However, after this time, every autumn or spring, it is necessary to feed the currant bushes with mineral and organic fertilizers.
In the fall, phosphates and potassium salts are usually added in an amount of 30 grams under each bush during digging. It is better to apply nitrogen compounds in the spring so that they are not washed out with melt water. The dose for one bush will be up to 20 grams. It is necessary to feed the currant seedlings during the flowering period. At this time, organic fertilizers are used - mullein diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 or chicken droppings - 1:15.
Growing currant seedlings
Many gardeners get currant seedlings for planting using cuttings... It can be performed at any time from spring to autumn. Autumn and spring cuttings should be carried out with lignified one-year-old shoots. Often cuttings are prepared during pruning:
- shoots are taken only from healthy bushes;
- its length can reach 20-25 cm, and its diameter is up to 6 mm;
- cuttings are cut, leaving one and a half centimeters from the extreme bud at both ends;
- the cuts should be oblique and even.
Cuttings planted in soil prepared from a mixture of rotted manure with earth and compost. They need to be planted deeply, leaving only up to three buds on the surface and in an inclined position. Then the plantings are watered and mulched. With spring cuttings, by the end of the season, young currant seedlings have already formed a strong root system, which allows them to be transplanted to a permanent place. With autumn cuttings, it is necessary to correctly select the timing of the entry of currants into the resting phase - in different species they differ by several weeks. Shoots must be protected from freezing.
For summer cuttings, green shoots are selected, which will soon become stiff - they still retain some flexibility, but break from sharp bending. Ready cuttings up to 12 cm long with several leaf blades are planted in a warm and humid greenhouse, where they will give roots. The next year, in the spring, they can be transplanted into open ground.
Planting and caring for currants is not particularly difficult. If you do this correctly, it will delight you with a beautiful view and rich harvest.
