Red currant Marmalade

Red currant bushes are a real decoration for a summer cottage. In early summer, they are covered with bright green foliage, and at the end of the season they are strewn with glossy scarlet berries. As you know, growing red currants is much easier than black currants, because this culture is not so capricious, it rarely gets sick and takes root well after planting. Usually red-fruited varieties are grown not for the purpose of fresh consumption (since the berries are quite sour), but for the preparation of various jellies, jams, marmalades, sauces and ketchups. One of the best varieties of red currant is Marmaladnitsa, the name of which speaks of the high content of pectin in berries - a gelling substance. Red currant is suitable for both private gardening and industrial scale - the characteristics of the variety allow it.

Photos and descriptions of the Marmalade currant variety are collected in this article. What advantages the variety has and what disadvantages it has is also described below. Gardeners who decide to start a red currant for the first time will find useful information on planting and caring for this crop.

Features of the red-fruited variety

The currant variety Marmelandnitsa was bred in the early 90s of the last century, since 1996 it has been in the State Register of Agricultural Crops. The author of this species was L.V. Bayanova, who crossed the Rote Spetlese and Maarsis Promenent varieties. The goal of the breeder was to breed red currants with the highest possible pectin content.

The resulting variety met all expectations. In addition, red currant Marmalade can be eaten fresh, however, sweet tooth will not like it - the berries are too sour. But in sauces and ketchups, this variety is excellent: it adds exquisite piquancy and a very pleasant sourness to dishes. Well, and, of course, it is a reliable and very strong thickener.

Description of the red currant variety Marmaladnitsa is as follows:

• culture with late ripening dates - of all varieties, Marmaladnitsa ripens later than all (in most regions, the berries fully ripen by the second half of August);
• the currant is self-fertile, but the yield of the berry can be increased by another 50% if another variety is planted nearby with the same flowering time;
• the bushes are not very tall - up to 150 cm;
• dense habit, semi-spreading shoots, few in number (about 7-9 pieces per bush), powerful;
• fruiting berries on 3-5-year-old shoots (in accordance with this, currant bushes are pruned);
• young shoots of currants are slightly pubescent, have a dark green tint, are fragile;
• the buds are large, have a pointed shape, are located at an angle to the shoot;
• there are several brushes in the nodes - from three to five;
• the length of the brush may differ, since it strongly depends on the quality of the pruning of the currant bush (on average, 8-10 cm);
• leaves of Marmalade are medium, five-lobed, wrinkled, dark green, pubescent below;
• the edges of the leaf plates are raised, wavy, the edge is finely toothed;
• the shape of the currant berries is flat-round;
• a characteristic feature of the Marmalade is the orange-red hue of the fruit, the presence of pronounced white veins;
• the size of the berries is large - the fruit can weigh from 0.6 to 1.9 grams;
• the separation of the fruits is dry, the berries do not crumble, do not wrinkle when picking;
• fruit jellyfish are sour, with a piercing refreshing taste (according to tasters, this red currant is much sour than other popular varieties);
• tasters evaluate the fruits of red currants at 4 points (out of five possible);
• sugar content in the berries of the Marmalade - 7%, acids - 2.2%;
• the yield of the variety is high - about 13 tons per hectare or 1.5-2 kg from each bush (in conditions of private cultivation);
• red currants have amazing frost resistance: at the beginning of winter, the bush can withstand temperatures down to -35 degrees without damaging the bark and roots, in the middle of winter the bush can withstand frosts down to -45 degrees, the marmalade quickly recovers after thaws and remains frost-resistant up to -33 degrees;
• drought resistance in red currants is average, the bush also tolerates heat tests normally;
• Fruit jelly is resistant to kidney mites, of the pests for the variety, only aphids are dangerous;
• has a high immunity to anthracnose, septoria, powdery mildew;
• berries tolerate transportation and storage well.

Currant Marmalade has a very valuable quality - excellent winter hardiness. It is this fact that has become the reason for the popularity of the variety among breeders: scientists often use the gene of frost resistance of the Marmalade for the production of new varieties and hybrids of currants.

Advantages and disadvantages

The gardeners' comments on the Marmaladnitsa currant variety are the most ambiguous: the culture is valued for its yield and durability, but many do not like the overly sour taste of its fruits. In this case, you can advise summer residents to decide on the purpose of the red currant before buying a seedling. If you need a variety for eating fresh berries, you can find sweeter currants. When a summer resident needs a berry for processing, he cannot find a better variety than Marmalade.

Marmaladnitsa has a lot of advantages, and they are quite significant:

• large and very beautiful berries;
• high marketability of the crop (the late ripening of currants is especially appreciated - in the fall, Marmaladnitsa has no competitors in the fresh market);
• very high frost resistance;
• excellent yield, equally stable on an industrial and private scale of cultivation;
• high immunity to diseases and pests;
• normal ability to withstand heat and drought;
• the suitability of fruits for transportation and storage;
• easy harvesting, no crumbling fruits.

In addition to the very high content of acids in berries, the Marmalade has several more disadvantages:

• the tendency of fruits to shrink with insufficient care;
• the need for regular soil moisture;
• the formation of abundant growth on the bushes;
• the need for pollinators for full yields;
• exactingness to the composition of the soil.

It should be remembered that the currant Marmalade was bred specifically for cultivation as an industrial crop, the most valuable quality of the variety is the high content of gelling substances in the fruit.

Shrub planting

It is much easier to get red currants on the site than black ones. Marmalade can reproduce by lignified perennial shoots or green cuttings with a part of a two-year shoot (only in early autumn).

For planting shrubs, you need to choose a suitable place. Best of all, Marmalade will feel in openwork penumbra, because this variety is afraid of the heat (leaves fall off, shoots dry, and berries are mummified). But a dense shade should also be avoided, there the shrub will be annoyed by fungal diseases and fruit pests.

The soil on the site must be loose and always nutritious. The distance between the bushes is within 1-2 meters. The optimal planting time is late autumn, when the juice movement stops in the currant shoots. In the middle lane, the red Marmalade is usually planted in late October - early November. In the south, you can wait until mid-November.

Landing is carried out using the following technology:

1. A couple of weeks before planting the seedling, they dig a hole of standard sizes - 50x50 cm.
2. The fertile soil layer extracted from the pit is mixed with humus, superphosphate, wood ash.
3. The Marmalade seedling is placed in the center of the pit and its roots are straightened so that their tips do not bend upwards.
4. Sprinkle the currants with earth, making sure that the root collar of the seedling is no deeper than 7-10 cm underground.
5. The soil is lightly tamped and watered abundantly.
6. At the end of planting, the hole is mulched with straw, peat or humus.
7. The top of the currant is cut so that 3-4 buds remain on the seedling.

Care rules

Care of the Marmalade requires intensive and competent - the size of the bush, the quality of the fruit and the yield directly depend on this. but the stages of caring for this culture are the most common:

1. 1. To water red currants are needed only during periods of drought or intense heat. The rest of the time, natural precipitation should be enough for the shrubs. Additional irrigation may be needed while the fruit is being poured. It is better to water the bushes in the evening, pouring 20-30 liters under each plant.
   2. To keep moisture in the soil longer, it is recommended to fill up the near-stem circle mulch... This will also protect the superficial roots from overheating.
      
   3. Trim red currants are needed in the spring, until the buds have blossomed. Autumn pruning can weaken the Gumdrop, then it will not tolerate winter well. Immediately after planting, leave 5-7 shoots, cut the rest. In the second year, 5 two-year-old shoots and 4 annual shoots are left. In the third spring after planting, a bush is formed so that four shoots of different ages remain on it. The optimal cropping scheme is shown in the photo below.
      

1. Nutrient feeding are very important for the yield of the Jelly jelly. In early spring, it is recommended to feed the currants with urea. During the flowering period, water the soil with a solution of bird droppings or cow dung, and spray the shoots with foliar fertilizers. In September, the soil is fertilized thoroughly, introducing manure, humus or compost into the soil. Potassium and phosphorus should be added to the soil no more than once every 2-3 years.
2. Pest diseases rarely annoy red currants, but for prevention purposes it is better process bushes before flowering with folk remedies, biological or insecticidal preparations.

Frost resistance of Marmaladnitsa is simply excellent. Only in the northernmost regions is it better to insure yourself and cover the near-stem circle with a thick layer of mulch or tie the shoots, bend them to the ground and cover them.

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Conclusion

Marmalade is an excellent variety that is distinguished by its versatility. This currant is often grown on an industrial scale, it is no less effective in small household plots, in summer cottages.The variety has a lot of advantages, but not all summer residents are ready to put up with the capriciousness of the culture and the excessive acidity of the berries.

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