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Natali currant is a mid-season variety that yields delicious red berries. It is grown throughout Russia. Natali currant surpasses many varieties in terms of sugar content in berries, yield and frost resistance. For growing currants, an illuminated place is chosen. Young plants provide nutrients that are brought in when planting. Below are a description of the variety, photos and reviews of Natalie's currants.
Variety characteristics
Natalie currant bred by Russian breeders. In 1985, the currant entered the variety trial. In 1991, the Natali variety was entered in the state register and recommended for cultivation in the Central, North-West region, in the Volga region, in the North Caucasus, in the Urals and the Far East.
Natalie variety description:
- average ripening times;
- high self-fertility;
- vigorous wide bush;
- powerful straight shoots up to 2 m long;
- large leaves of dark green color;
- the leaf plate is leathery, slightly concave;
- brushes 13 mm long, contain about 10 berries.
Features of Natali berries:
- the average size;
- weight 0.6 g;
- rounded shape;
- sweet taste;
- bright red color;
- drupes of medium size.
With good care, the yield from a bush reaches 8-12 kilograms of berries. Natali currant has universal application. Berries are consumed fresh, frozen, used for baking, vitamin cocktails, processed into jam, jelly, compote.
Landing features
Red currant is unpretentious in the choice of the place of cultivation. It is enough for the bushes to receive good lighting to bring a high yield. Before starting work, select high-quality seedlings and prepare the soil.
Site preparation
Natalie's red currants are planted in autumn in September or in spring in mid-April. The culture is light-requiring, a well-lit place on the southern side of the site is selected for it. The bushes are planted on the west or southwest side, then the plant will also receive the necessary lighting.
Currant grows on black earth or forest soils with a high humus content. Loamy soil is suitable for growing.
The bushes grow best on slopes, where protection from the wind is provided and there is no stagnation of moisture. With increased acidity, liming of the soil is carried out. The distance from buildings and fruit trees is more than 3 m.
Reproduction of currants
Strong currant seedlings with a strong root system are suitable for planting. All leaves are removed from plants, and the roots are placed in clean water for a day.
If you have a Natalie currant bush, you can get planting material yourself. In the spring, strong shoots are selected and buried in, leaving the top above the ground. In the fall, when the layers take root, they are separated from the main bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
When transplanting currants you can divide the bush and get new seedlings. Places of cuts are sprinkled with crushed coal. When dividing, you need to make sure that each seedling has several strong roots.
Another way to propagate red currants is by cuttings. In autumn, the required number of cuttings 15 cm long are cut from the bush. They are rooted for 2-3 months in moistened sand at a temperature of +2 ° C. Then the cuttings are stored in the cellar until spring or buried in the snow.
Work order
Planting Natalie's red currants begins with the preparation of the pit. Then you need to wait for the soil to settle, and only after that start planting the bushes.
The procedure for planting red currants:
- First, dig a hole 40 cm deep and 50 cm in diameter.If you need to plant more than 2 bushes, leave 1.5 m between them.
- Add 8 kg of compost, 0.2 kg of superphosphate and 50 g of wood ash to the fertile soil.
- Pour half of the resulting substrate into the pit.
- When the soil has settled, fill the hole with a small earthen mound.
- Place the seedling on a hill, spread its roots. Deepen the root collar by 5 cm to stimulate the formation of new roots and shoots.
- Cover the roots with earth and compact.
- Water the plant liberally. To do this, make a circular furrow at a distance of 20 cm from the currants.
- Cut the shoots to a height of 15 cm, leave 3 buds.
Water the seedling twice a week. To keep the soil moist, mulch it with humus or peat.
Variety care
According to reviews, Natalie's currant brings a stable harvest with constant care. The bushes are watered and fed. For the winter, the plants are pruned in order to properly form the bush. Preventive treatments help to avoid the spread of diseases and pests.
Watering
To activate the growth of currant shoots after winter, before budding, it is watered with water at a temperature of 80 ° C. Natali is susceptible to lack of moisture, especially in early spring. If you do not water the bushes in a dry spring, then the ovaries are shedding. The remaining berries become smaller.
The rate of application of moisture depends on the weather conditions. It is important not to allow the soil to dry out and form a crust on its surface. From the beginning of June, when the ovaries are formed, until the beginning of August, when the berries ripen, the currants are watered with warm, settled water.
After watering, the soil should be 30 cm wet. Then the soil is loosened so that the roots of the plants gain access to oxygen and can better absorb moisture.
Mulching the land helps to reduce the intensity of irrigation. 8 kg of rotted manure is applied under each bush.
After falling leaves, the currants are watered abundantly. The procedure is preparation for winter. Moistened soil freezes worse, which protects plants from cold weather.
Top dressing
Fertilization ensures the development of new shoots and the formation of the crop. In April, 10 g of urea is embedded in the soil to a depth of 30 cm. The fertilizer saturates plants with nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of green mass.
In June, nitrogen fertilization is repeated, but organic is used. Add 0.3 liters of poultry manure or mullein to 5 liters of water. The resulting solution is watered under the root of the bushes.
In the summer, Natalie's currants are processed on a leaf. For feeding, a complex fertilizer is prepared containing 2 g of boric acid and 5 g of manganese sulfate per 5 liters of water.
In the fall, after the end of fruiting, Natalie's currant bushes need additional feeding. When digging up the soil, 5 kg of compost and 200 g of wood ash are introduced. Instead of organic matter, you can add 100 g of superphosphate and 50 g of potassium salt to the soil.
Pruning
Natalie's red currants are pruned in spring and autumn during the dormant period. The procedure helps to rejuvenate the bush and increase yields.
In red currants, fruit buds are located at the tops of the shoots. Therefore, short pruning of branches has a negative effect on fruiting.
Every 5 years, cut off the extra branches that thicken the bush. A total of 15-20 shoots are left. Be sure to remove dry and frozen branches.
The fruiting period of currant shoots is 6-8 years. To get a stable harvest, old shoots are periodically cut out.
Protection against diseases and pests
Natali currants are resistant to powdery mildew. Anthracnose resistance is rated as average. To protect against diseases, the bushes are sprayed with fungicides in early spring before budding.Re-processing is carried out in the fall after harvesting the berries.
The drugs Fundazol, Kaptan, Oksikhom are effective against diseases. If the lesion spreads during the growing season, then chemicals are used with caution. All treatments are stopped 3 weeks before harvest.
The Natalie variety is rarely affected by gall aphids, but it can suffer from moths, caterpillars, and spider mites. Insecticides Aktara, Tedion, Kabofos are used against pests. Treatments are carried out before the beginning of the growing season and are repeated in late autumn.
Gardeners reviews
Conclusion
Natali red currant is a fruitful variety that can withstand various weather conditions. To obtain a high yield, the currants are provided with regular care. Be sure to water the bushes and apply fertilizers. Pruning shoots allows you to extend the fruiting of bushes. For preventive purposes, plantings are treated with special preparations for diseases and pests.
