Red currant Sugar: variety description, photos, reviews

Content

1 The main features of the variety
2 Selection of seedlings
3 Landing place
4 Planting rules for seedlings
5 Seasonal care
6 Testimonials

The taste of red currants is usually associated with sour berries. However, there are varieties that are the exact opposite. One of them is Sugar currant. The name already says that the gardener should expect sweet berries if he plants the bushes on his site. A description of the red currant variety Sugar photo, reviews of summer residents will help you get to know the culture better.

The main features of the variety

Sugar red currant is a hybrid by its origin. The culture was brought out by domestic breeders. The shrub grows branched with straight shoots. The leaves are five-pointed, there are denticles along the edges. The buds are rounded, slightly elongated, brown in the unopened state.

Flowers are collected on a brush. The shape resembles cups or saucers. The petals are yellow with a green tint. A mature bunch stretches up to 9 cm long. On average 20 berries are tied on each cluster. Ripe fruits take on a bright red color. The berries are sweet, aromatic, delicious fresh and are excellent for processing.

Important! Sometimes on the market there is a black currant Sugar, which is compared with a red-fruited variety. In fact, cultures are not related. This name is often used to hide the Ordinary Miracle variety.

It is better to get acquainted with the characteristics of the currant will help the advantages of the variety:

the yield of the Sugar variety with good care reaches 7 kg per bush;
the decorativeness of the bush allows you to decorate the site, plant hedges;
berries have dessert properties;
the variety is considered winter-hardy, tolerates severe frosts, is not afraid of temperature surges;
long fruiting period, lasting from early July to late autumn;
the variety does not require complex care;
the bushes bear fruit without reducing the yield indicator up to 25 years;
red currants are rarely affected by pests;
berries collected in bunches can be stored and transported for a long time.

Jam, juice, jams are prepared from the red fruits of the Sugar variety. The berries are frozen or dried for compotes. Due to the high sugar content, overripe fruits make good wine.

Of the shortcomings, the average size of the berries stands out. The second negative feature can be called a small percentage of self-pollination - 30%. The variety is susceptible to anthracnose disease.

Important! If only one sugar red currant variety grows on the site, then there will be no good harvest. This is due to poor self-pollination. For cross-pollination, you need to plant several bushes of other currants.

The red-fruited Sugar variety tolerates cold more easily than black currant. Such characteristics make it possible to grow a crop in cold regions and even Siberia. For better survival, seedlings are planted in September. Planting times for warmer regions can be shifted to October. Spring disembarkation is carried out in March, but the weather conditions are considered.

Autumn seedlings of red currant varieties Sugar take root better. Before winter, they have time to take root. In the cold, hardening will occur. In the spring, the currants will grow with full force.

Selection of seedlings

Sugar currants are propagated by seedlings. The development of the bush and future yield depend on the quality of the planting material. The choice of a Sugar Redcurrant seedling takes into account the following nuances:

A good root system of a seedling is determined by its light brown color and a minimum length of 15 cm.The bunch should consist of many fine threads and a main root.
The aerial part of the Sugar currant seedling is inspected for the absence of dry buds, damage to the bark, spots, and outgrowths of bumps.
The height of the aboveground part of a well-developed seedling is about 40 cm.

It is better to buy currant seedlings in nurseries. Even with postage, you can hope that a healthy bush will grow from the planting material. In nurseries, the storage conditions for seedlings are observed, which guarantees a high survival rate.

Advice! Buying currants in the nursery eliminates the risk of slipping another variety, which is often found on the market.

Landing place

Sugar variety grows well on sandy loam soil or light loamy soil. Pure clay and acidic earth oppresses the root system of the shrub. Currants grow poorly in such areas, bring little harvest and disappear over time.

If the groundwater is high on the site, embankments will have to be erected. This can be a whole raised bed or separate hills for each bush. The root system of the Sugar currant variety develops in the upper layers of the soil, so an embankment 40 cm thick will be enough for it.

Red currants love good light and sunlight. The area must be well ventilated. Free air movement reduces the risk of powdery mildew damage to bushes.

Advice! Drafts are not considered good ventilation and are detrimental to currants.

To protect against drafts, seedlings are planted near buildings, solid fences and other structures.

Planting rules for seedlings

Red currant seedlings take root well during spring and autumn planting. If there is a choice, then the second option is preferable for all varieties, including Sugar. The best month for disembarkation is September. Before the onset of frost, the currants will have enough time for rooting. The Sugar variety is distinguished by compact bushes, and a distance of 1.2 m between seedlings will be sufficient.

The planting process consists of the following steps:

For a seedling, they dig a hole 40 cm deep, 50-60 cm in diameter. On plantations, currants are planted in rows, and instead of holes, a trench of the same depth is dug.
A nutrient mixture is prepared from fertile soil and compost. If the site is located on acidic soil, add chalk or old clay plaster. Pour a bucket of the finished mixture into each hole and pour half a bucket of water.
When the liquid is absorbed, the seedling is set at an angle of 45^about... The root system is spread along the bottom of the hole and covered with earth. The soil level is brought 5 cm above the root collar. Deepening helps to grow basal shoots from buried buds.
Loose soil around the red currant seedling is pressed by hand. 3 buckets of water are poured into the hole in turn. If roots appear on the surface after absorbing the liquid, they are covered with crumbly soil. Sprinkle sawdust or peat mulch on top.

At the end of the planting of all the seedlings, the top is cut off from each currant, about a third of the length.

The video tells about the correct planting of red currants:

Seasonal care

Getting a good harvest depends on caring for the currants. The Sugar variety does not require you to devote much time to it, but elementary watering, weeding, feeding and pruning must be done.

Watering

Many varieties of currants are loyal to watering, but Sugar water loves. Waterlogging of the soil must not be allowed. Water is poured just enough so that the ground around the bush is saturated to a depth of 50 cm.

Attention! Lack of moisture while pouring the berries will lead to their shedding.

Water is poured directly under the root. It is impossible to pour over the leaves in the heat. It is unacceptable to use sprinkling during flowering. Watering frequency is adjusted according to weather conditions. In drought, 5 buckets of water are poured under an adult bush every 10 days. In cool and humid summers, the frequency of watering is increased by 20 days.

Weeding and loosening the soil

Under the red currant bushes of the Sugar variety must always be kept clean from weeds... The soil is weeded with a hoe when small grass appears, preventing it from taking root. In the spring and autumn, the soil is necessarily plowed out simultaneously with the introduction of top dressing. Mulching will help to simplify soil care. A thick layer of peat or sawdust will retain moisture, prevent dry crust formation and reduce weed growth.

Fertilization

For the first two years, red currants do not need to be fed. The bushes will have enough nutrients originally introduced during planting. Top dressing begins in the third year. Each bush is fertilized with a solution of nitroammofoska. A matchbox of dry matter is diluted with 10 liters of water.

The Sugar variety reacts well to nitrogen-containing fertilizers. 1 m² land 10 g of saltpeter or urea are introduced.

Bush formation

By the fall of the next year after planting, 3-4 branches should grow from the seedling. They are shortened with pruning shears, leaving processes with four buds. In the spring, fruiting branches and young shoots will grow from them. Further formation follows a similar principle. The result should be a bush with 15–20 fruiting branches. Pruning is carried out in the fall, and in the spring only frozen and damaged shoots are removed.

Preparation for wintering

The Sugar variety tolerates cold well without additional shelter. It is enough to insulate the roots with a mound of earth. The bush itself can be tied with twine to protect it from breaking with snow drifts. Additionally, the currants are tied to any support, for example, reinforcement driven into the ground. For the northern regions, additional protection can be made with an agrofibre shelter. The film should not be used, as the bark of the branches will get burns from the cold in places where it touches.

Testimonials

About currant Sugar reviews are more positive. The culture is in demand by summer residents and small farms that grow berries for commercial purposes.

Katerina

Red currant Sugar has been growing for 7 years on my site. Two bushes do not give me much trouble. I water it in the summer, prune it in the fall and feed it twice a year. The berries are more sweet than sour, for which I liked this variety. For better pollination, I planted a bush of another red currant nearby.

Nikolay

I bought five different varieties of red currants in the nursery. Sugar is the tastiest and most prolific. I wanted to cut down the rest and breed only this variety, but it is badly pollinated by itself. I had to leave two old bushes, and instead of the two cut down I planted three more Sugar saplings. The berries make an excellent jam and once tried to make a liqueur.