Content
Red currant Victoria is a Russian fruitful variety of medium ripening. The plant is unpretentious, the berries are quite tasty, they received a tasting rating of 4.3 out of 5 points. Medium and small in size. They can quickly crack or crumble, so harvest should be done without delay.
Breeding history
Victoria (Vika) is a red currant variety bred on the basis of the All-Russian Research Institute of Breeding of Fruit Crops (Oryol Region). The author of the variety is L.V. Bayanov. Currant passed successful tests, and in 2001 it was included in the register of breeding achievements of Russia. Approved for cultivation in a number of areas:
- middle band;
- Volga region;
- Black earth;
- Volgo-Vyatka region;
- Western Siberia.
Description of the variety of red currant Vika
The plant is medium-sized (120–140 cm), with large, straight shoots of a reddish hue. The crown is dense, there is pubescence on the branches. The buds are small, deviate from the shoots, rounded, have small stems. Petiole tracks are narrow, rounded.
Victoria red currant leaves are large, with a classic five-lobed shape. The surface is leathery, wrinkled, dark green in color, with wavy edges. The lobes are pointed, the middle one being somewhat larger than the lateral ones, sometimes with a projection. The teeth on the leaf plate are large in size, diverge at sharp angles. The petioles are small, thick, and also reddish in color.
Victoria red currant flowers are small, saucer-shaped. Sepals are slightly bent, yellowish, receptacle - reddish. As the flower matures, the stamens acquire a bright red tone. The brushes are small, up to 12 cm long, parallel to the ground or slightly bent. The petioles are pubescent, long, with a thin axis. Brushes with fruits hanging down, dense.
Victoria red currant berries are of medium size, by weight about 0.5 g, less often up to 0.8 g. The shape is round, the color is classic red. Balanced sweet and sour taste, tasting score 4.3 out of 5 points.
The following substances were found in the composition of the berries of the Victoria variety:
- the share of dry matter (in total) - 10.8%;
- sugar - 7.9%;
- acids - 2.1%;
- vitamin C - 0.5-1%;
- pectin - 7.1%
- P-active substances - up to 340 mg per 100 g.
Victoria red currant berries are rich in color
Characteristics
It is a fairly resistant variety that adapts well to different climatic conditions. Currants do not require special care, so even novice gardeners can cope with its cultivation.
Drought tolerance, winter hardiness
Red currant Victoria has good winter hardiness. This makes it possible to grow it even in Siberia. It is better to cover young seedlings in the first years. Drought tolerance is also high, so the plant needs additional watering only during periods of extreme heat.
Pollination, flowering period and ripening times
Victoria red currant is a self-pollinated variety. Therefore, planting other bushes, attracting bees and other pollinators is not required. But if you plant other varieties nearby, this has a beneficial effect on productivity. Victoria belongs to the mid-season varieties. Flowering begins in June and lasts 2-3 weeks.
Productivity and fruiting
The yield of Victoria red currant is 3-4 kg per bush (with industrial cultivation up to 19.5 centners per hectare). The first berries appear in early July, the main fruiting wave lasts until the end of this month.
Disease and pest resistance
Red currant Victoria has a fairly good immunity to major diseases and pests. But defeat by such infections is not excluded:
- anthracnose;
- terry;
- glassy rust;
- columnar rust;
- septoria and others.
In the summer, the bushes can suffer from various pests:
- gall aphid;
- spider flare;
- weevil and others.
In the fight against them, it is better to use folk remedies, for example, infusion of tobacco dust, wood ash with laundry soap, mustard powder, decoction of potato tops and others. During the fruiting period, if necessary, they can be treated with biological preparations (Fitoverm, Vertimek, Bitoxibacillin and others). As a preventive measure, Victoria red currant bushes can be sprayed with chemicals (before fruiting):
- "Decis";
- "Confidor";
- Biotlin;
- Inta-Vir;
- "Match".
Advantages and disadvantages
Victoria red currant is valued for its high yield, winter hardiness and delicious berries.
Victoria red currant gives a stable harvest for twenty years
Pros:
- pleasant taste;
- sufficiently high immunity;
- winter hardiness;
- the possibility of growing in different regions;
- does not require special care.
Minuses:
- small berries;
- quickly crumble, overripe;
- low keeping quality;
- poor transportability;
- immunity to individual diseases is average.
Features of planting and care
You can plant red currants Victoria both in autumn (late October) and in spring (early April). The place should be well lit, not waterlogged and protected from strong winds. The soil is light, fertile. A month before planting, the site is dug up and compost is buried or transferred in a 2 m bucket2 or complex mineral fertilizer, 30-40 g per 1 m2.
Planting red currant Victoria is carried out according to traditional technology:
- Dig holes 50-60 cm deep at a distance of 1.5-2 m.
- A drainage layer of small stones (5 cm) is laid.
- The seedlings are rooted at an angle of 45 degrees, deepening well. Leave 3 buds on the shoot on the surface).
- Buried, tamped down a little.
- Watered with settled water and mulched for the winter, if the procedure is carried out in the fall.
To get a good harvest of Vick red currant, as in the description of the variety and in the photo, gardeners in their reviews advise to follow several rules:
- Watering young seedlings weekly, adult bushes - if necessary (in the heat also every week).
- Top dressing: in the spring use urea 20 g per bush, during flowering - slurry or chicken droppings (diluted 10-15 times), after harvest - potassium salt (20 g per bush) and superphosphate (30 g per well).
- Loosening, weeding - as needed.
- Annual pruning - both at the beginning of the season (early spring) and at the end (late autumn). Remove old, diseased branches, thin out the crown.
Preparing for winter
In the fall, Victoria red currants begin to prepare for winter. The trunk circle is mulched with peat, sawdust, needles, foliage. The bushes are bent down and fixed to the surface, covered with burlap or agrofibre on top, you can also dig a little.
Reproduction methods
Victoria red currant can be bred in any traditional way:
- cuttings;
- using layering;
- dividing the roots.
Cuttings are harvested in early September
For reproduction, young shoots (apical part) are cut up to 15–20 cm long and placed in a pot with wet sand. Store at a temperature of +3 degrees for 2 months. Then transferred to a refrigerator or kept under snow. In May, they are transplanted into the ground, maintaining a distance between the cuttings of 20 cm. Cover with a bottle or film. By the end of the season, the matured cuttings of Victoria red currant are transferred to a permanent place.
It is much easier to dilute the culture with layering. To do this, in the spring at a young bush (2-3 years), several lower branches (annual shoots) are bent down, pinned, sprinkled with fertile soil, watered regularly. At the beginning of autumn, the resulting shoots are cut (they will grow up to 20-30 cm) and transplanted to a permanent place, carefully mulched.
Another way to propagate Victoria red currant is by dividing the roots. An adult bush is dug up in autumn or spring, the rhizome is cut into several divisions, the cuts are sprinkled with coal powder and transplanted to another place. New plantings should be 7–8 cm deeper than the mother bush.
Conclusion
Red currant Victoria is a winter-hardy variety that easily adapts to different conditions. The berries are tasty, but small, they can crumble. Therefore, the crop must be harvested as it ripens, and then immediately used for harvesting.
Reviews with a photo about the Vika red currant variety
