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Each summer cottage has several currant bushes. Delicious, fragrant, nutritious, medicinal - what characteristics do lovers of aromatic berries give to the garden beauty.
Some people think that it shouldn't be worth the effort to grow it. And they are limited to watering, picking berries and pruning dry branches. But in the process of development of a currant bush, nutrition plays a huge role. Fertilize the crop more than once.
Main periods:
- at the time of flowering;
- at the time of active growth of the bush;
- when berries are poured;
- in the fall, when the harvest is complete.
In the article, we will pay attention to caring for currants after harvest, namely autumn feeding.
The value of the autumn nutrition of currant bushes
Lack of nutrients will cause the plant to weaken. This will translate into a decrease in yield and size of berries, frequent diseases and pests. No gardener wants his currant to have similar characteristics. Competent fulfillment of all the requirements of agricultural technology will help to avoid this. Therefore, all types of dressings must be done on time and correctly.
Feeding currants in the fall is very important. Indeed, after picking berries, you need to prepare the bushes for the next fruiting, and at this time new fruit buds are laid.
During the season, nutrients from the soil are completely consumed for the development and fruiting of the bush. And new berries are formed mainly on young shoots. And in order to get a harvest of high-quality berries next year, you must definitely feed the currants.
The importance of autumn feeding is due to the agricultural technology of crop cultivation. Fruit shrubs are not transplanted to a new place every year. Soil fertility significantly decreases towards the end of the fruiting season, and the plant is deficient in essential nutrients.
But autumn feeding is important not only for next summer. Currants need to spend the winter. The more nutrients it accumulates, the more confidence the plant will withstand the winter cold. Some gardeners claim that with good autumn nutrition, there is no need to bend the branches for the winter.
Sufficient stem thickness will provide the bush with reliable protection.
The third aspect that should not be forgotten. Currants supply vitamins not only in berries. Leaves and twigs also have medicinal properties. But so that the supply of vitamins does not dry out, it needs to be replenished. For this, top dressing is applied throughout the growing season of the currant.
How to properly carry out autumn feeding
Any operation to care for currants, performed illiterately or at the wrong time, can lead to the death of the bush. Therefore, autumn feeding must be carried out correctly, not only technically, but also clearly withstand the composition of the ingredients. How to fertilize currants in the autumn months?
The sequence of adding the components will be as follows:
- Nitrogen-containing at first. The effect of nitrogen fertilization manifests itself rather quickly. The result will be visible after a week. The bush will begin to grow, buds will wake up, and the shoots will become thicker.
- The next autumn fertilizer for currants is organic.
It is introduced in mid-October in two stages. The first part is scattered around the plant and dug up with a planting depth of 20 cm. The ground in the near-stem circle is leveled with a rake.The second part is laid out on the surface of the soil around the currant bush. For autumn feeding, matured compost, rotted manure or bird droppings are suitable. 6 kg of organic fertilizer are applied under one bush.
The gardener must remember that they fertilize currants, strictly observing the rules for feeding berry crops. Root dressing can only be applied after the soil is moistened! It can be a good autumn rain or preliminary watering of currant bushes. Embedding organic matter in dry soil will result in root burns. How this will affect the plant, you can easily guess. The composition that you need to fertilize the bush must contain a minimum of chlorine. The element, getting into the soil, is absorbed by the roots and negatively affects the growth and development of currants.
This is not only a precautionary measure, but also an aid in the expedient approach to fertilizing the currant bush. The plant can be affected by pests (aphids, ticks). In this case, the currants first process karbofos. You will need to dilute 70 g of the substance in a bucket of water. And then move on to feeding the bush. How to feed the currants in the fall so that the wintering of the plant is successful? And how to properly distribute the components?
First, the organic fertilizer is laid out as described above. At the same time, maintain a radius of at least 0.5 meters from the center of the currant bush. Next, sprinkle organic matter with wood ash. It will provide the plant with potassium and trace elements, which are very necessary for the shrub. From above, under each plant, 100 g of superphosphate is distributed and only then fertilizer is embedded in the soil, carefully digging up the near-stem circle. Then the soil is mulched and watered abundantly. It is necessary that the water saturates the soil at least 50 cm deep.
This amount of fertilizer can be considered average. The amount of organic matter must be calculated based on the fertility of the soil. On poor land, you will need to increase the dose.
Fertilizer alternatives
In some areas, gardeners are deficient in organic fertilizers. The right amount of compost, manure or bird droppings is not always at hand. In this case, plants - siderates come to the rescue. They are called "green fertilizers". In the spring, peas, lupine or vetch are planted in the aisles of the currant. With the onset of autumn, the green mass is dug up with the soil and evenly distributed in the near-stem circles.
Gardeners consider autumn foliar feeding of currants to be a good alternative to organic matter. To prepare the nutrient solution, take a bucket of water:
- potassium permanganate in the amount of 5 g;
- boric acid - 3 g;
- copper sulfate - 40 g.
The bushes are sprayed with this composition. If this option did not fit, then you can take care of the future harvest with the help of yeast feeding. The remains of the bread are mixed with chopped grass, poured over with water and the mixture is left to ferment. A groove is made around the perimeter of the peri-stem circle and fertilizer is applied.
Any kind of autumn feeding will play a role. The currant will thank you with a good harvest of large, healthy berries.
