Varieties of red and white currants
General: red and white currants differ from black growth and fruiting features. Flowering buds of these species are located on bouquet branches and octopus, which are more durable in comparison with the fruit formations of black currant. Berries of red and white currants are evenly distributed throughout the bush and almost never end up on the periphery, bushes are not so thickened and more durable: in one place the bush can grow 15-20 years. White currant differs from red only by the coloring of berries.
Requirements: currant can grow on all types of soil, provided it is pre-fertilized with good fertilizers. The plant is inferior to other berry crops, it carries an increased acidity of the soil and develops better on soils with a slightly alkaline reaction( pH 7.0-8.0).The site should be clean from weeds, especially from wheat grass. If there is one, it is removed together with the rhizome.
Dutch white - white berries with tan, sour. The variety is bred in Western Europe.
Dutch red - the berries are large, light red, sour, stick to the bush for a long time;They are used for making juice, jellies, which are well preserved, without losing flavor.
The first-born is a medium-early berries ripening, large, bright red, delicious.
Generous - early. Berries of medium size;the pulp is juicy, red color, sweet and sour taste.
Large White - mid-day;berries are medium to large, yellowish-cream, long brushes, taste balanced, sweet and sour, pleasant.
Yuterborg - mid-ripening;berries are large, delicate light cream color, peel is transparent, the hands are long, the taste is pleasant sweet and sour with a predominance of sweetness.
Unrefined - is an intermediate-sized;medium-sized berries, bright red, transparent, medium-length brushes, dense, pleasant sweet and sour taste with acid predominance.
Natali - mid-ripening;berries are medium, dark red, glossy, sweet and sour, dessert.
Chulkovskaya - early ripening;red, medium-sized berries;the skin is transparent;the pulp is juicy, tender. Suitable for fresh consumption and for processing.
Ingredients: berries contain organic acids, sugars, vitamin C, carotene, biotin and folic acid. In dried berries a significant amount of iodine has been detected, much more than that of black currant.
Landing: pits depth 30-40 and width 40-50 cm to 2/3 filled with soil, thoroughly mixed with organic and mineral fertilizers. Currant is able to form additional roots, so it should be planted 5-7 cm deeper than it grew before planting. Plants are planted directly or obliquely to better form additional roots. After planting the seedlings are abundantly watered and mulched with manure, humus or peat with a layer of 5-7 cm, severely cut off, leaving branches 10-15 cm long with 3-4 buds. Place the currant in the row at a distance of 1.3-1.5 m.
Care: the care methods are similar to the care for black currant, but there are a number of differences. Red and white currants have a more powerful and deep root system compared to black currants. Unlike the black currant, in which the rings are not durable and live 2-3 years, in red and white they bear fruit up to 7-8 years. In this regard, in the first 3-4 years after planting, the need for red and white currant plants in nutrients is high, which is even greater when the plant enters the fruiting phase. Due to the peculiarities of biology in red and white currants, there is a number of differences in the degree of nutrient intake compared to black:
a higher alienation of nitrogen and potassium;
below the need for phosphorus and organic fertilizers;
is more sensitive to chlorine.
Phosphoric fertilizers for white and red currants can be applied every 3 years in a dose of 6-9 g. Active substance phosphorus per 1 m2( 12-18 grams of double superphosphate), and potassium - annually in a dose of 7-10 g. Activesubstance( 14-20 g of potassium sulfate or 40-60 g of wood ash).Phosphoric and potash fertilizers should be better applied for the last autumn tillage.
Nitrogen fertilizers are applied early in the spring at a dose of 6-8 g / m2( 18-25 grams of ammonium nitrate or 13-17 grams of urea).Following the application of fertilizers, loosen to a depth of 8-10 cm.
Foliar top dressing in the phases of flowering and ovary formation, in the evening or in the morning, after dew drying, are very effective.
Composition of the solution( g per 10 l of water) of fertilizers for foliar dressings
Top dressing
1st 2nd
Urea 30 50
Boric acid 8 5
Zinc chloride 1 1.5
Copper sulfate 0,5 1,5
Magnesium sulphate 0,25 1,50
Potassium permanganate 0,25 0,50
It is necessary to remember the necessity of watering due to the high demand of plants for moisture.
In addition to other common pests with black currant pest, red and white currants are affected by leafy gallic aphids( larvae settle on the underside of leaves forming dark red and yellow swellings) and gooseberry sawfly( small green-spotted larvae with black specks eat leaves, leaving only thick veins).Against aphids, the solutions used against large currant aphids are effective, it is also useful to plant a number of tomatoes. In the struggle with the sawfly, sprays are infused with wormwood, tobacco and garlic. In autumn it is necessary to dig up the soil, and in summer to collect the false caterpillars by hand.
Pruning: all the basic rules of trimming red and white currants are similar to the rules of pruning black currant, but there are a number of features associated with the biology of the structure of the bush and the specificity of growth and fruiting. The strongest flower buds, and therefore the most abundant and large bunches of berries are located on the former tops of shoots, where two-year-old wood borders on a one-year old. Therefore, when pruning red and white currants should not shorten the branches, this causes a significant damage to the crop of the next year. The age of branches capable of bearing fruit reaches 8-10 years, so there is no need to cut branches constantly to maintain the age diversity of branches in the bush. However, young zero branches, designed to replace old ones, should not be too much, so that the thickening of the bush does not occur. Therefore, it is necessary to leave as many young branches as necessary for replacement in the future of aging, superfluous branches should be cut at the base.
After-planting of the currant bush
Post-planting of red and white currant bushes is carried out for 2-3 years after planting and leaves 4-5 strong well-sprouts located, the rest cut at the base. The left branches, which serve as the basis for the formation of the bush, shorten the
Red and white currants also require rejuvenating pruning when the shoot length of the shoots becomes small. One of the ways to rejuvenate in this case is cutting to a translation for a strong lateral branch, capable of active growth, or on a wolf escape.
For 2-3 years after planting the bush is cut off, leaving 4-5 strongest branches. In the future, annually choose 4-5 the most powerful shoots, and the rest are removed. At the same time, superfluous overgrown branches of the first and second order are thinned, rubbing, weakened, located close to the ground. In the bushes of red currant should not leave weak root shoots. They thicken the bush and are unproductive. Rejuvenation of red currant bushes begin on the 6-7th year after planting, replacing old, less productive branches with new, young shoots of zero order.
Harvesting: harvesting dates are defined in the same way as for black currant, taking into account the characteristics of a particular variety. In any case, you can not leave the berries long on the bush, this leads to their drying out, "withering up" and shedding.
For red and white currants, the berries of which ripen at the same time, the collection of whole brushes is a common technique. Because of the very strong attachment of berries to the peduncle, the peel is damaged during detachment, the juice flows out, and the production loses its commercial qualities, so the collection of individual berries is undesirable.
Usage: berries are consumed fresh and processed, red jelly produces fine jelly, nutritious compotes and juices;it can be rubbed with sugar, and in winter it should be diluted with water and thus replenished the body with vitamins. Fresh berries and products of their processing improve appetite, increase digestibility of proteins of animal origin, promote intestinal peristalsis. Juice has a refreshing and restorative property, in hot weather quenches thirst, it is recommended to patients who are in a febrile state. In folk medicine it is used as a diaphoretic and is considered useful in urolithiasis( promotes the excretion of uric acid salts).