Proper care of currants throughout the year. Caring for currants in spring: necessary procedures, tips and instructions Currant care in spring tips

06.03.2020

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Currants are one of the first to awaken after winter. Therefore, implement proper care You need to buy currants in the spring as early as possible, before the buds wake up and the snow completely melts, depending on the region this is March-April.

Removing cover after winter

First thing is to remove winter shelter, mainly non-woven material– spunbond. If you delay with this, the bush may be banned inside. Clear the area from the remaining snow, and then from the litter; if this has not been removed in the fall, it is recommended to burn the collected leaves, because pests that have overwintered in the leaves may remain in it.

You should carefully examine the buds: remove and burn round, swollen buds inhabited by overwintered mites; if there are a lot of them, cut off the branch completely. Cut off the discovered black core of the branch to a healthy light green one, which means that a pest has taken up residence in the branch - glass beetle.

Watering, loosening and mulching

Soil preparation consists of loosening, the main thing is not to damage nearby roots, and removing weeds. New mulch is poured, which protects the roots from drying out and maintains the necessary moisture.

Interesting. Protective layer It is advisable to spread within a radius of 1.5 meters, and with a sufficient amount of organic matter, the entire row of shrubs with row spacing. Apply a minimum of about 50 cm of mulch in the form of mature humus or compost.

To care for currants, sufficient watering is required: 4-5 times per season, and in dry summers up to 8 times, without overwatering the soil. Thus, the fruits gain flavor and volume.

Feeding and fertilizing

For growth and productive yield, the shrub needs a large amount of nutrients. There is a high need for phosphorus and potassium. Nitrogen supplements have a good effect, but with sufficient phosphorus and potassium. Otherwise, on a high background of one nitrogen increased content amino acids in the juice of fast-growing shoots from fertilizers become attractive to pests and powdery mildew. Also, nitrogen fertilizers are not needed after the second half of May. The plant does not tolerate chlorine. During the growing season, chlorine-containing fertilizers should not be applied. Ash from deciduous trees contains all the elements necessary for culture. It is applied along the perimeter of the crown; in this place underground there are roots that absorb useful substances.

After applying fertilizers during planting, the next fertilizing is done only after 3 years. The period for applying fertilizers is May-June, in the active growth phase, and in the summer, after harvesting, when buds are being laid for next year's harvest. Apply fertilizers in diluted form, follow the dosage. Use solutions of urea and nitromophoska, mullein.

Trimming

Important advice for getting good harvest, – The right way bush formation. Pruning is necessary from perennial, no longer fruiting, intertwined, weak or damaged branches. The correct ratio of branches by age should be maintained, in which there should always be more young ones than old ones, more than 5 years old.

The currant bush should be erect, without deviated or creeping branches. The bushes should be well ventilated and illuminated, and not be thickened so that they are not affected by disease. Thus, all the nutrition and energy of the plant will be directed to the formation of berries, and not to supporting old unnecessary branches, so that fruiting does not go to the periphery of the bush.

Important! There are about 70 species of currant pests. Varieties are bred with resistance to only some of them. The rest of the work falls on the gardener's shoulders.

Treatment against diseases and pests

Pest control is sometimes carried out using in early spring method of hot watering of plants. Before the buds awaken, when the snow has not yet completely melted, the bushes are doused with boiling water from a watering can. In this case, the bushes are not damaged, even if there is frost, and in this way you can get rid of pests that overwinter in the buds of the plant. But experienced gardeners They consider the method controversial and use the old method - preventive spraying with insecticides. Treatment with biological products requires multiple applications; pests cannot be destroyed with one treatment. All treatments are carried out at positive air temperatures, including at night.

Transfer

Replanting adult bushes is done only when there is great need, because with this action the currants begin to hurt and the bush may die. At the same time, fruiting is reduced for several years.

In the case of transplanting in the spring, there is a short period from the thawing of the ground to the opening of the buds in which this can be done.

If disturbed flowering bush, it will drop its flowers and there will be no berries. It is best to replant in the fall, and plant cuttings in the spring, taking into account the rules for caring for currants in early spring.

Caring for red, white and black currants

Currant berries, which are black in color, contain 4 times more vitamins than others, the leaves have a characteristic fragrant smell and are suitable for making tea, and they are more demanding to care for.

Black currant planting and care open ground demanding of soil and amount of moisture, grows poorly in sandy, saline or acidic areas, red and white currants are less demanding of soil composition and moisture, their root system stronger, lies deeper and spreads wider in the ground. Therefore, the layer of mulch for red may be less.

Black currant is more susceptible to diseases and pests, and the degeneration of the bush occurs earlier; it requires attention to the formation of the bush and avoidance of thickening. Currants, which have red berries, bear fruit throughout the entire bush, and cutting off the tops to reduce the length of the bush will not harm the yield. The black one has a large concentration of berries - from the middle of the bush to the top.

In black currants, berries form on the shoots for 2 years, and in red and white ones - 3-4 years, so pruning of crops will be different; if the growth of the red currant shoot is no more than 10 cm, and the growth of the branch is directed inward, such branches are removed, leaving the shoots , who increased their height by 30 cm during the season.

Red and white currants can be planted more compactly, 1.5 m apart, for black currants the distance between the bushes should be 2 m in order to reap a rich harvest. Currants different colors don't sit next to each other.

For red currants, shallow spreading of fertilizers is not suitable because the roots go deeper than black currants.

Spring care for currants in different regions

The principle of zoning is considered important in choosing varieties. There are several hundred varieties of currants bred for different regions countries. Currants grow best if they are chosen based on their growing area. Derived for Siberia frost-resistant varieties, it is not productive to plant there early variety, intended for the central region.

In regions where Cold winter, the bush should be covered with protective materials, the root system should be covered with sawdust and peat. Where the cottage is located in hot areas, a larger layer of mulch should be made to protect the roots from the scorching sun. Otherwise, the agricultural technology of the crop is no different. You should focus only on when, in a certain climatic zone the plant wakes up, and planting and caring for currants begins.

Mistakes in caring for currants in spring

The buds of the bush bloom very quickly, during flowering, in the month of May it is too late to do spring care, it is important not to miss the time when the buds are still dormant. This rule especially applies when branches are treated with boiling water.

On a note. Currants are demanding when it comes to watering, but you shouldn’t overwater them.

If you do not carry out pest prevention in the spring, the bush can be completely damaged; in some cases you have to get rid of it and not plant anything in this place for several years. Also, leaving old or weak branches is attractive to pests, which are then transferred to healthy branches. Pruning and burning such branches is one of the rules for growing and caring for currants.

An inexperienced gardener unknowingly removes young branches or tops instead of cutting off perennial branches.

Currants are an unpretentious crop, but for a sweet harvest large berries requires a lot of care, important aspect from which is the spring one, using the rules on how to care for currants during this period.

Currants must be cared for throughout the year. These bushes grow in almost everyone’s dacha or garden, but not everyone knows how to handle the plant correctly. And this is reflected in the harvest. In order for it to be rich, it is necessary to carry out fertilizing, watering, pruning bushes, loosening the soil and other procedures in a timely manner. From time to time you have to fight various diseases and pests (but prevention is best).

In spring, currants need to be cared for as follows:

1. Watering. It needs to be implemented already late spring, when the snow has completely melted and the soil has already dried out.
2. Treatment with boiling water. The procedure should be carried out before the buds open. The bushes need to be doused with boiling water. This is old folk remedy, which is used to prevent powdery mildew and other diseases and pests. It is enough to boil a bucket of water, and then use a watering can to make a hot shower for the bush. The water is poured onto the central part of the stem and branches. At this time, boiling water will not harm the bush, so there is no need to worry.
3. Processing of the tree trunk circle. When the soil dries out a little in the spring, it should be loosened with a rake. You can also additionally mulch with compost or humus. When the grass begins to grow, the latter will have to be mowed; it can also be used for mulching, but only be thoroughly chopped before doing this. It must be taken into account that such a layer takes up a lot of nitrogen during decay. To compensate for the lack of this component in the soil, it is recommended to water the space around the bushes with a urea solution - 1 tbsp is enough. l. substances per 10 liters of water.
4. Feeding. In spring, large amounts of nitrogen are needed. For example, fertilizers such as urea and ammonium nitrate. The first is 10 g per 1 sq. m, and the second - 15 g. Even during flowering, experts advise adding starch under the bush. This will increase productivity. It is necessary to dissolve 300 g in 10 liters of water potato starch and water the bushes at the roots with this product.
5. Insulation. When flowering just begins, but there is a risk of frost at night, it is necessary to insulate the bushes with a special covering material.

Summer care is as follows:

1. Watering. Currants are a moisture-loving crop, so they require a lot of water. The soil should not be allowed to dry out. Because of this, the berries begin to crumble. It is necessary to water only at the root. In dry weather, you need to do this once a week, 5 buckets of water for each bush. Spraying with ordinary water cannot be carried out, as this provokes the development of powdery mildew.
2. Loosening. This must be done after each watering. Thanks to this procedure, the roots will have access to oxygen. By the way, currants have a superficial root system, so you can’t use a shovel.
3. Feeding. In the summer, after harvesting, it is also necessary to apply fertilizers. For example, you will need 70 g of phosphorus and 30 g of potassium fertilizers for each bush. You can also simply add 100-150 g of complex mineral compositions. The use of compost and humus is allowed. This is done only once every 3 years. 10 kg is enough for each bush. In summer, urea will also benefit currants. Need 3 matchbox dissolve in a bucket of water. Then it is necessary to water the bushes from a watering can. This volume is enough for 1 plant.

In autumn, you also need to take good care of the crop:

1. Watering. It is not as abundant as in summer, but the soil should remain moist. Lack of water greatly affects the wintering of currants.
2. Feeding. It is necessary to add 30 g of potassium chloride and 100 g of superphosphate for each bush.
3. Insulation. It is recommended to tie the bushes with twine, and cover the plant with snow in winter.

Black currants usually bear fruit for up to 8 years. But 10-year-old plantings definitely need to be replaced. It's best to do this in advance. For example, plant new shrubs every 4-5 years.

Currant is a sweet and sour berry that many adults and children adore. And this is not surprising, because it contains a large amount of vitamins, especially vitamin C, group B and PP, as well as other useful macro- and microelements. However, in order for a berry bush to delight you with its abundant fruiting every year, it requires proper care throughout the growing season, and most of all after winter, when the plant is just waking up and needs care more than ever.

How should you care for currants in the spring to ensure a good harvest?

When to start carrying out spring activities to care for currants after winter: timing

As a rule, work on spring care of currants in the garden should begin immediately after the last snow has melted and the air temperature becomes positive and settles at approximately +4..+5 degrees.

Delaying the work of clearing and preparing currants for the new season for too long, unfortunately, threatens to develop into a moment when it will be too late to carry out care. In the warm sun, the buds will quickly begin to swell and crack, releasing young leaves and inflorescences. Therefore, it is important not to waste time and, at the very first favorable days, come to the dacha and get down to business.

To properly care for currants in the spring, you need to consider climatic features growing crops in different regions and, accordingly, start spring work on time:

So, in southern regions They start caring for currant bushes in early spring - in mid-March, immediately after the ground dries out a little.
IN Middle lane(Moscow region) they begin to care for currant bushes after winter much later - somewhere in the second half of April.
In the North-West (in Leningrad region), as well as in the Urals and Siberia, spring currant care is carried out towards the end of April and beginning of May.

How to care for currants in spring: basic activities

Regardless of different terms start of work in each separate region, the scheme of spring activities for caring for berry bushes is approximately the same.

So what should you do with currant bushes in the spring to get a good and tasty harvest?

As a rule, the measures for caring for currants in spring include the following:

opening after winter (removing winter shelter);
transfer;
pruning;
loosening and weeding;
watering;
mulching;
feeding;
treatment against pests and diseases.

Removing cover (mulch) after winter

To currants at low temperatures temperature conditions(from -25..-30) did not freeze; for the winter the plant is often covered, or rather mulched.

Therefore, when all the snow has completely melted and gone, you will need to remove all the mulch, as well as rake the bush from the tree trunk all the remaining garbage, the same leaves, etc.(it’s very convenient to do this with a fan rake) and then burn it.

Together with organic residues, you will get rid of many insect pests and fungal spores remaining after wintering. Besides, open ground warms up faster sun rays, which stimulates the plant to begin the growing season.

Trimming

If covering (mulching) is not at all a mandatory autumn operation, which means that not everyone will have to clear the bushes of last year’s mulch, then pruning is one of the most important care activities for currants, the correct execution of which largely depends future fruiting depends bush.

So, in the spring, if last year you did autumn pruning bushes, then, as a rule, you will only need to check that the bush survived the winter well, in other words, carry out sanitary pruning.

By the way! At this point you should also get rid of any tick buds that you can collect by hand. Moreover, it is advisable to do this as early as possible, in other words, you should not wait for them to swell.

It is quite simple to distinguish tick-borne ones from healthy buds: they are always round, while healthy ones are elongated.

Be sure to burn all the collected buds!

If you have not done autumn pruning, then it should be done here now, i.e. in the spring.

Loosening and weeding

Next you can start loosening the soil. Target of this event- this improves air access to the roots of the plant, as well as moisture and nutrition. Moreover, this must be done with a special hoe (5-6 cm), and in no case with a shovel, because... Currants have a fairly shallow root system.

As a rule, along with loosening, weeding is also carried out.

Watering

After the soil dries out from the snow, if there is no additional precipitation, it is very important not to let the currants “die of thirst.”

Adding an article to a new collection

Currants are not too whimsical. But still, you should not forget about the bush, otherwise the yield will begin to decrease and the berries will become smaller. Therefore, take time for the three main spring procedures: pruning, fertilizing and protection from diseases and pests.

In early spring, currants awaken after a long winter. When the snow melts, it is necessary to remove the cover from the bushes to avoid damping off. This should be done gradually so that the plant does not experience stress. Frame structures there is no need to disassemble them; they can still be useful for protecting plants from sunburn. It is enough to pull on a thin white spunbond, and the currants will be protected from the scorching spring sun.

Currants are considered a frost-resistant crop and do not require mandatory shelter. But it’s still worth organizing it if the winters in your region are snowless or very cold.

Caring for black, red and white currants in spring is practically the same. First, clear the soil under the bushes of old mulch and snow residues, loosen the soil and remove the first weeds. Now it's time to start pruning.

How to prune currants in spring?

Sanitary pruning of currants in the spring will allow the bushes to gain strength before flowering and fruiting. This is also an excellent opportunity to inspect the plants for signs of disease and pest damage.

Pruning must be done before the buds swell and active sap flow.

To work, take a sharp, clean pruner and remove:

dried, frozen, crooked and broken shoots;
diseased and thin branches;
shoots that thicken the bush;
dark brown old shoots.

Finally, do some formative pruning. U black currant leave 5-7 buds on the side shoots of 2-4 years old, cut off the rest. Shorten powerful annual shoots by 10-15 cm. As a result, the bush should become more compact and “transparent” in the center.

U red And white currant pruning is different because their branches are saved high yield up to 8 years old. For full fruiting, the bushes must have both young and old shoots. Cut off only the upper unripe parts of the shoots, remove the tops and the oldest branches. The branches of the first and second orders do not need to be touched. After pruning, the bush should consist of 20-25 branches 1-8 years old.

Read more about pruning currants in our article.

Currants begin to bud in early spring. If they have an unnatural swollen appearance, it means the plant is affected kidney mite . Without delay, cut or pinch off such buds before the pests emerge from them and spread throughout the currants.

Currant buds affected by currant bud mite; pcarbonat.ru

Also, when pruning, pay attention to the core of the cut branch. If it is dark and not green, it means the bush is infested with larvae currant glass. Is there a noticeable hole filled with dust? The plant attracted the larvae narrow-bodied borer. In case of severe damage, the bush will have to be uprooted. If there are few such branches, cut them out without leaving a stump, and be sure to treat the bushes against pests, which we will discuss below.

Sick and old branches, burn the affected buds, healthy shoots can be used for propagation.

Clean the tree trunks and loosen the soil so that air can better penetrate to the roots and the surface does not become crusty.

Do I need to water currant bushes in spring?

Red and white currant They tolerate drought well, unlike black ones, whose root system is located close to the surface of the earth. But in the spring, after the snow melts, all plants usually have enough moisture. Therefore, there is no need to additionally moisten the soil so as not to provoke root rot. The first watering is usually carried out in late May - early June, when the plants are actively growing and forming ovaries. Depending on the age of the bush, it is necessary to pour 2 to 5 buckets of water under each so that the soil is moistened to a depth of 40 cm.

If there was little snow in winter and the soil is dry in March-April, water it. Pour 2 buckets of soft water (preferably rain) under mature bushes (over 3 years old), and 1 bucket under young bushes.

How to feed currants in spring?

Caring for red, black and white currants in the spring also includes fertilizing, without which it will be difficult to obtain a rich harvest of berries. You can feed plants with organic matter and mineral fertilizers. For example, fertilizing currants in the spring can be carried out according to this scheme.

In the first year after planting, there is no need to fertilize the currants; the nutrients that were added to the planting hole will be enough for it.

After feeding, mulch the tree trunk circles to avoid moisture evaporation or negative impact sudden temperature change. It is better to use humus or compost for this, which will additionally saturate the soil with useful substances.

How to treat currants in spring against diseases and pests?

When the snow melts and the buds swell, it’s time to treat currants in the spring against diseases and pests. During pruning, you could already assess the health of the bushes. Perhaps some of them are sick and need urgent help. If no signs are observed, be sure to carry out preventive spraying. The best time for the procedure is March-April, while the buds have not yet opened.

Currant diseases in spring and early summer can cause crop failure. Among the most common and dangerous are the following: fungal diseases, How:

anthracnose - red-brown spots are noticeable on the leaves, which grow and merge over time;
septoria - at first the leaves become covered with small brown spots, by mid-summer they lighten in the center and turn brown at the edges;
gray rot - the leaves become covered with a brown coating and dry out, sometimes lumps with a characteristic coating appear on the wood;
rust - yellowish spots appear, which gradually merge with each other, and a rusty coating is noticeable on the underside of the leaves;
spheroteca (American powdery mildew) - the leaves, stems of the bush, and later the fruits are covered with a white coating (then the color turns brown).

No less dangerous viral diseases, for example, terry (reversion) and striped mosaic, which cannot be treated and require the complete destruction of the bushes.

To protect the plants, treat the currants in the spring before buds open with the following preparations of your choice:

You can also carry out protective spraying with ash. To do this, pour 100 g of ash into 1 liter of water, let it brew for 3 days, strain and add 3 liters of water.

Currant pests in the spring they are not yet so noticeable, but they will soon make themselves felt. We described above how to identify infestations with bud mites, currant glass beetles and borers. But currants have many more enemies. Thus, great damage to plants is caused by bud moths, moths, sawflies, currant gall midges, aphids and other dangerous insects.

The most popular means for protecting currants are the biological preparations Fitoverm, Bitoxibacillin, etc. Karbofos, Biotlin, Aktara, Aktellik, Fufanon, etc. are suitable for treating severely affected plants.

If you are a follower traditional methods, then use soap solution, infusions of garlic, onion peels or tobacco for prevention.

Is it necessary to pour boiling water over currants in spring?

You've probably heard that experienced gardeners pour boiling water over currant bushes in the spring. This procedure is designed to destroy pests and pathogenic bacteria. It is carried out strictly on a dormant bush (the buds are not swollen, there is no sap flow), otherwise there is a risk of damaging the plant. Before the procedure, it is advisable to tie the bush in order to shed all the shoots evenly.

Those who practice this method are sure that currants get this way additional protection. But it is important to take into account that boiling water cools quickly and is unlikely to have any significant destructive effect. In this case, you will need a lot of water, and after the procedure there will be dirt squelching under the bushes. Therefore, if you still think this method is correct, carry it out, but do not forget about other, more effective and less labor-intensive methods. One pouring of boiling water cannot completely protect currants from diseases and pests.

Caring for currants in the spring after winter is not very difficult. Spend time on the bush - and it will thank you with an abundance of juicy and large berries!

Spring is a key period in caring for the abodes of our gardens. At this time, it is especially important to help shrubs and trees restore strength after the winter cold and prepare for abundant fruiting. Black, red or white currants also need quality care.

Probably the first question that a novice gardener and gardener will have is why do bushes need quality care? After the winter cold, the plant is weakened, it needs to recover in order to begin sap flow, bud opening, and flowering with renewed vigor.

You need to start caring for black, white and red currant plantings in the garden when the temperature will remain at least 5 degrees Celsius. You should not postpone care activities, otherwise it may be too late (the kidneys will swell) and gardening events will not be as effective, and some can no longer be carried out.

By the way! Spring care for the red, white and black varieties is not fundamentally different. Therefore, you can use the tips described below, regardless of what kind of shrub you have.

Basic steps for spring currant care

To take good care of the shrubs on your site, you must first remove the cover (if you covered the plant for the winter), properly water it, loosen it, mulch it, treat it against diseases and pests, feed it, and prune it. Let's consider the basic measures for caring for currants that should be performed in the spring.

Removing winter shelter

Sheltering currants for the winter is an extremely important element of care when growing crops in regions with cold, harsh winters. But it is also important not only how promptly you cover the bush, but also how you remove the winter shelter.

First you need to carefully disassemble the materials with which the covering material was weighted, for example, pins, bricks, boards. Then you need to remove the material (for example, film, agrofibre) and gently straighten the plant so that it takes its normal position.

The bushes should not be allowed to remain under cover for too long. After all, the bush can dry out, and the shelter prevents the normal awakening and development of the plant. When the thaw sets in, it needs to be removed.

Watering

Full and proper watering bushes is an indispensable and extremely important event in spring care. If the bush lacks moisture, then it will be impossible to hope for a tasty and luxurious harvest.

Total for the whole summer season you need to water the bush about 4-5 times. In spring, watering should be carried out during intensive growth of green mass.. At least three to four buckets of water should be added to one bush. For irrigation, it is necessary to use settled water (for example, in a barrel) at street temperature.

Advice! If you make a groove around the trunk circle along the diameter of the crown, having a depth of about 15-20 centimeters, then you can water the shrub with convenience - the water will not spread.

Loosening

Loosening improves air and moisture exchange in the soil, due to which oxygen is better supplied to the root system of the plant; the procedure makes the soil drained. Also, water penetrates the soil better. Surface treatment is also necessary for spring care of berry crops.

The soil should be loosened after watering. Loosening the soil around the currants should be done to a shallow depth - no more than 3-5 centimeters c, otherwise there is a risk of damage to the plant’s root system.

Weed removal

On trunk circle weeds may “encroach”. And the bush clearly does not need it - the weeds pull the blanket over themselves in terms of consuming nutrients found in the soil and interfere with the normal care of the plant. That's why You need to weed the weeds along with the rhizome in a timely manner.

Mulching

Mulching the soil around the currant tree trunk helps protect the shrub from overgrowth weed, enriches the soil with nutrients, protects against unfavorable conditions and influence for a long time maintains optimal humidity levels.

The layer of mulch around currants in spring should be 5-7 centimeters. Can be used as mulching material sawdust, humus, peat, straw.

Treatment for diseases and pests with boiling water

You cannot leave shrubs to the mercy of fate to the delight of pests and to be torn apart by diseases. Great option treatment from unwanted “guests” of the garden will be treatment with boiling water in early spring. Under influence high temperature pathogens and pest larvae die.

Currants must be processed with boiling water after the snow melts(but you can carry out the procedure when there is still snow!) and before buds open. After they bloom, water hot water no longer possible!

Irrigation of the bush should be done from a watering can. Water temperature - not lower than 60 and not higher than 75 degrees. You need to pour boiling water over the currants so that the water flows in one place no more than five seconds.

Top dressing

Any shrub, growing in one place, feeds on elements found in the soil. Over time, the supply of such substances is depleted, and the soil becomes poorer. If the currant lacks nutrients, this will undoubtedly affect its fruiting. The berries will become smaller and their taste will become worse. Spring is a great time to replenish nutrients by fertilizing.

After the snow melts and a long winter, the shrub especially needs nitrogen, so in the spring you should feed the bush with nitrogen fertilizers. This is necessary to activate the plant after hibernation and build up green mass. Feeding should be done before buds open. But you should not overuse nitrogen fertilizers, otherwise rapid growth of green mass will begin to the detriment of fruiting.

At the end of May it is advisable to carry out spraying 1% solution of superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Foliar treatment with 0.01 boric acid solution is also useful.

Trimming

In spring, black, red and white currants need sanitary and formative pruning bush. The procedure helps eliminate unnecessary broken, damaged, dried out shoots.

The plant needs to be pruned at a time when the snow has melted, the air temperature remains stable above 5 degrees Celsius, and there is no risk of return frosts.

It is necessary to eliminate thickening shoots that grow deep into the bush. Shoots that are older than four years are pruned, they will bear fruit poorly and there is no point in leaving them. Vertically elongated shoots need to be shortened up to 5-7 buds, manipulation allows you to form a crown.

Video: features spring pruning currants

Attracting Bees

Bees are amazing little creatures, thanks to which we can enjoy fruits and berries. And of course, black, white and red currants are no exception. To attract many bees to pollinate the shrub, you can plant flowers and plants next to the shrub that will appeal to the insects and attract their attention. For example, peonies, honeysuckle, asters, verbena, buddleia.

You can also spray the plant with a solution of honey - dilute a tablespoon of honey in a liter of water.

You should not treat caring for berry bushes in the spring as a routine and difficult task. Such seasonal events are a noble activity that will help you get tasty, plentiful and useful harvest. You can make it from the berries themselves delicious jam, compotes, marmalade, marshmallows, and from healthy and intact leaves you can make a healthy herbal drink.

Currant is a valuable shrub that is a source large quantity useful vitamins and microelements. To get a rich harvest of black currants, you need to follow all the rules for caring for the plant as much as possible from the very beginning of its planting in the soil.

Growing currants.

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Young bushes are planted in autumn or spring. The best time September or October is considered for planting, since in the spring, when sap flow begins, the plant will actively grow. If currants are planted in the spring, this should be done before the trees begin to bud. As for the soil, the plant is unpretentious to almost any composition, the main thing is that the soil is not swampy or overly moist. However, for black currants to succeed, it is recommended to use fertile layer, consisting of sand, compost and peat 10-12 cm thick.

It is advisable to cover the trunk circle with mulch paper or dark film, pouring a small mound 15-18 cm high in the center of the bush. It is necessary to mulch the plant not only to maintain moisture, but also to combat the gooseberry moth, which is considered a dangerous pest for currants.

The bushes develop equally well both in the shade and in the sun. In early spring, as soon as the snow melts, preventive work should be carried out by watering the bushes with hot water from a watering can with a fine strainer. This measure will rid the plant of powdery mildew and some other diseases, killing dormant pests, neutralizing pathogenic spores and activating vitality currants The water temperature should be approximately +80°C. It is even possible to use boiling water, since small droplets will have time to cool in the cool air and will not burn the plant.

It is important to pour boiling water before the buds begin to bloom, and if they are already swollen, the water temperature should be slightly lower. Before green leaves bloom, diseased and damaged branches, as well as mite-affected buds, should be removed. Together with sanitary pruning They also carry out the general treatment, giving the bush a beautiful shape.

If the bushes were hilled up in the fall, then the tree trunk circle should be cleared, the ground should be carefully dug up, removing weeds, and mulched using manure or humus. Fertilizer should be spread around the bush at a distance of 20 cm. The flowering of the crop in the middle zone occurs from May 8 to May 17. At this time, to prevent the moth from damaging the plant, you can stick a flowering elderberry branch next to it.

Rapid flowering is not a guarantee bountiful harvest. Morning frosts can cause the ovaries to fall off. To prevent this from happening, you need to monitor the forecast. When cold weather is expected, cover the bushes plastic film or burlap, after watering them well at the root. Treating currants with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or boric acid will help increase the number of ovaries.

If cold weather occurs during flowering, it is useful to treat the plant with a 1% urea solution in the evening. If the bushes were not sprayed with hot water in the spring, use another method that protects the plant from aphids, currant sawflies and mites. Grind 600 g of dandelion tops along with roots and fill them with water for 10-12 hours, after which the currants are processed.

The plant loves good watering, after which it is necessary to weed and loosen the soil. If it is not mulched, loosening is necessary 2-3 times a week.

How should you care for currants in the spring to ensure a good harvest?

When to start carrying out spring activities to care for currants after winter: timing

As a rule, work on spring care of currants in the garden should begin immediately after the last snow has melted and the air temperature becomes positive and settles at approximately +4..+5 degrees.

In order to properly care for currants in the spring, it is necessary to take into account the climatic characteristics of growing the crop in different regions and, accordingly, begin spring work on time:

So, in the southern regions they begin caring for currant bushes in early spring - in mid-March, immediately after the soil dries out a little.
In the middle zone (Moscow region), they begin to care for currant bushes after winter much later - somewhere in the second half of April.
In the North-West (in the Leningrad region), as well as in the Urals and Siberia, spring currant care is carried out towards the end of April - beginning of May.

How to care for currants in spring: basic activities

Despite the different start dates for work in each individual region, the scheme of spring activities for caring for berry bushes is approximately the same.

So what should you do with currant bushes in the spring to get a good and tasty harvest?

As a rule, the measures for caring for currants in spring include the following:

opening after winter (removing winter shelter);
transfer;
pruning;
loosening and weeding;
watering;
mulching;
feeding;
treatment against pests and diseases.