Features of growing red currants

Growing red currants and planting

If you decide to plant red currants on your site, then this decision is absolutely correct, since it has always been called the berry of health! In Europe, it has been known and popular since the 5th century, and then the cultivation of red currants was produced exclusively because of their beauty, the wonderful taste and healing properties of these berries became known later.

Red currants contain a lot of vitamins A and P, pectin, iron. It improves appetite, helps the intestines, red currant juice is useful for colds. Compotes and jellies, fruit drinks and sauces, as well as kvass and liqueurs are made from red currants.

Any soil is suitable for planting this plant. Red currant is light-loving, but less demanding on moisture, in comparison, for example, with black currant. Cuttings of red currant are not very willing to take root, so it is better to propagate it by dividing the bush or layering.

The most favorable time for planting this plant is the end of August and September. The place must be prepared in advance, dig holes with a diameter of about half a meter at a distance of at least one and a half meters from each other - the bushes will grow and it is very important that they have enough space and nutrients from the soil.

When preparing, we apply fertilizers - manure or compost, as well as a mixture of mineral fertilizers, based on the condition of the soil of your site (if the soil is acidic, we add lime and dolomite, if on the contrary, we add potassium sulfate and superphosphate).

After planting, we compact the soil around and water it. Cut off the seedlings, leave about 10-15 cm with two or three buds, well mulch the soil around the bush.

Care.

At proper care red currant bushes will yield a crop for almost 20 years. And leaving is not difficult at all. In the spring and fall, feed your plants, apply nitrogen fertilizers (in the spring) and potassium chloride and superphosphate (in the fall).

Summer care consists only in weeding - currants do not like weeds, and an increase in watering during the ripening of berries. Red currants need pruning. This is done in the fall or early spring, until the sap flow has begun.

Before flowering, you need to cut off those branches that are frozen, withered or damaged by pests. Starting from about the sixth to seventh year, prune three to four old branches annually, thereby rejuvenating the bush, and also prune off excess basal one-year-old shoots to avoid thickening the bush.

Pests.

Most often, red currant is attacked by currant goldfish, leaf aphid, kidney moth, shoot aphid, spider mite. To eliminate pests, the bushes are treated with Fitoferm, but only after flowering and strictly following the instructions. Wormwood or tobacco infusions help against spider mites - they can be sprayed with plants all summer.

Diseases that can affect currants: anthracosis, powdery mildew, septoria. Chemical preparations will help to cope with them. The most dangerous disease is terry.

The disease is viral and so far there are no chemicals that can cope with it completely. In this case, the diseased bushes will have to be destroyed in order to stop the spread of the disease.

Red currant bushes are distinguished by good health, so there is a high probability that you will not face the problem of disease or pests.