Currant Emerald Necklace

Now it is quite rare to see a garden or a personal plot where such a fruit and berry culture as currants does not grow. Moreover, it is presented in different varieties, most often it is white, red and black. There are also such shrubs, endowed with fruits of a green hue, although in fact, these berries with this color are considered a mutation of varieties with black fruits. In this article, we will consider in detail one of such subspecies as currant Emerald necklace.

Currant Emerald Necklace: variety description

Currant Emerald necklace: photo of the variety

Currant bush Emerald necklace, which has medium spreading, is often grown not only for a healthy and very tasty harvest, but also attracted in the form of a hedge. The main distinguishing feature of this shrub is not quite the usual shade of its fruits - green, which, moreover, are endowed with excellent taste characteristics and rather soft skin. During the ripening period, as well as after full ripening, these berries have a yellow-green color. Plus, they have a specific aroma of this fruit and berry culture. But it should be noted right away that, despite its fruit shade, this plant is not considered a separate species of this culture. Green currant Emerald necklace, in fact, is one of the varieties of black currant, but with green berries.

The currant variety Emerald Necklace appeared in the All-Russian Research Institute of Horticulture named after V.I. I.V. Michurina (in the Tambov region), by hybridization of the variety Ojebin and Black Pearl varieties. It is due to the selection of the Siberian blackcurrant variety Black Pearl and the ecotype of the Scandinavian countries of the European blackcurrant variety Odzhebin that the fruits of this subspecies became owners of a pale yellow color with a slight greenish tint.

It is worth noting one interesting fact: in the 19th century, the currant Emerald Necklace was called the "monastery berry", because it was on the territory of the monasteries that it began to be grown for the first time, and in large quantities. And only after about half a century, they began to cultivate it in private gardens and plots.

The initial goal of creating the Emerald Necklace green currant variety was to breed a plant with high frost resistance and excellent immunity to common diseases, as well as resistant to the attack of harmful and dangerous insects. Another important reason for obtaining a subspecies with such a fruit color was the manifestation of allergic reactions in children to currants with black years. Studies have shown that this subspecies of currants is completely hypoallergenic, due to the lowest content of pectins and sugars, when compared with the fruits of black currants.

Currant Emerald necklace: characteristic of the variety

Black currant shrub Emerald necklace has medium spreading and size, it can grow up to a maximum of 120 centimeters, it is erect. This variety belongs to plants with an average late ripening period. It is considered bisexual and self-pollinated. The beginning of the flowering period falls on the month of June. Flowers when blooming are endowed with a small size and purple color, have a goblet shape. The foliage is quite tender, green in color, slightly shiny. The leaves of this bush are medium to large.

The fruits are endowed with a shade not quite usual for this culture - yellow-green, and in the inner part of these berries there are seeds of a very small size. The surface of the fruit is covered with a translucent skin with small gaps. The berries themselves are of an average size, each can reach a weight of 4 grams. They are quite aromatic, with a sweet taste with a slight sourness, quite common in black currants. Harvesting takes place until the second half of September. This subspecies is endowed with a good yield indicator, about three kilograms from one shrub. And also the variety is distinguished by high immunity to common diseases and harmful insects. The subspecies is perfect for cultivation in regions with unfavorable and difficult winter periods. It should also be said that it does not require pollinators.

Blackcurrant variety Emerald necklace is considered a valuable and important source of biologically active compounds, these are vitamin C (158 milligrams per 100 grams of product) and polyphenols, which act as antioxidants. This berry contains minerals such as calcium and potassium, which reduce the risk of heart disease. It is also worth noting the content of zinc, manganese, iron and magnesium in these fruits.

The very small seeds of these fruits contain linolenic acid, which helps to reduce blood lipids. The chemical composition of these berries also contains: the sum of sugars 10.3 percent, pectins 1.6 percent per 100 grams of product.

Currant Emerald Necklace: Advantages and Disadvantages

Black Currant variety Emerald necklace with green berries: photo

Like any variety of this fruit and berry crop, this subspecies has its positive and negative qualities. The benefits of this shrub include:

• Unusual fruit color.
• Low growth of the bush.
• High level of frost resistance.
• The universal purpose of the fruit.
• Stable productivity.
• The subspecies is not attractive to birds, so the harvest is saved on the bush.
• High level of immunity to common diseases, as well as good resistance to harmful insects.
• Dessert taste characteristics of the fruit.
• Possibility of not only single, but also group landings.

The subspecies does not have any particular drawbacks, they can only be attributed to:

• - Average weight of fruits.
• - The subspecies is quite picky about the landing site.
• - Demanding in a timely irrigation procedure in a drought.

Currant Emerald Necklace: Growing and Care

Agricultural engineering activities include:

• The right place for planting a seedling.
• The choice of a plant subspecies for growing in a specific region.
• Buying a viable seedling.
• Soil preparation.
• Disembarkation and further care activities.

Site selection and disembarkation

Black currant variety Emerald necklace is very demanding on lighting, so the planting site should have constant sunlight, maybe with a little shade, the southern side of the site will be best suited. Being in the shade, this plant will give worse harvest, the fruits will become more acidic. The choice should be made in favor of a not damp place, protected from strong winds, as well as late frosts. Although this subspecies has a high level of frost tolerance, cold and strong winds can harm the flowers of the plant in the spring.

Also, there should be no surface groundwater at the landing site. The soil should have a weak acidity index, about 6-6.5, and should also be fertile and sufficiently loose. To lower the acidity index, half a kilogram of lime per square meter should be added to the soil. When planting several seedlings at once, it is required to leave a distance of one and a half meters in rows between plantings, with an interval of about 2-2.4 meters from each other.If you decide to plant this crop as a living hedge, then you can reduce this distance between seedlings.

It is allowed to plant these shrubs under crops such as: pear, cherry, peach trees, grapes. The best time for disembarkation is the autumn period. You can engage in planting this subspecies of currants in the spring, but avoiding the period of return frosts. When planting this bush in the spring, the plant will need a constant watering procedure during the first months of life.

Before planting a seedling of this variety, you should first prepare the place and soil. For this:

• About two to three weeks before planting the seedling, you should weed out the weed area.
• Dig the landing hole so that its depth is about 60 centimeters, and in the circumference of the hole is half a meter.
• A drainage layer should be placed on the bottom of the planting hole. For this, shards, sawdust, crushed stone, broken brick or pebbles are used. Moreover, when pouring rubble into the hole, it is required to additionally add several handfuls of sand.
• Organic fertilizers should also be added to the planting zone, such as rotted manure or garden compost, and about five kilograms of organic matter should go to one square meter.
• Before the planting procedure itself, it is required to add two tablespoons of granular double superphosphate under each bush, and one more tablespoon of potassium and urea, without chlorine only. On top of this, add a layer of soil again so that the roots of this crop cannot touch the fertilizers, otherwise they may get burned.
• Water abundantly (one bucket of water per bush).

Planting a variety of green currants Emerald necklace is carried out according to the following scheme:

• About two hours before planting, the seedling should be soaked in water so that its root system can be saturated with moisture.
• Then place the seedling in the center of the planting hole, while gently straightening its roots. During planting, the seedling must be kept at an inclination of 45 degrees, and in which direction the slope is directed is not at all important. This is done in this way, because with an upright position when planting a given seedling, you will wait for new shoots from it for a very long time, and the yield will be at a low level.
• If you purchased a seedling in a container, then when planting it should be set five centimeters deeper than a seedling bought in a pot. In this case, you will get the best possible result.
• The planting hole is filled with soil mixture, and when pouring it, you should shake the plant a little so that there are no voids left. The soil must be carefully tamped as the planting hole is filled.
• Around the bush, you need to make a small furrow and pour in one bucket of water, but gradually.
• Then, all shoots need to be cut into two or three buds, slightly above the level of the soil surface. This will be able to stimulate new growth of the plant at the beginning of the spring warming.

Blackcurrant Emerald necklace prefers to grow in an environment saturated with nitrogen, which is why, after the planting procedure, it is required to apply a layer of mulch on the ground. Suitable as this mulch: wood chips, fallen leaves, well-rotted manure.

Care

Within two weeks after the planting, watering this seedling is required quite often, about two to three times every 7 days, so that moisture is in the soil all the time. The most important for this subspecies is constant watering and distribution of a layer of mulch near the shrub to maintain soil moisture in the summer season. It is also very important to constantly weed the area near the bush from weeds, and it is advisable to do this manually.

It is also worth noting that the hoe is categorically not suitable for caring for this subspecies of currant, since the root system of this plant is superficial, and thus it can be damaged. Experienced gardeners advise periodically using garden forks to "pierce" the soil near the shrub, thereby improving air circulation.

The currant shrub Emerald necklace can bear fruit for an average of 8-10 years, and at this time it takes a rather large amount of micronutrients from the soil. In order to give this shrub a bountiful harvest of ripe berries, it needs top dressing every year.

Experienced gardeners and gardeners describe various feeding methods, such as:

• Regular. With it, one bucket of compost should be added to one square meter of planting, with 15 grams of sulfuric acid potassium and 50 grams of superphosphate added there.
• After the flowering period, you need to feed the plant with a solution of bird droppings. This requires diluting poultry droppings in a ratio of 1:20, and, accordingly, fertilizing shrubs.
• A very successful and good ecological feeding is considered to be one that consists of fish heads and bones, because the fish is quite rich in phosphorus, which is so necessary for this fruit and berry culture. The bones of the fish, but not salted, the scales and heads should be dried, twisted in a meat grinder, or ground and sprinkled after in the autumn, one handful under each shrub of this plant.
• Very good results were shown by feeding on the basis of food bran (on potato peelings). To do this, you need to collect about 600-800 grams of potato peel, pour it with one liter of water and boil for several minutes. After that, the cleaning should be thrown away, and the liquid should be poured into a bucket with a volume of 10 liters, add water to the very top and mix everything. In the spring, it is required to add such a decoction under each shrub before the beginning of the flowering period, in an amount of two to three liters for each plant.
• Do not pour water after cooking pasta, cereals, vegetables and potatoes into the drain, as it is a whole complex of micro- and macroelements useful for this culture. The cooled liquid should be added to each plant, one to two liters.
• After picking the berries, you need to make a top dressing, based on potassium and phosphorus. To do this, dilute 40 grams of fertilizer in 10 liters of liquid, and then add two liters for each shrub.

You should also consider fertilizing applied at a specific time:

• Sleeping kidneys. The plant is treated with boiling water, or with DNOC from a watering can, against a complex of pests.
• During bud break. While loosening the soil, ammonium nitrate is introduced, one matchbox for each plant.
• Shoot growth period. The plant should be sprayed with Topaz, for powdery mildew disease.
• During the budding period, the very beginning of flowering, the plant should be treated with boric acid and iron chelate, in a ratio of 10 grams of substance per 10 liters of liquid.
• The end of the flowering period. Top dressing is carried out with bird droppings (1:15), or mullein (1: 5), under watering.
• During the period of growth and filling of fruits. They make constant watering and processing with Immunocytophyte, so that stress does not arise due to the heat.
• The period of ripening of the fruit harvest. Immediately after harvesting, shoots are cut out, which were affected by the glass, after which the shrub is sprayed with Topaz with Fufanon.
• End of shoot growth. The crop is fed with potassium sulfate and superphosphate, two matchboxes per plant.
• The period of leaf fall. At this time, the ends of the stems that were affected by the disease powdery mildew are cut out, and shoots affected by the kidney mite and glassworm are also removed.

Diseases and pests

Harmful insects quite rarely attack this culture, but in order to still avoid this trouble, it is worth taking a number of preventive measures. At the time of the swelling of the buds, but then, when the foliage has not yet appeared, these bushes should take a hot shower. To do this, the water should be heated to 60 degrees and poured over it quickly enough, until the shrubs have cooled down. These actions have a rather destructive effect on harmful and dangerous insects that wake up in the spring, and this procedure is very favorable for the plant itself. This subspecies of currant has good immunity to common diseases. For prevention, you can apply the treatment of the culture with Fitosporin.

The procedure for pruning and shaping a bush

In the case of the black currant emerald necklace, fruiting shoots are those that are no more than three years old. The yield of this plant can be increased by pruning and shaping the crown of the bush. In the second and third autumn, weak stems should be removed slightly above the surface of the soil to stimulate the growth of new shoots. The next two autumn periods, you need to cut out absolutely all dried shoots, especially those that are in the middle of the bush, because the penetration of the sun's rays into the center of the culture is crucial and very important. Plus, this performed procedure frees up space for the formation of new increments. It is also very important to cut out the stems of the plant older than three years, as they are not productive.

In adulthood, the Emerald Necklace currant bush should have 13-20 stems. Twisted, tangled branches lying on the surface of the soil should be removed in time. The shrub should be beautiful and regular, cupped. In order to stimulate the growth of the largest number of new shoots, it is required to remove old wood to new buds in the autumn.

Wintering

Currant Emerald Necklace has a high level of frost tolerance, as it was originally bred for cultivation in areas with difficult and unfavorable winter periods. Therefore, shelter for this plant for the winter season is not required.

Collection and storage

Currant Emerald necklace: video about the variety

Ripe fruits of the black currant Emerald necklace should be eaten fresh in a fairly short period of time - three to five days, otherwise they may deteriorate. At an air temperature of +4 degrees (in the refrigerator), these fruits retain their qualities for 7 days. If you follow all the rules for picking berries, then they will not wrinkle, and it will be possible to carefully fold them into containers that are not deep for long-term transportation.

Conclusion

Currant Emerald necklace is not considered ubiquitous, but those who were able to taste these delicious, delicate and beautiful berries of an unusual shade for currants will definitely want to grow this useful crop in their personal plot. The main thing is to follow all agrotechnical norms and recommendations, and then the result will please you very much.