Currant Katyusha: description, cultivation, protection

The article presents the Katyusha currant: description of the variety, planting, care, cultivation, protection.

Currant Katyusha: basic information

Currant Katyusha: photo of the variety

Absolutely everyone loves products grown in their own garden or in their own garden. It is always nice to know that this or that fruit was grown in an ecologically clean environment, without the use of any chemicals, stimulants and GMOs.

And, of course, the king or, more precisely, the queen of crops grown in almost every area of ​​our country is black currant, because it is not only incredibly tasty, but also very useful, and also has an incredibly wide range of applications.

you can eat currants raw, you can dry them, you can make various jams, compotes and jams, or you can sell your product, having received real benefits for your efforts.

And, of course, all gardeners want to use the space of their plots as efficiently as possible, and also do their best to simplify the process of caring for the plant. For these needs, a huge number of varieties of all fruit plants are bred, and black currant, as one of the most popular, has an incredible amount of them. You can get lost in such a variety, and therefore we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the Katyusha variety, which will definitely not leave you indifferent and will become a wonderful addition to your garden.

Currant Katyusha: variety description

Currant Katyusha: photo of the variety

In size, the Katyusha currant bush has fairly standard parameters that do not go beyond the average. The same can be said about the dimensions of the crown of this plant: it is not very large and has an average thickening, due to which the berries receive a lot of sunlight, and the plant does not bend under the weight of its own foliage, not to mention the fruits.

The flowering of the Katyusha currant begins in May or June. The flowers that appear on its branches have a yellowish or even greenish tint, and therefore they can be considered as decoration of your site.

The berries, like the rest of the tree, are of medium size and weight, do not stand out much from other currants in appearance. However, it can be noted that they are somewhat more glossy.

Black currant Katyusha: the history of variety breeding

Black currant Katyusha: photo of the variety

The black currant Katyusha was bred at the Belarusian Institute of Fruit Crops Breeding and Fruit Growing. A large team of very professional and renowned breeders have been working on this project and it should be noted that they have produced a truly amazing tree.

The Katyusha currant variety is hybrid, which means that it has several mother varieties that impart their basic characteristics to this blackcurrant. These varieties were currants Pauline and Pilot Alexander Mamkin.

The variety has been known for a long time, however, Katyusha was entered into the state varietal register only in 1998, and since then its popularity has only continued to grow. Today it is spread practically throughout Russia.

Appearance and characteristics

First of all, I would like to say that this plant has a huge advantage over some other varieties of black currant, since it is capable of self-pollination, and therefore, you do not need to plant pollinator varieties if you want to plant Katyusha in your garden.

The ripening time for the Katyusha blackcurrant variety is medium, and therefore it cannot be ranked either as a late or an early variety.

It should also be noted that the black currant Katyusha has a fairly strong immunity, which allows it to successfully defend itself against a large number of dangerous diseases. Their list, however, does not include a large number of fungal diseases that can cause very serious damage to currants if preventive procedures are not carried out.

The ripening of the fruits of this variety of currants occurs almost simultaneously, and therefore you can collect all of them in one harvesting procedure. On the branches, the berries hold quite tightly, but the separation from the branch is dry and does not cause difficulties. Also, the pluses that accompany Katyusha berries include the fact that there are not so many seeds in them, and they are also quite small.

It is also worth talking about the leaves of this plant, since in order to grow a crop, you need to have the most complete understanding of it, and for this you need to know about all its features. They have three lobes, although most members of the gooseberry family have five. There is also a slight jaggedness along the edges of the leaves, which looks more like waves, and, of course, there are pronounced veins that differ slightly from the entire leaf plate in a brighter shade. There are a lot of veins on the surface of the leaf, and they form a kind of pattern.

The yield of this variety, albeit not at a height, but it is definitely enough for a black currant of this size. In total, you will be able to collect about eleven tons per hectare of plantings.

However, the advantages of this plant do not end there: it, like almost any other black currant, has exceptional healing properties and a very rich composition. The berries contain vitamins of almost all known groups, as well as various minerals necessary for our body.

however, you definitely should not believe the rumors, which, for advertising purposes, claim that currants can cure any ARVI disease without problems. These berries are not omnipotent, but no one denies the fact that they help to alleviate the course of the disease and significantly accelerate recovery, because such a vitamin complex is very useful for immunity.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the Katyusha currant

We have already listed a fairly large number of advantages of this currant, however, obviously, ideal plants do not exist, and therefore it must have some disadvantages, and it definitely has them, but first I would like, nevertheless, to recall the advantages.

First of all, it should be noted the resistance of the variety to the effects of low temperatures, which allows you to grow Katyusha currants even in the frosty regions of our country.

We must not forget about the high yield, which is accompanied by no less high qualities of the crop itself, which were noted by both professional gardeners and tasters.

The fruits ripen at the same time, which makes them much easier to harvest.

The plant has a self-fertility level of almost one hundred percent, which makes it possible to grow it even without pollinators.

As for the shortcomings, the following features of the Katyusha currant can be distinguished:

The plant is quite demanding on the soil on which it is grown, and therefore problems with its preparation may arise.

The berries are rather small in size, although there are a very large number of them.

The plant must be protected from winds and drafts, otherwise it can get very sick.

Also, we must not forget about how unstable this variety is to the effects of fungal diseases.

Plant care and planting

Of course, all of the above positive qualities will be able to fully reveal themselves only when you take good care of the plant, but its disadvantages through excellent care can be minimized. However, in addition to everyday care, there is another procedure that is incredibly important for any plant, and this procedure is called planting. Therefore, to begin with, we will analyze it exactly.

Planting currant varieties Katyusha

In order to carry out a successful planting, which, by the way, is about fifty percent of the plant's success, you must first decide where you will plant your currants.

Choosing a landing site

One of the most important parameters when planting any plant is sunlight, because it is from it that all crops receive a huge amount of energy necessary for life. The currant also needs light, but it must flow clearly on schedule. In the morning, the sun's rays should be bright enough, but in the daytime, when the sun becomes hottest, the currants should be in the shade, as they do not tolerate too high temperatures and can get burned.

As for the soil, there are also quite specific requirements for it, which include good drainage, since waterlogging is one of the most important sources of danger for this currant.

If we talk directly about the composition of the soil, then it should be very fertile and preferably contain humus. It might even be worth adding clay to it. Simply put, the ground must be heavy.

If sandy soils prevail on your site, then they must be supplemented with all kinds of fertilizers, as well as simple fertile soil, which will make them more suitable for Katyusha currants.

However, it is necessary to monitor not only the nutritional value of the soil, but also its acidity level, since it is incredibly important for the plant and should not be higher than six pH. If the acidity level in your soil exceeds the norm, then it should be treated with wood ash.

As mentioned above, you will also have to take care of protecting this plant from through winds, because they can cause considerable damage to the currants. Therefore, if you want to find a suitable place for Katyusha currants on your site, consider areas near fences or walls of houses as priorities.

Planting timing

Unfortunately, one suitable place is not enough to carry out a completely successful planting, and therefore you also have to take care of choosing the most suitable time for the procedure, which most often falls in the fall.

However, this applies only to those cases when you purchase a seedling with an open root system for it, the most suitable planting time will be the autumn months (September - October), but if you dig a plant with the intention of storing it in a special container in the near future, then an autumn planting may well suit you.

The main conditions for choosing the most suitable time are air temperature and soil moisture. It should not be too cold outside, as frost can harm the young seedling, and weeks during which it rains should be avoided, because they leave a large amount of moisture in the soil.

Sapling selection

In fact, if you buy plant seedlings exclusively from certified stores or from nurseries you can trust, then there should be no problems with the quality of the product.

However, we strongly recommend that you check the product before purchasing it, because the root system can be severely damaged, like any other part of the plant.

You should also make sure that the seedling you buy has three or four shoots. With a smaller amount, you should not even pay attention to it. Also, you should observe if there are buds on the branches, as well as how many of them, because they will play a key role in the development of the Katyusha currant in the near future.

Planting process

First of all, it should be noted that the very process of planting a plant begins long before the seedling is placed in the ground. It starts about two to three weeks before that, and better - even four weeks before you have to prepare the landing pit. During this time, the soil should infuse and lie down, which will allow the procedure to be carried out without any problems in a short time.

However, the hole must also be correct, and therefore you must also follow the instructions when digging it. These instructions, firstly, imply the correct dimensions of the pit, which should be fifty to fifty centimeters. However, this is only true for 2-year-old seedlings, while older plants require larger holes.

Now, three to four weeks after digging the hole, you can start planting the plant directly. In order to regulate the amount of moisture in the pit, we first need to fill it with a drainage layer, which must be of high quality. It is advisable not to use broken brick, as it becomes unusable pretty soon.

It is also very desirable to add various fertilizers to the pit, which will allow the seedling to take root much faster and with much greater success in a new environment for it. They will also significantly increase the yield of the future black currant and increase its immunity, making it much easier for the plant to fight various diseases.

To begin with, we suggest that you fill up with humus or manure, and only then add mineral complexes and other useful trace elements. All of them need to be mixed well, since all these preparations should evenly flow into the entire root system of the currant.

Now that the pit is fully equipped with drainage, as well as good plant nutrition, you can fill it with a bucket of water and wait literally half an hour until it settles. Then you can start planting.

The stem must be placed in the hole at an inclination of approximately forty-five degrees. You will also have to make sure that there is a slight deepening (about five centimeters), and, of course, the root system of the planted bush should be evenly distributed over the fertilizer slide that you formed at the bottom of the hole.

Now that the currants are in the hole, you can begin to slowly fall asleep. At the same time, it is worth remembering to tamp the soil added to the pit, since otherwise air bubbles may form, which can cause great harm to the plant.

After that, the seedling is watered with another bucket of water and left alone for quite a long time, as it will need to get used to the new habitat. However, before limiting contact with the plant, it should be pruned.

Each shoot is cut in such a way that no more than two buds remain on it from the soil level. In this way, you will concentrate the plant's strength on growth, and not on the formation of shoots.

Finally, we strongly recommend that you mulch the bush, which will not allow moisture from the soil surface to evaporate. Simple materials such as sawdust or straw are best used as mulch, but humus and, for example, a little peat may work.

What care does Katyusha currant require?

Now, if you followed all the instructions correctly, your plant has every chance of becoming incredibly efficient, growing and fertile. However, in order to achieve these results, it is necessary to take very good care of the currants and provide them with the best conditions for growth.

Now we will tell you about each procedure included in the Katyusha blackcurrant care complex, and also describe it in all details so that your plant is always well-groomed, well-fed and watered. Let's start, in fact, with watering.

Watering

the very first watering of this plant after you finish planting it is carried out only after three to two weeks, since the shrub will already have enough water for the first time.

However, all the following procedures will not keep you waiting so long, because in general, watering is carried out once every two weeks (of course, despite the fact that the weather is dry). However, such frequent moistening is a measure applicable only to young seedlings. Older plants are watered only once a week, and this is enough for them.

As for the volume of each irrigation, it should not exceed fifteen liters, however, it should not be less than ten. Therefore, twelve liters is the most optimal option, but you should also pay attention to the age and size of the seedling, because the amount of water can change from these parameters.

Loosening

Speaking of watering, one must also say about loosening the soil, since this sanitary procedure is carried out together with watering.

Loosening is an incredibly important process, as it eliminates the appearance of weeds near the plant, and also prevents the formation of entire populations of insects that like to prepare their attacks on various plants just underground.

What else should be said about loosening is that there are certain tools for carrying out this procedure. However, many gardeners prefer to forget about it, using everything except hoes: shovels, hoes and even a pitchfork. We strongly do not recommend approaching loosening in this way, because the root system of currants is fragile, and the tools listed above cannot be called completely safe for it.

Top dressing

And, of course, we must not forget about feeding: it is carried out annually and is an integral part of the cultivation of this plant, since without it the Katyusha currant will be much less fertile, and the berries will be even less.

In the second year of plant growth in your garden, you can resort to using compost as fertilizer for your currants. Approximately two and a half kilograms are laid in the soil.

If you see that your currants are growing slowly and barely developing, then you can even re-feed in the summer.

Also, in order for your currants to receive the most complete food, which would include absolutely all the preparations that it needs, you will need to alternate mineral fertilizers with organic ones. Thus, you can maintain balance without depriving your currants with either one or the other type of feeding.

Important! Always follow the dosage indicated on the fertilizer package. It can be incredibly important, because overdoses with such drugs never lead to anything good.

However, organic fertilizers do not have instructions, and therefore we have selected the best ones for you and invite you to study their use in more detail.

To begin with, we should mention the most common bird droppings, which, for sure, are familiar to absolutely every gardener. It is used to fertilize almost all plants, and therefore everyone should know all the tricks and subtleties of its use.

Before the fertilizer is ready for use, it must be insisted. To do this, you will have to find a warm room and leave the manure in it for about a week.

Just before placing the fertilizer in the soil, it is necessary to add a little urea to it. Poultry manure is spread around the trunk of the plant so that it reaches every area of ​​its root system.

Another method of using manure is the preparation of slurry, which differs, for the most part, only in concentration and method of operation.

In order to prepare such a solution, you will need to dilute part of the manure in five parts of water and, of course, let the resulting mixture brew for a week.

After that, in order to introduce the resulting slurry into the root system of the plant, two grooves are pulled out around the trunk with a depth of no more than eight centimeters. As you understand, the solution is poured into them with the calculation: ten liters per square meter.

A slightly less popular, but no less effective fertilizer is a nettle decoction: it has a very beneficial effect on the plant, and also strengthens its immunity, preventing it from getting sick.

in order to prepare such a decoction, you will need to fill a five-liter bucket with two-thirds of nettle. After that, the mass in the bucket is filled with water and left for exactly one week.

After the broth is ready, it can be poured under the bushes without unnecessary preludes and additives. Pour at least a liter under each black currant.

Currant Katyusha: fight against diseases and pests

Before moving on to fungal diseases that can harm your plant, as well as to methods of dealing with them, I would like to mention one extremely unpleasant insect - the only one that poses a real threat to the Katyusha currant.

This insect is called gall aphid, and you can find it in almost every garden. If you do not detect in time and do not try to repel the attack, you may well even lose the bush, and therefore you must definitely watch out for this parasite.

You will immediately know that a tree is infected if you notice unexplained red bumps forming on the surface of the leaves. They are the handiwork of insects.

Subsequently, these bulges cause foliage to curl, however, even if infestation is detected at this stage, you can still save the plant. But the next stage, most likely, will lead to the amputation of a large number of branches and shoots. When insects are mistaken for these vegetative parts, they begin to bend and deteriorate greatly, resulting in disruption of the natural fruiting cycle.

Controlling this insect if it has already attacked your tree can be a daunting task, however, the best method of dealing with any infection is, in principle, prevention, and we strongly recommend periodically treating the tree with insecticides to prevent even the chance of aphids appearing.

If preventive measures have not been taken, but the infection is at an early stage, then the insects can well be driven off with ordinary soapy water.

If you already see how aphids begin to adversely affect the shoots, then you should resort to insecticides, as well as to completely cut off those branches that were affected, since they can carry insect eggs on themselves, and, in principle, are already incapacitated.

It is best to carry out processing, oddly enough, in cloudy weather, which is confirmed by a large number of studies by reputable scientists and gardeners.

Now it's worth talking about fungal diseases, which are the most serious threat to almost all garden plants. Fortunately, the methods of dealing with all of them are quite simple and absolutely the same, but you will have to be on your guard constantly, because it is to these diseases that the Katyusha currant is most vulnerable.

Most often, they are manifested by deformation of leaves or shoots, as well as the appearance of suspicious spots of different colors on them.Fungicides are used as prevention methods, as well as banal cleanliness and accuracy when working in the garden.

However, if infection nevertheless occurred, then the methods of treating the tree are all the same fungicides, however, special attention must also be paid to the removal and destruction of absolutely all infected parts, because the fungus is located directly inside them, and, leave you a piece of it intact - after some while the effect of the drug wears off, your plant will get sick again, so be careful.

Pruning and shaping the bush

This part of plant care is especially important, because an improperly formed bush is much less effective than one that is constantly looked after and whose crown is regulated.

In order to give your plant the correct and effective shape, you will need to constantly - from year to year to carry out renewal pruning, which consists in getting rid of branches in the very center of the bush, which will not only reduce the load, but also promote air circulation, which will not allow fungal diseases take you by surprise.

However, all of the above does not apply to the first year of a plant's life, because at such an early age it does not need pruning at all. And already in the second year, this procedure is carried out without fail.

It should also be noted that you should use extremely well-sharpened and disinfected tools, because otherwise you can introduce some kind of infection into the plant or simply slow down the restoration of the cover of its bark, which will also not lead to anything good. We also advise you to stock up on garden varnish, with which you will process the cut points.

Currant Katyusha: wintering

As mentioned earlier in the article, the Katyusha currant has exceptional winter hardiness, and therefore it survives winters with relative ease. However, this does not mean that you can completely abandon the preparation of the plant for this time of year, because winter can bring many surprises with it, and you must be prepared for them.

The best way to protect your plant from the cold is by mulching. You will have to lay a much thicker layer than usual, and also use more humus or peat. This way you will put a thick fur coat on the plant that will protect it and allow it to survive blizzards.

If you live in a region where a huge amount of snow falls on a constant basis, then we recommend that you bend the plant to the ground: this way it will not be damaged by the mass of snow that presses it down and will remain safe and sound.

If the temperatures are extremely high, then you can cover the plant with agrofibre, but remember that air must still flow to it, and therefore you will have to leave some free holes.

Transportation and keeping quality of berries

Of course, not only those who want to grow them for their pleasure, but also those who want to sell them, are interested in berries, and therefore, of course, many are interested in the commercial qualities of this variety. And, it should be said, they are quite good, especially for black currants.

But in order for the berries to be able to be stored long enough and well, you need to pick them correctly. This is done exclusively in dry weather, since otherwise mold may form on the crop.

In the refrigerator, berries can be stored for no more than four days, which, however, is quite enough to fully realize the entire harvested crop. However, if you want to feast on currants in winter, you can freeze them, and then the shelf life will easily last up to six months.

Drying is also a fairly common form of storing Katyusha currant fruits, but it is not suitable for everyone, because not everyone loves dried berries.

As for transportation, those Katyusha berries tolerate them perfectly: they will practically not be damaged even during a long and very long trip. Of course, they need to be well packaged for this.

Simply put, for whatever purpose you want to grow this plant, the variety provides you with the conditions for this. In addition, with the correct distribution of the crop, you will be able to eat currants and its products for almost the entire next year, and therefore we can say with confidence that this currant is stored perfectly - in all its forms.

Conclusion

The currant is a really wonderful crop, and the Katyusha black currant variety is truly a wonderful representative of it. It is difficult to find a gardener who would be disappointed with this plant, because it has a minimum of disadvantages and a maximum of advantages.

We hope our article helped you figure out if you want to see the Katyusha blackcurrant variety in your garden, and also, if you still decide to grow it, helped you find out how to do it without any problems. It remains, perhaps, only to wish you good luck.

Black currant Katyusha: video about the variety