Black currant Ruslan

Today in the world there are more than one hundred and ninety varieties of black currant, which have a sweet taste and great benefits. In this article, we will consider the black currant Ruslan.

Blackcurrant Ruslan: variety description and characteristics

Black currant Ruslan: photo of the variety

• The bush is of high stature, grows up to one to two meters, spreading and dense in an average degree.
• Young shoots are thickened, upright, light green in color, fruiting branches are painted in light brown colors.
• The leaves are large in size, have five lobes, light green in color, their surface with tubercles, pubescence is absent.
• The buds are large and grow singly.
• The brushes are medium in size, contain five to eight colors of a pale pink color of small size.

Currants began to be cultivated in the eleventh century on the territory of almost all monasteries in the cities of Ancient Rus (in Novgorod and Pskov), and only since the sixteenth century has the culture been cultivated on personal garden plots.

Ruslan currant was bred in the department of mountain gardening of the NIISS named after M. A. Lisavenko in 1993 by breeders L. N. Zabelina and E. I. Nakvasina. The Ruslan black currant variety was obtained by crossing the Treasure currant with the 74-5-1 seedling. The plant was sent for a variety test in 2008.

Description of fruits, maturity period, yield indicator.

Ruslan currant berries are large, weigh one and a half to three and a half grams, round, a brush contains five to eight berries, fruits of the same size, black in color, glossy, the peel is medium in thickness, the place of separation is dry, the inner content of the berry is juicy, compacted, has small seeds of brown color. The taste qualities of the Ruslan black currant are sweet and sour; the tasting score is four and a half points out of five.

The fruits are rich in vitamins B, A, C, E, H, K, PP, beta-carotene, niacin.

Also in the berries of the Ruslan currant there are microelements: aluminum, boron, vanadium, iron, iodine, cobalt, lithium, manganese, copper, molybdenum, nickel, rubidium, selenium, strontium, chromium, fluorine, zirconium, zinc and macroelements: potassium, calcium, silicon, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, phosphorus, chlorine.

Ruslan currant fruits contain a lot of glucose, sucrose, fructose, fatty acids (Omega-3, Omega-6), organic acids (malic, succinic, citric), ash, water.

Ruslan currant berries ripen early, the ripeness period falls on the last days of June.

One Ruslan currant plant gives one and a half to three and a half kg of fruits.

Black currant Ruslan: growing and care

Black currant Ruslan: photo of the variety

The optimal time for planting Ruslan currant bush is the autumn season (October days). In this case, the seedling will have time to take root until frosty temperatures, and early in the spring its full development will begin.

How to choose a site for disembarkation and the progress of planting.

The site for planting Ruslan currants is a plain or a hill, it must be illuminated by the sun, protected from through and harsh winds. Currants can grow on different soils, but it is preferable to choose loamy soil or sandy loam.

The soil should be drained, moderately moistened, groundwater should lie below one and a half meters from the surface soil layer, because with stagnant liquid, the roots rot.

On the selected area, holes are dug according to the scheme forty by forty cm and fifty cm deep.The interval between the bushes is one and a half meters, the row spacing is two meters. Fertile soil with rotted manure and compost fertilizer (about eight to ten kg) is applied to the bottom of the pit, superphosphate (forty grams), wood ash (two hundred fifty to three hundred grams) are poured.

A Ruslan currant seedling is lowered into a pit, covered with soil, well watered with ten liters of water. The ground around the bush is mulched with hay, straw, sawdust or covered with humus. To form a shrub correctly, the shoots are shortened to four to five buds.

Holes are dug fourteen days before planting so that the soil settles well. Ruslan currant seedlings should be purchased only from trusted sellers who value their reputation, providing (if you need) a certificate of conformity of the variety, characteristics and photographs of an adult bush.

Agrotechnics.

In order for the Ruslan black currant to develop correctly and give a generous harvest, it is required to carry out prevention, watering and fertilizing.

Every year in the autumn and spring seasons, it is necessary to dig the soil under the plants ten cm deep, because the root system is not so deep and can be damaged.

During the drought period, the bushes are watered two to three times every seven days. It is advisable to irrigate Ruslan currants in the evening. One plant requires about ten liters of water. After watering, the soil is loosened so that an earthen crust does not form, which prevents air from entering the root system (excessively increased moisture can destroy the roots). Weeds are removed without fail along with roots.

Ruslan needs to be fed blackcurrant bushes in several stages. They usually start early in the spring and finish before the fall season. Potassium sulfate (twenty to twenty five grams) and superphosphate (thirty to forty grams) are introduced in the spring season when the buds open, fertilizers are scattered under the currants, after which the soil is dug up and mulched. The bush is re-fed when the fruits ripen. If fertilizers were applied when planting a bush, then you need to feed it only from 3 years of growth. Organic matter (manure, compost fertilizer, peat) is diluted with water in a ratio of one to eight, then the solution is poured under the root. One bucket of solution is consumed per bush. They are fed with organic substances in several stages: when the bush blooms, when the berries are tied and ripen, in the autumn season - before preparing for wintering.

How to deal with diseases and harmful insects.

• Gall aphid. A small insect that grows up to 2 mm in length, yellow-green or green in color. It has an elongated proboscis that pierces stems and foliage. It sucks out currant juice, lays eggs on the bush, is a carrier of diseases. To fight this pest, the following means are used: "Calypso", "Confidor Maxi", "Aktelik", "Proteus".
• Rust. A disease of a fungal nature, arises on the leaves in the form of swollen specks of brown color, merging every day. Infected fruits become bent, they have one side, loss of taste and shedding occurs. If you find an infection, immediately tear off the leaves that have turned yellow and treat the shrub with "Kaptan" or "Tsiram".

To protect Ruslan currants from harmful insects and diseases and to obtain a generous and high-quality yield, timely prevention is required.

How to cut and shape black currants Ruslan

• Ruslan black currant bush is usually formed in the autumn season or early in the spring. In the fall, all dried, infected and crooked shoots are cut out at the root.
• In order not to cause severe injuries to the currants, use a sharp pruner, and cover the sections with garden pitch.
• Old fruiting branches of five to six years are removed, and young shoots are shortened by ¼.In the spring season, frozen fragments, if any, are cut off.

Preparing for winter.

Preparations for the winter season are carried out late in the fall, before the first frosty temperatures.

• From under the bush, you need to remove the fallen leaves.
• Weeds are removed from the root zone together with roots.
• Broken and dried branches are cut.
• The soil around the bush is dug up.
• The trunk circle is mulched with humus (with a layer of more than ten cm).

If the temperature in winter is below minus twenty-five degrees, then the shoots are bent to the soil, pressed with stakes or staples, covered with burlap or special covering material, sprinkled with soil.

How to collect, transport and store currant berries Ruslan

• It is recommended to harvest black currant Ruslan when it is dry; it is advisable to harvest the fruits together with brushes, in this case the storage time will be longer.
• Containers for berries should be clean and shallow.
• Fresh berries should be kept where it is dry and dark, at a temperature of plus five degrees or in a refrigerator for no more than ten days.
• Ruslan currants can be dried, frozen, prepared for the winter season (jams, preserves, compotes, liqueur, wine work well).

Black currant Ruslan: reviews of gardeners about the variety

• Anastasia Viktorovna, Chelyabinsk region: “Ruslan, a black currant variety, has been growing in my garden for a long time. I like that Ruslan currant fruits ripen early and bring a huge harvest every year. The bush of the Ruslan currant variety itself is resistant to winter, it can withstand temperatures up to minus 25 degrees without shelter. Ruslan did not find any drawbacks in the currant ”.
• Oksana Antonovna, Samara region: “I chose the Ruslan variety of black currant for growing, as it has immunity to most fungal diseases, as well as resistance to insects such as kidney mites and glassworms, which have damaged many crops in my gardener area. Ruslan black currant berries have a very dense peel, which makes them excellent transportability. "

As you can see, most gardeners speak well of the Ruslan blackcurrant variety. If you take care of the plant competently and in a timely manner, it will delight you with high-quality berries with excellent taste and pleasant aroma.