Black currant Fun

Currently, it is very rare to find a personal plot where such a fruit and berry culture as currants does not grow. After all, it contains a huge amount of useful trace elements and vitamins necessary for the human body, and it also has excellent taste characteristics. Among the huge number of subspecies of this plant, one of the leading places is occupied by a variety called Zabava currant, which has huge berries and excellent taste. In this article, we will consider the black currant Zabava, we will analyze all its positive and negative sides, and also talk about the features of growing and caring for it.

Black currant Fun: variety description and characteristics

Currant Zabava: photo of the variety

It should be noted right away that during tasting, Zabava currant fruits received an assessment of five points, out of five possible! Which is quite rare. Plus, these berries are endowed with many other qualities, thanks to which the variety stands out noticeably against the background of other subspecies of currants with black fruits.

A variety of currants Zabava appeared in the Research Institute of Horticulture of Siberia named after I. M. Lisavenko, thanks to the works of our Russian breeders, by crossing the subspecies with the black fruits of Bradthorpe and the hybrid form of the subspecies Zoya and Fluffy. The resulting variety became the owner of rather large fruits, endowed, among other things, with excellent taste characteristics. The subspecies belongs to the representatives of these plants with an average ripening period. The black currant variety Zabava was included in the State Register in 2004, and it was zoned for the West Siberian region. In a fairly short period of time, this subspecies was able to win the love and recognition of gardeners not only in this region, but also spread beyond Siberia quite quickly.

It is worth noting another distinctive feature: This culture, which has black fruits, leaves and shoots have a richer aroma than varieties with red and white fruits.

The currant shrub Zabava is medium-sized, and it does not have a distinctive feature of spreading and thickening. Its foliage is large and pale green in color. The flowers have a dark pink color and form brushes, rather long, on which, after that, berries that are large enough in size ripen, each of which can reach a mass of 3.4 grams. The surface of the fruit is covered with a shiny and thin skin of a black hue. The inside is endowed with a wonderful gastronomic, sweet taste with a slight sourness. The fruits have a universal purpose. These berries begin to ripen in the last decade of July. The yield indicator averages 3 kilograms per shrub.

By its composition, the fruits of the black currant Zabava have: 7.3 grams of carbohydrates, 0.4 grams of fats, 1 gram of proteins, the total calorie content is 44 kcal per 100 grams of product. In its chemical composition, the fruits of this subspecies have from the daily value: Vitamin C 222 percent, potassium 14 percent, magnesium 7.8 percent, Vitamin B6 6.5 percent, Vitamin H 4.8 percent, Vitamin E 4.7 percent, phosphorus 4 , 1 percent, Vitamin B4 2.5 percent, Vitamin B2 2.1 percent. First of all, I would like to note that this culture has a huge amount of vitamins, these are: retinol, beta-carotene, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, folic acid, ascorbic acid, biotin, tocopherol, nicotinamide. No less amount of these berries also contains mineral components, such as: potassium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine, sulfur, copper, phosphorus, zinc, iron, boron, cobalt, iodine, manganese and fluorine.

The main distinguishing features of black currant Zabava are: a good level of yield, immunity to many known diseases and harmful insects, self-fertility, early maturity, resistance to cold and dry periods.

It is worth noting one interesting fact: in addition to currants with black, red and white fruits, there is also a variety of currants Zabava with a golden hue of berries in nature, which is quite common in Kazakhstan. But most often this subspecies is cultivated for decoration, mainly due to its beautiful and fragrant flowers.

Black currant Fun: advantages and disadvantages

Also, like any other subspecies of currants, this variety has positive and negative sides. The advantages of the subspecies include:

• Good level of frost resistance.
• Immunity to many common diseases and resistance to insect pests.
• Not a bad yield indicator.
• The universal purpose of the fruit.
• Excellent taste characteristics of berries.

As for the shortcomings, only semi-dry or wet separation of the fetus during removal can be attributed here.

Black currant Fun: growing and care

During the cultivation of the black currant variety Zabava, special agrotechnical measures do not need to be carried out, although elementary rules will still have to be followed.

Site selection and disembarkation

Also, like any other variety of this fruit and berry crop, the subspecies in question loves to grow in sufficiently illuminated areas. In general, this plant can quite grow and develop in partial shade, but this fact can have a rather bad effect on the size of the berries, their shade, as well as their taste. It will be best to grow these shrubs on soil with low acidity. It is absolutely not worth planting this bush in places where surface groundwater is located, they should be at a depth of at least one and a half meters from the soil surface. The currant variety Zabava does not need a soil with constant moisture, since it has good drought resistance. Also, the culture does not tolerate stagnation of moisture near the rhizome.

Planting a black currant seedling variety Zabava is engaged either in the autumn period of the year, before the onset of stable cold weather, or at the very beginning of the spring season, immediately after the snow cover thaws. When buying a seedling, it is required to carefully examine it so that at least three shoots are present on it, there should be no traces of mechanical damage on the root system, there should be no traces of disease and pests. It is also worth noting that the seedling rhizome should consist of healthy white roots. Before planting in soil for the root system of a young plant, disinfection should be carried out in a weak manganese solution for about one hour.

To plant young currants Fun in an open space requires:

• Dig a planting hole about half a meter deep.
• Pour half a bucket of humus or the same amount of compost at the bottom of the hole and mix them with the top layer of soil obtained by digging a hole.
• From this soil mixture, make a small mound and place a seedling on it, gently straightening its roots.
• Fill the hole first with the lower layer of soil, and then with the upper one, respectively.
• Water the planted seedling abundantly, about one bucket of water should go to one bush.
• After that, this moist soil should be mulched with crushed peat, sawdust or dry humus. This will help retain moisture in the soil.

Care

Although the variety of black currant Zabava is considered quite resistant to the dry period, this does not mean that watering should be done quite rarely. Lack of moisture also negatively affects the plant, this can lead to a slowdown in the growth and development of the crop, and also reduces the size of the fruits.Experienced gardeners advise, in dry, hot weather, to water this shrub every three days. And when the fruits reach their highest weight during ripening, the frequency of watering should be reduced dramatically.

One important tip: after each watering procedure, or after each rain, it is required to loosen the soil in order to prevent the formation of a crust on it, which, in turn, interferes with the passage of air to the rhizome of this shrub.

With the arrival of the spring period, at a time when the shrub begins to grow green, it requires a high supply of nitrogen for itself. To do this, fertilizing from ammonium nitrate or organic matter is introduced into the soil. During the period of flowering, growth and ripening of fruits, the crop in question requires feeding based on potassium and phosphorus. At this time, an excellent option would be to add potassium sulfate and superphosphate to the soil.

Diseases and pests

As already noted earlier, the black currant variety Zabava is endowed with a good level of immunity to major diseases and the attack of insect pests. But, in case of non-observance or violation of agrotechnical standards, as well as when growing in an unfavorable climate, with a rather rainy and cool summer season, this plant can still be affected by such diseases as:

• Spheroteka (powdery mildew)... Almost entirely shrubs are affected. Subsequently, the stems dry out, foliage and fruits fall off. To combat this disease, measures are taken to treat the shrub with a solution of copper sulfate (300 grams per bucket of water), or with a solution of bleach (two tablespoons per bucket of water).
• Anthracnose. The consequences of this fungal disease are drying of the leaves and their further fall. To combat the disease, the plant is treated with a solution of copper sulfate (40 grams per bucket of water), or with a solution of copper oxychloride (in the same ratio).
• Terry. A dangerous and widespread disease of a viral nature. As a result of the defeat of the plant by this virus, very narrow petals are formed on its flowers, as a result of which the ovaries disappear. There is no point in treating this disease. In this case, it is urgent to cut down the diseased shrub and dispose of it by burning.
• Septoria (white spot). The result of damage to the plant by this fungal disease is premature leaf fall. To combat this ailment, the same measures are used as for anthracnose.
• Goblet rust... The disease manifests itself as the appearance of orange spots on the surface of the leaves, as a result, foliage falls and inhibition of fruit development. To combat this disease, the shrubs are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid, and this is done in the spring period of the year, before foliage is formed and repeated twice with an interval of one decade after the flowering period.

Also, black currant Zabava can be attacked by such insect pests as:

• Leaf gall midge... The larvae of this insect, feeding on leafy buds, cause harm to this culture, which ultimately leads to the death of young foliage. As measures to combat this pest, the plant is sprayed with a three percent solution of Karbofos, and this action is repeated after one week.
• Zlatka. The larvae of this insect eat the inner part of the branches, thereby leading to their drying out. To avoid the spread of this insect throughout the shrub, damaged stems should be removed and burned.
• Spider mite... It feeds on the sap of the leaves, thereby contributing to their premature fall. To combat this harmful and dangerous insect, spraying the plant with Karbofos or Fitoverm preparations is used.
• Kidney moth. This pest affects not only the kidneys, but also the fruits of this plant.To combat insects, the culture is treated with a ten percent solution of Karbofos, or a folk remedy is used (an infusion is made, for which they take 150 grams of mustard per 10 liters of water).
• Glass beads. The caterpillars of this insect eat out all the internal parts of the branches. As measures to combat these caterpillars, they use the treatment of shrubs in the spring period of the year with the drug Spark, or Fitoverm.

The procedure for pruning and shaping a bush

The first time the pruning procedure is carried out immediately after planting the seedling. Each of the shoots is pruned, on which 4 developed buds should remain. With poor development of the shrub in the first year of its life, a procedure for cutting absolutely all shoots to the soil surface is required. After that, in subsequent years, a formative pruning is carried out, as a result of which all stems are removed, except for the five strongest and most developed, as well as shoots that are in the correct position in the bush, one year old.

Formative pruning should be discontinued by the fifth year of the plant's life. As a result, a properly formed shrub should contain shoots of different ages, from zero to fruiting. Basically, up to 15 pieces of skeletal shoots of different ages remain on this plant.

Wintering

The currant variety Zabava with black fruits is distinguished by a high index of frost resistance, and this is not surprising, because this variety was originally bred for cultivation in Siberia. Thanks to this feature, the plant does not need shelter for the winter period. To strengthen the culture's immune system during the winter period, you need to feed it with potassium-based fertilizers in the fall. In growing areas where winters pass with a small amount of snow, as well as when young plants are found, it is required to mulch the soil around them for the winter period with such components as: sawdust, dry foliage, straw, dry humus, crushed peat.

Collection and storage

Black currant Fun: photo of the variety

Black currant Zabava has a distinctive feature in the simultaneous ripening of its fruits, which undoubtedly facilitates harvesting. This crop should be harvested in the morning after the dew has dried, or in the evening, when the heat has already gone. This is done in this way, since moisture on the fruits, as well as high air temperature, have a rather negative effect on the storage capacity of these berries. But you should not hesitate in picking ripe berries, because this can lead to a deterioration in their taste characteristics, as well as to their massive shedding from the plant.

Collect these fruits in containers with sufficient ventilation, and a maximum volume of 6 kilograms. In order for the transportability of the crop to be at an even higher level, these fruits are removed a little unripe. With timely collection of fruits, they have a maximum shelf life of three days, at room temperature. When stored in a refrigerator (at temperatures from 0 to +4 degrees), they are able to retain all their qualities for up to 30 days. And when frozen, these berries can be stored for up to one year.

Conclusion

For quite a long time there has been an opinion that the largest in size, tasty and bright fruits of the black currant Zabava grow in the difficult Siberian climate, and the black currant Zabava, considered in this article, is a vivid confirmation of this. For a fairly short period of its existence, the variety managed to win the love of a huge number of gardeners not only in Siberia, but also in other territories of Russia, and also continues to spread further at a high speed in different regions.