Tips for caring for red and black currants in spring

Currant is a plant that produces not only tasty, but also very healthy fruits. In order for this plant to fully bear fruit, it must be provided with full care in the spring. To do this, you must perform the following actions:

Pruning, loosening the soil, watering and fertilizing.

Performing all these actions will provide the bush with health and full development, which will allow you to get a good harvest.

Content:

Features of currant pruning

After the snow melts, it is imperative prune currants... You need to perform this action before bud break. In the event that this plant had to survive a harsh winter, then pruning should be done a little later.

This action is carried out after the leaves have bloomed, which will allow you to very well see the currant branches that have disappeared as a result of exposure to low temperatures. Pruning in the first years after planting is not worth it. This plant will give a fairly good harvest anyway.

Currant pruning

After several years, you may notice a decrease in yield, as well as a decrease in berries in volume. At the same time, the bushes will become thicker and whiter every year, which will not allow the currants to fully bear fruit.

In order for the bush to go into a productive state, it is necessary to prune it.

The need for pruning directly depends on the age of the bush. This action is most often performed five years after planting a black currant bush. Red currants need pruning 6-8 years after planting.

About pruning currants:

  • The essence of pruning is removal of old and unproductive branches, in place of which new ones should appear.
  • Pruning consists in removing the shoots. You just need to leave a few buds on them, which will eventually turn into new branches.
  • The next year, several strong basal shoots are left, which are located very close to each other.
  • The rest of the shoots must be removed at the base of the branches. The remaining shoots are cut from the top by one third.
  • In the third year, only four shoots are left, which are located near the roots.
  • All other branches must be removed at the base of the ground. This action must be performed for the correct formation of the bush.

In black currant, the formation of a bush ends only in the fifth year. After that, it will be necessary to cut off the old branches from the plant annually in the spring. A distinctive feature of old branches from young ones is the color of the bark. The bark weakens annually due to permanent hearth formations, as well as the growth of new shoots.

Basic care for red and black currants in spring

Caring for red and black currants in spring

Currant care in the spring is not only about pruning it. To ensure a full harvest, this plant must be regularly watered:

  1. This action is performed once a week.
  2. Pour no more than three liters of water under one bush.
  3. It is best to use settled water at room temperature for irrigation.
  4. You should not overdo it with watering, as this can lead to decay of the root system of this plant.

Currants really dislike the neighborhood, especially in the form of weeds. That is why it is necessary to regularly weed in the spring. In order to get rid of weeds, it is best to mulch the soil.

This plant is very fond of drained soil, which requires regular loosening. This action can be done by deep weeding. You can also use a shovel to dig the soil 15-20 centimeters deep.

Loosening of the soil must be done as carefully as possible so as not to damage its root system.

Feeding currants should be produced with the same mineral and organic fertilizers that were applied to the planting pit. If, when planting currants, fertilizers were applied in large quantities, then in the first two years after planting there is no need to feed the currants. After this time, it is necessary to feed the bushes. For this purpose, superphosphate and potassium chloride are introduced under the digging. Fertilizers that contain nitrogen should be applied in early spring. The soil pH level is checked every five years. If necessary, liming the soil or adding ash to it is carried out.

If the currant bush is grown in such conditions under which there can be frosts, then this plant must be protected from them without fail. Otherwise, it will lead to a decrease in the level of the crop or to its absence. In order to protect the currants from frost, it is necessary to smoke the bushes or spray the bushes with water throughout the night.

Additional care for currants in the spring

Additional care for currants

When the bushes of this plant begin to wake up, they need protect against a variety of pests... For this purpose, currant bushes are sprayed with appropriate insecticides. So that blackness does not appear in the middle of the stem of red and black currants, the bush must be scalded with hot water. This action is performed near the root.

In order to get a good harvest, it is necessary to make good pollination of the bushes:

  • Pollination is carried out by bees, bumblebees and other insects.
  • In order to be sure of pollination of currants, it is best to plant them near the hive with bees.
  • You can also draw the attention of these insects to the bush. To do this, you need to take three tablespoons of honey and dilute them in a wagon bucket. The resulting solution must be sprayed with currant bushes.
  • The first spraying of this plant is done at the beginning of flowering, and the second - after six days.

In order to ensure a good harvest and at the same time not break the crown of this plant, you must use a special stand. It can be made from rods and fittings. If this is not possible, then near the bush of this plant it is necessary to hammer a wooden peg to a depth of 50 centimeters and tie the currant crown to it using a special thread.

Despite the fact that caring for currants does not require much effort, it is necessary produce very carefully... Particular attention should be paid to caring for this plant in the spring. The level of its yield directly depends on spring care for currants.

It is necessary to take care of this plant as carefully as possible, otherwise you can harm it.

For example, improper loosening of the soil can lead to damage to the root system of the bush, and excessive watering can lead to rotting of the root system. This can not only negatively affect the harvest, but also lead to the death of the currant bush, which will be very unpleasant for its owner.

So, the reasons for the low yield of currants can be the thickening of the bush of this plant, as well as the age of the currant. In order to get rid of these problems, it is necessary to prune the currants.You can't do pruning in one year. This procedure is quite lengthy and requires patience. But this will help to increase the yield of black and red currants several times. Even an inexperienced gardener can trim currants, since this procedure is quite simple. In addition, this plant needs loosening of the soil, watering, weed control, protection from pests.

More information can be found in the video.

Just this year I want to breed currants. They say that it is a very profitable business. But I didn't really know how to look after. Until I came across your advice. And here everything is painted down to the smallest detail. For gardeners, your site is just a godsend. Now I am your client for the whole summer and autumn.

I start my spring care as soon as the snow melts. I burn all the branches with a blowtorch. This helps kill pests that have overwintered. But you need to do this when there are no kidneys yet.