Currant "red sugar": planting and care

A magnificent ornament of the garden is the berry-berry that is habitual to the eye of the Russian gardener. And probably the brightest spot is the bushes of the red currant, which are distinguished by a scattering of ruby brushes among lush greenery. It is about this most interesting culture, which is indispensable in the entourage of the garden area, or rather, about the magnificent hybrid variety, produced by domestic breeders and called "red sugar" currant, we will talk today. Unpretentiousness and decorativeness are combined in this plant, making the care of it simple and accessible even to a beginning gardener.

Red currant «sugar»: description

The lack of pectins, which causes a weak gelling ability of the berry, is more than compensated by the possibility of consuming it in fresh or frozen form, since the excellent taste of this fragrant currant - sweet with tender sour notes, favorably differs from other varieties of the species.

Currant "red sugar" - a tall shrub with erect stems. The hybrid origin of culture provides such excellent qualities as a high level of winter hardiness, allowing it to grow in any region of the country, early fruiting and good yield.

The adult, shaped currant bush is compact and highly decorative. Five-lobed dark green leaves with a jagged edge, small greenish-yellow flowers collected in a brush on 15-18 inflorescences and transforming over time into ruby clusters of large (up to 0.5-0.8 grams each) berries - here is the description of this hybrid Variety.

Features of the variety

Currants "red sugar" is not sufficiently self-fertile, the degree of self-pollination varies between 30-35%. Therefore, with its appearance on the site, it is necessary to plant a few red currant bushes for additional cross pollination. The best grades for these purposes are "natali" and "vixne". The adult plant gives up to 6-7 kg of berries per season and does not reduce yields for 20-25 years.

Another advantage of the hybrid - the ability to withstand sudden temperature changes without consequences for the future harvest. Currant "red sugar", the photo of which is presented in the article is resistant to many diseases and suffers only from anthracnose. But garden pests, as a rule, bypass it.

Preferences of "sugar" currant

Despite the unpretentiousness of the red currant from the conditions of its growing, the future yield also directly depends. True, the exacting nature of this culture does not extend beyond the choice of an open solar section protected from the north winds. The plant will not die in a shady place, but fruit formation will be noticeably lower. Currant "Red sugar" develops well on loose, neutral and light loam or sandy loam, quickly adapting to different climatic latitudes.

Optimum distance between plants during planting

The intervals when planting shrubs also play a very important role in increasing yields. The thickening of plantings is not the best way to increase fruiting. This error can result not only in the loss of the crop, but also in planting fungal diseases, since it is the dampness and shade inside and between the bushes that contributes to the birth of many currants. The main rule when planting and caring for any bush - each twig should be illuminated by the sun. Therefore, the two-meter distance between the bushes - the optimal interval, allowing you to collect the maximum yield and providing convenient care for plants.

Currant «red sugar»: planting and care

Experienced gardeners recommend planting this culture in temperate latitudes in September, and for southern regions - in October. Before the cold starts, the seedling will have time to take root, which will allow him to survive the winter. It is possible to plant young currant bushes in early spring, before the plant grows, but it is noticed that the autumn, successfully wintering, seedlings are significantly ahead of the development of their spring brothers and begin to bear fruit.

Landing begins with the preparation of soil: dig a hole size of 0.4 * 0.5 m. The top layer of soil is mixed with a bucket of humus or quality compost, a glass of wood ash and superphosphate. This soil is filled with a pit by two thirds, generously watered and placed a seedling at an angle of 45 °. This will allow him to form a lot of lateral roots and accelerate survival. Root neck must necessarily be buried at 5-6 cm, thereby activating the growth shoots of renewal. The remaining soil is embedded in a young plant, compact it, not forgetting to make an earthen roller around the circumference to hold water, and again water the plant well. The above-ground stems are shortened to 0.15-0.2 m, leaving on each 3-4 growth buds.

During the first three weeks after planting, the seedling is watered every 3-4 days to facilitate rooting. The currant settles quickly. The subsequent care of the plant includes the correct watering, fertilizing, weeding and loosening of the soil in the stump circle, regular pruning pruning.

Irrigation and mulching

Currant is a moderately moisture-loving plant. Not an exception and the red currant "sugar", a description of which is presented in the article. Water the culture, based on weather conditions: in a rainy summer you can forget about it, and in hot and dry weather regular watering is necessary. The maximum amount of moisture is required for the currant when filling berries. Mulching the soil under the bush will help to avoid periodic propolok and loosening, and also help to regulate watering, significantly saving on these worries. As mulch use humus, peat, wood chips or plant residues. Periodically, the layer of mulch is updated. Despite the high frost resistance of the culture in the first winters in temperate latitudes, it is recommended to cover the plant with lapnik or other materials.

Formation of a bush

Pruning of red currants is necessary, since the thickening of the bush leads to a loss of harvest. It is carried out infrequently, since the peculiarity of the culture is the formation of fruit buds in both young and old shoots - on the grown octopuses at their base. For reasons of preserving the crop, pruning the red currant bush is less likely than with her black relative.

Correctly formed red currant bush consists of 15-20 uneven-aged fruit-bearing shoots. To form it start this way: every year 2-3 young stems are left growing on different sides of the bush, the remaining branches are removed. The fruitage of the shoot is 6-8 years, after which the branches should be removed, replacing them with younger ones. In addition to the forming, they carry out sanitary pruning, removing old, broken, diseased or growing stems inside the bush. All these procedures are carried out during periods of rest - early spring or late autumn. In summer, you can pinch the tops of annual shoots to activate the substitution shoots.

Red currant, the "sugar" variety, the photo of which is represented, is formed precisely in this order.

Feeding

During the fruit-making period, a lot of nutrients are consumed from the soil by the currant, their reserves must be renewed. Therefore, fertilizing an adult plant is necessary. In spring, a mixture of 5-6 kg of humus, 20 grams is added under the bush. Superphosphate and 25 g. Any potash fertilizer. After flowering, feed the infusion of manure in the proportion of 1/10 liters. Autumn for a comfortable wintering under the bush is 50 gr. Superphosphate and mulched with a thick layer of overgrown manure.

An excellent harvest of delicious and healthy berries will please the horticulturist red currant, the "sugar" variety. Reviews of those who have already tried this culture are unequivocal: the plant is high-yielding, winter-hardy and unpretentious.