Growing black currant in the penumbra - planting and care (Voronezh)
Will the black currant grow in the shade?
For some reason, I rarely see articles about black currants, although there are many areas in our gardening where a bush or two of this culture would not grow?
Here in our summer cottage partnership there are none at all (and it, I tell you, is not small - for two hundred land owners). I have black currants growing for many years. She wandered around the site for a long time (I still could not plan the garden in such a way as to take into account the “wishes” of all its residents), until, in the end, I picked up the most suitable place for her - on the southern border of my possessions, 2 meters from the fence from mesh-netting, and from the rear it is backed up by adult plums. Say that penumbra blackcurrant is contraindicated?
I myself thought so before, but in fact it turned out the opposite: the trees protect the black currant from the scorching rays of the summer sun in the very heat, from 13 to 16 hours. And in the cold season protect it from strong winds. Therefore, it is in this place that the bushes yield the greatest harvest.
The distance between them is of the order of 2 m. Though my wife grumbled at me when I planted them, that they say that they have swung too much with the landings in a lordly way, but now I am happy myself: the overgrown bushes and each other do not interfere, and we are followed by them it is convenient to take care of (not to mention the collection of berries).
Since the currant is very fond of moisture, I try to water it regularly, especially in hot weather. I do this with a hose late at night or early in the morning. I pour water, heated in a barrel, based on 20-25 l for each bush. Watering continues even after harvest until the first frost. By the way, weakened after fruit bearing bushes (they are already about eight years old), I also feed superphosphate, which helps them prepare for the cold and the next season.
For the same reasons, I cut off the oldest (dark brown, with "shaggy" bark) branches, as well as those that in summer had, as they say, a pale appearance (there is too much chance that these weak shoots will not survive the winter). And the next year, thinned out in this way the bushes receive enough light and air. And that in the spring they quickly gain strength, before loosening I make top dressing with humus and urea. After flowering and during the ovary of berries I add a solution of chicken manure.
See also: Black currant - care and best grades
Bypass, appetite and pests of black currant
I do not complain about the fruiting of currants, but all that I have already listed is only half the battle, because, unfortunately, pests often appear on the bushes - do they appreciate this culture? It is important to detect them as early as possible, before they cause serious harm. So you have to go around the planting patrol almost every day and carefully examine all the bushes (however, I combine this procedure with a mandatory walk before lunch).
I'm not a fan of chemistry, so I prefer the good old folk remedies.
For example, from aphids, which appears on my currant almost every year, I apply an ordinary soap solution, treating them with infected twigs and leaves. But before this, I carefully study the weather forecast beforehand so that on the day of treatment and the next two days there will be no rain. As ants bring ants to the currant, I also struggle with them: I wrap the trunks of plants, chosen by them, with a special sticky tape, and also fill their nests with boiling water or cover with hot ashes. Completely exterminate them does not work, but the number can be significantly reduced (though only for a while).
From caterpillars wintering in the ground, in the spring I spend mulching with rotted sawdust under the bushes. And from the spider mite (the first sign of its appearance - the spider web on the leaves and between the branches) I am saved by dusting with tobacco dust.
If I notice that the tips of the branches begin to dry, cut out such shoots under the root and burn them, since they are most likely affected by a glass jug or currant. Unfortunately, other methods of fighting them are not known to me. Calms only that such a attack on my bushes happens rarely.
As for diseases, the most unpleasant is powdery mildew, which affects not only shoots and ovaries, but even berries. If you see a white coating on them, then this illness has come to you.
It spreads very quickly, so you can not delay. I cut all the infected places carefully and burn them. If this is not enough, I change my rule not to touch the chemistry: I spray the whole diseased bush (and for the prevention at the same time, neighboring ones) with a solution of copper sulfate.
But not during the ripening period of berries! And what's the point of saving them in this way if they turn out to be harmful to health? Let it be better to eat them with powdery mildew ... At least then I will treat sick plants with vitriol (though, once I didn’t have time to save one bush, I had to uproot and burn it).
As preventive measures against pests and pathogens of various diseases, before the onset of winter and early spring, I remove and burn all fallen leaves from the bushes and dig up the soil beneath them. The loosening of the soil under the bushes is repeated at the very end of spring or at the beginning of summer and then I spread the soil with a mixture of ash and tobacco in approximately equal proportions. I also noticed that if you plant garlic or onions next to the currant, the risk of hives from all kinds of mites noticeably decreases.
Reference by topic: Black currant - varieties, planting and care
In general, although black currant is not a capricious plant, to get stable and high yields year after year, it is necessary to pay attention to it, apply its work, and then she will certainly thank us!
Yes, I forgot to mention the varieties. I grow two varieties of medium ripening period (Black pearl and Perun) and two later varieties (Mermaid and Yadrenaya).
© Author: Alexey Mironovich Veselov. Voronezh
Below other entries on the topic "Dacha and garden - with their own hands"
- How to make red currants sweeter? Graft on black!
- Sustainable varieties and fertilizers for black currant
- Redcurrant - care after planting
- Currant renewal by cuttings
- Cultivation of currants according to "accelerated renewal"
- Reproduction and care of the golden currant
- Reproduction of the currant variety I like - my experience and feedback (Irkutsk region)
- How to grow white currant in your summer cottage area
- Description and name of the best varieties of blackcurrant (photo) and their care
- Autumn planting currants from A to Z - on an industrial scale. Farmer advises
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I noticed that some gardeners are bushes of currant hills. I decided to check how effective this is.
As my experience has shown, hilling brings harm to the currant. If, after such treatment of the soil, rains begin, the plant takes roots into the formed mound. However, from the middle of summer, it usually costs heat. Earth's clod dries, roots lose their moisture and die. In addition, mounds often rake chickens.
And it's hard to water the bitten black currant, because the water drains from the mound.
So that the plant has a powerful root system, around the bush of the currant I strengthen the 4 plate in the form of a box. I fill it with organic: compost, leaves, etc. Pour into the box conveniently, the mulch does not crumble, it does not erode, and the bush grows fruitful.