Standard currants - methods of formation, care, useful tips

There are currant bushes in almost every garden. The berries and leaves of the crop are the healthiest products. They contain a lot of vitamins C and R. The culture has been known since ancient times. However, not so long ago, currants received a second life. This happened after an innovative gardening method was invented - the formation of a currant trunk. Thanks to it, it is possible to increase productivity, improve the quality of berries, and give a well-known shrub a new decorative form. Planting and caring for standard currants has characteristic features. In order to properly grow a crop on a trunk, you need to know simple rules and subtleties.

What are “standard” currants?

A currant grown on a standard tree resembles a small tree.
A standard currant has a main trunk and branches growing at a certain distance from the ground. It looks very attractive and produces a large harvest.

Standard varieties first appeared in Hungary. The berries rotted due to the heat and high humidity, so gardeners learned to grow shrubs with fruit-bearing branches raised above the ground. To obtain plants of the desired shape, a standard height was used, onto which the best varieties of red, black and white currants were grafted.

Pros and cons: is it worth planting?

Before planting a standard plant, you need to understand what pros and cons of the fruit crop you will have to face during the process of growing and caring for it.

Advantages:

1. The high crown is not thickened and evenly receives sunlight, which has a positive effect on the yield and taste of the berries.
2. Simplified plant care. Due to the lack of growth, access to the tree trunk circle for watering, fertilizing, loosening and weeding is simplified.
3. Ripe berries do not come into contact with the soil, therefore they are not subject to rotting and spoilage.
4. The risk of pest spread is reduced.
5. Harvesting ripe berries is simplified.
6. Miniature fruit trees have excellent decorative properties, occupy less space and will decorate any garden plot.

Important!
Any currant variety grown on a trunk differs from its bush counterparts in the faster ripening and sweetness of the berries. Flaws:

1. A thin tree needs additional support, otherwise strong gusts of wind can break the plant.
2. Currants grown on a trunk lose some varietal characteristics and become vulnerable to temperature changes and frost.

Standard currants begin to bear fruit 2 years after planting in open ground. And the lifespan of such a plant is from 15 to 20 years.

Advantages of growing currants on a trunk

Growing currants on a trunk is becoming increasingly popular. Many gardeners have appreciated the advantages of this method from their own experience or the example of their neighbors.

The advantages of standard varieties are obvious:

• decorativeness;
• more compact placement of berries;
• high yield.

Thanks to good sunlight, the taste of the berries improves and the sugar content increases compared to the same varieties in bush form. Crop losses from damage upon contact with the ground are eliminated.

In which regions can currants be grown on a trunk?

White, black and red currants on a trunk can be grown in any region suitable for gardening, selecting the appropriate varieties. It is important that plants have immunity from powdery mildew and other common diseases.

Advice! It is advisable to choose a place for planting that is protected from strong winds and well lit by the sun. The soil should not be swampy and acidic, with groundwater close to it.

Growing methods

You can grow a standard crop with your own hands using various methods. All methods are based on lengthening the main stem of the plant.

Own root standard

To begin work on growing your own currant trunk, early spring is most suitable, before the start of the growing season of plants.

1. An adult, healthy plant is selected from among the currant bushes.
2. The bush is pruned, leaving one of the strongest, straightest, thickest and most viable shoots.
3. All side branches of the plant are removed, with the exception of 3-5 upper branches.
4. The remaining branches are given a spherical or oval crown shape.
5. The compact tree is tied to a support peg.
6. During the growing season, all emerging shoots and excess branches are cut off.

In late autumn, in order to increase yield in the next season, the side branches are pinched.

Standard on the rootstock

To grow standard currants on a rootstock, desire alone is not enough. It is necessary to have knowledge that will help you step by step to obtain a healthy and fruit-bearing garden crop.

Work on growing a standard bush on a rootstock is planned for the beginning of spring, until the plants enter the active growing season.

1. Any currant bushes growing in the garden are suitable for the rootstock. Also, you can plant new seedlings, specially purchased for creating a standard crop.
2. All branches, leaves and shoots of the bush are cut off, leaving only the central trunk of the plant.
3. The top of the trunk is pinched.
4. For the scion, cut a fresh cutting from any variety of currant. If the varieties of rootstock and scion are different, it is believed that the tree will grow stronger and more fruitful.
5. The cuttings are grafted onto a standard and secured using special materials sold in garden centers and flower shops.
6. In a year, the standard plant will begin to bear fruit.

During the first 2-3 years of growth, all unnecessary branches and shoots are completely cut off from the tree.

Advice! For scions, currant varieties with resistance to frost and disease are selected.

See also

Description and characteristics of the Gulliver currant variety, planting and care

Read

Choosing the right variety

From red and white currants, it is advisable to choose new varieties that have a long cluster.

Blackcurrant varieties for growing on a trunk:

• Belarusian sweet;
• Black stork;
• Anniversary Kopanya;
• Monastic (Chernecha).

Varieties of golden and white currants for growing on a trunk:

• Snezhana;
• Imperial yellow;
• Laysan.

Varieties of red standard currant:

• Rondome;
• Festive (Svyatkova);
• Natalie.

There are also other varieties suitable for growing on a trunk.

Comment! It is best to make your choice in a nursery located in the region where the crop will be planted.

Varieties

There are many varieties of currants. All varieties can be divided into 3 groups: black, red and yellow.

Blackcurrant on a trunk

Plants belonging to this variety bear black berries. The fruits are often sweet. This crop is quite whimsical - in addition to standard agricultural technology, black currants require shelter for the winter. And without pre-winter preparation, the branches often freeze. Among the popular black varieties are the following:

• Stork;
• Monastic;
• University;
• Sibylla;
• Commemorative;
• Premiere.

Red

The fruits of red currants acquire a bright red color when ripe. This variety is easy to grow for beginners as the plants grow and bear fruit successfully with basic care. Agronomists advise choosing varieties for garden cultivation:

• Viksne;
• Rondome;
• Natalie;
• Accordion;
• Red Cross;
• Chulkovskaya.

Yellow

An unusual variety of yellow currant is represented by the Imperial Yellow variety. The fruits are larger than those of the black and red forms. The plant also has decorative value: many gardeners grow this crop to decorate their garden plot.

How to form standard currants

There are several ways to obtain a standard form of currant. The easiest way is to buy a ready-made seedling in a nursery and grow it, guided by the requirements of agricultural technology. You can form a standard form from an ordinary bush by pruning or grow it on a rootstock that does not produce a large amount of root shoots.

On a rooted seedling

A step-by-step guide on how to grow currants on a trunk is not very complicated. To obtain a standard form on your own rooted seedling, it is advisable to choose suitable varieties and master the basics of pruning fruit bushes.

Process description:

1. To form a culture in the form of a tree, a strong annual shoot is selected.

   All excess shoots are removed with pruning shears

2. All other branches are cut out and given good watering and fertilizing.
3. At the beginning of summer, the shoot is shortened to a level of 1 m; it will send out side branches, which are shortened in July.

   Step-by-step process of forming standard currants using pruning

4. Re-pruning is done in the spring.

Black currants bear fruit mainly on annual growth; they require more careful and frequent pruning than the red and white varieties.

On rootstock

When independently obtaining seedlings on a rootstock, certain rules are followed:

• only varieties resistant to powdery mildew are grafted;
• golden currant of the Breht Corona variety is used as a rootstock, which does not produce root shoots;

  Vaccination is done using the copulation method.

• grafted in winter or early spring only by copulation;
• When the shoots reach 10-15 cm, pinch off the tops.

In grown currants, pinch off the tops of the shoots and tie up the trunk

Scion cuttings are prepared before the beginning of the growing season. The rootstock must be lignified, of sufficient thickness (about 4 mm), and at least 80 cm long.

Varieties suitable for molding

Growing a crop such as currants on a trunk is not difficult even for a novice gardener. Moreover, this method has many advantages, namely:

• as planting material, you can safely use a cutting with literally one bud;
• standard trees can be planted at a distance of 30 cm;
• All varieties of currants grown in this way give a good harvest, and the taste of the berries is several times better.

It is worth highlighting that in order to harvest a lot of tasty fruits every year, you need to regularly pinch the tops and cut out all unnecessary sprouts.

The black currant variety is the most popular. Because such berries are not only excellent in taste, but also very healthy. Well, as for the best varieties, we can highlight the following:

• Monastic currant;
• Stork;
• Memorable.

In this case, one important detail must always be taken into account: when growing this variety on a trunk, keep in mind that it is several times more sensitive to severe frosts. Therefore, in harsh climatic zones it is not recommended to grow black currants on a trunk.

It is worth noting that there are other varieties that have also proven themselves well. But in order to make the right choice, you should purchase a seedling directly from the nursery.

Important! Creating a currant tree is possible only from winter-hardy varieties

Red Ribes

• Viksne is an early-ripening varietal currant that is resistant to powdery mildew. Round berries of dark cherry color with a sweet and sour taste. If the conditions where Viksne currants are grown are favorable, then ripe berries can reach a weight of more than 1 gram;
• Jonker van Tets is an early ripening variety of Western selection, has immunity to anthracnose lesions, powdery mildew and spider mites. The weight of round, bright red berries with the sweet and sour taste of the seeds inside the fruit reaches 1 gram.

White currant

Smolyaninovskaya is a variety that is resistant to cold and drought, as well as powdery mildew. Prone to minor anthracnose damage. Often damaged by gall aphids. The medium round fruits are white and have a sweet and sour taste. A powerful, semi-spreading bush can produce a harvest of up to 8 kilograms.

Black currant

Chernavka is a mid-late winter-hardy blackcurrant variety. The semi-spreading blackcurrant shrub is resistant to fungal infections. Large black fruits have a shiny surface and a sweet and sour taste.

Greenish yellow

The best gardening season for growing sprouted currant seedlings is autumn. The recommended spacing between these plantings when planting is one meter. The row spacing, how to grow currants in the form of a tree, should be located, observing a three-meter interval. Each of the trunks on which the bush grows must be tied to a firmly reinforced stake. The first step in forming a “tree” is to fix it at a single point located in the central part of the trunk.

Note! To avoid, as the crown part grows, the currant tree from tilting to the side, it should be tied at the bottom and top. In order for the tree to maintain its decorative aesthetic appearance when growing fruitful currants in the country and to produce an even richer harvest, horticultural measures should be carried out periodically to treat the crown

With the onset of the second year after planting on the garden bed, about five of the healthiest main branches are selected from it.

In order for the tree to maintain its decorative aesthetic appearance when growing fruitful currants in the country and to produce an even richer harvest, horticultural measures should be carried out periodically to treat the crown. With the onset of the second year after planting on the garden bed, about five of the healthiest main branches are selected from it.

The branch located in the center is shortened by an eighth of what was germinated in a year. The remaining branches undergo more substantial pruning, in which the main goal is to shape the tree's crown into a sphere. With the onset of the next gardening seasons, 4 annual branches are retained on each branch, shortened as they grow to a length of 24 cm.

Deformed, fused crosswise and not fully developed branches must be removed. With the beginning of the aging phase of the leading branches, which occurs in the fifth year after planting, they should be cut out in the order in which they become unusable. Only a couple of buds should be left to allow the crown of the tree to replenish with young shoots.

Mounting on a trellis

Methods for forming a currant trunk

The trunk is the trunk from the ground to the first skeletal branch. It should be smooth and without side shoots. To achieve this, there are two shaping methods. The first involves regular removal of lateral shoots - the buds are cut off with pruning shears, leaving only the shoots in the upper part of the trunk.

The second method is simpler - use a special tube that does not transmit light. It is put on the trunk. The length of the tube should correspond to the planned height of the trunk, plus a few centimeters that will go into the soil. This design will prevent the growth of new branches and the appearance of root shoots.

Scheme of forming a trunk using a tube that does not transmit light

DIY standard rose

Roses growing in the form of trees have long been decorating European cities. Gradually, this new product came to our open spaces. Today, many gardeners are interested in how to grow a standard rose with their own hands, so popular in aristocratic houses.

Standard roses are not classified as a species - they are not a tree, but a hybrid of a garden rose grafted onto a rosehip rootstock. You can plant almost any type of plant using either bush or standard methods.

The advantages of rose trees include the ability to form unusual bouquets in small areas of the garden, arranging standard, ground cover and bush forms. An important criterion for the popularity of boles is the stability of the roses, as well as the simple care of roses.

Standard roses. Kinds

Since there is no official classification, these trees are conventionally divided into groups depending on the height of the rootstock (excluding the crown):

1. Low (dwarf) - trunk height is from 30 to 50 cm. They decorate driveways, garden paths, terraces, balconies. These roses do well in containers.
2. Semi-standard - trunk height up to 80 cm. Suitable for small gardens; in the form of tapeworms they decorate closed recreation areas (patios, courtyards).
3. Ordinary trunks are trees up to 1.3 m high. For grafting, varieties of hybrid tea or floribunda roses are used.
4. High-standard (weeping) - can reach 3 m in height. They give an aristocratic look to the front areas of the site and are planted in large gardens. Climbing varieties of roses are used for grafting.

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Varieties of standard rose rootstocks

In modern breeding, three main groups of rootstocks can be distinguished, which are used to form standard roses:

1. The Caninae – the most common section, with conflicting species characteristics:

• Rosa canina is a species used since 1824. On the one hand, the rootstock itself reproduces poorly and grows slowly, but it is long-lived. It is not highly winter-hardy, but hybrid tea roses grown on it tolerate frost well;
• Heinsohn's Record - used in Germany for grafting yellow roses, the advantage is the ability to activate weak-growing scion varieties;
• Pfander's Canina (the most winter-hardy) - works well for almost all varieties of garden roses, except for some yellow varieties of the hybrid tea class.

2. In the section The Synstylae, only two types of rootstocks were selected (Moschata floribunda and Multiflora), which are used for vigorous varieties of roses. They are distinguished by their unpretentiousness, adaptation to poor sandy loam soils, high resistance to disease and cold resistance.

3. The Indicae section is known for the rootstock Odorata 22449. This species is suitable for countries with mild climates, but it is indifferent to both drying out and waterlogging. Almost all varieties of garden roses take root well on it. The later developed subspecies Moore's Odorata is more winter-hardy.

Planting standard currants

A seedling purchased from a nursery can be planted in spring or autumn. Autumn planting is only permissible if winters are warm and with a lot of snow. Snow cover can protect the young plant from freezing. In regions with frosty winters and little snow, it is better to plant in the spring, when the ground thaws.

Important! When planting, a strong, high support is driven into the hole. It will support the plant throughout its life.

If you plan to plant several seedlings on a site, leave a distance of 1.6-1.8 m between them.

Description of the landing process:

1. Prepare a hole 50 cm deep and the same diameter.

   The hole is dug in advance so that the earth settles

2. Humus, compost and wood ash are added to the soil.
3. The seedling is placed vertically in the hole.

   Currants on a trunk are placed vertically in the planting hole

4. Straighten the roots and cover with prepared soil.

   The support is deepened into the ground so that it firmly holds the trunk

5. Carry out abundant watering.

The tree trunk circle can be mulched with bark, sawdust or compost.

Planting seedlings

How to plant seedlings correctly in order to subsequently grow trunks? First you need to decide on a location. It should be on the sunny side of the site.

Important! The recommended soil for standard bushes is sandy loam with peat. It should be slightly acidic. Six months before planting the berry garden, the soil is dug well and fertilized with manure.

Planting of seedlings takes place in the last month of summer. The first week of August will do. Planting material should be in the form of a single straight stem, without branches, with the top pinched.

A planting hole is dug. It should be about 50 cm wide and 50-60 deep. The standard bush is planted deeper than ordinary currants. The distance between plants is 25-35 cm. Another difference between planting a plant on a standard and a regular one is the lack of tilt when placed in the ground. An ordinary seedling is planted at an angle of 45 degrees. Standard - no tilt, strictly straight. The gardener's hand should compact the soil near the tree trunk. Don't forget about support.

Saplings

Next year the seedling will be covered with branches. Shoots will form at the top. Perhaps root shoots will appear. The bush needs to be refined into a standard. All branches, root shoots, etc. are removed. The shoots are pinched.

Advice. In 2-3 years the plant will give a gorgeous crown. The tops of the branches need to be pinched. You also need to ensure that no branches grow on the trunk. Pinching of branches must be done annually.

How to grow standard currants

There are no particular differences in caring for ordinary and standard currant bushes. To obtain high yields, timely watering and fertilizing, proper pruning and protection from pests are important. The garter of branches is of great importance, since part of the crop easily breaks off the fruiting shoots.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

Standard currants need moderate watering. The soil should not dry out during the period of flowering and formation of ovaries, this will negatively affect the future harvest. The watering schedule depends on the weather and soil quality. On hot summer days, when there is no rain, currants are watered twice a week, pouring 2-3 buckets under each bush. It is convenient to organize drip irrigation.

Fertilizing is carried out in the same way as for ordinary berry bushes, without overusing urea. In spring, complex fertilizers with a high nitrogen content are applied. In the summer, during the formation of the crop, rotted manure, potassium sulfate and superphosphate are added. In September, the plants are also fed with the last two components.

Mulching and loosening the soil

After each watering, the tree trunk circle must be loosened and emerging weed sprouts removed. If you neglect the procedure, a crust will form on the surface of the soil, the soil will become compacted, and the roots will not be able to receive enough oxygen.

Mulching around the tree trunk helps simplify maintenance. Mown grass, tree bark, compost, peat, sawdust, etc. are used as mulch.

Comment! You can cover the ground with black non-woven material; it will also help protect the tree trunk from excessive drying out and weed growth.

Trimming

Standard currants are pruned annually, removing shoots that appear on the trunk and from the roots. Starting from the fourth year after planting, branches that have stopped bearing fruit are cut out. They maintain the shape of the crown by removing shoots that grow inward and interfere with the access of light and air to the fruiting branches.

Garter

A strong support allows the branches not to break off.
From the moment of planting, standard currants are tied to a support as in the photo, above the grafting site. Like grapes, this crop cannot grow on its own trunk without support. To prevent the branches from breaking off under a bountiful harvest, they build an umbrella chatalovka:

• a self-tapping screw is screwed into the upper part of the support;
• pieces of twine of the required length are tied to it;

The branches are tied up, slightly pulled up.
This way the shoots are reliably protected from breaking off at the junction with the trunk.

Preparing for winter

Golden currant, which is used as a rootstock, is frost-resistant and can tolerate down to -33 °C without snow or shelter. Self-rooted standard black currants are less resistant to cold and can freeze. To protect against severe frosts, especially in snowless winters, young seedlings are wrapped in a cover made of two layers of agrospan.

Advantages and disadvantages of the method

This method has many advantages.

1. The berries spoil much less, since the fruiting branches and brushes do not touch the ground.
2. Such bushes are less likely to be affected by pests. But still, treating currants against diseases and pests will not be superfluous.
3. The harvest is formed better due to the fact that the crown is illuminated more evenly.
4. It’s easier to care for bushes and pick berries.
5. Such plants take up less space and can be planted more compactly on the site.
6. It is easier to process the tree trunk circle.
7. The plant looks more attractive than a regular bush.

Among the disadvantages of the method is that such a plant will be less winter-hardy. In addition, they can break due to strong winds. If you find the right approach, then these shortcomings can be eliminated.

Standard currant berries contain more sugar and ripen faster compared to berries of a similar variety that are grown on a plant in the form of a bush. This is due to the fact that the crown is better illuminated.

Planting standard currants

If you buy a seedling of such a currant, you can plant it both in the spring and in the fall. The time depends on the climate. If there is usually a lot of snow in the winter, planting in the fall is appropriate.

After all, snow protects well from frost.

If there is little snow in winter, it is better to plant standard currants only in the spring.

How to plant:

1. To do this, prepare a planting hole measuring 50x50x50 cm.
2. You should add 2 cups of ash, as well as humus and compost.
3. You need to drive a support into the bottom. It should be high enough and strong.
4. The standard currants are installed vertically and secured to a support.
5. After the roots are straightened, the hole can be filled up.

For your information. Throughout the life of the bush, it needs support. This will prevent the trunk from falling and breaking.

How to make standard currants yourself: methods

You don’t have to buy ready-made standard seedlings, but make this form from an ordinary bush.

Let's get acquainted with the basic rules on how to make standard currants yourself.

Two methods are used: with its own root trunk, and also on a rootstock.

The growing rules are as follows.

Own root standard

Using this technique, the gardener forms a seedling from the crop variety he likes. As a result, you can get standard red currants or other types.

1. With the onset of spring, before the process of sap flow begins, it is necessary to select a strong, erect shoot on the bush. Its length should be 85-100 cm. Other shoots on the bush are cut off completely.
2. On the shoot that remains, you should pinch the top.
3. Next, counting 4 buds from the top, you need to blind all shoots located lower along the length.
4. When the shoots begin to grow from the buds located at the top, they are immediately pinched, leaving up to 5 leaves on them.
5. With the onset of the next season, pinching is carried out again on those shoots that have grown back.
6. In the 3rd year, as well as all subsequent years, sanitary pruning and thinning are carried out.

It is necessary to provide standard currant care by removing all shoots from the standard.

Rootstock method

This technique is very common in nurseries in Europe.

Using this method, you must have certain skills in this area.

1. First, the material that will serve as a rootstock is grown from layering or rooted cuttings. To do this, the plant is grown in 1 shoot located vertically. All side shoots that grow on it are removed. This will help strengthen the trunk. When the top is about 5 mm thick and the shoot length is 80 cm, we can say that the rootstock is ready.
2. How to make standard currants in this way? You should choose a cutting as a scion. The variety can be any. But it would be preferable to take a winter-hardy one with long brushes. The optimal length is 4 buds.
3. Using the improved copulation method, it is necessary to graft the cutting into a standard.
4. It has 2 buds that are blinding.
5. When the branches on the scion grow to 12 cm, they need to be pinched above the third leaf. They should not be allowed to grow too much. This may lead to breakage due to wind.
6. New shoots in the 2nd year are also pinched.
7. Starting from the 3rd year, only thinning and sanitary pruning is performed.

Since the side growth will grow again, it must be removed regularly.

A good scion option would be a lignified cutting at least 4 mm thick.

Advice. You should not take very young cuttings that have thin skin. It is important that the kidneys are dormant.

Caring for standard currants

Standard currants live longer than regular ones. The plant can bear fruit for about 15 years. To get a regular harvest, you need to properly care for currants.

1. Watering should be such that the soil does not dry out, but does not become too waterlogged. If necessary, the plant is watered, but the moisture must reach a meter deep. In the autumn, especially if there was a drought in the summer, moisture-recharging irrigation is necessary. This will significantly improve the winter hardiness of the plant.
2. In tips on how to successfully grow standard currants, you can read about fertilizing. It is done in the same way as feeding fruit trees and shrubs. In spring, the plant needs compost and humus to provide it with nitrogen. Care should be taken when adding urea. After all, too much nitrogen can harm the standard form. In summer, 5 kg of cow manure and 12 g of potassium sulfate are added. Superphosphate in the amount of 40 g will be useful. In the fall, add the same amount of superphosphate, plus 20-22 g of potassium sulfate.
3. Already in the fourth year, pruning of fruit bushes is necessary in order to rejuvenate the plant. Those branches that do not bear fruit are removed. It is also necessary to remove all root shoots and branches that thicken the crown.
4. In autumn, to prevent the branches from freezing, the plant is wrapped in several layers of agrospan.
5. Since branches can break, standard currants must be tied up. To do this, they make an umbrella chat room.

To do this, you need to screw a self-tapping screw onto the top of the wooden support and tie twine to it. There must be so many segments, so many branches on the plant. They are tied around the shoots and then slightly pulled up.

Reviews from gardeners about growing standard currants indicate that it becomes possible to grow something in the tree trunk. It could be flowers. For example, pyrethrums or marigolds. They will not only be a decoration, but also protect against many pests.

Growing currants in this form can be called a creative process. By showing your imagination, you can arrange such plants in the garden in an interesting and harmonious way. They won't take up much space.

Pests and diseases

Standard currants get sick less often than bush currants if the varieties are selected correctly. The most common pests are:

1. The bud moth is a tiny butterfly with a wingspan of about 2 cm. The caterpillars overwinter at the base of the bush, in the spring they eat the contents of the buds and after flowering they become butterflies. They lay eggs in berries, destroying the crop.
2. Currant aphid is easily identified on the plant by leaves with swollen spots, as well as twisted young shoots. Insects live on the underside of leaf blades and overwinter on the branches of berry crops.
3. Bud mite - eats plant buds. It can be noticed in the spring by its overly large swollen buds. Having eaten the core, the mite moves to a new place, depleting the currant bush.
4. The currant glass beetle is a butterfly whose caterpillars live in the shoots, eating away the inside. The pest can be detected when pruning along the black core of cut branches.

Insecticides are used to control pests (Aktara, Fufanon, Iskra, etc.).

To protect against insects, you can plant marigolds and pyrethrums in the tree trunk. Before the buds open, currants are doused with boiling water to destroy caterpillars, mites and aphids overwintering on the bush.

Currants are also susceptible to various fungal and viral infections. For prevention purposes, they are treated with fungicides in early spring. Repeat spraying during budding and after flowering if there are alarming signs. Viral infections cannot be treated; diseased plants are removed from the site and burned.

Diseases and pests: prevention and control methods

Many currant varieties are resistant to diseases and pests. However, not all plants are protected from infections and parasites. A gardener faced with a problem must react in time, otherwise the currants may die. Among the diseases that are dangerous for the crop are anthracnose, powdery growth, septoria, goblet rust and terry.

Pests are also dangerous for currants. Most often, plantings are affected by aphids, spider and bud mites, glasswort, blackcurrant berry sawfly and currant gall midge.

To avoid problems, agronomists recommend resorting to prevention in advance. Effective preventive measures are considered:

• moderate watering;
• timely feeding;
• annual sanitary pruning;
• digging up the soil after the end of the growing season;
• preventive spraying with Chlorophos at a concentration of 0.2%.

Important! The affected parts of the plant must be cut off and burned before treatment.

Creating currants on a trunk will require the efforts of the farmer. However, such work is not very difficult to carry out, as it seems at first glance. Having worked on the seedlings, the gardener will receive a beautiful plant that bears fruit no worse than a bush.

Mistakes gardeners make when growing standard currants

The formation of a bush plant into one trunk has its own characteristics. To achieve success, you need to use a step-by-step guide on how to grow standard currants. It is important to pay attention to proper pruning, tying, and choosing a place for planting.

Common mistakes:

1. There is no need to form grafted currants into one trunk. The upper shoot must be pinched above the 3-5 leaf for branching to begin. This procedure is repeated several times as the young shoots grow.
2. In the first year, it is necessary to remove shoots growing on the trunk 3-4 times. After putting on mittens, they cut it off - this method will give a better result than circumcision.
3. Golden currant, which is used as a scion, does not tolerate high soil moisture. This must be taken into account when choosing a place for planting and during watering.

It would be a grave mistake to try to grow a plant without support. Before fruiting begins, the currant tree will grow successfully, but the first abundant harvest can destroy it by breaking off the branches.

How to properly plant currants in open ground

In general, the shrub is quite unpretentious to its growing conditions, however, to obtain a high yield with the best vitamin and nutritional characteristics, it is necessary to follow a number of rules.

The shrub is sensitive to the water-air growth regime, since the length of its roots, up to 50 cm, is located in the upper layer of soil and cannot consume moisture from the deeper layers of the soil. This must be taken into account when choosing a planting site, since soil that is too wet is dangerous, and soil that is too dry requires frequent watering.

Site selection and soil preparation

The best conditions for growing currants are considered to be a well-lit area of ​​soil, representing a lowland, slope or hill with an average degree of moisture. The degree of illumination is determined by how long during the day the currant is exposed to direct sunlight.

The measure of site moisture is assessed by the level of groundwater in a nearby well, which should be no higher than 0.5-1 m. The requirements for soil acidity are also clearly regulated; soils of neutral and slightly acidic reactions are selected for it. It is best to place currants in a place of some elevation of the relief, containing up to 0.5 m of fertile layer with protection from both the direct influence of wind currents and from stagnant air.

Choosing a landing time

The shrub can be planted in the spring from the onset of warm weather until the buds open using cuttings or grown layering and in the fall in September-October. The autumn planting method is considered the best, since its use creates better conditions for the plant to survive and enter the phase of rapid development at the beginning of spring.

Soil treatment and preparation

It is better to plant shrubs at a distance of 1 m from neighboring bushes and at a distance of 1.5-2 m and 3-4 m from other shrubs and fruit trees. The required number of bushes for planting is determined from the condition that with normal care, currants produce from 2 to 3 kg per bush.

Soil for currants and fertilizers

As planting material, it is better to choose seedlings 15-20 cm long with a well-branched root system and no signs of pests and diseases. The dimensions of the planting hole are 40*40*40 cm; it is better to dig the hole either a few weeks before planting or in the fall of the previous year to create the necessary soil settlement.

It is necessary to prepare two layers of soil for planting a bush:

1. The first consists of earth dug out of a hole, mixed with peat, compost or fertilizers with the addition of small doses of mineral additives and has high biological value; serves to feed the roots, located below them in level.
2. The second also consists of fertile soil removed from the pit without fertilizers.

The process of planting in open ground

Holding the bush with one hand, place it above the first layer of soil, so that the roots feel free. Next, sprinkle with a second layer of soil, taking into account that the bush should protrude above the surface. The planted bush is watered abundantly, even if planting is done on a rainy day.

A tree trunk circle with a diameter of 40-50 cm is formed around the planted bush, a layer of mulch, peat or sawdust is added without affecting the planting itself.

After planting, the currant bush is pruned to a level of 7 cm above the ground. This measure is necessary to bring the above-ground part of the plant into line with the root system.

Reproduction

Standard currants are propagated by cuttings. For this:

• in mid-summer, in July, choose a strong, strong branch and cut out a stalk on which there should be 5 buds;
• plant it in fertile soil with the addition of sand, deepening it so that 1 bud remains on the surface;
• in summer they carry out standard care - moistening the soil, removing weeds, carefully loosening;
• in autumn, the young seedling is covered with fallen leaves;
• in the spring, all young basal shoots are removed, leaving only one shoot;
• at the beginning of summer, the young shoot is fed with nitrogen fertilizers, at the end of summer - with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers;
• do not forget to water the seedling regularly;
• the next year, the young shoot is cut to a length of 80–85 cm and 3–4 upper, well-developed buds are left, removing all the rest;
• in the fall, a new tree is planted in a permanent place, according to the above planting scheme.

Blackcurrant tree

Black currant is rightfully considered one of the most popular and beloved garden crops. Most people believe that blackcurrants need to be grown in bushes. However, there is another way to maintain this culture. We are talking about the formation of blackcurrant trees. In my opinion, this method has many advantages over the traditional bush method. What does this look like in practice?

The blackcurrant bush consists of many stems. Each of them is completely independent, as it has its own root system. But all the stems appeared from one common root, so they must be content with a very small “living space”. Despite their close relationship, they are forced to fight each other for basic survival. Expecting unprecedented harvests is about as naive as expecting that a dozen spiders in one jar will show touching care, tenderness and mutual respect to each other, and will share the last fly they caught.

It’s a different matter when the currant shoot receives an area of ​​land sufficient for its maximum development. Then the plant forms a powerful root system, a strong stem, and a developed structure of skeletal and fruiting branches. But this cannot be achieved by simply planting young shoots from a common bush in their own places, sufficiently distant from each other. In this case, new shoots will inevitably grow from the roots of such individual plants, and as a result, bushes will still form. To prevent this from happening, simple preparation and cultivation of cuttings is required.

Cuttings should be harvested in early spring, when the buds are swelling, but before the leaves appear, from annual shoots. The upper parts of the plant, where there are buds but no branches, are suitable for cuttings. The length of the cutting can be different, and first the workpiece is cut with pruners or a knife with some margin. When forming a cutting, you need to take into account that its lower third will be buried in the ground when planting, and on the part that remains above the ground, you need to leave 3-4 buds. From each such bud a skeletal branch will then grow, and the cutting itself will turn into a tree trunk. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the buds left are on different sides of the cutting, so that in the future the skeletal branches are positioned correctly and do not all end up on one side of the plant. Excess, unnecessary buds are pinched or carefully cut off. The tip of the cutting must be cut off.

As a cutting, you can use either a bed or just a flat piece of land, dug up and leveled with a rake. On the ridge, cuttings are planted in rows, with a distance between plants of 10-15 cm, and between rows of approximately 20-25 cm. On the site, the distance between plants is the same, but a gap of 40-70 cm is left between the rows. This is due to the weeding method. For example, manual weeding is usually carried out on the beds, and on the site - weeding the rows using a hand cultivator. If the need for material is small, both methods are suitable, and when planting cuttings for a commercial plantation or for trading seedlings, it is preferable to use a platform. In this case, it is easy to do weeding with a hand cultivator or some means of small-scale mechanization, which increases labor productivity several times.

Each cutting is buried in the ground with the butt part, about a third of its length. The soil around the planted cuttings should immediately become compacted and well-drained with water. This eliminates air access to the underground part of the plants and increases the survival rate. It is very useful to cover the cuttings with a special non-woven material. This material allows the sun's rays and rainwater to pass through well, but retains moisture and heat well underneath. In this case, the survival rate of cuttings can reach 100%. When branches appear on the seedlings from the left buds, and leaves begin to grow on them, which indicates sufficient development of the root system, the need for covering material disappears.

In the future, caring for the cuttings is not difficult. All that is required is periodic weeding and watering. As soon as branches emerge from the buds on the cuttings, which is a sign of sufficient development of the root system, the need for covering material will disappear. From now on, plants will develop better without any shelter. By the time the autumn leaves fall, each seedling should have 3-4 branches, according to the number left on the cuttings at the time of planting. If on some plants the number of branches is less than three, then such seedlings should be discarded. In winter, cuttings should not be covered or insulated. Currants are a very winter-hardy plant and usually tolerate even severe frosts well.

Overwintered seedlings must be pruned in the spring to ensure the final formation of the plants. This operation is carried out before the leaves bloom. 3-4 buds are left on each side branch, the rest is cut off. From each remaining bud a fruiting branch will grow, on which numerous clusters of large berries will appear. Immediately after pruning, the plants need to be either transplanted to permanent places or prepared for sale on the market, depending on the purpose of the nursery. The seedlings are carefully dug up, trying not to damage the roots, and transplanted to previously prepared places in the part of the garden or vegetable garden where they will remain until the end of their service life.

When planting seedlings in a new place, you need to ensure that the bases of the stems are not excessively buried below the soil level. If this happens, plant development will slow down and the yield will decrease. Therefore, it would be better to allow the seedlings to be in such a position that, after transplantation, they appear to be on small tubercles. After planting the seedlings, the soil around them must be well compacted and water should be poured abundantly so that the wet soil tightly adheres to the roots. Air penetrating the root system is very harmful; it dries out the roots and can cause plant growth to slow down.

The distance between seedlings, after transplanting them to permanent places, must be at least 2.5 meters. The seedlings are not yet large, and such a distance may seem excessive. However, it must be taken into account that after the skeletal and then fruit branches have fully grown, the currant trees will be very spreading. To avoid future difficulties with weeding, watering, harvesting and other work, it is better to immediately provide the necessary space.

By the second autumn, from the moment the cuttings are planted, thick stems, skeletal and fruiting branches have already been formed. In this form, the plants go to a second winter in order to provide the owners with the first harvest from next summer.

In the third year, the trees produce their first harvest. It is not yet large, only three to five kilograms of berries. But it is already noticeable that the berries themselves are very large, and are superior in quality to those that grew on the bushes from which the cuttings were taken. This is explained by the better development conditions that were provided to the tree seedlings in comparison with the conditions for the growth of stems in the bush version. The powerful root system of trees is capable of abundantly providing branches, leaves and fruits with nutrients and moisture, so the number and size of berries on the fruit branches is very, very impressive. Many berries seem truly gigantic.

From the fifth year of growth, currant trees begin to produce maximum yields, from eight kilograms per plant. Until the age of eight, the trees bear fruit abundantly, then yields begin to decline. Therefore, when growing black currants in the form of trees, it is advisable to periodically plant cuttings. Then it will be possible to immediately replace the uprooted eight-year-old plants with new seedlings.

Already at the age of four, currant trees are quite impressive. They rarely exceed 1.5 meters in height, but they are very spreading. On the eve of harvest, the clusters of berries appear as a continuous fringe on the lower part of the fruit branches. The weight of the crop is very large, the branches bend greatly, and their ends can touch the ground. Then the following happens. Where the branch touches the ground, roots form and a new plant begins to develop. To prevent this from happening, either props are placed under sagging branches, or their ends are simply cut off.

Currant trees are very decorative, so they can serve not only for producing large harvests of beautiful berries (which scientists recognize as the most useful of all), but also for decorating the estate. Indeed, these trees are very beautiful and have an unusual appearance. A low stem as thick as an arm, thick skeletal and so massive, but long and branched fruit branches, decorated with both carved leaves and a huge variety of clusters with very large berries - this type of plant can serve as a decoration for any estate, not to mention its practical benefits from the harvest. And for those gardeners for whom growing plant seedlings for sale serves as a means of main or side income, blackcurrant trees can serve as an excellent product for sale.

Author - Antonov Ivan Alexandrovich.

Source - seloidacha.ru/?page id=385. Published with permission of the author.