Fertilizing currants: types of fertilizers, timing, methods
Content:
The article describes in detail the feeding of currants: which fertilizers to choose, timing, methods of application.
Currently, there are many varieties of currants, even according to the color of the fruit, it can be yellow, black, red and white. Should we talk about the variety of varieties. But in order to grow a good currant bush on your site, you need not only to choose the right variety, but also to follow the rules of agricultural technology. These plants must be watered in a timely manner, weeded the beds, treated bushes from pests and, of course, fed. It is very important for any plant what nutrients are in the soil. And the abundance of the harvest directly depends on the fertility of the soil.
Today we will tell you about feeding for currants. But remember, it is important not only to choose the right top dressing, but also during it, in the right dosage. Of course, you can use folk remedies, but they cannot fully replace complex mineral fertilizers, so do not abuse them. It is best to alternate the application of organic, mineral and complex fertilizers, so that the currant bushes develop most intensively, and the harvest ripens together.
Feeding currants: the best time
Feeding currants: the best time
Gardeners recommend applying top dressing to the soil at least 5 times per season. However, you can limit yourself to four dressings, everything must be done taking into account the current state of plant development, if the bushes are strong and healthy, and the root system is powerful, then they will not need top dressing. In order for the foliage to begin to grow intensively for the first time, it is recommended to feed the plants in early spring, the second time the feeding is carried out during the flowering period, then during the formation of ovaries and after harvesting. The last time you should feed the bushes about one month before the arrival of cold weather.
Top dressing of currants: foliar and root
Top dressing of currants: foliar and root
As you know, plants are fed by root and non-root methods, applying fertilizers directly to the soil or spraying the leaves and stems of plants.
Foliar dressing is best done so that after the plant leaves have absorbed nutrients, the bushes grow more intensively. However, the concentration of fertilizers should be kept exactly, since the excess can harm the currants, burn the leaf plates. Usually currant bushes are sprayed from a spray bottle, after diluting the fertilizers in water.
If we talk about the root method of feeding, then it should be noted: fertilizers are applied both in dry and in liquid form. If you apply dry fertilizers to the soil, then you should scatter them on the surface of the earth, then water the bushes abundantly with water, and then mulch the soil. Thus, with the help of water, useful substances penetrate into the deep layers of the earth, plants absorb them in an accessible form. Liquid top dressing should be used for direct fertilization into the soil. Usually, bushes are watered with such useful solutions, and then the soil is loosened so that moisture does not evaporate and an earthen crust does not form.
Of course, it is best not to use one type of feeding, but to alternate different methods at different times of the year.Gardeners recommend feeding currant bushes with dry fertilizers in the spring, since at this time there is a lot of moisture in the soil, and the roots develop most intensively. In summer, it is best to spray the foliage, but this should be done either in the early morning or late in the evening, this is necessary so that the foliage does not burn under the rays of the scorching sun, since droplets of moisture on a sunny day become lenses that refract light. As you know, in summer, plants grow at dawn, so all agricultural activities are best done in the morning or in the evening. In autumn, when there is very little moisture in the soil, it is recommended to apply liquid fertilizers, which simultaneously moisten the soil.
How to feed currants
For feeding, mineral, organic and complex fertilizers are used. However, it is best to use a specific type of feeding for each season. So, for the first time, it is best to feed the currants with a complex mineral fertilizer, and this should be done in early spring. It is also good to add nitrogen to the soil at this time, since this substance contributes to the formation of a green mass, which is so necessary for plants in the first growing season of development.
The second time, it is also better to feed the bushes with fertilizer containing nitrogen, but its concentration should be reduced, since as the plants develop, this element needs less. In 3, 4 and 5 times, the currants should be fed with fertilizers without nitrogen, since it stimulates the growth of new shoots, and this negatively affects the formation of ovaries and fruiting. In addition, if a lot of fruits are formed on the plant, they will not have time to ripen, and the currants will waste their strength in vain. And in winter, the bushes can freeze.
Mineral fertilizer for currants
Mineral fertilizer for currants
Currants need many minerals for development. For the first time, it is best to feed the currants with dry nitroammofosk in the spring, observing the following dosages: for one black currant bush up to 15 grams, colored up to 10 grams. And during flowering, it is best to feed the bushes with phosphorus potassium fertilizers, for this, about 10 grams of superphosphate and potassium sulfate are dissolved in water and the bushes are watered with the resulting solution. This fertilizer is also suitable for processing leaf plates, but the concentration of fertilizers will need to be reduced by three times. When ovaries begin to form on the currants, it is recommended to bring wood ash under the bushes at the rate of: up to 200 grams for colored currant bushes and up to 150 g for black. After you feed the bushes, you will need to loosen the soil and water the plants intensively. After the harvest is harvested, you can feed the currants again with phosphorus potassium fertilizers. Before the onset of cold weather, wood ash is also added under the bushes.
If you buy fertilizers from a specialized agricultural store, then carefully read the instructions, observe the dosages and apply fertilizers on time. Very often summer residents feed the currants with ash, since these are the most affordable natural mineral fertilizers. The hall is also considered a complex fertilizer, since it contains a lot of trace elements, and most importantly potassium. For better absorption of nutrients, K1k is recommended not only to sprinkle the topsoil with wood ash, but to water the plants with ash infusion. In order to prepare this solution on your own, you need to pour water into half of the bucket of the hall to the very top, leave the infusion for 48 hours and then dilute the resulting substrate with water, at the rate of: 1 part of the infusion to 10 parts of water. After that, water the currants, while spending no more than 1 bucket per bush.
Organic fertilizers
The most popular organic fertilizer is manure and bird droppings. They contain a lot of nitrogen, so they are recommended to be applied either in early spring or before winter.Plants need nitrogen to build up green mass, so nitrogen-containing fertilizers need to be applied on time, so if you add nitrogen during the fruiting period, the currant bushes will rage, but you will not wait for the fruits, all the plant's forces will be spent on the formation of green foliage and new shoots. The deadline for applying such organic fertilizers is the first month of summer. Rotten manure is considered the most common, remember that it will be necessary to dilute it in water, taking 1 part of manure and 5 parts of water, then this solution should reach, so it is better to leave it for a while. If you are using fresh manure, then you should also first dissolve it in water and insist for 4 days. After that, the resulting mixture is diluted with water, as well as with an ash infusion, currant bushes should be watered with no more than one bucket per adult plant.
Many gardeners use bird droppings as plant food. It is believed that it is more active than manure, so it will need to be diluted in water, from a ratio of 1 to 12. The resulting solution is also watered with adult and young currant bushes. Humus and compost are also great for feeding currants. Unlike poultry droppings and manure, they do not contain nitrogen, so you can use this top dressing throughout the summer. Usually humus or compost is applied directly to the soil through mulching. But do not damage the roots of the plants, as intensive loosening has a negative effect on their growth.
A little about folk remedies
In many folk recipes, there are a lot of useful things, which is why gardeners and gardeners love them so much. But remember that you need to use these tips wisely, and not replace them with the introduction of organic and mineral dressings. Many recommend feeding currant bushes potato peelings, it is believed that the starch contained in the peelings is very useful for currants, but it is actually poorly absorbed, so do not overdo it with this type of feeding. In order to prepare this fertilizer, it is recommended to fill the potato peelings with water, then the resulting substrate should be infused for a month and a half, after which it can be diluted with water and fed to the bushes.
Some recommend using regular store-bought starch to feed the currants. To do this, 200 g of starch is diluted in 5 liters of water, then boiled and cooled, after which this mixture is dissolved in one bucket of water and currant bushes are watered at the rate of 2-3 liters per plant.
If bread crusts very often remain in your house, then this method will obviously appeal to you. You will need to fill the crusts of bread with water, leave for 10-12 days and, diluted with water, water the plants. It is believed that it is best to do this during the flowering period, but some gardeners note: black currants are indifferent to such feeding. Use our recommendations and grow healthy and strong currant bushes on your site.
Feeding currants