Ojebin currant: description, care, instructions for growing

The article presents Currant Ojebin: description, characteristics, guidance for care, protection, cultivation.

Such a fruit and berry culture as black currant has been known and widespread since ancient times in the countries of Scandinavia, in the north of our country, although scientists say that Asia was the ancestral home of this culture. But it's also worth noting that it was a wild culture. For the first time, they began to cultivate this plant in France and England, in the 17-18 centuries. Nowadays, this berry culture is quite widespread, and there are a huge number of its varieties bred. In this article, we will consider in sufficient detail one subspecies of such a culture called Ojebin, whose homeland is considered to be the northern part of Sweden.

Ojebin currant: variety description

Ojebin currant: photo of the variety

The black currant Ojebin belongs to the representatives of plants with an average growth rate (it can reach an average of one meter), it is also endowed with a rather dense crown and not very wide spreading. Young growing shoots initially have a green color and a slightly pinkish tinge, which changes to a grayish-brown color during maturation, and they also become woody over time. Stems in adulthood are quite strong and thick, for the most part straight, the apical parts have a brown tint. The buds are located on the shoot in a single order, have a pinkish color and an elongated oval shape.

The leaves of the black currant Ojebin in the spring are the most intense, pale green in color, and in the summer they are dark green in color with a slight bronze tint. These leaves are small in size, they are soft, grow on elongated petioles, with three or five lobes. The leaves of this subspecies of black currant are endowed with a fairly strong and specific aroma, with phytoncidal properties. They have this feature due to the resinous glands on the back of the sheet plate.

The flowers, when opened, have a light pink color and a bell-shaped shape. They are collected in elongated and medium-sized clusters, with an average of 6-8 berries. After the berries ripen, the cup falls off rather quickly. It is also worth noting that this culture is considered self-fertile, its self-pollination is 40 percent. Also, these black currant shrubs can perfectly survive low air temperatures.
The plant of this subspecies is rarely affected by such common diseases as powdery mildew and anthracnose. It has an average resistance to the pest of the dangerous kidney mite, not resistant to rust disease.

Immediately, we note that the Ojebin currant variety was not specially bred, therefore the author is not registered with it. This variety appeared spontaneously, it was simply selected in the northern part of Sweden from plants growing in the wild. We can only say for sure that this is a clone of such a subspecies of currant, which has the name Erkheikki.

The Ojebin black currant variety is considered a unique variety that does not dry out in hot weather, even in the southern part of Ukraine.Due to the fact that the Ojebin currant has a high index of cold tolerance, and also good immunity to such dangerous and widespread diseases as powdery mildew and anthracnose, this subspecies was taken as the basis for the breeding of numerous subspecies in the countries of Finland, Norway and Sweden. ... And to ensure a high level of immunity to anthracnose and powdery mildew, it is actively used to this day in the selection of other varieties.

I would like to tell you about one interesting fact: when you see a growing currant bush, you can always tell which berries it produces, black, red or white, even if it is without leaves. To do this, you just need to run your hand along its shoot, starting from the root and going up. If the aroma inherent in currants arises, then black currants, pink, red and white, do not have such a smell.

Black currant variety Ojebin: photo

Odzhebin currant: features of agricultural technology

The black currant variety Ojebin is a subspecies with regular and abundant yields. Long-term and high productivity of these shrubs is achieved thanks to a complex of agrotechnical measures, therefore, if all these rules and actions are followed, your bush will bear fruit perfectly for 15 years.

Selecting a seedling, location and planting

The best type of soil for growing currants of the Odzhebin variety is considered to be loam and black soil, which are well provided with moisture. The most ideal site for this shrub is the floodplain soils of rivers. But the lowlands, where stagnation of water often occurs, as well as places with a surface occurrence of groundwater for this culture are absolutely contraindicated.

When choosing a site for planting this seedling, you need to know that this culture will grow much worse on light soils without adding organic matter. This plant loves moist, well-fertilized and loose soils. This shrub is categorically bad for acidic soils, and if, in the absence of another option, you have to plant a plant on such soils, then in advance, about one year before planting, you need to prepare this place, that is, lime it, bring it under digging before the winter period from 300 to 800 gram of lime per square meter.

The planting of a black currant seedling Ojebin should be done in the spring, after frosts and before the beginning of the sap flow period (approximately the second half of March), or in the autumn period, 1-1.5 months before the arrival of the first frosts (from September to October). It should be taken into account that the root system of berry crops is intensively developing until the late autumn period. The planting hole should be approximately 50 by 60 centimeters in size, and its depth should be approximately 35-40 centimeters. It should also be remembered that this plant prefers to grow in sufficiently illuminated places, but not in extreme heat, although it also tolerates partial shade well. And the plant does not tolerate strong winds and drafts quite well, so it is worth taking care of its protection.

When choosing a seedling, first of all, you need to carefully examine the plant: whether its root system is sufficiently developed, the roots should have a light color on the cut, the shoots of the surface part should have a thickness greater than the thickness of a pencil, and there should be no dry or affected buds. In general, the depth of the planting hole depends entirely on the size of the seedling, and the seedling itself should be buried about 9-10 centimeters from the root collar. From those buds that will be underground, additional shoots and roots will subsequently form.

In addition, the rhizome of the Ojebin currant will go deeper into the lower layers of the soil and will not heat up in sufficiently hot weather.A layer of fertilizers should be added to the dug planting hole: half a bucket of humus, 15 grams of ammonium nitrate, 25-30 grams of superphosphate, 15 grams of potassium chloride, or, instead, a half-liter can of wood ash. Fertilizers must be mixed well with fertile soil. Before planting, you should slightly trim the roots of the seedling.

When planting a given seedling, it must be placed in the hole at an acute angle of 45 degrees, this contributes to the formation of new roots and young healthy shoots from the buds that are underground. Placing a seedling in the planting hole, you should carefully spread its roots, but without bending them at the same time, otherwise the plant will go through the adaptation period for quite a long time. After that, having covered the seedling with soil in half of the planting hole, it should be watered, even if the soil is already wet. Thanks to this, there will be no air voids in the root zone and the roots will be in contact with the ground to the maximum.

So that after planting the ratio of the ground part and the rhizome is approximately the same, the pruning procedure should be carried out and two or three buds should be left above the soil, and 3-4 buds on annual plants. If you plan to plant several copies at once, then the row spacing should be two meters, and between the seedlings themselves about one and a half meters.

Care features

In order for the Ojebin currant to have a good growth and fruiting period, this variety must grow in a sufficiently moist and fertile soil, since the culture takes up a sufficiently large amount of micronutrients. That is why, before planting a plant, as well as during the growing season, it is required to apply the required amount of fertilizer to the soil. The first time feeding is applied before the procedure for planting a young plant. This happens in the first ten days of October:

• 5-6 kilograms of organic matter per square meter are introduced into poorly processed soils.
• 4-5 kilograms of organic matter per square meter are applied to the treated soils on average.
• In sufficiently treated soils, 4-5 kilograms of organic fertilizers per square meter are also applied, but already with an interval between dressings of two years.

It is worth knowing that fertilizers containing chlorine should not be applied for Ojebin black currant.

Together with organic matter, mineral fertilizers are also introduced, about 200 grams of superphosphate and 50 grams of potassium sulfate per square meter. Top dressing is applied only to the soil that is free of weeds. Therefore, before feeding the plant, it is required to weed the soil near the bushes so that only these currant bushes can use these fertilizers. Those fertilizers that are applied when planting a seedling in a planting hole are quite enough for two years of growth and fruiting of the plant.

Starting from the age of three, the Ojebin currant should receive fertilizers. For the entire growing season of this subspecies of currant, it is required to carry out four dressings for it, this is in the spring (one dressing); in the summer season (two dressings), during the ripening of the fruits; after harvesting (one top dressing). In the spring period of the year, nitrogen-based fertilizers are especially required for this berry crop, because they help the growth of green mass and, of course, the formation of a large number of fruits. Ammonium nitrate (25 grams) or urea (15 grams) is added to the soil per square meter. It is required to take into account the fact that nitrogen and potassium are quite simply and quickly washed out of the soil into the lower layers of the soil, and in order for this shrub to master such feeding well, it should be done in the spring, after the snow has melted, mainly after last spring return frosts. Plus, nitrogen-based fertilizers have a stimulating effect on the growth of new shoots, and in the autumn, before wintering, this is highly undesirable.Even in the spring season, organic feeding is introduced; for this, diluted mullein (in a ratio of 1 to 10), or bird droppings (in a ratio of 1 to 20) are suitable. Two buckets of such feeding will leave for a shrub in adulthood, and one bucket will be enough for a young bush.

It is worth noting that the Ojebin currant is very good at starch, so it will be an excellent top dressing from potato peelings... This requires boiling water drenched, and then pour the cooled or dried potato peelings near the bush.

If we briefly consider the scheme for caring for these shrubs at a certain time, it looks like this:

• Sleeping kidneys. During this period of time, the bush is treated with boiling water from a watering can, or with DNOC, this is done against a whole complex of pests.
• Budding period. While loosening the soil, ammonium nitrate should be added in the amount of one matchbox per bush.
• Shoot growth period. At this time, the plant is sprayed with Topaz, powdery mildew from a dangerous disease.
• Budding period, beginning of the flowering period. At this time, the shrub is treated with boric acid and iron chelate (10 grams of substance per 10 liters of liquid).
• The end of the flowering period. The plant is fed with bird droppings (1 to 15), or mullein (1 to 5), always under watering.
• The period of growth and fruit pouring. At this time, constant watering procedures are carried out, as well as the treatment of shrubs from stress due to hot weather with the drug Immunocytophyte.
• Fruit ripening period. Immediately after picking up the fruits, the shoots that have been affected by the glass are cut out, the plant is sprayed with Topaz and Fufanon preparations.
• The period of the end of the growth of shoots. The culture is fed with potassium sulfate and superphosphate, two matchbox substances for one shrub.
• The period of leaf fall. The ends of the stems that have been affected by the powdery mildew disease are trimmed, and those shoots that have been affected by the glass bowl and the bud mite are removed.

It depends on the second and third feeding procedures whether the fruits of this crop are large berry crops. Such dressings are carried out after the flowering period, at the moment when small green berries have already formed on this bush and when these fruits begin to turn black. They are also fed with organic fertilizers, but not abundantly, about three buckets for each shrub.

For the fourth time, the plant is fed after harvesting the fruits, approximately in the last decade of July and the first half of August. The Ojebin currant at this moment is extremely depleted, therefore fertilizing with fertilizers will go to restore its vitality, as well as to lay healthy and strong fruit buds for the next year. The bush is fed with organic and mineral fertilizers, for this, one spoonful of superphosphate is dissolved in one bucket of water, in the same amount of potassium nitrate and one glass of wood ash. Organic fertilizers are diluted in the same way as in the first and second feeding procedures. One shrub takes about two buckets of such feeding.

Fertilizing is applied as follows:

• Dry fertilizers. It is carried out according to the projection of the crown of the bush, then they are closed up by loosening the soil.
•  Water solutions. According to the projection of the shrub into the hole, then the soil is loosened and thus fertilizer is covered.

In addition to fertilizing the roots of this shrub with fertilizers, several foliar dressings can be carried out, basically they are produced three times, in the first two summer months. For this, three grams of boric acid, five grams of potassium permanganate (that is, potassium permanganate), 35 grams of copper sulfate are diluted in different containers. These solutions are poured into 10 liters of liquid and sprayed on the plant. These top dressing is required to be done in non-sunny weather.The rhizome of this subspecies of the berry culture under consideration is not so deep in the soil, about 20-30 centimeters from the soil surface, therefore the plant is quite hygrophilous. This crop has growing seasons in which the shrub is especially sensitive to the irrigation procedure. First of all, this is the period of flowering, secondly, this is the period of ripening of berries, and the last is after, or at the time of picking up the fruits. During these periods, from 20 to 30 liters of warm liquid is poured under one shrub.

It is important to know that with a sufficient level of soil moisture when squeezed in the hand, it gathers into a lump, while sticking a little to the palm. And if, when squeezing, the soil easily sticks to the hand and liquid comes out on the lump, then watering should be reduced.

The irrigation procedure should be carried out in circular grooves, which have a depth of 10-15 centimeters, according to the projection of the shrub, or in the areas made by irrigation under the plants, while limiting them with a soil roller. Fertilizing can be done in conjunction with the irrigation procedure. To prevent the soil from drying out immediately, you should put a layer of mulch under the bushes, so you can retain moisture in the soil.

In addition to the irrigation procedure, the soil under the bushes must be loosened, taking into account the depth at which the roots of the plant are located: between the bushes to a depth of approximately 13-18 centimeters, and under the plants to a maximum depth of 6-8 centimeters. During the entire growing season, the soil near this plant is loosened about 6 times.

What diseases and pests can affect the Ojebin currant

The black currant variety Ojebin has a good immunity to such dangerous and common diseases as anthracnose and powdery mildew, although with poor quality and untimely care, it can be attacked by a pest such as a kidney mite, as well as infection with diseases of terry and rust. This plant has a fairly good resistance to other diseases.

To combat diseases and harmful insects, they begin to carry out activities at the very beginning of the spring period. In the last days of February - the first half of March, before the beginning of the bud swelling period, these shrubs are poured over with boiling water. The water for this procedure should be at a temperature of about 70-80 degrees, and it would be better to cover the place of occurrence of the roots of this plant with a piece of plywood or a tarp so that they cannot get burned. For a greater effect, potassium permanganate or salt is added to the water. The plant is treated evenly, without stopping in one area, so that it is not possible to scald the shrub. Although this method is environmentally friendly, it cannot guarantee one hundred percent of getting rid of pests and diseases. That is why, in addition to everything, with the arrival of spring, the shrubs are treated with a 1% solution of karbofos, a 1% solution of copper sulfate, or Bordeaux liquid. During the growing season, these plants can be treated with fungicides about 2-4 more times.

Processing should be carried out not only on the plant itself, but also on the soil under it. In the spring, immediately after the snow melts, the soil near the bush is loosened about three centimeters in depth and the bush is watered. In the autumn period, it is required to collect all the stems from under the bushes, fallen leaves and dispose of by burning, since they may contain harmful and dangerous insects preparing for wintering. First of all, a bud mite can be seen on this fruit and berry bush. This is one of the most dangerous enemies of this berry culture. This pest can damage up to 80 percent of all existing kidneys. Plants that have been attacked by a kidney mite after a while weaken and die, if appropriate action is not taken in a timely manner.The buds on which this pest settled can be seen at the very beginning of the autumn period. They stand out quite clearly at the beginning of the growing season. A kidney affected by a mite is large enough than healthy, it has a round shape and looks like a very small head of cabbage. Inside such a kidney there are up to one and a half thousand mites, very small in size, not noticeable at first glance. Stems that were affected by this pest must be removed and burned with the arrival of the spring period of the year.

During the flowering of the plant, the female ticks leave their shelter and find new buds for themselves. During such a period, treatment from this small and dangerous pest is most effective. The shrub is treated with a colloidal sulfur solution (10 grams of the substance are taken for 10 liters of liquid).

It should be noted that this pest is a carrier of a very dangerous disease - terry, or otherwise reversion of the currant. Moreover, the first signs of this disease can manifest themselves only after four years, which is why shrubs five years old are taken for cuttings. Signs of infection of Ojebin currant with this disease are as follows:

• The flowers of the affected shrubs change their color from rich red at the beginning of flowering to purple at the end of flowering, and they also turn into double-colored.
• The leaves of a diseased plant are very small and irregular in shape; they also lose their specific aroma inherent in this culture.
• The shrub does not bear fruit.

Unfortunately, it is useless to treat this infected plant, there are no drugs against this disease. Therefore, the affected shrub must be urgently dug up and burned so that the disease does not spread to other crops, and the place under this bush must be processed. For the prevention of the fight against kidney mites, it is primarily the purchase of a seedling of this subspecies only from trusted sellers.

Another of the most dangerous diseases of this plant, which can destroy it, is goblet rust... This disease affects the foliage of the plant, as a result of which it changes color to yellow and falls off prematurely, as well as the stalks and the fruits themselves, which are not subject to consumption. The causative agent of this dangerous disease is considered to be a fungus that hibernates on sedge, and in the spring, at the time of flowering, the spores of the fungus are transferred to the berry fields with the help of the wind. With sufficient damage, the yield of the crop decreases. In a sick bush, metabolic processes are disturbed, and the level of endurance to frost also decreases.

As preventive measures, they carry out:

• Within a radius of half a kilometer from the bushes, sedges are completely destroyed.
• Then the fallen leaves and stems are removed and burned.
• Produce timely and high-quality pruning of the bush, while preventing its thickening.
• Shrub treatment with fungicides in the spring.

If the Odzhebin currant nevertheless became infected with this disease, then for treatment, re-treatment of the bush with fungicides, Bordeaux liquid, or a colloidal sulfur solution is used. In this case, the processing is performed three times: during the blooming of the foliage, before and after the flowering period.

This currant bush, unfortunately, can be attacked by other harmful and dangerous insects. The most common for this bush are glass, moth and aphid. When attacked by aphids, the leaves on the crop curl up, and the young shoots become curved. The hibernating eggs of this harmful and dangerous insect are destroyed by treating the plant with an eight percent nitrophene solution or chlorophos solution (in a ratio of 20 grams of substance per 10 liters of liquid).

The moth larvae spend the winter in fallen leaves under the bushes of this berry culture.In order to prevent them from crawling out before the budding period, it is required to apply a layer of mulch on the soil under the plant, or cover with a non-woven material. In this case, the larvae die.

Glassy larvae wait out the winter period under the bush, and then begin to feed, gnawing the stems from the inside. In this case, a black core can be seen on the break of the shoot. Infected stems are cut to the very base of the bush and then burned.

The procedure for pruning and forming a crown

The procedure for pruning and forming the crown for the black currant variety Ojebin is done during the entire growing season of this culture. Correctly carried out pruning and formation of shrubs is considered a very important and mandatory measure to increase the yield and quality of berries. It is also worth noting that with the correct and perfect pruning of this shrub, up to 90 percent of the complications that can arise as a result of diseases and attacks of harmful insects can be prevented.

The best fruiting in this culture occurs on lateral growths, which are located on shoots two to three years old. The older the stem is, the less fruitful buds and smaller fruits are on it, which is why the formation of a shrub with fruitful stems of a young age is an important factor in increasing and prolonging the high yield and quality of fruits.

When performing the pruning procedure, it is required to take into account the biological characteristics of the subspecies in question - this is its ability to form new basal shoots at a fairly rapid pace. As a result, the shrub of this subspecies can reach a strong thickening and, accordingly, it needs a crown formation procedure done in time.

Depending on how old the Ojebin currant has reached, the nature of the pruning procedure also changes. During planting, the root and apical part of the plant is brought into proper form. Plus, the upper kidney is cut off, which pulls off all the nutrient microelements, prevents the lateral stems from forming. This means that the plant begins to age already in the first year of planting it. Therefore, after planting a bush, each stem is cut to two or three buds, and the cut should be about one and a half centimeters above the bud, oblique, down.

During the first three years, it is very important to get the greatest vegetative mass, due to which, in the future, this will serve as the basis for abundant harvests of ripe fruits, which is why the pruning procedure at this time is aimed at forming the crown of the bush: too weak and unnecessary shoots that are one year old are cut off, and the strong apices are trimmed by one third. After such a pruning procedure, there should be two to four buds on the shoots.

For 4-5 years of plant life, more than 13-14 stems of various ages can grow on it. With a larger number of them, the shrub thickens, as a result, the quality and quantity of fruits decreases, and the likelihood of damage to the bush by pests and diseases increases. Therefore, starting from the age of four, the plant rejuvenation procedure should be gradually carried out: in this culture, at a mature age, up to 10 stems of various ages should grow.

It is worth knowing that you should always prune above the bud facing outward from the bush: a new, young twig will form from it.

The old stems of this shrub should be cut off immediately after harvest. They are cut at the very surface of the soil to stimulate the formation of young shoots. Subsequently, the formation of a bush consists in the periodic replacement of sick and unproductive old stems with the youngest and strongest branches.

During the autumn pruning procedure, a shrub is most often formed, and in the spring, a small pruning is carried out for sanitary purposes.Stems that have been affected by pests are cut out within a year. The places of cuts in the black currant of Ojebin are rather poorly overgrown, so they must be lubricated with garden varnish. Pruned healthy shoots can be used as cuttings. From old healthy stems, layering can be made by making small grooves in advance with a carnation on the bark of the branches, for the fastest rooting.

It should also be remembered that the pruning procedure of this plant is carried out during periods of dormancy of the culture: in the late autumn period, or in the early spring.

Ojebin currant: wintering

The black currant variety Ojebin is considered a fairly hardy plant to frost, which is why the complex of actions before the winter period is mainly aimed at feeding the culture, as well as sanitizing the shrub and the space around it. Before the pruning procedure, it is imperative to carry out preventive measures against harmful insects and various diseases. For this, all dried stems and fallen leaves are collected and disposed of by burning. Then I treat the shrub and the soil around it with fungicides (a solution of laundry soap, or a solution of potassium permanganate).

In the autumn, the main procedure for pruning this bush is carried out, its crown is formed. To do this, remove all the annual apical parts, since various pests, dried and underdeveloped shoots, as well as those young shoots that are thinner than a pencil, spend the winter in them. Do not forget that the cut sites need to be treated with garden varnish. Before feeding the plant, the procedure for charging the bush is carried out, the water consumption should be approximately 40-50 liters per bush.

In the autumn period, digging of the soil is carried out together with top dressing. In the autumn period, together with organic fertilizers, only mineral fertilizers based on potassium and phosphorus are applied. The nitrogen contained in organic matter will become available to the culture only after the decomposition process in the soil, in the spring, that is, at the moment when it becomes more necessary for the culture of the given.

Digging is carried out quite carefully and not deeply so as not to damage the root system (near the base of the bush by 6 centimeters, and further from its base by about 15 centimeters). Light soil should be loosened in order to protect it from freezing to the greatest depth. Heavy soil must be left lumpy to retain moisture. It is also required to mulch the space near the bush.

If a rather cold winter is expected, with temperatures below -25 degrees, the bush of this subspecies of currant should still be insulated. To do this, you need to group several shrub stems and bend them out to the soil surface, in the direction of their growth, and then press with something heavy, such as bricks or boards. When predicting cold weather below -35 degrees, in addition to such actions with the stems, you should also wrap up the shrub, using mineral wool or agrofibre.

You can also insulate the Ojebin black currant by dropping it with soil, but it is worth remembering that the plant must still have access to air, so you should not allow glaciation.

Collection and storage of fruits

The fruits of the Ojebin black currant have the peculiarity of simultaneous ripening, and are also able to be located on the bush for up to one month. Thanks to this, it becomes possible to carry out the harvest at one time. Although these fruits have a dry separation from the brush, it is still recommended to remove them from the plant with brushes, because in this case their shelf life becomes longer, and they tolerate transportation this way better.

In the event that these fruits are intended for technical processing, or for sending over a rather long distance, then they should be removed in a slightly immature form: when the first berries ripen in one brush, or a week and a half before they are fully ripe. The fruits of this subspecies collected in this state perfectly retain their qualities from 10 to 18 days and they ripen on the way, although in their taste characteristics they are rather inferior to those fruits that have ripened on the bush. Therefore, if the fruits of the data are intended for consumption, directly on the spot, then they are removed when fully ripe. It is also worth noting that the fruits of this subspecies of currants are collected in not hot and dry weather, in boxes or baskets, in which they are then transported.

The harvested crop of these fruits is stored in a cool place until shipment. It is best to transport such fruits in the evening or at night, while covering them well from rain and dust. The excellent characteristics of the fruits of this subspecies of black currant, the semi-spreading of the bush and the elasticity of its shoots make it possible to harvest mechanized.

Conclusion

The black currant variety Ojebin is a fairly popular variety for industrial cultivation in Poland and the Scandinavian countries. Recently, the demand for the fruits of this culture, which is sold in an unprocessed, fresh form, has greatly increased. Due to its excellent and unique composition, as well as good resistance to frost, the ability to retain its structure during thawing, which makes it possible to provide yourself and your family with vitamins all year round, the Ojebin currant remains one of the most demanded. The main thing is not to forget about high-quality and timely care for her.

Black currant Ojebin: video about the variety