Currant Treasure

The article presents a currant Treasure: a description of the variety, planting rules, care, reviews of summer residents.

It is well known that the content of microelements and vitamins important for the human body in black currant fruits is an order of magnitude higher than in red berries. Even black currant leaves are valuable. For example, many housewives, when salting or pickling cucumbers, must add currant leaves. Our ancestors did so. And there are several reasons for this, firstly, the leaves contain a lot of tannins that make the cucumbers crispy, and secondly, they contain phytoncides that have a bactericidal effect and, of course, the smell of essential oils, which give the brine an incomparable taste. By the way, the berries were called currants precisely for their aroma. The word currant comes from the old word "smurod" (stench), meaning "smell". By the way, gardeners often dry currant leaves, and in winter they use them to make aromatic tea.

Currant variety Treasure, bred by Siberian breeders, is a striking representative of its species.

Black currant Treasure: variety description

Currant Treasure: photo

Currant Treasure grows in a fairly large bush, reaching a height of 1.5 meters. The plant is not sprawling, thickening is medium. The leaf has a pointed shape and a clear relief, it is held on thick and short petioles.
The flowering of the bush begins at the same time. Flowers are calyx-shaped, small, yellow-green in color, collected in a brush. The bunches are mostly single, although some grow together in 2-3 pieces. Up to 10 fruits can form on one bunch.

Large, thin-skinned Sokrovische black currant is a feature of this variety. The berry weighs 1.5-2.5 grams. Fruits are slightly oval, black with a purple tinge, usually of the same size. The berries are sweet in taste, there is a slight sourness characteristic of currants.

The Sokrovische currant variety is self-pollinated, the harvest begins to ripen early. During the season, on average, up to 4 kg of berries can be harvested from one bush. During the fruiting period, it is recommended to make supports for the branches, since the bushes, at times, cannot withstand the weight of the crop.

Blackcurrant Treasure: planting rules

Currant Treasure: photo of the variety

If you are going to grow currants of the Sokrovische variety, you need to start with the preparation of the site. The landing site must be dug up in advance, weeds, plant roots must be removed, organic fertilizers must be applied. The amount of compost must be applied at the rate of 10 kg per 1 sq. meter. Before planting, potassium phosphate fertilizers are also added to the hole. If the earth has an acidic reaction, it is necessary to add deoxidizers. For these purposes, you can use wood ash, dolomite flour or lime. It is important to remember that lime should be applied in advance so that its aggressive effect decreases and the roots of the plant do not get burned.

As a rule, currants are planted in autumn, when the air temperature is stable at + 7 ... + 15 degrees. Before the onset of cold weather, the seedling must get stronger, take root and have time to gain strength in order to winter without loss.

When purchasing Treasure blackcurrant seedlings, special attention should be paid to the condition of the plant's root system. The length of the roots must be at least 20 cm. If the plant is sold with an earthen clod, it is necessary that the whole must be entangled in a network of thin roots.Shoots also need to be carefully examined. The branches should not have any damage or stains. Experts note that 2-year-old seedlings take root best of all.
Before planting, the seedlings are placed in water so that the roots are saturated with moisture and the plant can more easily tolerate planting. Some gardeners also add rooting stimulants to the water.

The depth of the planting pit must be at least 40 cm and the width must be at least 50 cm. On heavy soils, a drainage layer must be provided.

When planting, the seedling is carefully lowered into the hole, tilting at an angle of 45 degrees, and, carefully, sprinkle with loose soil. The root collar must be ruined by at least 8-10 cm. After that, the aerial part is pruned, leaving one shoot with 3-4 buds. Otherwise, the bush will grow old quickly, also considering that the currants of this variety are more prone to this than other varieties.

The earth is slightly compacted, a small groove is formed around the circumference and watered abundantly with water, in a volume of at least 20 liters. Once the moisture is absorbed, the soil is mulched. The layer of mulch, for which you can use straw, sawdust or the same compost, should be at least 5 cm. Some gardeners mulch currant plantings with peat. However, peat acidifies the soil, and currants, as we remember, do not react well to acidic soil.
If you are planting more than one bush at once, then you need to maintain a distance of at least 1 meter between them.

Currant variety Treasure: rules of care

Currant variety Treasure: rules of care

Currants, like any plant, need proper care for normal development and abundant fruiting.

In this case, it includes watering, weeding, loosening and, of course, pruning the bush.
The regularity of watering and the amount of liquid applied largely depends on the weather conditions. For example, in dry and dry weather, watering should be regular and abundant, more than 10 liters per bush. It is important to remember that heavy soils are characterized by high humidity. Watering should be done in such a way that moisture does not stagnate in the roots. Experts emphasize the need for abundant watering of currants at 4 stages, including: at the time of ovary formation; when berries ripen; after harvesting and, finally, in the fall when preparing the shrub for the winter period.

To ensure the flow of air to the roots of the currant, the trunk circle should be loosened after each watering, because they, in general, are not so frequent. Since the roots of the currant are not located deeply, you should not show special zeal when loosening. Damage to even the most seemingly small roots is fraught with the penetration of rot and pathogenic fungi into the root system, which can stop the development and growth of the bush for a long time. By the way, if you mulched the trunk circle, then you will have to loosen, as well as weed out weeds, much less often.

To obtain a high yield, you cannot do without feeding the shrub. In the spring, the currants are fed with urea, applying up to 50 g of fertilizer under a bush from 1 to 4 years old, and about 30 g under a more mature plant. In the fall, currants are fertilized with organic matter, in an amount of at least 5 kg per bush, as well as potassium-phosphate fertilizers. In addition, it is recommended to make liquid dressings. They are carried out 4 times, combined with four abundant watering of the bush. As a liquid fertilizer, solutions of bird droppings or mullein are used, in the ratio: 1 part solution to 10 parts water. When applying potassium-phosphate fertilizers in liquid form, they are diluted at the rate of 30 g per 10 liters of water.

Pruning currant bushes is a prerequisite for good fruiting.

The formation of currants by pruning is carried out in the autumn, after the foliage has fallen off.
The top of a young seedling is cut, leaving a shoot with 4 buds. The next year, the grown branches are cut off, leaving no more than 4-7 buds on them.In the third year, by about one third, both old branches and young shoots are shortened. When the bush reaches the age of six, all the old branches are cut out and the subsequent formation is carried out according to the above scheme.

The peak fruiting of a shrub of this variety falls on the 5-7th year from the moment of its planting. During this period, the bush should have 10 to 15 well-formed shoots.

Also, do not forget about sanitary pruning, during which dried, broken branches, as well as those that thicken the crown, are removed. Sanitary pruning is done annually, before bud break.

Currant Treasure is weakly susceptible to diseases, however, it is not worth neglecting preventive measures. Many diseases are spread by pests that inhabit dense grass. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to prevent the formation of thickets of weeds around the currant bush. Also, insect pests often hibernate on currant branches, attaching to them since the fall. To combat them, in the spring, as early as possible, and, of course, before the start of sap flow, the bushes are poured with water heated to 70 degrees. And some gardeners also add a small amount of soda to the water.

Blackcurrant Treasure: reviews of gardeners

• Kirill Andreevich, Moscow region: “Blackcurrant Treasure has a major advantage that sets it apart from many other varieties. The berries ripen at the same time, so harvesting is not difficult and does not take weeks. The only moment, I advise you to exclude the planting of bushes in heavily blown areas with constant drafts, otherwise the bushes will gradually begin to dry out and die off. "
• Lidia Gennadievna, Leningrad region: “Blackcurrant bushes I prune Treasure every year after I once noticed that if you do not pay due attention to pruning and shaping the bush, then the harvest becomes several times less. Among the shortcomings of the Sokrovische currant variety, I think that the bush ages rather quickly, currants are demanding in terms of care and adherence to agricultural techniques, and reacts poorly to drought. "

Black currant Treasure: variety photo