Growing currants. 5 myths about berry care
Content:
In almost every garden or vegetable garden, you can find currant bushes. This is a very popular and healthy berry. But, like many plants, currants need proper care in order to bring a good harvest. If you throw currant bushes, then the berries will become small, and harmful insects will take root on the bushes. And so, growing currants ... what rules should be followed, let's consider:
The first myth is the cultivation of currants. It is believed that currants do not require abundant watering.
This is a false belief. The cultivation of currants must be accompanied by regular watering, otherwise the berries on the bushes will be small, and the plant itself will develop more slowly. The crop that can still be harvested will be of poor quality.
Abundant watering and excessive moisture will also harm the plant, the roots of the currants will begin to rot, and the fruit berries will crack.
So how to properly care for currants? Experts advise to water the bushes several times per season.
Water the plant while it is actively growing. The second watering, carry out during the ripening of the first berries. It is necessary to water the plant during the harvest season when buds are forming.
Currants need watering, but excess moisture can cause berries to rot.
In order to determine how much water your currant bush needs, you need to know its age. Usually these are several standard buckets. In order not to be mistaken, check the soil after watering, it should be moist about half a meter in depth.
Second myth. Currants do not need fertilizers
Any plant, in order to bring a good harvest, needs a soil rich in macro- and microelements. Without top dressing, the soil becomes poorer in useful elements in its composition.
How to properly fertilize for currants? This needs to be done several times, like watering, at certain times. Feed the currants when leaves appear on the bush. Apply fertilizer next time after harvest. Do not forget about feeding the plant after the leaves have fallen. Apply the fertilizer in the fall, depending on the age of the plant. During this period, something organic is perfect.
The third myth is the cultivation of currants. Currant bushes do not need mulching
Experienced gardeners advise mulching the soil about 15 cm twice a year, this will help retain moisture in the roots of the plant and works well as a weed control. You can use any material at hand on the farm, for example, dry grass or sawdust.
Fourth myth. Currant bushes do not need to be cut
At the very beginning, we wrote that if you do not take care of the currant bush, then the plant will bring little harvest and will be attacked by harmful insects. The currant branches must be cut off, thereby you do not allow the bush to become too thick due to young or infertile branches. Thus, if you take care of the currant bush and partially cut the branches of the bush, then the plant can bear fruit, on average, 15 years longer.
Let's figure out how to do it correctly.
If you have just planted a currant bush, then cut off all the branches, leave a few good buds on them. Next year, you can already leave about five good shoots, remove all excess.Repeat these steps every year, and you will notice how branchy your plant will become.
It will take about five years for a bush with twenty branches of different ages to form. The rest of the period you will need, just remove the old barren branches.
If you disassemble specific varieties of currants, then red and white berries grow less, and black ones require more care.
Fifth myth. No measures are taken to protect the plant
It seems to many that the currant bush can survive in almost any conditions, even without special care. Having considered the points above, we have already seen that this is not entirely true. In nature, there is no such variety of currants that would be resistant to the attack of harmful insects or diseases. All types of fertile plants need processing measures. If you neglect protective measures, you are unlikely to be able to harvest from a plant.
So how to properly care for currant bushes?
As with watering and fertilization, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures several times a year.