Vegetable and berry crops require constant care not only during fruiting, but also after it. After harvesting, currant care comes down to pruning and shaping, top dressing. Let's take a closer look at these components.
Cropping and shaping
The first pruning of currant seedlings, which are 1-2 years old, is carried out as follows: cut all the shoots and leave 2-4 buds on each. This technology stimulates the branching of shoots. After trimming, they begin to form a bush.
At two-, three-year-old bushes from the roots grow zero branches, which are called root shoots. This is the skeleton of a bush on which in the future all growths of different ages will be formed. After harvest, currant care includes stimulation of this skeleton, especially if it is weak. This is done by shortening the branches.
At three-, four-year-old bushes, 5 more strong zero shoots are left, and the weak ones are again removed. The tops of the zero processes are again cut off. Thus, the bush is formed in 4-5 years. It will be good if in one bush there will be 2-4 branches of each age. Caring for currants after harvesting suggests that bushes that grow at a considerable distance and in a well-lit area can have more than four branches of different ages.
When plants are formed, all diseased, dried, broken, shading, and excess zero growths are cut out. Pruning a formed bush does not cause much trouble: you only need to remove 5-6-year-old branches that have stopped growing and leave young ones. With increased branching, annual shoots are shortened by five buds from the top. After harvesting, currant care is pruning unproductive, old shoots. They have a dark brown color, weak growth and a dry fruiting place.
In redcurrant, fruit buds are in a heap at the border of growths of different ages. The plant gives many basal annual processes, thickening the skeleton. 3-5 strong growths are left for her to replace, the rest is cut to the base.
Top dressing
Caring for currant bushes is not only pruning, but also fertilizing. Flower buds in fruit plants are laid in the previous year. After collecting all the berries, you need to fertilize and mulch the soil. Up to 15 kg of compost are laid under blackcurrant every three years, each year - 50 g of superphosphate, 30 g of potassium sulfate. Potassium sulfate can be replaced with 100 grams of ash. Under redcurrant, 2 times more superphosphate and potassium sulfate are added.
Methods of application are as follows:
- Traditional - laying in grooves, which are torn out according to the projection of the bush. The method delivers fertilizers to the depths of the roots, but this laborious technology does not provide an even distribution of nutrients. The roots of the berry culture may also be damaged.
- Surface - the distribution of fertilizers on the surface of the earth, then they are "sealed" with a rake. The process is not laborious, but nutrients may not get to the roots of plants.
Care for currants in the fall - providing nutrients. This is achieved by trimming and forming a bush, as well as fertilizing. In order for pests to remain under the leaves, they are completely cut off and burned. If aphids or ticks are found during the collection of berries, the plants are treated with karbofos (10 l of water per 75 g of the product).