The beneficial properties of blackcurrant are very much appreciated. Unfortunately, far from all regions plants with a long ripening period can grow. Therefore, scientific breeders seek to create varieties of plants that would have a fast ripening period. So the black pearl currant appeared. Description, photos will be considered in this article. Necessary advice will also be given on the cultivation and care of this shrub.
Currant "Black Pearl": variety description
Photos of this plant can be seen below. "Black pearl" refers to varieties with an average ripening period. Thanks to this, it is able to bear fruit even in regions with a short summer. The variety was obtained in 1992 at the VNIIS named after I.V. Michurina. For this, two types of currants were crossed: “Mina Shmyrev” and “Broadthorpe”. This year the variety was included in the State Register. The regions of its growth are:
- Central Black Earth;
- Middle Volga;
- East Siberian;
- West Siberian;
- North Caucasian;
- Ural.
Black currant "black pearl" is a self-fertile variety. In addition, it perfectly tolerates temperatures of minus 30 degrees, which indicates its winter hardiness.
Shrub characteristics
Often you can see that the description of this kind of currant is similar to the description of gooseberries. And this is primarily due to the fact that the "black pearl" has a vertically growing shrub with a small number of branches. Its height can reach 1–1.3 m.
Young shoots begin to bend downward as they grow. They are always curved and have a light green color. As they grow older, the branches lignify and change their color to gray-yellow. Leaves with five lobes. They are painted in light green. It also shows similarities with gooseberries. Like branches, leaves are downward. Their edges can even be bent. The blades of the leaves are pointed. Their plate is smooth, but matte.
On the shoot on elongated stems buds of oblong shape grow. They are covered with pink flakes.
Black currant "black pearl" begins to bloom in June. The flowers themselves are attached to the middle branch with the help of short but strong petioles. They are located on single brushes of several pieces. Their number can reach 8. The flowers are goblet. They have a medium size and red sepals.
Berries
The berries of the black pearl currant variety (photo can be seen below) can be compared with blueberries. They weigh from 1 to 6 grams. In this case, the average weight is 1.2-1.5 g. The berries differ in a round shape and approximately the same size. Their color is black, with a faint sheen. Under the skin are large seeds. The peduncle is straight, of medium length.
By taste, the berries are sweet and sour (they are assigned 4.2 points). The chemical composition includes 18% soluble solids, 9% sugars. The acidity of the titer is 3.6%. In addition, the composition includes ascorbic acid, pectin.
Berries are consumed fresh, as a dessert, wine, preservatives. The fruits are well transported. The average yield is 3 kg per bush.
Agricultural technology
The description of “black pearl” currants will be incomplete if we do not mention the features of agricultural technology. You can plant a plant at different times:
- In the fall, until the temperature drops below plus 10 degrees. In the middle regions, this is the end of September or the beginning of October. In this case, before the onset of cold weather, the plant will have time to take root in a new place. If you plant a two-year-old seedling, then next year it will be possible to get the first fruits.
- In the spring. In this case, the first year the plant simply grows and is gaining strength. But in the second year of life, it will certainly bear fruit. It will be possible to collect up to 2 kg of berries.
In any case, it is important to choose the right seedling. Therefore, when buying, you must carefully inspect the roots. They should be healthy, strong, without damage and dried areas. It is recommended to choose seedlings with green buds. There should be at least 4-5 pieces from the base.
Bushes of black currant variety "black pearl" are planted in sunny areas, away from drafts. The plant does not like shade. The distance between the bushes should be at least 2 meters so that the bushes do not interfere or obscure each other.
The soil must be moist, otherwise the berries will be acidic and small. At the same time, they mature more slowly. Better to choose areas with slightly acidic soil, saturated with nutrients.
Landing rules
Two to three months before the planned planting of currants, it is necessary to prepare a place. To do this, the selected area is exempt from grass, weeds and other vegetation. The soil is dug up to a depth of half a meter. Nutrients and fertilizers are added. Compost (or humus) is added at the rate of 1 bucket for each bush or per square meter. From mineral fertilizers add potash (about 20 grams), superphosphate (40-50 g).
The soil should be light in order to absorb water and air well. But water should not accumulate, since the plant in this case can become sick. Therefore, peat or sand is added to the soil. Under spring planting, all these work must be completed in the fall.
Before planting, the seedling is soaked for several hours in water. Thanks to this, the roots of the plant nourish the right amount of water. You can dip them into a clay chatter.
A pit is dug up to a depth of half a meter. Fertile soil spills out to the bottom, water is added. The roots are covered and tamped with soil so that the root neck is about 5 cm higher than the ground. The seedling is positioned so that the angle between the trunk and the soil surface is about 45 degrees. After planting, the plant must be shed abundantly with water (1.5–2 buckets per bush). The trunk circle is mulched with sawdust, compost, peat, hay. This will save moisture in the soil.
Care
Black currant “black pearls” will delight you with a high harvest, if properly looked after. Leaving includes such stages as watering, top dressing, weeding, trimming and loosening the soil.
No weeds should appear around the plant. They must be cleaned in a timely manner. In this case, the soil must be loosened to give access to oxygen. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the root system. These measures will not be needed if the soil around the bush is mulled.
At the stages of flowering, ripening and fruiting, currants should receive a sufficient amount of moisture. In addition, in preparation for the winter period, the plant must be shed abundantly with water (2-3 buckets per bush).
If the soil is mulched with compost or humus, then it is not necessary to fertilize the bush with organics. In other cases, periodic feeding is recommended with a weak solution of mullein or chicken droppings. After flowering, phosphorus and potassium can be added.
Currant fertility is maintained by constant pruning. When planting, the seedling is shortened to 3 buds. With the onset of autumn, branches are shortened by a third. The next year after summer, the process is repeated. Leave new sturdy shoots. But they are also shortened. After 5 years, all shoots that have reached the age of 4 years are completely removed. Only 3-4 branches of different ages are left. Every year, shoots that are more than 3 years old are cleaned. Regardless of age, dry or damaged shoots are completely cut off.
Grade Advantages
Blackcurrant varieties "black pearl", the description of which is given in the article, has several advantages:
- winter hardiness;
- short ripening period;
- large size of berries;
- high commercial quality;
- fruit transportability;
- regular fruiting.
Thanks to these qualities, “black pearl” is one of the favorite varieties of many gardeners.
Variety disadvantages
Along with a lot of advantages, black currant “black pearls” has some disadvantages. The most important is the sour taste, due to which the taste is poor. The aroma is not as pronounced as in most other varieties. Currently, this variety can be considered obsolete. He was replaced by a large number of new interesting varieties. But it is still found quite often in the gardens of various regions of the country.