Currant is one of the most useful and beloved by many garden crops. Caring for her is not a big deal. Modern varieties are distinguished by excellent taste and an abundant harvest of large juicy berries. The price of a good planting material is not so high compared to fruit trees, but these costs can be avoided by growing seedlings yourself.
Uterine plant care
If there is an elite or superelite currant on the plot, propagation by cuttings will not only increase the number of valuable bushes, but also sell the surplus seedlings to those who wish.
When buying annual plants for breeding, you should pay attention to the purity of the variety and the absence of diseases, especially viral ones. When planting, shoots are cut off, leaving 3-5 buds above the ground. In the first year, seedlings need especially careful care: watering, cultivating, fertilizing and controlling garden pests.
In the fall, leave 1-3 strong shoots, the rest are cut out. In the second year, the propagation of blackcurrant by cuttings can begin. To shoots matured well, at the end of summer they reduce watering and completely exclude fertilizing with nitrogen.
Autumn cuttings
In early autumn, when the resting period of the kidneys begins, blackcurrant is best rooted . Propagation by cuttings from the lower and middle lignified parts is more effective; green unripe tops have a small supply of nutrients and develop worse.
As a rule, cut annual shoots with a diameter of 6-10 mm. They are divided into parts up to 20 cm long. The lower section must be carried out under the kidney, the upper - above the kidney. Slices are made with a sharp secateurs: the lower is at an acute angle, the upper is at a straight. For better survival, cuttings are placed in root formation stimulants, but this is not necessary.
Landing should be carried out a month before the onset of cold weather in a prepared soil. Cuttings are immersed at an acute angle in the ground, leaving one kidney on top. Then the soil must be compacted and watered. Lunge during autumn landing is less than 30%.
Spring chores
If the currant needed for breeding was not prepared in the fall, propagation by cuttings can be carried out in the spring. In this case, the material is harvested in winter and at the very beginning of spring. It can be stored in wet sand at zero temperature, in a bag in the refrigerator, or dug in the snow on the site.
This landing has its own characteristics:
- cuttings are planted as early as possible, otherwise the survival rate drops sharply;
- the ground is covered with a black film before planting, the cuttings stick into the soil through it. This will save heat and moisture reserves, which contributes to the rapid development of the root system and eliminates gardeners from loosening and weeding weeds.
Propagation of black currant with green cuttings
From the beginning of June to the end of July, you can start green cuttings. This method is more time-consuming, but has its advantages:
- You can get a lot of new seedlings from the shoots of the current year.
- The uterine bush quickly gives off branches on which fruit buds are laid for the harvest next year.
- Planting material is guaranteed to be clean from pests such as gall midge, glass, kidney mite.
First, early varieties go for cuttings, then later currants. Propagation by cuttings is best done in mid-July.
It is better to take root in annual shoots of the first order of branching with a length of 10-15 cm. The upper two leaves must be left and the rest removed.
The soil for planting should be loose, nutritious, aerated and drained. Cuttings stick into the ground obliquely and deeply enough: only the crown with leaves remains above the surface. They need to be constantly moistened and weeds removed. Rooting occurs after 3 weeks, watering is then reduced.
To obtain a large number of plants, cuttings with two buds and one internode can be cut. Their lower parts are immersed in root formation stimulants, then they are planted vertically to a depth of 1.5 cm. The soil is compressed, a film shelter is installed over the cuttings. In the greenhouse, until the roots are formed, high humidity is maintained. Then the film is removed. Foliar top dressing is carried out several times during the summer.
In mid-autumn, young plants are ready for planting in a permanent place.