Currant is an unpretentious plant in growing. But in order for the shrub to regularly produce tasty and juicy fruits, it is necessary to transplant and prune it after harvesting. Processing currants in the fall will be most beneficial. It will help keep the soil moist, enrich it with oxygen, and also get rid of malicious pests.
How to care for currants in autumn
It is known that only with active growth of the bush a rich harvest is possible. The better seedlings take root in the first year, the more ripe berries you can collect. Therefore, starting from the first year of planting, the currant bush requires proper care, processing and creating favorable conditions for subsequent fruiting and growth in general.
A high yield can be achieved only with regular tillage, fertilizing with fertilizers, systematic watering and pruning of bushes. In addition, pest control occupies an important place in the processing of currants in autumn. So that the latter do not annoy the bush, it is enough to properly prepare the soil for winter: remove all leaves and process its entire layers, allowing the earth to restore its structure.
Such preparation of the soil for the next season and additional fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers will not leave any chance for pests. Processing currants in the fall is a mandatory procedure for the future harvest. As they say, we prepare a sled in the summer.
Preparing the soil for transplanting
Autumn is the most fertile time for planting new currant bushes and replanting old ones. It is during this period that the soil is compacted and settles a little, which creates the best conditions for the rapid and maximum growth of seedlings in the spring. So, how to prepare the soil for transplanting shrubs?
Currants, especially black, are a moisture-loving crop, therefore, for transplantation, moist soil should be chosen, preferably in areas with a north-western slope. If possible, select heavy loamy or medium soil.
The area for planting bushes must first be leveled and put in order, removing all the garbage and freeing from weeds. Remember that currants love not only moist, but also loose soil. Therefore, in the fall, the site is deeply dug up and fed with humus or manure. Fertilize the earth with potassium and superphosphate. Feeding should be carried out in early October. Currant transplantation is carried out three weeks after fertilizing the soil. During this time, the soil will settle, and the pits prepared for planting will stand.
How to transplant currants?
Any garden culture has its own planting characteristics. Berry bushes are no exception . The correct transplant of currants in autumn is as follows:
- A pit for shrubs should be dug to a depth of 35 cm and measure 40x40 cm.
- Before planting a seedling, the well is fertilized with potassium sulfate in an amount of 50 g, several buckets of peat or compost, 200 g of superphosphate and 25 g of potassium chloride.
- To plant a bush in a hole is necessary at an angle.
- After planting it is sprinkled with earth at the base and watered abundantly.
It should be noted that currants are planted in rows, the distance between which should be at least 1.5 meters.
What is pruning for?
Processing currant bushes in autumn is associated with pruning shrubs. Such an annual procedure will allow regular fruiting of the plant. It is on young branches, whose age is no more than two years, that new ovaries form, while old branches die off.
The pruning procedure is just as necessary and important as fertilizing the soil and watering it. Why is blackcurrant treated in the fall by pruning?
- This allows you to increase productivity.
- The growth of young shoots is increasing, therefore, the quality of berries is improving. Getting a lot of light, they become large, juicy, sweet and richer in vitamins than those grown in the shade.
- Processing currants in autumn increases the flowering period, which means that the bush can bear fruit for about twenty years.
The main stages of processing
Trimming shrubs not only increases productivity, but also facilitates the work of the gardener. The first pruning of currants should be carried out immediately after planting in the soil, leaving only the lower buds on the seedling. This must be done before the first frost, in early October. So there will be enough time for the sections to heal, a general recovery has passed.
To do this, you need:
- Cut off all old branches with small berries.
- Dense inner branches pruned.
- To remove a part of the bush lying on the ground.
- Cut broken and weak branches without shoots.
For the formation of a new young bush, 5-6 branches will be enough. Thus, the processing of currant bushes in the fall by pruning will contribute to increased growth of basal shoots, and hence the appearance of larger and more juicy berries. You need to finish pruning for 4-5 years after planting in the ground. By this time, the correct mature bush of currant is already formed.
Processing Features
The most common berry crop is blackcurrant. Its value lies in the high content of vitamins in berries, leaves, buds and shoots of shrubs. This plant loves moisture and light.
The process of bush formation occurs somewhat differently than in other varieties. Processing of blackcurrant in autumn is also associated with pruning, but only here there is a specificity.
- The formation of fruits occurs on last year's shoots and on the glove.
- Black currant pruning is carried out immediately after planting in the ground, but only all the shoots need to be cut, leaving the three strongest branches with fruit buds formed on them.
- In the next three years, branches that are weak and damaged by diseases are cut, mainly with annual shoots.
- If the formation of root shoots is not good, then 1-2 main branches are pruned, thereby stimulating the growth of young shoots.
- The formation of the bush is completed in the third to fourth year. As a result, up to 12 branches of different ages and with young growths are obtained.
Also, black currant needs constant feeding. In autumn, fertilize the shrub for two to three months. Why should this be done in the fall? The fact is that in order for the fertilizer to benefit the bush, it takes time. After all, organic substances, such as chicken manure, manure, will decompose within 6 months. And they will begin to affect the currant bush only in March, and the next three months will affect the development of the vegetative mass. Therefore, the soil should be treated in this way throughout the year so that it is regularly fertilized and the bush receives nutrients.
Pests and diseases, the fight against them
Protecting currants from dangerous pests and diseases includes a number of measures. But the fundamental factor in the fight against them is the elementary observance of the rules of agricultural technology. A well-kept garden will prevent the emergence of pests, and hence disease. What needs to be done for this?
Processing currants in the fall from pests and diseases shall be carried out in accordance with the following rules:
- It is necessary to purchase varieties resistant to pests and dangerous diseases.
- Use both insecticidal and fungicidal preparations.
- Processing currants in the fall from diseases involves spraying bushes. It is better to do this in dry weather, morning or evening. In no case should the treatment be carried out after dew, before or after the rain!
- Personal protective equipment should be used.
- Processing with chemicals and various infusions can be carried out up to five times a season. But the latter should pass 20 days before the collection of berries.
By following these basic rules, you can avoid unwanted diseases of the currant, such as powdery mildew, rust rust, anthracnose, currant leaf gall midges and others.
How to deal with gnawing pests of currant
During flowering of bushes and the formation of the first ovary, the pale-legged sawfly is a dangerous pest. Females lay eggs on the top of the branches, and on the largest ovary. False caterpillars emerging from eggs eat up the contents of barely tied berries. At the end of the harvest season, the larvae fall out onto the ground through a hole drilled in the berry and go deep into the soil for wintering.
When combating this pest, it is necessary to spray the currant bushes twice a season with a solution of bitoxibacillin or lepidocide at the rate of 60 g per 10 l of water. An effective method of dealing with a sawfly is to spray the bush with decoction and infusion of plants such as wormwood and tobacco. Processing currants in the fall from pests, in particular, from a pale-legged sawfly, involves loosening the soil and digging it. Pre-false caterpillars are shaken from the bushes to oilcloth and destroyed.
A particularly dangerous pest for currants is a kidney tick. It affects up to 80% of the buds of the entire shrub. Affected by them, the kidneys acquire a swollen-rounded shape. Leaves turn pale and deformed.
All types of currants are damaged by currant glass. This is a very dangerous pest. Caterpillars make moves in the heart of the branches. Shoots begin to grow poorly, dry and die. To combat this pest in the spring, before the kidneys wake up, you need to trim the damaged shoots. They may have tracks. Helps and spraying bushes with the drug Fitoverm (2 ml per 1 liter of water).