Blackcurrant

Currant has always been one of the most popular berries, and the variety of existing varieties makes it possible to choose according to local conditions. Currant Dachnitsa is one of the successful hybrids, as evidenced by the description of the variety, photos and reviews.

The variety Dachnitsa was obtained by Siberian breeders by crossing two varieties with similar characteristics, and zoned for cultivation in the Volga-Vyatka region and in the north-west of the country.

Characteristic of the variety

Currant summer resident gives low compact bushes of medium thickening with green, hairless shoots. Lignified branches acquire a grayish-brown color. Slightly cast bronze green five-lobed leaves. Each bush is capable of producing up to 1,5 kg of ripe berries. Despite the early ripening, the crop is harvested in several steps, which allows you to have fresh berries before the appearance of later varieties.

Currant Black Dacha gives large berries weighing from 2 to 5 g are characterized by:

• round-oval shape;
• delicate, thin skin;
• dark blue, almost black, color;
• fragrant sweet pulp – their sugar content is 9,3%;
• high tasting score – 4,6 points out of 5 possible;
• precocity – fruiting begins in the third year after planting;
• early ripeness – already in June you can harvest the first crop of currants;
• versatility of application;
• frost resistance;
• good yield.

Currant Dacha, as the description of the variety testifies, also has minor drawbacks – under the weight of berries, the bushes bend strongly, and overripe fruits crumble.

Site Selection

When planting currants, it is important to choose the right site. It should be open and well lit. A little shading does not prevent the bushes from developing, if not overdone with it. Currant grows well on fertile, loose soils; light loams are the best choice. However, with proper care, it can be grown on poorer soils. They are pre-enriched with humus and mineral fertilizers, and acidic soils are limed.

You should not plant young seedlings of the Dachnitsa variety in the area where currants and gooseberries grew before, as the soil depletes over time and harmful substances accumulate in it. Since the currant Dachnitsa is moisture-loving, low-lying areas protected from the winds will be a good option. But there should be no stagnant water, otherwise the plants will die.

Planting of seedlings

The site chosen for the currant must be leveled and dug up, carefully clearing of weeds. Holes 40 cm deep are placed at a distance of one and a half meters to provide each bush with an optimal feeding area. Three-quarters of the pits are filled with a mixture of fertile soil with complex fertilizer. You can plant blackcurrant summer resident in the spring, but seedlings take root faster and develop better in the fall, around mid-October. During the winter months, the soil around the seedlings will settle, compact well, and in the spring the bushes will grow.

After planting, currant seedlings are plentifully watered and mulched. The root system of currants is located close to the soil surface, so you need to provide it with sufficient moisture. Mulching helps to preserve it, thereby reducing the frequency of watering.

Methods of reproduction

The reviews of summer residents indicate that the currant of the Dachnitsa variety perfectly reproduces vegetatively – with the help of layering, cuttings or dividing the bush.

Preparation of cuttings

Cuttings can be cut from lignified or green shoots. You can start harvesting them in early autumn. Young green cuttings of the current year take root especially well. A well-ripened shoot is cut into cuttings 20 cm long. In this case, the cuts should be oblique. They are deepened into the soil in an inclined state, leaving 2-3 buds above the surface. Subject to the recommendations for care, they quickly take root and by next spring will be ready for transplanting to a permanent place.

Rooting layering

When propagating the currant variety Dachnitsa by layering, gardeners’ reviews recommend choosing a healthy mother bush, which is distinguished by higher fruiting and large berries. The procedure should be carried out in the spring, before the leaves appear:

• next to the bush, a shallow groove is dug in the radial direction from it;
• clean it from weeds, fertilize and moisturize;
• on the bush, the longest shoot is chosen, bent to the ground and laid in this groove;
• fix it in the groove with wooden slingshots, after cutting off the top to stimulate the rest of the kidneys;

  

• sprinkle the shoot with moist loose soil, when the soil dries, periodically moisten it;
• shoots growing from the buds spud, while leaving their tops open;
• the procedure is repeated until the groove is completely filled with earth;
• you should not stop watering, loosening and removing weeds until the fall, when the roots are fully rooted.

  

By about mid-autumn, rooted layers can be dug up. They are carefully, as the description of the variety and photo of the currant Dachnitsa show, they are cut into pieces and planted in a permanent place.

Division of the bush

When propagating currants by cuttings or layering, it takes root faster and begins to bear fruit. The division of the bush is usually carried out during the autumn or spring transplanting of currants to a new site. The bush is completely dug up and slightly shaken off the ground. By carefully examining the entire bush, you can determine the places where it will be easier to divide it into parts. Each of the parts must have strong shoots and developed roots.

At the same time, all old or damaged shoots and roots must be removed, and young branches should be cut to 20 cm. Parts of the plant are planted in a new place, in pre-prepared holes and watered abundantly. New bushes will begin to bear fruit only after a year, when they recover from the resulting stress.

Berry Care

The rules for caring for blackcurrant Summer resident according to the description are quite simple and consist in carrying out timely procedures for watering, pruning, and preventive treatments.

Pruning of bushes

Systematic pruning of blackcurrant allows you to maintain the stability of crops and increases the fruiting period. It is necessary:

• to stimulate the growth of young shoots;
• removal of old diseased branches;
• pruning five-year-old shoots that no longer bear fruit, but consume nutrients and water;
• sufficient aeration of the bush and the elimination of the likelihood of fungal diseases, the formation of shoots of different ages.

Pruning should be carried out starting from the first year after planting the currant, during the period when there is no sap flow – in late autumn or early spring. It should be borne in mind that the blackcurrant summer resident, according to reviews, does not form tall and sprawling bushes. In order to get a voluminous bush, after planting, all shoots are cut off, leaving 3-4 buds on them.

The following year, of the numerous young branches, a few of the strongest are left that do not interfere with each other. Their tops are pinched in early summer to form new side shoots. Further pruning is:

• in the removal of dried or diseased branches;
• elimination of thickening by pruning excess shoots;
• pinching annual shoots;
• shortening 2-3-year-old shoots to 4 buds.

Organization watering

The lack of moisture negatively affects the development of currant bushes of the Dachnitsa variety:

• they slow down their growth;
• fruits shrink;
• the yield is reduced;
• bushes can freeze in winter.

The currant root system is located near the surface, so it needs moisture, especially during active development:

• during the flowering period;
• formation of ovaries;
• fruit ripening;
• after harvest, before wintering.

In dry seasons, currants need to be watered abundantly every week – up to 2 buckets per bush. It is better to pour water into circular grooves dug at a distance of 20-30 cm from the stem. On hot days, it is advised to spray water and currant leaves Dachnitsa.

Disease Prevention

Variety Dachnitsa is quite resistant to powdery mildew and some pests, however, without preventive treatments, the entire crop may be lost. To counter their negative impact, you need to:

• conduct regular inspection of bushes and removal of all affected parts of plants – leaves, buds, twigs, with their subsequent destruction;
• in early spring, before the soil thaws to the end, hot dousing of bushes from a watering can is useful – it will destroy pests under the bush and protect against powdery mildew;
• during bud break, treat the bushes with Bordeaux mixture;
• before flowering, spray with infusion of tobacco;
• against aphids, treatments with soapy solutions with ash or dry mustard will help.

Reviews of gardeners and summer residents

Conclusion

The currant variety Dachnitsa is quickly gaining popularity due to its merits and is spreading far beyond the borders of Siberia, where it was bred.