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Each summer cottage has several currant bushes. Delicious, odorous, nutritious, medicinal – with what characteristics lovers of fragrant berries do not endow the garden beauty.
Some believe that it is not worth making a lot of effort when growing it. And they are limited to watering, picking berries and pruning dry branches. But in the process of development of the currant bush, nutrition plays a huge role. Fertilizer is applied under the crop more than once.
Main periods:
- at the time of flowering;
- at the time of active growth of the bush;
- when the berries are poured;
- in the fall when the harvest is over.
In the article, we will pay attention to the care of currants after harvesting, namely, autumn feeding.
The value of the autumn nutrition of currant bushes
Lack of nutrients will cause the plant to begin to weaken. This will be expressed in a decrease in yield and size of berries, frequent diseases and pests. No gardener wants his currant to have similar characteristics. Competent fulfillment of all the requirements of agricultural technology will help to avoid this. Therefore, all types of top dressing must be done on time and correctly.
Fertilizing currants in the fall is very important. After all, after picking berries, you need to prepare the bushes for the next fruiting, and at this time new fruit buds are laid.
During the season, nutrients from the soil are completely spent on the development and fruiting of the bush. And new berries are formed mainly on young shoots. And in order to get a crop of high-quality berries next year, you must definitely feed the currants.
The importance of autumn feeding is due to the agricultural technology of growing crops. Fruit bushes are not transplanted to a new place every year. Soil fertility is significantly reduced by the end of the fruiting season, and the plant is deficient in essential nutrients.
But autumn top dressing is important not only for next summer. Currants need to overwinter. The more useful substances it accumulates, the more confidence that the plant will withstand the winter cold. Some gardeners claim that with good autumn nutrition, there is no need to bend branches for the winter.
Sufficient thickness of the stem will provide the bush with reliable protection.
The third aspect, which should not be forgotten. Currant supplies vitamins not only in berries. The leaves and twigs also have medicinal properties. But in order for the supply of vitamins not to run out, it needs to be replenished. For this, top dressing is applied throughout the entire growing season of currants.
How to properly carry out autumn feeding
Any operation to care for currants, performed illiterately or at the wrong time, can lead to the death of the bush. Therefore, autumn top dressing must be carried out correctly not only technically, but also clearly maintain the composition of the ingredients. How to fertilize currants in the autumn months?
The sequence of adding components will be as follows:
- Initially nitrogen-containing. The effect of nitrogen fertilizer appears quickly enough. The result will be visible after a week. The bush will begin to grow, the buds will wake up, and the shoots will become thicker.
- The next autumn fertilizer for currants is organic.
It is introduced in mid-October in two stages. The first part is scattered around the plant and dug up with a embedment depth of 20 cm. The earth in the near-stem circle is leveled with a rake. The second part is laid out on the surface of the soil around the currant bush. Mature compost, rotted manure or bird droppings are suitable for autumn feeding. Under one bush, 6 kg of organic fertilizer is applied.
The gardener must remember that currants are fertilized, strictly observing the rules for feeding berry crops. Root top dressing can be applied only after soil moisture! It can be a good autumn rain or preliminary watering of currant bushes. Embedding organic matter in dry soil will burn the root system. How this will affect the plant, you can easily guess. The composition that needs to be fertilized with a bush should contain a minimum of chlorine. The element, getting into the soil, is absorbed by the roots and negatively affects the growth and development of currants.
This is not only a precautionary measure, but also an aid in an expedient approach to fertilizing the currant bush. The plant can be affected by pests (aphids, mites). In this case, first treat currants with karbofos. A bucket of water will need to dilute 70 g of the substance. And then move on to feeding the bush. How to feed currants in the fall so that the wintering of the plant is successful? And how to correctly distribute the components?
First, organic fertilizer is laid out, as described above. At the same time, a radius of at least 0,5 meters from the center of the currant bush is maintained. Next, sprinkle the organics with wood ash. It will provide the plant with potassium and trace elements, which are very necessary for the shrub. Even from above, 100 g of superphosphate are distributed under each plant, and only then fertilizer is planted in the soil, carefully digging the near-stem circle. Then the soil is mulched and watered abundantly. It is necessary that the water soak the soil at least 50 cm deep.
This amount of fertilizer can be considered average. The amount of organic matter must be calculated based on soil fertility. On poor land, you will need to increase the dose.
Alternative Fertilizer Options
In some areas, gardeners are experiencing a shortage of organic fertilizers. Not always at hand is the right amount of compost, manure or bird droppings. In this case, green manure plants come to the rescue. They are called “green fertilizers”. In the spring, peas, lupins or vetch are planted between the rows of currants. With the onset of autumn, the green mass is dug up with soil and evenly distributed in the near-trunk circles.
Gardeners consider foliar autumn feeding of currants a good alternative to organics. To prepare a nutrient solution, take a bucket of water:
- potassium permanganate in the amount of 5 g;
- boric acid – 3 g;
- copper sulfate – 40 g.
Bushes are sprayed with this composition. If this option does not fit, then you can take care of the future harvest with the help of yeast top dressing. The rest of the bread is mixed with chopped grass, poured with water and the mixture is left to ferment. A groove is made along the perimeter of the near-stem circle and fertilizer is applied.
Any kind of autumn top dressing will play a role. Currant will thank you with a good harvest of large healthy berries.
