Fertilizing currants in spring
Without proper nutrition, currants will not give a good harvest. And the soils are depleted over time, so the plants must be constantly fed. But it’s important to do it on time and right.

Currant growth begins in early spring, as a rule, buds open in mid-April. And it needs nitrogen to grow. Scientists have calculated that before flowering, it uses 30% of the nitrogen from the seasonal requirement. In addition, it needs phosphorus and potassium – currants take most of these elements from the soil during bud break and during flowering.

Therefore, it is impossible to delay with top dressing – fertilizers must be applied before the start of the growing season.

How to feed currants in spring for a big harvest

There is a rule: phosphorus and potassium are introduced in the fall, nitrogen – in the spring. This is no coincidence.

The fact is that phosphorus and potassium in fertilizers are initially in a form inaccessible to plants, they need time to dissolve, go through the necessary chemical processes. This happens just during the winter.

But nitrogen ones are available immediately, but they have another problem – they are easily washed out of the soil by rain and melt water, so it makes no sense to introduce them in the fall. This is done only in the spring or during the summer.

Feeding Options

Fertilizers are different and the methods of their application also differ.

Mineral Fertilizers

They give the maximum effect, they are convenient to apply and easy to calculate the dose.

Nitrogen fertilizers. In spring, nitrogen fertilizers are traditionally applied under currants. Usually one top dressing is enough – as soon as the leaves begin to bloom: 2 tbsp. spoons of urea or ammonium nitrate dissolved in 10 liters of water. Irrigation rate – 10 liters (bucket) per bush.

“If possible,” he says. agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mihailova, – fertilizing with nitrogen can be divided into 2 parts: 70% of the norm should be applied at the time the leaves bloom, and the remaining 30% – when the ovaries begin to crumble (a small part of the ovaries always crumble – this is a normal physiological process, you should not be afraid of it). The second top dressing contributes to the laying of new flower buds – this is a good start for the future harvest.

For spring feeding of currants, you can use any mineral nitrogen fertilizers, but if you strive for the ideal, then in the phase of leaf blooming it is better to give plants ammonium nitrate (1) – it enhances the growth of shoots and increases the amount of sugars in berries, and at the time of falling ovaries, urea will be more appropriate – under its influence, more flower buds are laid for next year.

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– And one more thing: it is useful to adjust the doses of nitrogen supplements taking into account the yield and weather, – advises Svetlana Mikhailova. – For example, if there was a very large harvest of berries in the previous year, it would be nice to increase the application rate by 25%. And after a lean year or a frosty winter – reduce by 25%.

Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. They are usually applied in the fall, but if this is not done, then in early spring – at the same time as nitrogen: 0,5 cups of superphosphate and 2/3 cups of potassium sulfate. They need to be embedded in the soil to a depth of roots – 20 – 25 cm.

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Organic Fertilizers

In addition to mineral fertilizers, you can use humus or compost – in early spring, as soon as the snow melts, they need to mulch (2) currant trunk circles (along the entire crown diameter) with a layer of 5 cm. These fertilizers release nutrients gradually, with each rain or watering, Therefore, you should not be afraid of an overdose.

In addition, such a mulch has the added benefit of keeping the soil moist longer and weeds grow less – annual species cannot break through the thickness of the organic matter.

Popular questions and answers

We asked the agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova to answer questions related to the feeding of currants.

How to apply fertilizer correctly?

There are 5 rules to follow when applying top dressing:

 

• follow the doses of fertilizers – they are always indicated on the package;

• do not mix fertilizers – many of them are incompatible;

• apply fertilizer where the bulk of the roots are;

• water the plants before feeding;

• Water only the soil with liquid fertilizers – it is important that nutrient solutions do not fall on young leaves.

Is it possible to feed currants with folk remedies?

Often on various Internet sites, “experts” advise fertilizing currants with kitchen waste. So forget about these “feedings” once and for all – there are a meager amount of nutrients, and they are in a form inaccessible to plants. Waste will not give any positive effect. But they can do harm – rotting products easily become a breeding ground for diseases and pests.

Do I need to feed a currant seedling after planting?

Fertilizers must be applied to the pit before planting – this is quite enough for the first 2 years. In this case, currants begin to be fed only from 3 years.

Sources of

  1. Lavrik P.I., Rybitsky N.A., Gavrilov I.S. Gardener’s desk book // L.: Lenizdat, 1972 – 568 p.
  2. Romanov V.V., Ganichkina O.A., Akimov A.A., Uvarov E.V. In the garden and in the garden // Yaroslavl, Upper Volga book publishing house, 1989 – 288 p.

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