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Currant is one of the most common berry bushes, which is grown by many gardeners on their land plots. Agrotechnical firms set aside vast areas for currant bushes to harvest on an industrial scale, as well as to propagate high-quality seedlings and their further sale to the population. It is possible to achieve significant yields of currants only by observing the rules of the technology of its planting, fertilizing and feeding.
Our article today is completely devoted to the issues of fertilizing and feeding bushes of black, red and white currants in the spring. For beginner growers, we have prepared graphs – schemes for organizing these works, placed our recommendations and advice from experienced gardeners, and also added useful videos that tell you how to do everything right and on time.
Nutrition of fruit and berry bushes
A person needs to eat to maintain his vitality, efficiency and sound mind, without food he will lose his mind, be emaciated, and as a result, he will die of hunger within 2-3 weeks. Plant nutrition plays approximately the same role in its life, without a constant supply of nutrients from the soil or from outside, it will wither and will not bear fruit. Such a plant is not needed in the garden, so you need to learn how to properly take care of it, find out all its needs and constantly carry out a set of measures that will ensure the normal vegetation of fruit crops, and we will be provided with a bountiful harvest.
Soil for currants
Currants get most of their nutrition from the ground., which contains all the necessary substances and trace elements involved in metabolic processes inside the plant. In second place in importance in the nutrition of trees and shrubs are climatic conditions: sunny heat, plentiful but infrequent rains, fresh air. The combination of all these favorable conditions allows currants to grow healthy, strong and resistant to various natural disasters. Even diseases and pests “bypass” such currants.
But …, as often happens, there are problems that need to be solved by a person, the currant has ceased to resist adversity on its own, it has been overcome by diseases and harmful insects. Let’s see what’s the matter and what to do.
Let’s start with the most earthly, that is, from the soil under the currant bushes.
- Before planting currant seedlings, it is necessary to determine the qualitative composition of the soil in the area where you decide to plant them. Currant’s favorite soils include loose, well-permeable air and moisture, fertile sandstones or light loams. The acidity of the soil should not be much higher than the minimum value on the acidity scale. If after checking the soil it turned out that all the indicators are normal, you are lucky, if not, then you need to improve the land.
- It is possible to improve the structure of the soil, make it light and fertile, but this work is laborious, you will need to add compost, sand, lime, a large amount of organic matter (manure), mineral fertilizers to the ground and carefully dig the site several times using not only a shovel, but also a pitchfork . Earthworms applied together with compost and manure will loosen the soil, lime and sand will reduce acidity, manure and mineral fertilizers taken together will ennoble the land and make it more fertile.
Planting of seedlings
Having prepared the soil in this way, you can start planting currant bushes. Spring is the most suitable time of the year for planting any crops, because after spring summer will come and the currant bushes will have time to take root well in a new place and get stronger in order to bring a harvest of berries next year.
In early spring, having planted currants, they make the first pruning of the bush: the top of the main shoot is cut to 1/3 of the entire height, 2-3 buds are left on the lateral processes, the rest is cut off. After planting, do not feed the young plant for 1-2 months. In order to prevent fungal and other diseases, as well as from pests, the first currant treatment is done by spraying it with Bordeaux liquid or other fungicides.
During spring, summer and autumn, young seedlings do not need to be overfed with nitrogen fertilizers., they are introduced before planting in the form of manure and are sufficient for the development of another small bush, with an excess of nitrogen in the soil, currants can wither and weaken, and die in winter. If the currant bushes grow well on their own, then in the first year of life they will not need additional feeding at all, provided that in the spring you have applied all the necessary mineral fertilizers: potash, phosphorus, nitrogen.
Care of mature plants
In the early spring of the second year of life for currants, a mature time begins – the formation of fruits. The fruiting of currant bushes, depending on the variety and variety, lasts from 5 to 10 years. All this time, the fruit shrub needs constant fertilizer, top dressing and regular treatments for diseases and harmful insects. Fertilizers are applied under the root or foliar top dressing is carried out, spraying the currant bushes with compounds containing all the necessary nutrients.
There should be at least 6 annual treatments and dressings of currants, but it is better to do this more often. Experienced gardeners advise doing them about 12 times. For example, we note that large currant growing companies process currant bushes on their plantations at least 20 times per season. They begin to fertilize and process currants in early spring and end in late autumn. When, with what and for what purposes they are carried out, you can find out from the schedule for the implementation of these works, which we have drawn up based on the advice and recommendations of our experienced gardeners.
Processing chart
Currant growing season | Month (approx.) | Goal | Facilities | How to |
Until the dissolution of the kidneys | March, April | Prevention from diseases and pests | Bordeaux mixture, Aktofit, Fitoverm, | Spray with solutions of preparations 2 times with an interval of 7 days |
Swelling and bud break | April | First root dressing | Complex mineral fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus and calcium, organic fertilizers | All fertilizers are applied under the currant root during irrigation, manure and compost are embedded in the soil during digging |
Before flowering | April May | Pest Control | Akarin, Iskra, Fitosporin-M, copper sulfate, Bordeaux mixture | Spray solutions of drugs on twigs and cultivate the soil |
During flowering | May | Second feeding | Do not use nitrogen-containing fertilizers, enough phosphorus, calcium and potassium | Water currant bushes once a week with solutions of complex fertilizers |
After flowering and during fruiting | June July August | Prevention of pests and diseases, top dressing | Folk remedies are mainly used so as not to disturb the ecology of the garden and not to destroy beneficial insects: wood ash, ammonia, potato peelings | Currants are watered and sprayed with infusions and decoctions, potato peels are placed under the bushes or hung on the branches of plants, such feeding and processing is carried out regularly, at intervals of 7-10 days |
After harvest | September October | Pest and disease control | Refer to point one | Also |
Tips and recipes from the people
Experienced gardeners, that is, people who have experienced many ways of feeding and processing currants, advise novice lovers:
- To improve the quantity and quality of the currant crop, in the spring it is necessary to introduce enough cattle manure into the soil, but if it is not there or very little, then chicken manure or urea can be used for top dressing.
Recipe 1: take a bucket of warm water (7-10 liters) and add chicken manure (dry – 1 matchbox, fresh – 1 glass), mix thoroughly, leave for a day, then dilute the infusion again: make 2 from one bucket. You need to water 1 time a week under the root, if you strain the tincture, then you can spray the entire upper part of the plant.
Recipe 2 (from pests and diseases): 700 g of urea (urea) plus 100 g of copper sulfate, dilute in 10 liters of water, stir, strain. Using a sprayer, treat all currant bushes in early spring before bud break, pour the soil around from a watering can with small holes with the same composition. This tool helps not only in the fight against insects, but also saturates the soil with the necessary nitrogen.
- Make currant berries more delicious and sweet helps feeding shrubs with carbohydrates, which are found in large quantities in starch. Currants are fed with a composition prepared from it during flowering and at the stage of coloring berries.
Recipe 3: from 300 g of starch powder (potato, corn), cook jelly as you usually cook it, without adding sugar. The volume of the pan is up to 4 liters. Cool the jelly and bring the amount to 10 liters, diluted with water. For 1 currant bush, 2-3 liters of diluted jelly is enough.
- In early spring, currants can be fed with dry fertilizers, applying them around the bushes and planting them in the soil under the root. These fertilizers may well replace manure, which can be difficult to get at the right time. These types of fertilizers include superphosphate in granules and powdered potassium sulfate.
Method of application: we scatter superphosphate granules (40-50 g) near the roots of currants within a radius of 0,5 meters from the center of the bush, scatter potassium sulfate powder (20-30 g) in the same place, dig up the soil or loosen it. Gradually dissolving, dry dressing will supply the plant with the necessary nutrients for a long time.
CURRANT FEEDING IN SPRING
- Currant can be fed with potato peelings in spring, which contain starch, and, therefore, carbohydrates. This method is economical, no need to buy starch powders. You need to use this fertilizer in dried or frozen form.
Recipe 4: dried or frozen potato peel is crushed and an infusion is prepared from it: 1 kg per 10 liters of hot water, insist for a day, cool, then water currants at the rate of 5 liters of infusion per 1 bush.
Benefits of proper plant nutrition
Constant feeding of currants plays an important role in many aspects of the life of the plant:
- currant does not lack nutrients, and, therefore, is provided with energy for growth, flowering and fruiting;
- its productivity is increased due to the regular intake of the necessary microelements for the formation of a large number of fruit ovaries, the development and increase in the mass of berries, the taste qualities are significantly improved;
- top dressing strengthens the plant, it is able to independently resist diseases and pests, endures winter cold and spring temperature fluctuations more easily than weakened bushes that have not received fertilizers in a timely manner;
- well-fed currant bushes form a good annual growth of young shoots – this is the key to future abundant harvests.
The land on which our plants grow is full of useful substances and for the time being it is able to satisfy the needs of currant bushes, nourishing them with its juices, but, as they say, “nothing lasts forever”, and the time comes when the earth’s reserves are depleted, and this can lead to to disastrous results. Apply top dressing regularly, do not bring currants to such a state.
Conclusion
All plants in the garden and vegetable gardens are entirely dependent on the “good will” of their owner. A caring and diligent gardener or gardener, eating himself, will never forget about the nutrition of his green pets, just as a skilled culinary specialist invents new dishes for people, so a diligent plant breeder comes up with recipes for dressings for currants and other plants so that they are useful and do not harm the garden and garden.