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The winter-hardy currant variety Beloved with red berries was bred by Belarusian breeders. The culture is famous for its high yield, reaching 9 kg from one bush. Berries serve as a preservative for pickling vegetables, and are also used in the preparation of desserts, jam, juice. It will help you better get acquainted with the description of the currant variety Beloved photo, as well as reviews of gardeners.
Main characteristics of culture
In general terms, the description of the red currant Beloved can be described as a short, moderately branched bush, densely covered with clusters of berries. For a more detailed description, it is worth studying all the features of the variety:
- Currant bush produces thick young shoots. Old branches, after lignification, acquire a gray bark. On the shoots, oblong-shaped buds are formed.
- The leaf is large, five-pointed, a bit like a maple shape. The surface is rough without gloss.
- The inflorescences are small in the shape of a saucer. Yellow flowers with a greenish tinge appear in early May, and by the middle of the month they have already faded.
- The berries are collected in bunches. After maturation, they acquire a bright red color. The size of all berries is almost the same. The taste is dominated by sweetness, but there is also a lot of acidity. One berry weighs about 0,8 g. Clusters are able to hang on branches for a long time. The berries do not spontaneously crumble, retain their taste and beautiful appearance.
The currant is delicious fresh, goes for processing, goes well with apples when making jam. The berries contain sugar – up to 12%, acids in the form of vitamin C – up to 30,2 mg / 100 g.
The popularity of redcurrant Beloved won productivity. The average is 9 kg per bush. A young plant in the first year brings up to 3 kg of berries. The yield of an adult bush with good feeding and weather conditions reaches 12 kg. Ripening of berries begins in the last days of June. With a long spring, the dates are shifted to the beginning of July.
The variety is considered to be 60% self-fertile. Even with a poor flyby of the bees, self-pollination will occur, which guarantees an annual harvest. Beloved currant bushes tolerate cold winters well. The variety is adapted to the weather conditions of the middle lane. Wintering occurs without the obligatory shelter of the bushes.
The video tells about the Beloved variety:
Positive and negative features of the variety
It is better to characterize the description of the red currant variety Beloved positive features will help:
- The variety is considered winter-hardy. Plantings of red currant Nenaglazhna do not need shelter for the winter, which greatly simplifies the care of the culture.
- Due to its high yield, the Beloved variety is grown for commercial purposes. Nurseries from 1 ha collect up to 11 tons of berries.
- A high rate of self-fertility – 60% allows you to get a crop without the participation of insects.
- Beloved is distinguished by strong immunity. Rarely affected by powdery mildew.
- Red currant berries are tasty due to the high sugar content and healthy due to vitamin C. Additionally, the composition contains organic and mineral substances, pectin.
- By destination, the berries of the Beloved variety are considered universal. Preservation, juices, fresh desserts are prepared from currants.
A negative feature of red currant is the weak resistance to leaf spot.
Features of landing
Excellent currant Beloved grows on loamy and non-acidic soil. The presence of nutrients in the form of organic matter and minerals is mandatory. Currant bushes develop well on loose, drained soil. The root system will not suffer even if groundwater occurs up to 60 cm deep, you just need to organize a bed on a hill.
A place for planting red currants is chosen sunny, not shaded by trees. The shrub is well adjacent to the gooseberry. It is impossible to plant the Beloved variety near the blackcurrant. Bushes will not get along side by side. Other vegetation does not have any effect on red currants.
The best time for planting seedlings is the beginning of autumn. For currants, they dig a square hole measuring 50×50 cm or a round hole with a diameter of 50 cm and a minimum depth of 60 cm. The distance between the holes is at least 2 m. It is impossible to place bushes closer, since they have little room for full development. Part of the bush will be in the shade and the roots will intertwine. About two hours before planting, a red currant seedling is prepared by cutting off dry roots and immersing in water. For the rapid development of the root system, the Kornevin preparation is added during soaking.
The life span of the red currant Beloved is from 20 to 25 years. In order for the bushes to grow comfortably, a number of preparatory measures are performed before planting:
- A hole for a seedling is dug deeper than 60 cm. A layer of wood chips or finely cut branches is poured onto the bottom. Top organic matter sprinkled with fertile soil.
- About 0,5 kg of chalk is mixed with 1 tbsp. l. potash fertilizer. A layer is laid out at the bottom of the hole and compost is poured on top.
A lot of water is poured into the pit. After the liquid is absorbed into the ground, all layers will settle and compact.
When the layers filled with water settle, a mound is poured from the soil at the bottom of the hole. Beloved currant seedling is lowered into the hole, spreading the roots along the tubercle. The stem is slightly tilted to the side and begin to fill the hole with earth. The first 3 buds on the seedling from the side of the roots are completely covered with soil. If the ground is too sticky or heavy, sand is added to make it loose. After backfilling the roots, the currant seedling is watered abundantly. Liquid mud will better envelop the root system, creating better conditions for the grafting of the bush.
After soaking up water, bare roots may remain on the surface. They are simply sprinkled with earth, but not rammed. The upper part of the seedling immediately after planting or before the procedure is cut with secateurs. A stalk with four healthy buds is left above the ground. With the onset of spring, branches will grow from them. The buds left in the ground will start basal shoots.
For the winter, a tubercle of earth 12 cm high is poured around the seedling. So it will be easier for young currants to survive frosts. In the spring, the mound is raked. A normally overwintered currant seedling will grow 4 branches over the summer. The next autumn, they are shortened with secateurs, leaving ¾ of the length.
Pruning an adult bush
Spring pruning of a currant bush is performed in the second year of life. The cut of the branches is done at the stem itself, so that there are no stumps. Only four strong shoots are left on the bush. All other weak branches are removed.
According to a similar scheme, pruning is done in each subsequent spring. On each shoot left from last year, four strong shoots are again left. As a result, a full-fledged adult bush with 10 main branches is formed in the fifth year. By this time, starting from the third year of life, Beloved currant brings the most abundant harvest.
After the end of the formation of the bush, you can not shorten the branches, even if they are too long. Redcurrant has a distinctive feature based on the formation of fruiting shoots at the tops of old branches. It is they who will bring most of the harvest next year. The old branch with young shoots bears fruit for about 10 years, then it is removed to the very root. A new shoot grows at this place, requiring shaping.
Bush feeding
Considering the description of the red currant variety Beloved, photos, reviews, it is worth paying attention to feeding. The bush is undemanding to the special fertility of the soil, but over time it needs to be replenished with nutrients. The fertilizer applied when planting a seedling will last a maximum of three years. With the onset of the fourth spring in early April, red currants are fed with urea at the rate of 25 g per 1 bush.
In May, flowering will begin, and the currants are fed with mullein, diluted with water, adhering to the ratio of 100 g / 1 liter. To increase the yield, perform surface top dressing by spraying. The solution is prepared from 10 liters of water and 2 g of dry powder of boric acid. Spray currants in the evening if there is no rain.
A good top dressing is a 10 cm thick mulching layer. Humus or peat is scattered on the surface of the earth around the bush. Potash and phosphorus-containing fertilizers are poured into the soil during loosening in autumn or spring 1 time per season. It is impossible to scatter the granules from above because of the low probability of penetration of nutrients to the roots.
Watering plantations
Redcurrant does not need to follow the watering schedule. The bushes have enough moisture extracted from the ground. If the weather is hot for a long time, the bushes are watered while pouring berries. You need a lot of water, up to five buckets. First, a hole is raked around the bush and a bucket of water is poured to moisten the soil. After complete absorption, add the remaining 4 buckets of water. The procedure is performed in the evening to avoid steaming the roots in the sun-hot earth.
Reviews
About red currant Beloved reviews from gardeners are many. The variety has spread widely throughout the country. We offer you to get acquainted with several interesting thoughts from gardeners.