Three varieties of currants that you did not know about

In fact, we know only a small fraction of the whole variety of currants. Meanwhile, there are 190 species in the world (1).

pink currant

Pinkcurrant is an infrequent visitor to our dachas, because seedlings are rarely on sale. And there aren’t many varieties. Meanwhile, according to summer residents, this is the sweetest berry that can be found in our areas. And she is also beautiful: regardless of the variety of her berries, when they ripen, they fascinate with their appearance. In addition, she has a fantastic aroma of fruits – they, perhaps, can even compete with roses.

By the way, pink currant, in fact (like white), is red – these are discolored varieties, but to a lesser extent than white-fruited ones.

What varieties are available for sale?

• Pink pearl. An early variety with rather large (0,9 – 1,3 g), shiny, unusually sweet berries. They will never set the teeth on edge, and they are also wonderful in compotes and jelly. But jams and jams from the fruits of Pink Pearls are obtained for an amateur – they are too sugary.

  The yield of this variety is 5-6 kg per bush. And what is even more unusual: the berries hang on the bushes until frost, without crumbling and without losing their taste.

  Winter hardiness is high. Disease and pest resistance too.

• Muscat pink. Also an early variety. Its berries, as the name implies, have a nutmeg taste: sweet, fragrant – their aroma spreads throughout the site. The mass of fruits is 1 – 1,2 g. And they also hang on branches until the first frost.

  The yield of Muscat pink is very high – up to 7 kg per bush. The variety tolerates frosts perfectly. Diseases and pests are rarely affected.

• Dutch pink. Medium maturity variety. The berries are medium or larger than average in size (0,5 – 0,9 g), with a very pleasant sweet taste. Productivity – 5 – 7 kg per bush. Winter hardiness is high. Pest and disease resistance is good.

Care Secrets. Pink currant is very photophilous, it must be planted in an open place – under the trees the harvest will be small.

The bushes of these varieties are quite compact, so they can be planted at a distance of 1,5 m from each other.

The rest of the care for pink currants is the same as for red ones.

green currant

Every summer resident knows: blackcurrant berries acquire their color when they ripen. Until then, they are green. However, there are varieties that, when ripe, remain grassy in color. They taste like blackcurrant, but look very unusual. And thanks to the green color of the berries of these varieties do not attract the attention of birds. So that the entire crop remains safe and sound.

Currant with green berries first appeared in Our Country in the 30s of the twentieth century. She was bred in Siberia. The variety was named Green fruit. However, this exotic did not go to the masses: they did not appreciate it in industrial gardens, summer residents were also skeptical about such a miracle. The fruits of this variety were more like gooseberries. Only small.

But gardeners from Germany and Finland really liked Zelenoplodnaya. They took it as a basis and began to breed their own varieties.

As a result, they received several new varieties, which then came to Our Country. And one of them has gained popularity here.

• Vertti (Vertti). The berries of this variety are medium in size (0,8 g), green, sometimes with brown patches. Looks unsightly. But what a taste! They are very sweet, like honey! Fragrant, but at the same time they do not have a sharp currant smell, which not everyone likes. In addition, they do not fill the teeth.

  Vertti gives the first crop 2-3 years after planting. The berries ripen in the second half of July.

  This variety tolerates harsh winters quite tolerably. In any case, his shoots never freeze slightly. But a very severe frost can grab flower buds.

  But the variety is resistant to fungal diseases and is practically not affected by bud mites.

  However, our breeders later also came to their senses. And now in Our Country three varieties of blackcurrant with green berries have been bred.

• Inca gold. Medium maturity. The berries are large (1 – 1,2 g), yellowish-green, transparent, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Productivity 2,1 – 2,6 kg per bush.

• Emerald necklace. Also mid-late ripening. Currants are large (1,0 – 1,4 g), light yellow with a slight green tint, pleasant sweet and sour, refreshing taste. The yield is very good – 2,2 – 2,7 kg per bush.
• Tear of Isis. Early variety. Its berries are also large (1 – 1,2 g), light yellow, transparent, with a yellowish tint, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste. Productivity – 2 – 2,5 kg per bush.

All our varieties are winter hardy. And they are also quite resistant to diseases and pests – they are rarely affected by powdery mildew and anthracnose and are almost not damaged by kidney and spider mites.

Care Secrets. Varieties with green berries require more heat and light than black berries. So they should be planted exclusively in an open area. After all, even a small shadow will lead to the formation of small and sour fruits.

These varieties prefer light, loose, moist fertile loams. They will also grow on other soils, but worse. But in the wetlands they will die! And if groundwater is close, currants should be planted on low ridges.

But otherwise, the green currant does not differ from the black one: it must be fertilized, watered and shaped in exactly the same way.

Golden Currant

This is a separate type of currant. It is found in summer residents infrequently, but deserves the most worthy place.

The golden currant is native to North America.

She is very decorative. In spring, it is covered with an abundance of very fragrant yellow flowers. There are so many of them that sometimes even the leaves are not visible. Moreover, the buds of the golden currant bloom later than the black currant, which allows it to avoid spring frosts. Although the flowers can easily withstand up to -3 ° C.

The fruits are primarily striking in color: black, brown, purple, orange and pink berries flaunt on one plant at the same time. They ripen in August, when the main shrubs have already fructified. The fruits ripen unfriendly. But when ripe, they stick to the branches very firmly and do not crumble for 5 to 6 weeks.

And in the fall, the bushes acquire a variegated color – yellow-red-green. At this time they are especially beautiful.

The berries of the golden currant are juicy, sweet, with a very piquant weak acidity. They do not have the characteristic smell and taste of blackcurrant, which many do not like.

The average weight of fruits is about 1 g, that is, they are identical in size to red and white currants. From them you can make excellent jam and wonderful wine.

Care Secrets. This shrub is incredibly hardy. It can grow absolutely in any areas: in partial shade and in bright sun, on light and heavy soils, on flat ground and on slopes.

Golden currant is more winter-hardy than its famous relatives – it withstands short-term temperature drops to -35 ° C (2).

It is practically not affected by diseases and pests. Resistant to gas and dust. Handles haircut well.

The roots of this currant are very powerful, go into the ground for 2 m or more. Therefore, the bushes easily tolerate the lack of moisture in the soil – they can extract water from the depths.

It is better to plant golden currants at a distance of 2 m from each other. When planting, the root neck should be deepened by 5 – 6 cm. And the shoots should be cut so that no more than 3 buds remain on them.

Planting pits should be 60×60 cm in size. Before planting, 1 bucket of humus or compost, 5-6 glasses of ash, 0,5 cups of superphosphate and potassium sulfate should be added to them.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about different types of currants with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Ribes // The Plant List. http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Grossulariaceae/Ribes/
2. Yurina L.V. Garden innovations: berry crops // M .: AST Publishing House LLC: Astrel Publishing House LLC, 2003 – 399 p.