Transplanting currants in the fall to a new place 

Many gardeners are aware of such cases when they have to replant shrubs on their site. One of these plants is currant. Black, red, white or green – this berry is very widespread in summer cottages and suburban areas of the country. The shrub, in fact, is unpretentious, takes root well on almost any soil, gives stable yields and requires a minimum of attention.

You can learn about why a currant transplant is needed, and how to properly transplant currants in your area, from this article.

Why do you need a transplant of currant bushes

With the planting of newly purchased shrubs, everything is clear – they need to be planted in the ground as early as possible. But why might it be necessary to transplant blackcurrants that have been growing in the same place in the garden for many years?

There can be several reasons for transplanting black or some other currant:

• transplanting currants in the fall to propagate the variety you like;
• in order to rejuvenate an already aged bush;
• if it is not possible to cure the plant of some kind of infection or get rid of the parasite;
• when new buildings appeared on the site, trees and a vineyard grew, giving shade and preventing the currant bush from fully developing;
• in order to thin out the overgrown currant bushes, some of them also need to be transplanted;
• transplanting is also a good way to increase the yield of the berry, because the soil under the berry bush is very depleted.

What should be the ideal place for a shrub

The requirements for a new place in currants are quite high, they also depend on the variety of the plant: red is currant, black or more exotic, white and green.

Black currants can be planted in almost any soil, but red currants are best planted in soil with a high sand content. This is due to the fact that this shrub has higher requirements for the level of soil moisture – red currant does not like excess water, as it often suffers from fungal infections and rot.

The general requirements for a plot under transplanted bushes are as follows:

1. The place must be sunny. Any currant loves the sun very much, perhaps the red-fruited one loves it a little more. If a black berry can be planted in partial shade, then red currant bushes are planted only on the south side of the plot in an open area. Usually, red currants are planted in autumn in a mixture of sand and soil.
2. It is good if the landing site is on the plain. The lowland area is completely unsuitable for planting bushes, here the plant will start to hurt, and its roots will simply rot. The currants are also not placed too high, because the bush suffers too much from the wind, and the moisture quickly leaves the ground.
3. Potatoes, corn or beans should be chosen as predecessors for currants; you should not plant a bush where there is a lot of weed grass or the intertwined roots of previous perennials remain.
4. There should be enough space between the transplanted bush and fruit trees or other shrubs on the site. Currants are too susceptible to various infections and pests, it is easily infected from other plants.
5. Light loamy soil is most suitable as soil. The acidity of the earth should be neutral or slightly alkaline. If these indicators do not meet the requirements, you will have to work with the composition of the soil when transplanting currants.

When to transplant currants

There are several opinions regarding when exactly to transplant currant bushes. And this can be done at almost the entire vegetation stage of the plant: in summer, autumn or spring.

It is believed that less traumatic for the plant will be that transplant, during which the movement of juices in the shoots is slowed down, and the shrub itself is in a state of “sleep”. So, when is it better to transplant currants: in spring or autumn. Here gardeners’ opinions differ the following reasons:

• Spring – time of awakening of plants. If you have time to transplant a bush before its shoots and roots wake up, the movement of juice will begin, the plant will transfer the transplant quite well. But the shrub will no longer be able to bear fruit in the current season, since all its forces will be spent on adaptation in a new place. But winter frosts are not terrible for a bush that has not grown strong after transplanting – this is a strong “trump card” of spring.
• for autumn characteristic is the weakening of the forces of all plants, a decrease in their immunity, but it is noted that in this state, shrubs and trees tolerate transplantation much more easily. Currants transplanted in the autumn are characterized by fruiting in the next season, that is, the gardener will not lose a single crop. The roots stop growing by winter, so the autumn transplant should be done 30-35 days before the onset of severe frosts – so the currants have time to take root in a new place.

Which month is better to choose for a transplant

Depending on the season in which it is supposed to plant a new bush or transplant an old one, they determine the exact date of planting. For those who prefer to plant currants in the spring, it is better to stop in the month of March, or rather, planting is carried out from March 10 to 20. This period is characterized by the thawing of the earth and the first truly warm spring rays. The juices have not yet had time to move in the plant, which is especially favorable for transplanting.

To the question: “Is it possible to transplant currants at another time?” The answer is unequivocal: “You can.” The only thing you need to pay attention to the weather in the region, namely, soil temperature – it should be above 0. There are winters when in mid-February the earth is already completely thawing and warming up – you can plant shrubs.

If you decide to transplant a currant bush in the fall, it is better to do this before mid-October, until serious frosts begin. Previously, you should not do this, as the transplanted bushes can grow due to the high air temperature. Later planting threatens with freezing of poorly rooted currants.

How to prepare a place for transplanting a currant bush

Two to three weeks before the proposed planting of the shrub, it is recommended to prepare a place for it. For proper preparation, follow these steps:

1. Dig up the site, remove all roots, weeds and other debris from the ground.
2. Taking into account the size of the bush, dig holes for currant bushes. The diameter of the pit should be approximately 60 cm, and the depth should be about 40 cm. If a bush with an earthen clod is to be transplanted, the pit should be made larger.
3. Between adjacent pits, at least 150 cm are left, since the currant bushes strongly interfere with each other.
4. If the soil is heavy, you need to organize drainage in the holes. This is especially true when transplanting red currants, which are afraid of moisture stagnation. For drainage, broken brick, crushed stone or pebbles are laid out at the bottom of the pit.
5. The earth must also stand before transplanting currants, they prepare the soil in advance. First, the top sod layer is poured into the pit from the same earth that was dug out for the holes. Then they add a bucket of compost or well-rotted humus, 200-300 grams of superphosphate and a liter jar of wood ash. All components of the soil mixture are well mixed and left for a couple of weeks.

Preparing currant bushes for transplanting

Not only the land, but the currant itself must be prepared for transplanting to a new place. It is recommended to prepare the bushes for the “move” in advance, because the preparation includes pruning branches, which is very traumatic for the plant, and it has yet to acclimatize in a new place.

Bushes should be shortened, they should reach a maximum height of 0,5 meters. To do this, all the old stems are cut out, and the young ones are shortened by about a third of the length. There should be at least three weeks between pruning and transplanting!

Now the bush is dug to a depth of 20-30 cm, retreating from the trunk 40 cm. They take the lower part of the bush and try to pull the plant up. You can’t pull the branches, if the currant does not lend itself, you need to cut all the lateral roots with a shovel along the way.

After extraction, the plant is inspected, paying special attention to the roots. Rotten, diseased and dry roots are cut out. Pests, larvae are identified, and are also removed along with part of the root.

If the plant is infected, you can lower its roots for 15 minutes in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect. Currants are transported to a new place on a tarpaulin or a dense film.

How to transplant currants in the fall to a new place

You need to replant the shrub correctly:

1. At the bottom of the prepared hole, a mound of earth is formed. Water this soil with two buckets of water.
2. The bush is positioned relative to the cardinal points in the same way as it grew in the previous place so that the branches of the plant do not bend.
3. Transplant the currants into the hole, making sure that the root neck is 5 cm below ground level.
4. Holding the plant on weight, begin to sprinkle the roots with earth.
5. So that the roots do not end up in voids, the currants are shaken several times, thereby compacting the ground.
6. Tamp the soil well around the transplanted bush.
7. A shallow trench is dug near the trunk and about 20 liters of water are poured into it. You need to water gradually, making sure that the water is evenly absorbed into the soil.
8. The dug trench and the trunk circle are mulched using peat, straw or dry leaves.
9. Within two weeks, if there is no rain in the region, the currants need to be watered. Do this every other day, each time pouring two buckets of water.

We transplant currants correctly, and we get high yields of tasty and healthy berries!

And in more detail about how to transplant currants to a new place in the fall, this video will tell: