Why blackcurrant leaves are small. Why doesn't blackcurrant bear fruit? How useful is this berry? Loosening the soil and pruning shrubs

Black currant- This is an unpretentious berry shrub, but gardeners sometimes face some problems when growing it. One of them is the yellowing of the leaves. The leaves may turn yellow gradually throughout the summer, or they may change color rapidly, and then begin to fall off.

chapter 1. Causes of yellowing currant leaves

There are many factors for yellowing foliage, and the sooner the cause is determined, the easier it will be to eliminate it.

Section 1. Pests

One of the reasons for the change in the color of the foliage is the attack of pests such as gall aphids, currant glass or spider mite. It is not difficult to identify them if you carefully examine the entire plant, because insects leave other traces.

gall aphid, or in another way - hairy aphids, feed on leaf juices, which causes their deformation. The surface of the leaf plate swells, forming tubercles, which can be either yellow or red.

Most often, young leaves on the tops of the shoots are damaged, which slows down the growth of the plant and worsens the yield in the next season. Aphids lay their eggs under the bark, and they overwinter there until the next year.

currant glass jar is dangerous in that it lays eggs inside shoots that have even the slightest cracks. Caterpillar larvae emerge from the eggs, which feed on the inside of the shoots, leaving voids in them. They move down, and spend the winter in that part of the branches, which is located closer to the ground.

The final growth of the larva is 2 cm. For the entire period of being inside the shoot, the glass larvae gnaw out its entire core, which disrupts sap flow and the process of photosynthesis. The leaves turn yellow and fall off after a while.

spider mite attacks currants most often in hot, dry weather. It can be seen if you look at the bottom of the sheet. It is strewn with very small black spider insects. At the internodes, at the junction of the leaf petiole with the shoot, a thin cobweb is noticeable.

The spider mite sucks the juice from the foliage, piercing it. External surface first covered with small yellow dots, which quickly merge and the leaf appears completely yellow. After a while, it dries up and curls up.

Section 2. Nutrient deficiency

Currant leaves may become yellow due to a lack of nutrients:

• with a lack of nitrogen, the foliage turns yellow gradually, and first the color of the veins changes, and then the tissue between them. Leaves fall only if the soil is very depleted. Confirmation that the currant lacks nitrogen is also the fact that the shoots are strongly stretched and become thin;
• with a lack of potassium, only the edge of the leaf turns yellow, and the leaf itself does not change color;
• if there is little iron in the soil, then the leaves become pale green and remain so long time. They turn yellow much later, while their turgor does not change;
• if the plant lacks magnesium, then only the lower leaves turn yellow, while the surface between the veins changes color, and the veins themselves remain green.

Section 3. soil moisture disturbance

The color of currant leaves can also change if watering is disturbed. This occurs both when the soil is dried out in the near-stem circle, and when waterlogged. If watering is insufficient, then small roots, which are responsible for the absorption of moisture, partially die off. With constantly moist soil during the rainy season, the roots rot. At the same time, the plant does not receive a sufficient amount of trace elements, which changes its appearance.

chapter 2. What to do if currant leaves turn yellow

If the cause of the change in the color of the foliage is identified, then it will not be difficult to eliminate it. It is important to carry out all activities as soon as the first changes appear.

Section 1. Top dressing

If there is a shortage of nitrogen, its supply can be replenished with the help of organic fertilizers - compost or rotted manure. You can replace them with urea.

If the currant does not have enough potassium, then potassium sulfate, potassium chloride or potassium magnesia are added. These fertilizers dissolve well in water, and liquid dressings are quickly absorbed.

Iron is replenished with iron sulfates or chelates. It should be remembered that iron sulfates are applied to the soil, and for foliar dressings chelates are used. This is due to the fact that in this way iron is absorbed completely.

With a lack of magnesium, currants are fertilized with potassium magnesia, magnesium sulfate or dolomite flour. A large number of magnesium is found in wood ash.

Section 2. Processing with chemicals

When applied chemicals for pest control on currants, it is important to remember that spraying with some products should be carried out 30 days before harvest or any time after all the berries are harvested.

Against gall aphid and spider mites are used:

• "Agravertin" - pests stop eating plant sap 6 hours after treatment, and their complete death occurs after 3-4 days;
• "Aktofit" - the complete death of pests occurs after 3 days. Apply at a temperature not lower than +18°C. Berries can be eaten two days after spraying;
• "Fufanon" - begins to act in a day, currants are processed 20 days before the berries ripen.

It is more difficult to deal with currant glass, because the larvae are protected by the bark of the shoots. Spraying is effective during the period when butterflies begin to fly.

They use drugs such as Karbofos, Fitoverm, Agravertin. If the moment is missed, then the shoots in which the butterflies have already managed to lay their eggs are removed. You can recognize them by damage on the bark, because females choose only damaged branches for laying eggs.

Section 3. Folk remedies to combat yellowing currant leaves

From gall aphids and spider mites, an infusion of tobacco or red pepper in pods is used. Prepare them as follows:

• 500 grams of tobacco is poured warm water(10 liters) and insist for a day. Then filter and add a little green soap;
• a concentrate is prepared from red capsicum - 1 kg of pods is poured with water (10 liters) and boiled over low heat for 1 hour. After cooling, strain and pour into small containers. For processing, add 150 grams of concentrate to a bucket of water.

To scare away the glass case, the currant bush is sprinkled with dry mustard, wood ash or tobacco dust. After rain, the procedure will have to be repeated. The soil in the trunk circle is loosened, weeds are removed and the same means are poured. In order to prevent egg laying, all damage to the bark must be covered with garden pitch.

Chapter 3 Prevention

Only when regular care currant leaves will not turn yellow either from pests or from a lack of trace elements. Preventive measures should begin in May:

• the soil in the trunk circle is carefully loosened and fertilizers are applied. In the spring, currants need complex top dressing - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium;
• all weeds growing nearby must be removed;
• damaged branches are cut and burned. If voids are visible on the cut, then the shoots are cut to solid wood;
• if the spring is dry, then regular watering is necessary at the rate of 2 buckets per 1 adult bush.

In June, you need to carefully examine the plant. If pests are noticed, then the damaged foliage is removed. In this period folk remedies, used for pest control, can be used as a preventive measure.

In July, until the crop is harvested, it is not recommended to use any means for spraying blackcurrants. They carry out such preventive measures as loosening the soil and applying complex dressings, which include phosphorus and potassium.

With proper care, such a problem as yellowing of leaves in currants is rare.

Chapter 4. Video

Reducing the size of berries in currants - sure sign the fact that not everything is in order with berry bushes. And there can be a great many reasons for this: too deep loosening of the soil, untimely or incorrect pruning of berry bushes, damage by various pests, a lack of top dressing, etc. In order for the currant crop to always please, it is important to provide it with the proper conditions for full growth and development, as well as deal with attacking pests and diseases in a timely manner.

Loosening the soil and pruning shrubs

The size of the emerging berries can be influenced by a variety of factors. Often summer residents contribute to a decrease in yield themselves. The fact is that the fibrous root system of the currant is located very close to the surface. And when gardeners start to loosen the soil around the bushes too deeply, they often damage their vulnerable roots. And any damage to them is a stressful situation for berry bushes: they gradually begin to weaken, and the berries quickly become smaller and are characterized by uneven ripening. Accordingly, in order to avoid such troubles, it does not hurt to abandon too deep loosening. To maintain soil looseness and reduce moisture loss, it is recommended to mulch the soil (in this case, the mulch layer should ideally be equal to six centimeters, and the mulching diameter trunk circle- sixty centimeters). And all the weeds growing nearby are quite enough just to mow.

Another reason for reducing the size of the berries is untimely or incorrect pruning. Currant bushes that have not been pruned age quickly, and in overly thickened plantings, the berries are deficient in heat and light. In addition, weakened or diseased branches are the very first to be attacked by various ailments and pests. These processes are especially intense in large-fruited varieties. That is why it is necessary to regularly prune such currants, especially carefully cutting off branches that have reached the age of three (and sometimes it does not hurt to get rid of two-year-olds).

Pests

Pests are another fairly common reason for the reduction in the size of berries. Damaged and weakened twigs that are not cut off in a timely manner also tend to bear fruit, only the berries on them are of very low quality. Also weakened branches are exposed sunburn which is additional stress for them. And sparse and small leaves are simply not able to create adequate conditions for full growth. berry crops. All this makes weakened plants a desirable delicacy for pests.

Especially often caterpillars and slugs harm currants. In addition, wasps, glass or aphids can easily attack it. In order to save the long-awaited harvest, it is extremely important to timely detect pests on the site and carry out the appropriate processing of berry bushes.

Fertilizer deficiency

Growing currants on the site contributes to the rapid depletion of the soil. To stop this process, it is necessary to take care of systematic feeding, because nutrient deficiency will inevitably lead to a decrease in the size of the berries. In order for the yield to remain consistently high, vegetative currants should be regularly fed with mineral and organic fertilizers. And berry bushes need to be replanted from time to time, since the soil also tends to “get tired”. As for the timing of the transplant, they are not fundamental in this case, but it is important to take into account the fact that average term currant fruiting is from ten to fifteen years. In general, when determining the timing of transplants, they are guided by soil fertility, climatic conditions and quality of care.

Black currant

183. Why do flowers and even berries dry out on some branches of blackcurrant?

This can happen not only with black, but also with red currants, and with gooseberries. If you cut such a branch, you will see that it has a black core. This trace was left by the glass caterpillar. Such a branch must be cut to the ground, leaving no stump. The flight of the glass case coincides in time with the cherry blossoms. This is the moment to process berry bushes. Usually recommend karbofos or Fufanon. But it is better to simply disorientate the pest by adding an extraneous pungent odor to the smell of the host plant, for example, by spraying the plants coniferous extract or infusion of coniferous needles, infusion of wormwood, tansy, onion peel, citrus peels. Do not leave real bird cherry on or near the site, which attracts glass. But virgin, Chinese red or bird cherry hybrids with cherries - you can.

184. What to do with the scab on the currant? Shchitovka (small thickenings in the form of a comma, usually beige colour) can populate not only currants, but also any other plant. Peeling it off the bark is a tedious and thankless task. It is necessary to lay a newspaper under the bush, then collect the scale insects and burn them, otherwise they will again crawl from the soil onto the branches. In no case should you treat the bush with white spirit, as is sometimes recommended - you will simply destroy the branches. But since the shield - sucking insect, then by spraying the bush with an absorbable preparation, you can destroy it. You can use the chemical preparation "Phosbecid", biological products "Iskra-bio", "Agravertin" or "Fitoferm". External preparations, such as "Inta-vir" or "Decis", "Sherpa" and others, do not work, since the scab has a strong chitinous cover.

185. They began to harvest blackcurrants, and the bushes are full of some kind of cobweb nests with dried berries. What it is?

You missed the flight of the gooseberry moth, which goes during flowering. Caterpillars lay their eggs in a flower, the hatching larva eats it out and passes to the next one. So one larva damages up to 10-15 berries. Then it pupates right there, braiding the brush with a cobweb. Falls together with a brush on the soil in the autumn and hibernates under fallen leaves. When picking berries, spider nests (clusters of dried berries) should be collected separately and then destroyed. In the same way, the moth affects the gooseberry.

The simplest measure is hilling late autumn gooseberry and black currant bushes, and in early spring their unraveling. If you haven’t done this, then spray the bushes before flowering with karbofos or scare the pests with an infusion of needles, citrus peels and others. At any time, you can spray plants against pests with biological products (Iskra-bio, Fitoverm, Agravertin). Two days after spraying, the berries can be eaten.

186. What kind of orange warts appear on currant leaves in early June? This fungal disease is goblet rust (if the tubercles are large) or columnar (if the spots are small). It can be stopped by spraying the bushes Bordeaux liquid or the drug "Hom", but you can get by with the biological product "Fitosporin".

187. At what time is it necessary to destroy the bud mite on blackcurrant?

Before the buds burst and the stray mites crawl out to infiltrate the new buds.

It is easiest to pick thick, swollen buds in late autumn or early spring, when there are no leaves on the bushes. Then they are very visible. Do not throw the kidneys anywhere, they should be burned. Sometimes, if there are a lot of ticks, you have to cut out entire branches and even part of the bush. If urgent measures are not taken, the bush will die. You can make a shelter from a film above the bush, tie the ends of the film under the bush, insert a sulfur bomb inside (for example, “Climate”) and set it on fire. After an hour, the bush can be freed from the film. Not only the tick will die, but also other pests that will be on the bush at this time, and at the same time pathogens. It is only necessary to remember that fumigation with sulfur is effective only at high (above 20 ° C) temperatures.

188. How to determine if a blackcurrant bush is sick with terry? During flowering, bushes or individual branches immediately catch the eye, on which, instead of flowers with white rounded petals, strange, elongated, lilac flowers appeared. It is necessary to dig up and immediately burn the entire bush. If you change the soil, you can plant a new bush or blackcurrant stalk in this place (you cannot take a stalk from a diseased bush).

189. The flowers on the blackcurrant suddenly became ugly, dirty pink. What caused it? This is a mycoplasmal disease that is quite common in garden plots, - terry currant. Sick blackcurrant bushes are easy to detect during flowering: the flowers degenerate, become narrow, with fused petals of a dirty pink or purple color. Breaking the flowers or cutting off a branch with such flowers will not solve the problem, because the whole bush is sick and sooner or later it will manifest itself, you must immediately dig it up and burn it until the gall midges and mites carry the infection further.

190. What is the golden currant? There is an elegant relative of black currant - golden currant. It got its name from the yellow petals of the flowers. In spring, long clusters of yellow flowers look very elegant. The leaves of this currant are smaller and more rounded. This currant has no pests and is practically not affected by diseases. Everything would be just fine, but only it has neither the taste nor the aroma of blackcurrant. Clusters of small, mediocre tasting berries big harvest do not give. In addition, golden currant is a cross-pollinated plant. So, if you want berries, if you please, plant at least two bushes nearby. It is usually used as ornamental shrub, not berry.

191. What variety to choose for growing blackcurrant near Vyborg (North-West)?

For the Northwest, the most suitable and unpretentious variety- This Karelian creeping(an old Finnish variety Bredthorpe) and, accordingly, varieties obtained on the basis of the Karelian creeping. All of them differ in that they have a slightly decumbent shape, the branches are slightly wavy and diverge far to the sides. As soon as the branch lies on the ground, it immediately takes root, so the bush can grow strongly in all directions. Supports should be placed under it. But on the other hand, all these shortcomings are redeemed by fertility, large-fruitedness, good taste of berries, resistance to diseases and pests, and genetic resistance of the variety. It still exists without any pruning and care in the old Finnish farms abandoned since 1945. At the same time, it bears fruit very well.

Karelian currant always gives a harvest, because its flowering period is extended for almost two weeks, although some of the flowers leave from spring frosts. In addition, the lower branches bloom and those located in the center of the bush, as plentifully as the peripheral ones. The ripening of her berries is also stretched, so the crop has to be harvested in several stages. On the one hand, it is inconvenient for those who sell berries, but, on the other hand, it is very convenient for those who grow crops for themselves and their families. Firstly, the berries can be removed gradually, especially without bothering. Secondly, there is a harvest on the lower branches at the end of August, which makes it possible to cook jelly when there are no more berries. This variety has another advantage - it does not leave sepals on the berries, so they are easy to process.

192. Only early or mid-early varieties of blackcurrant are suitable for cultivation. Which ones to choose? To early varieties belong to a good variety seaside champion and Dove Seedling. The Belarusian variety can be attributed to mid-early varieties. Minai Shmyrev, which has upright, tall bushes, good yield, large delicious berries, but sometimes the variety is affected by mites. But it is resistant to most diseases, including terry.

Like any other berry bushes, all currant subspecies are exposed to various infections. Currant diseases are quite numerous and for successful treatment it is necessary to know well the signs of each and the methods of treatment.

Fungal infections and protection

Currant diseases can be classified according to the method of infection:

• fungal;
• viral.

Fungal infections are the most common in flora. Contributes to diseases high humidity and warm, which is usually observed in late summer. A description of the most common infections, as well as methods of protection, are given below.

powdery mildew

It is found on the leaves of currants and the tops of new branches in early summer as a gray-white coating that can be washed off and wiped off. Gradually it turns brown and is no longer washed off. The disease is helped to spread by strong humidity and a temperature of +30.

Blackcurrant leaves, twigs and berries are infected. Berries are spoiled by a fungus, tasteless and not suitable for nutrition.

As a result, the infected plant stops growing and gradually fades. The fungus spends the winter in a pile of fallen leaves.

During initial stage disease, you can get rid of it by pruning and destroying infected branches, treating currant bushes with alkaline solutions:

• ash;
• soaps;
• soap and soda;
• iodine;
• from whole milk.

With the mass development of the fungus, the bushes are treated with four sprayings of fungicides such as Fitosporin, Topaz, Strobi, Khom:

• before flowering;
• after flowering;
• following the picking of berries;
• 2 weeks after the third treatment.

Important! The treatment of all fungal diseases is long, spraying is carried out during the entire growing season and preventive treatment at the start of next season.

Alternaria or black leaf spot

It is very noticeable in summer, when blackcurrant leaves are covered with grayish-black small spots. With a disease, the fungus affects leaves, cuttings, stalks, green shoots, berries. Closer to autumn, the currant is overgrown with a dense, soft brown-olive bloom, the leaves on and fly around.

Fungi that cause alternariosis do not lead to the death of red or black currants. But the disease provokes oppression of plants, poor maturation of branches and their freezing in winter.

The currant bush will not bring a full-fledged harvest either. The treatment consists in spraying the Nitrofen preparation with a sprayer at the beginning and end of the season on bare branches.

In addition, before flowering and after picking the fruit, 1% Bordeaux liquid, Fitosporin, Previkur, Acrobat, Ridomil are sprayed. Mandatory procedure there will be a cleaning and incineration of all litter. Under the currant, it is necessary to loosen the ground. In new plantings, it is better to use varieties with increased resistance.

Septoria or white spot

It is found when small leaves appear on the leaves hazel spots. Subsequently, they become whitish with a brown border.

Cercosporosis or brown spot

It is characterized by the appearance of chestnut spots with a light stripe along the edge. Little by little, the spots grow, forming a thick brownish layer on the leaf plate.

Anthracosis

Diagnosed with the growth of red-brown spots in the middle of the season. Small spots grow in diameter and completely capture the leaf. Red currant anthracosis disease is available to a greater extent than black or white.

Phyllostic spotting

Detected with outer side leaves. Small red spots appear, later brightening and changing color to dirty brown. Affected leaf tissue often falls out, forming holes.

Ascochyta blight of black and red currant

It is expressed in the appearance of brown spots of a broken shape. Later, they brighten, crack and fall out, leaving holes on the sheet.

Spotting diseases lead to the same results:

• leaf damage and premature fall;
• due to lack of nutrition, young shoots do not ripen and dry out or freeze;
• a weakened bush winters poorly;
• part of the crop is lost;
• berries are often also damaged by the fungus and turn out tasteless.

The destruction of fungal blotch is achieved by repeated fungicides:

1. Before opening the kidneys, a 1% solution of copper sulphate, Bordeaux liquid or copper oxychloride, Nitroferon is sprayed.
2. After flowering and two weeks later, after harvesting, the fruits are sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid, Kaptan, Homycin, Kuprozan, Phthalan, and colloidal sulfur.
3. At the end of leaf fall, the plants are sprayed with 3% Bordeaux liquid.

Rust in its full form is found in the middle of the season. Currant disease originates from the appearance on the leaves of voluminous yellow spots(goblet) or elongated tumors (columnar) from the outer edge. Brown growths with fungal spores appear on the back edge.

Rust eventually covers the entire sheet, causing it to fade prematurely. The disease slows down the growth of branches, makes it difficult to feed and weakens the plant.

goblet rust

It is detected during flowering, while spoiling flowers and ovaries. Columnar rust appears by the beginning of August.

A feature of this fungus is the fact that two plants are required for its development: currant and sedge or pine.

Treatment consists of spraying 5-6 irrigations throughout the season with any fungicide and pruning the affected branches. For treatment, drugs Fitosporin, Topaz, Horus, Skor, Abiga Peak, Rayok, Gamair, 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or copper sulphate are used.

Sooty fungus or leaf black

The disease of the currant bush is noted as the growth of a black layer, similar to soot. The layer is easily erased and must be washed off, as it interferes with photosynthesis and nutrition. Spraying with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid is carried out before flowering and after it to eradicate the fungus.

Drying of branches or tuberculosis

This disease can be identified by the appearance on the cortex and inside sheet of small red dots. Over time, they grow, blush, become red-brown. After the spores mature, the dots turn black, the infected branches dry up. This infection is more common.

If currants were sick with an infection, then the infection will easily spread to juniper, apple, apricot.

We treat the bush by cutting out damaged branches with cutting sections with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture. It is recommended to spray the plant with this solution at least 4 times per season.

verticillium wilt

Causes defeat vascular system plants. The mycelium grows in the root vessels, they become impassable, clogged and rot. Nutrition and moisture from the roots does not enter the aerial part.

The leaves turn yellow, the berries dry up, the bush dies. The disease cannot be cured, the plant must be destroyed.

Moniliosis or fruit rot of berries

Easily determined by appearance infected fruits. They brighten and become flabby, a light gray mold appears on the skin. Later, the berries are mummified and partially preserved on the branch, partially crumbled. Rotten berries are harvested as fungus spores develop in them.

Early spring spraying required blue vitriol. And also it is necessary to treat the bush with 1% Bordeaux liquid before flowering and after harvesting the fruits.

Gray rot of berries

It differs from moniliosis in that rotten berries do not change their color. Infected berries are covered with a layer of smoky gray mold and gradually fall off.

To eliminate the disease from the currant, you need to collect and remove the infected berries and thin out the bush for better ventilation of the planting.

Non-nectrium drying of shoots is characterized by the appearance of orange dots on the bark of shoots. They slowly grow and change into black tubercles with spores of the fungus. By this time, the shoots dry out. During treatment, the infected parts of the bush are cut out, the sections are disinfected with solutions of copper-containing preparations.

Viral infections and treatment

Dangerous viral diseases are rare. But if they got into the garden, then you must immediately remove the plant along with the root and disinfect the ground strong mortar potassium permanganate. How to treat viral diseases is still not known.

This infection is usually spread through infected seedlings. Sometimes their appearance is associated with insects: gall aphids, kidney mites.

Viral diseases, as well as those of blackcurrant and whitecurrant, occur sporadically.

Terry

This is a viral, microplasma disease that leads to infertility. Inflorescences change appearance and color, become abnormal and purple in color. Berries do not form at all. Even the appearance of currant leaves is changing.

If the bush is ill with reversion, then instead of five-lobed leaves, three-lobed leaves grow with a serrate "nettle" edge. The characteristic currant smell disappears.

The infection spreads through infected planting material and with the help of a kidney tick. It affects mainly blackcurrant. Be sure to destroy the kidney mite with fungicides.

To do this, spraying with a 1% suspension of colloidal sulfur is carried out when the buds open. The treatment is repeated 2-4 times every 2 weeks. The infected plant is uprooted and burned.

Striped or veined mosaic

One more viral disease, with it a yellow stripe forms along the length of the main veins of the leaf. Over time, yellowness covers the entire leaf, causing it to dry out. There is no cure other than uprooting currants.

It is impossible to cure a viral infection by any means. Therefore, when they are found, the diseased plant is uprooted and burned.

Important! in place uprooted can be no earlier than 5 years.

Green mottled leaves

An accurate description of this disease can help the gardener identify this unpleasant ailment. Pale green small dots or bulges, mosaic appear on the leaves. It is impossible not to notice her. Later, liquid pale green stripes form along the main veins of the leaf.

In the red subspecies, the virus provokes a distinct yellowing in the center of the leaf, deformation. Such bushes are immediately culled.

Diseases that affect blackcurrant, like diseases of red and white currants, are quite numerous. For their prevention, disease prevention is very important.

Prevention

Disease prevention is achieved primarily by choosing and purchasing seedlings of varieties that are resistant to major fungal and viral diseases.

In addition, the seedlings themselves must be guaranteed to be healthy. When buying planting material, you must make sure that you have a quarantine certificate, as many serious illness came to our country from abroad.

Bushes should be planted at a sufficient distance so as not to cause thickening of the planting.

Removal of leaves and branches damaged by infection, timely burning and disinfection of cuts, digging the soil in spring and autumn, removing weeds, sanitary pruning of branches helps to stop the spread of infections.

The main remedy for any disease remains the use of fungicides of natural or industrial origin.

For prevention, you do not need to use them 5-6 times per season, as in the fight against diseases. It is enough to spray the bush 2 times: before bud break and before flowering.

Good results in the destruction of fungal spores are obtained by pouring boiling water over the bush until the buds swell.

Conclusion

Before treating currants, it is necessary to determine what the currant is sick with. Infections are very diverse, spread rapidly, resistant to fungicides, not afraid of frost. Currants can be rid of diseases only by persistent healing for several seasons. If you do not resort to treatment, then the harvest can not be seen at all.

In this article you will find simple and understandable answers to the following questions about growing currants:

When is the best time to plant and transplant currants

All berry bushes, including currants, are best planted in the fall. Most auspicious time in the middle lane, Siberia and in the north - from the end of August to the end of September, in the southern regions - in October. At this time, the weather is already not hot, the roots are developing well, and the shrub has time to take root and get stronger before the cold weather.

Autumn planting currants.

Currant stops growing at a temperature of 6-7 ° C, so it must be planted in such a way that it has time to take root before frost. Rooting takes about 2 weeks. When planting, you need to cut off all the shoots, leaving no more than 3 buds on them so that the crown does not develop at the expense of the roots. The bush must be planted obliquely, falling asleep 3 lower buds with earth.

Rooted cuttings, also, on permanent place best planted in autumn. In the future, more powerful bushes grow from them than during spring planting.

It is also better to transplant currants in the fall. The root system at autumn transplant recovers faster than with a transplant at any other time. Spring transplantation of currants is unacceptable. Her sap flow begins very early and the bushes, while trying to take root and start growing, may die. And if they don’t die, they will get sick for a long time, which will affect the quantity and quality of the crop.

If there is a need to quickly transplant currants, then this should be done in the second half of the summer, but not in the spring.

Where to plant currants

Currant prefers light sunny places, but grows well in partial shade. In the south, it is even preferable to plant it in places with light shading. In dense shade, where the sun exposure is less than 7 hours a day, black currants will not grow, red currants can grow, but will not bear fruit.

shrub likes fertile land, but tolerates poor podzolic soils and peatlands quite well. The culture perfectly tolerates acidic soils. For black, a soil pH of 4.5-5.5 is suitable, red is more stable and can grow at a pH of 4.5 to 7. By the way, blackcurrant does not grow well on chernozems, not because they are too fertile (this is just good for the culture ), but because an alkaline or even neutral soil reaction is unacceptable for it. Red currants are less demanding in this respect and therefore more common.

If water stagnates in the area or high level groundwater, then the most elevated places are chosen for planting bushes and grown on high ridges or embankments.

They usually plant a crop along the fence, along the boundaries of the site, allocating not the most cultivated lands for it. And she feels good there.

When to prune currants

The best time for pruning is autumn, when the temperature is not higher than 6-8°C. In the middle lane, this is the second half of October. early autumn pruning is highly undesirable, since in this case the culture forms a new young growth on the branches. The wood of young twigs does not have time to mature and leaves in the winter still green. Such an increase in winter completely dies. If the pruning of the bushes is done very late, just before the cold weather, then the wounds will not have time to heal and frostbite of the wood will occur.

In both cases, the spring will have to re-pruning shrubs. And the freezing of wood significantly weakens the bushes.

You can cut currants in the spring, but the main thing here is not to miss the time. If the shrub has already begun vegetation, pruning is undesirable, although it is possible.

After flowering, weak and dried branches become very clearly visible, which also need to be cut. In general, if necessary, the culture can be pruned within reasonable limits throughout the first half of the summer. But from mid-July, all pruning is stopped.

When and how to feed currants

Blackcurrant, as a rule, is fed 2-3 times per season, red 1-2 times. When and how to feed currants largely depends on what soil it grows on. In the first half of summer, the culture consumes the largest amount of nutrients.

• It is best to feed currants with organic fertilizers or alternately with organic and mineral water. When using mineral fertilizers alone, the bushes will always have at least powdery mildew and aphids.
• The main fertilizers are applied in autumn. On poor soils, for bushes up to 3 years old, they are used per 1 m 2: rotted manure, humus or compost 6-8 kg, double superphosphate 100 g. Under bushes over 3 years old, 8-10 kg of organic matter and 100 g of double superphosphate are used. On the fertile soils organic matter is applied every 2-3 years.
• In the spring, during the period of leaf blooming on poor soils, liquid top dressing is made with organic matter (it is better to use humates or grass infusion). On chernozems, this top dressing is not carried out.
• During the period of intensive growth of the ovaries, the bushes are sprayed with any microfertilizer, and 15 g of potassium sulfate are added to the soil. You can once again water the currant with an infusion of grass, the nitrogen contained in it will not accumulate in the berries, since it will be used long before the crop ripens.
• The following top dressing is done after picking berries: 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium sulfate. If the soil is very acidic, then every 2 years the bushes are watered with lime milk.

Those who grow crops for sale use intensive cultivation technology. According to it, intensive nitrogen fertilization is used, but mineral fertilizers half organic. In early spring, compost, herbal infusion or urea is introduced. During the flowering period, the shrub is sprayed with any nitrogen fertilizer. Immediately after picking the berries, watering is carried out with humates or herbal infusion. Along with nitrogen fertilizers, do not forget to add other elements.

All fertilizers are applied along the perimeter of the crown, and not under the root.

How to water currants

Watering is carried out depending on the weather. If the summer is rainy, then you do not need to water the currants. If the weather is hot and there was no precipitation for more than 7 days, then watering is carried out 1-2 times a week. 3-4 buckets of water are poured under each bush.

In dry autumn, watering is carried out weekly. The water consumption rate is 20 liters per bush. As the temperature drops, the interval between watering increases to 12-18 days.

2-3 weeks before the onset of frost, water-charging watering is sure to be done. Irrigation rate is 40-50 liters per bush.

Why currant leaves dry

The most banal reason for drying currant leaves- this is the lack of watering during prolonged dry weather. Due to lack of water, the leaves become lighter, droop and dry. The shrub should be watered, then it will immediately come to life and new young leaves will appear instead of dried ones.

Another reason for the drying of the leaves on currants is glass damage. The caterpillar eats away the core of the shoots, which stop growing and dry. The leaves begin to dry out from the top of the shoot, and as the caterpillar moves along the core, they dry out lower and lower. When pruning a damaged branch in its center, you can see the course along which the caterpillar moved.

To eliminate the cause, the shoot is cut to healthy wood when there is no longer a move in the center of the branch. If desired, the pest itself can be found in the cut branch. Sometimes the shoot has to be cut to the ground, because it is completely damaged. The glass-box is very dangerous, it, with a large number, can destroy the bush. Therefore, all damaged branches are cut and burned. To catch butterflies, baits with blackcurrant jam are used.

Cercosporosis or brown spot- Another reason for the drying of the leaves. This is fungal disease appears in the middle of summer. Brown spots appear on the leaves with a light middle and a brown rim, which then merge. When the process is started, the leaves lose their color, dry out and fall off. To combat the disease at an early stage, biofungicides (Fitosporin, Gamair) are used, with a complete picture - copper preparations (HOM, Bordeaux mixture) or systemic fungicides (Skor).

Another disease is anthracnose, causes drying and leaf fall, especially on red and white currants. It is also a fungal disease, on the leaves it appears as light brown spots, which later merge, affecting most of the leaf plate. The leaves curl up, dry up and fall off. Red currants can shed all their leaves by the end of summer. When signs of disease appear, the culture is sprayed with preparations containing copper.

The leaves dry out when they are affected by any kind of rust.. To combat the disease at the initial stage, plants are sprayed with Fitosporin. Copper preparations are used at an advanced stage, as well as for the prevention of damage to the bush.

Currant leaves can dry out due to excess chlorine in the soil. when the crop is fed with fertilizers containing this element. Accumulating in the leaves, it causes their death. The edges of the leaf plate dry out, there is a clear border between the damaged and healthy tissue, the leaves become light green. In very hot weather necrosis may appear in the center of the leaflet.

The lesion is more pronounced on sandy soils. Nitrogen prevents the absorption of chlorine by the roots, therefore, to prevent further damage, the shrub is fed with nitrogen ( ammonium nitrate, urea). Top dressing is effective only with a quick supply of fertilizer to the sucking roots, therefore, after applying nitrogen fertilizers carry out abundant watering.

Why currant leaves turn yellow

1. If the leaves turn yellow on young seedling, which was planted in the spring, this indicates too early planting. Currants are planted when the temperature is not lower than 18 ° C. The leaves turned yellow, as the awakened and actively growing roots fell into the cold ground and became supercooled. To correct the situation, the seedlings are fed with a phosphorus extract and watered with Kornevin's solution for the speedy formation of a full-fledged root system. The shrub can be sprayed with Zircon, this will help him cope with a stressful situation.

2. Currant leaves also turn yellow due to dryness of the soil. The culture is watered, and it takes on a natural green color.

3. Excess moisture also causes yellowing of the bush. If this happened after prolonged heavy rains, then the soil around the plants should be loosened so that air can easily penetrate to the roots and oxygen starvation does not occur. You can spray the bushes with Zircon.

4. If the site is constantly flooded with water, and the leaves are constantly yellow, then the currant will not grow there and will die in 1-2 years. In this case, artificial mounds or high ridges are made to grow crops.

5. Nitrogen deficiency also causes yellowing of currant leaves. Older leaves turn yellow first. Then the yellowness spreads very quickly to the entire shrub. To correct the situation, nitrogen fertilizing is done. Foliar spraying is most effective, but if it is impossible to do it (due to heavy rains, for example), then the fertilizer is applied in a dry form, planting 4-6 cm into the soil and spilling the ground well.

6. The leaves become yellow-green in color when the culture is affected by the green mottle virus. In blackcurrant, these are pale green dots, which then turn into strokes scattered throughout the leaf. On red, pale green spots appear in the central part of the leaf, near the petiole. The disease is incurable and the diseased bush must be uprooted.

Why do the leaves turn red

The reason for the reddening of currant leaves are pests: red gall aphids and gall midges.

On the upper side, hilly swellings form on them, and on the lower side - depressions in which pests live and feed. The aphid damages the tops of the shoots, the gall midge damages the leaves in the lower part of the shrub. To combat them, broad-spectrum insecticides are used (Aktellik, Karbofos, Inta-Vir). If the pest is gall midge, then additionally, the soil is watered along the perimeter of the crown with the same preparations to prevent the flight of mosquitoes.

Folk remedies do an excellent job with aphids and gall midges ( soda solution, infusions of wormwood, mustard, tobacco dust, etc.). But always carry out at least 3 treatments, spraying the shrub on the underside of the leaves. Damaged leaves will not recover and will remain red and swollen until the leaf fall.

The leaves on the shrub turn red, also when affected by anthracnose, especially if the summer is warm but rainy. Appearing spots gradually merge, and the leaf becomes red-brown. Currant, especially red, even with a slight lesion sheds all foliage. The disease greatly reduces the winter hardiness of the crop.

Anthracnose is easily prevented by prophylactically spraying the shrub with copper-based preparations.

Why currant crumbles

Overripe berries always fall off. Too long to keep them on the bushes should not be. Taken slightly unripe, they ripen during storage. There are varieties of currants that are prone to the rapid shedding of ripe berries, so they are plucked from these bushes as quickly as possible. Black currants are more prone to shedding of ripe fruits than red and white.

But often the culture discards unripe and green fruits.

First of all, currants crumble during drought, this happens especially often in the southern regions. Currant is a forest dweller and for a full-fledged harvest, it needs sufficient soil moisture. In dry weather, watering is carried out once a week, in drought 2-3 times a week.

Secondly, shedding of berries occurs due to the wrong choice of a place for planting. In dense shade, the shrub sheds its ovaries. In direct sun, especially in the south, the berries also fall off, since the crop is not able to form a crop in improper conditions. There is only one way out - to transplant the bush into appropriate place.

Thirdly, too young or old bushes and branches are not capable of full fruiting and shed most of the berries. Young bushes still do not have enough strength to bear fruit, therefore, although the fruits are tied, most of them are still green, only a few berries ripen. The same happens with old branches and bushes. To increase the yield, the young bush is patiently shaped before it enters the time of intensive fruiting. Old bushes are rejuvenated by cutting out all unnecessary and diseased branches. If the shrub is too old, it is uprooted, there will still be no berries on it.

Fourth, currant berries fall off when they are damaged by a berry sawfly. Damaged berries turn black faster, and when you try to remove them, they crumble. To combat the pest, chemo- and biofungicides are used (Agravertin, Fitoverm).

Why currants dry

If the entire bush dries, the reason is in the root system. Roots can damage mole rats, bears or larvae Maybug. They can rot from too close occurrence of groundwater, and verticillosis, a practically incurable fungal disease, can also occur.

1. The larvae of the May beetle eat the roots completely. Small 1-2-year-old individuals feed on small sucking roots, moving in the course of their growth to larger roots. 3-5-year-old larvae eat large roots and can move on the surface of the earth from one bush to another. 4-5 individuals different ages able to eat whole root system shrub. It's very hard to deal with bugs. They are resistant to many chemicals. You can use the drugs Vallar, Antikhrushch, Pochin. If the currant dries irreversibly, then they dig it up and inspect the roots and the ground for the presence of larvae. Khrushchev are collected and destroyed. If the roots are slightly damaged, the bush is divided, and the part with the most strong roots planted again, immediately watering with a solution of Kornevin or Heteroauxin.
2. Mole rats and bears harm currants much less. They prefer bulbous plants, thin roots of herbs and root crops. But they can gnaw the roots of young bushes and seedlings, after which the currant begins to dry out. The presence of a pest is given out by burrows. Often they are mistaken for moles, but the food of moles is worms, larvae, lizards. The mole does not feed on plant roots, the mole rat damages all plants in the path of its moves, and the bear is omnivorous, feeding on both plants and insects. To combat them, traps and pesticides are used.
3. When groundwater occurs at a depth of 50 cm or less, the currant experiences constant waterlogging, its roots rot, and the bush begins to dry. It is necessary to transplant the shrub to a more suitable place, with a groundwater depth of at least 1 m, or grow it on ridges, 20-40 cm high.
4. Verticillium wilt first affects the roots, and then the entire shrub. The mycelium spreads through conductive tissues, completely covering them with its mass. The roots are rotting. Branches are clearly visible brown spots from decaying wood tissue and mycelium. More common on clay soils. To save the bushes, they are shed with a solution of Fundazol (if you can find it, the drug is prohibited for use in personal households). If it is not there, then the culture cannot be saved. The bushes are dug up, and the place is covered with bleach. For 5 years, nothing is planted at this place, since the fungus affects many crops. If the disease is detected at an early stage, when young branches dry, Previkur is used.
5. Separate branches can dry when the currant is damaged by a glass case. Such shoots are cut to healthy wood, and the shrub itself is treated with insecticides.

Why currants do not bear fruit

Currants should bear fruit annually, starting from 3-4 years. If the bushes do not produce berries, then they are too old. If the age of the bush is more than 20 years for black and over 25 years for red currants, then it is uprooted. If it is not so old, then rejuvenate for 3 years, cutting out 1/3 of the old branches every year.

1. Currants of any age may not bear fruit if planted in deep shade. It needs at least 8 hours of direct sun to form a crop.
2. With strong late summer frosts, flowers and ovaries are damaged by frost and fall off. Nothing can be done here. On the next year the crop, as usual, will produce a crop.
3. Low self-fertility of the variety. Pollinating varieties are planted for better fruit set.
4. The shrub can drop the ovaries during prolonged drought and lack of watering. It is necessary to water the bushes 1-2 times a week, depending on the weather.
5. Terry currant is an incurable disease in which the culture will not bear fruit. Such bushes are uprooted.