How to increase the yield black currant

In the journal "Garden and Garden" (No. 5, 2006), in the article by I. Uryupin "How I increased the size of blackcurrant berries", it was stated that it is impossible to get 10 kg of berries from one bush, because in this case the height of the plant should reach 2.5 m. In fact, the yield of blackcurrant can be more than 10 kg per bush, it depends on the spatial freedom of the bush and, to a very large extent, on the care of the plant.

Yes, indeed, the height of the bushes greatly affects the yield of currants. In my area, almost all the bushes of red currant (varieties Asya, Jonker van Tets, Early Sweet) and black (Belarusian Sweet, Vologda, Green Haze, Nara, Sevchanka, Selechenskaya, Exotica) are much higher than average human height. Only the Summer Resident does not want to grow above 1.3 m in any way. The Nara variety gave me 13-14 kg of berries from a bush for several years in a row. Belarusian sweet has the same high stable yield, but Exotic gives unstable yields: only once (in 2004) was it possible to collect 2 buckets (12 liters each) of berries from one bush.

And now about caring for currants. I place the bushes as shown in the figure. When planting seedlings, I deepen the root collar by 5-10 cm, and after leveling the ground, I cut off all the shoots so that each has 2 buds above the soil surface (I stick the cut cuttings next to the ground for rooting and also leave 2 buds above the surface- I do this in general with all shrubby plants in which branches easily take root: gooseberries, honeysuckle, Chinese magnolia vine). I make sure to water even if it rains. When planting in each planting hole, I pour out 3-4 buckets of humus, then for the first 2-3 years I feed the young with a solution of nitroammophoska (1 matchbox per 10 liters of water for 1 plant). This contributes to the rapid growth of shoots, so in 5-year-old bushes the branches are already beginning to close.

Every summer I take measures to protect plants from aphids. I usually use dandelion infusion: I keep 400 g of finely chopped leaves and rhizomes in a bucket of water for 2 hours at 40 ° C, then I spray. In very rare cases, when the plant is severely oppressed by some pest, I use fufanon (karbofos). At the same time, I do not spray the bushes as a whole, but only dip the branches into a basin with a protective solution.

I grow bushes according to the so-called accelerated renewal. In all books on gardening, it is advised to leave 5 branches of different ages when forming a blackcurrant bush. I leave 10-12 shoots with a difference of 1 year. But at the age of 7-8 years, I uproot the bushes, and by this time the bushes of a later planting are already beginning to bear fruit, because I root the cuttings every year. So I have a constant renewal of currant bushes, while all fruit-bearing bushes are at the top of their productivity.

It makes no sense to keep bushes for longer than 8 years, because even when cutting old shoots, plants begin to suffer greatly from powdery mildew, bud mites, glass cases, scale insects. With my method of accelerated renewal of currants over the past 10 years, I have not found a single kidney affected by a bud mite (although I had to immediately abandon varieties that are resistant to a mite, for example, Green Haze and Medveditsa, on which the mite appears in in large numbers already at the age of 3 bushes).

Another important "secret" of blackcurrant: it is very sensitive to a lack of nitrogen. The effect of nitrogen on fruit-bearing bushes is especially noticeable. With a shortage of it at the end of flowering, small yellow leaves begin to appear on the branches, which soon fall off, and then large leaves begin to turn pale. Even if under such conditions it is possible to get the current crop, the laying of the future crop is undermined. In 1975, in the newspaper Kirovskaya Pravda, I read advice to feed currant plants with urea during this period (dissolve 3 matchboxes in a bucket of water and pour 1 bush from above with this volume from a watering can). Since then, I use this "hint" every year. In addition, in the summer, as an additional fertilizing with nitrogen, I use the remainder of the nitroammophoska solution, which I prepare for tomatoes in a barrel (at the rate of 1 matchbox per 10 liters of water).

This is how powerful fruitful currant bushes grow in me!

R. Chechetkin , amateur gardener, Kazan

(Garden and vegetable garden No. 5, 2008)

seedlings the best varieties blackcurrant in the section "Nurseries. Saplings"

The blackcurrant market has a constant shortage of supply. The annual need for berries is 4 kg per person. But the annual production figures, unfortunately, are significantly lower - 2.5 kg per person. Establishing a blackcurrant sales market is quite simple. Many enterprises are ready to buy your berries directly from the field on a self-delivery basis, of course, at a wholesale price. You are only engaged in cultivation, and you don’t have to worry about selling products. This year the wholesale purchase price of these berries is $2. But every year blackcurrant is dynamically becoming more expensive. A farm that has been in existence for more than 3 years, capable of growing berries with a yield of 8 tons. from one hectare. At the same time, the cost of one kilogram of grown products is $ 0.4 (the cost of caring for plants, taking into account payment for harvesting). It is not difficult to calculate the profitability of a blackcurrant growing business: (2-0.4) X 8,000 = $ 12,800 per hectare. In addition to everything, this craft does not require large investments to start production. For example, the cost of one seedling starts from $1, and a bush will grow from it, which will produce 4 kg of berries every year, that is, $8 each. If you seriously engage in this type of activity, then in three years you can build a super-profitable small business. It is important to study all the pros and cons of production and all the algorithms for growing products. This is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. Learn and practice fruit growing technology step by step. Well, then about everything in order.

Benefits in the Blackcurrant Growing Business

We already know that one hectare of land can produce significant yields of expensive agricultural products. Let’s take a look at some of the other benefits of this activity. The attractiveness of investing in blackcurrant is determined by many factors:

1. Currant has medicinal and dietary characteristics of the fruit.
2. Currant, like many berries, is characterized by precocity.
3. Winter hardiness is an important advantage of growing blackcurrant over many other berries.
4. The berry with the best performance tolerates freezing. All flavors are preserved beneficial features. In comparison with other berries, currants after freezing cannot be distinguished from fresh ones. This factor allows not only to maintain for a long time, but also to double the margin due to sales in winter and spring.
5. Possibility of combine harvesting (significant cost savings for employees, plus high performance).
6. Possibility of mechanization of all plant care processes.
7. The business does not require specialized investments. With various tactical combinations, you can organize your business even from 5 acres of land. It's just more difficult in this case, you will have to make a little effort to organize the marketing of products for retail price(markets, acquaintances, own production jams, etc.).

This list can still be supplemented, although there are already obvious reasons for self-employment.

Blackcurrant cultivation technology

In the technology of growing blackcurrant, special attention should be paid to the soil. Preparation is, of course, its fertilizer and planting. The conditions for caring for currants are very similar to caring for apple trees. Also, when growing currants as a business, currants are planted in the autumn. This is a proven method that will provide you with a harvest in early summer. In rare cases, they resort to planting in the spring. Currant does not require additional planting of pollinators. It is a culture that is self-fertile. True, for higher yields, additional pollination is recommended. To do this, it is enough to grow several different varieties of currants. Be sure to do an agrochemical analysis of the soil where you are going to grow plants (the cost of the service is about $ 40). Currant loves soils of low acidity pH of about 6-6.5. This distinguishes it from most berries. Acidity can be adjusted. But even at medium acidity there will be crops. And sandy and clay soils must be fertilized with mineral fertilizers. With increased acidity, you will need to evenly add a little lime to the soil during preparation. When preparing the soil, it is important to apply fertilizers. A bag of fertilizer weighing 25kg. will cost $100.

The influence of doses and methods of applying nitrogen fertilizer on the growth of blackcurrant plants:


Effect of surface and deep furrow fertilization on shoot growth:


N60 - nitrogen fertilizers 60 kg/ha.
K60 - potash fertilizers 60 kg/ha.
When planting currant bushes, it is important to maintain a comfortable distance between seedlings. It is recommended to use the following planting pattern: the distance between the centers of the rows is 2m. and 1.5m. in the rows themselves, that is, not less than 2 X 1.5 meters. This distance is necessary to achieve a harvest of large berries. The further the bushes, the larger the berries on them. It's verified. It is also recommended to plant bushes of different varieties in the neighborhood in order to create conditions for successful pollination. As for different berry varieties, the following pattern has been deduced here: black currant is much less resistant to various factors of the surrounding space and time than white and red currant varieties. When planting seedlings, they certainly use a support for tying bushes. Currant loves moisture very much, but categorically does not like floods. It is important to take care of drip irrigation. It is the most effective of all types of irrigation, but also the most expensive. For example, watering ELKO No. 2 with a pipeline and accessories per hectare costs $ 700. The soil must not be allowed to dry out. Regularly monitor soil moisture and get best harvests. In caring for plants, it is important to note the peculiarity of the structure of the root system. In grown blackcurrant bushes, it is almost horizontal. Therefore, when processing the soil, one should be careful, given this fact, so as not to damage the roots of the bushes. Bushes for planting should have a well-developed rhizome. A weak root will not produce a crop and may even die. Fertilizer is also not an unimportant thing. In this regard, currants are not too demanding. Next, let's move on to the rules for the formation of a berry bush. The yield of the bush and the weight of the fruit directly depend on this. This is done in the spring. The weaker the shoot of the shrub, the more it needs to be shortened. In normal cases, the shoot is shortened by 2-3 buds. Cut bushes not only in spring, but also in winter. But there are some peculiarities here. Look at the development of the currant bush. In this case, absolutely everything is cut out, except for 4-5 main (supporting) branches, which are considered fruitful. This contributes to high yields and active growth of such a bush. All old, damaged branches should be removed when pruning. They also cut branches that have been fruiting for 4 years in a row, and in retaliation they leave one-year-old shoots. Although cutting grown currant bushes when growing it as a business is not always appropriate. Fruitful branches are cut out, starting from the fifth year of life. In the sixth year, such shoots will not please you.

Black currant has an abundant selection of varieties for cultivation.

There are a variety of varieties for growing blackcurrant. Each has its own advantages, it remains only to choose the most suitable for growing conditions. For business, varieties of early ripening are used. But there are variations on this theme. Everything is individual. It is also important to use several types of varieties at the same time. From a business point of view, this will help diversify income. Varieties that will have different periods of ripeness and differ in other characteristics will be able to reinsure the business in a lean period. From the point of view of technology, different varieties achieve the best effect of plant pollination. Here is a list of varieties to look out for:

1. High Yielding Varieties:
   • Gross - from one bush you can get up to 35 kg. berries;
   • Vigorous - one bush replaces 12 bushes of ordinary varieties (when choosing this type, consider changes in the planting pattern);
   • Treasure - has very large and very sweet fruits in large quantities.
2. Large-fruited varieties:
   • Raisins - berries reach a weight of up to 3.2 grams Sweet taste, universal purpose;
   • Exotica is a self-fertile variety (by 54%), has large berries;
   • Slastena - very large fruits (up to 4g.), But the yield is 3kg. from the bush;
   • Centaur - large-fruited (berries 18mm), one of the earliest. Ideally tolerates freezing;
   • Pharaoh - by origin - a variety-linear hybrid. Berry weighing up to 5g. but the taste is 4 balls.
3. Varieties resistant to diseases and harsh climates:
   • Titania - not afraid of floury mildew and other types of stains. Abundantly bears fruit from the second year;
   • Ilya Muromets - the bush is resistant to bud mites. It has branches with powerful trunks of strong growth force. Ripe berries do not crumble;
   • Vasilisa the Beautiful - especially resistant to anthracosis and powdery mildew. Selechenskaya - 2 - high resistance to heat (up to +37) and insects. Does not require treatments for the fungus, can grow and bear fruit in the shade;
   • Anniversary Digging - also not afraid of the heat. In clusters, the upper and lower berries are the same size and ripen at the same time. Excellent commodity indicators of berries.

From right choice varieties, business success depends on 30%. Beware of fakes. Experienced gardeners manage to develop their own varieties that best meet the necessary conditions. And in order to propagate new plant species, you can use different methods of propagating a new shrub. Allocate such as cuttings, layering, dividing the bush, grafting and growing from seeds. For a retail business built on the cultivation of currants, it is precisely large-fruited species of the same size of berries that are used. For the marketing of products for processing, yield plays a more important role. Resistant species to diseases and variables climatic conditions reinsure your business in any case.

Combine for harvesting currant berries as a business upgrade

After acquiring all the means for growing blackcurrant, the first year must be done well, and all subsequent years are devoted to caring for plants, harvesting and making a profit. Already in the third year, you can receive tangible income. Over time, you should think about additional investments in order to improve the quality of the business. For example, you can purchase a harvester for harvesting berry fruits. The biggest expense, as in any other business, is the wages of employees. We have to hire people for a quarter of the season. Hired workers, work slowly and often eat the products sold - this is ridiculous, but a fact that needs to be taken into account. It is unrealistic to harvest a hectare of crops on your own and meet the deadlines. The blackcurrant harvester does its job very quickly and efficiently. Combine JOVARAS USK - 1, price $20,000. This is not a self-propelled harvester, it is aggregated with a tractor. You will need to hire a tractor. Receives a drive from the tractor power take-off shaft. Brief characteristics of the combine:

The harvester is able to lift lying branches and feed them to the picking fingers of the working shaft. And he bends the upper branches and also brings them to his fingers. The process of picking the fruit occurs due to the rapid shaking of the branches with special fingers, after which the collected fruits are fed through conveyors to the pneumatic cleaning system. There, the berries are cleaned of debris, dry knots, small stones, soil particles and other third-party impurities. The peeled fruits are fed into the bunker, after which the harvester packs them into plastic boxes. At a time, it can pack 80 boxes of 13 kg of fruits in each box. With such technology, working in this business is more comfortable and productive.

Growth of guaranteed income and experience in the currant business

This business idea is very attractive for medium-term investments. Having worked well the first year, you can create a prosperous high income for a lifetime. It does not require specialized investments. If you are new to gardening and the agricultural business is a big risk for you, you can turn to special companies for help. There are companies that are ready to provide all the necessary funds for your business on a turnkey basis. You only need to buy from them everything you need to start. Seedlings of different varieties, fertilizers, watering. You will pay no more than 20% more, but you get a guarantee of business success for 2 years. Until the first harvest, the campaign itself monitors the entire growing process. They themselves will do an agrochemical analysis of the soil, adjust the acidity of the soil themselves, connect and set up irrigation. In a word, the agro-company will create all the conditions for you to do business until the first currants are ripe using modern technologies. For example, such technologies as the use of black agrofibre, which allows:

• maintain moderate soil moisture;
• get rid of weeds;
• warm up the soil winter period and get harvests 2 months ahead of competitors.

During this time, you will receive free knowledge and invaluable experience in modern gardening. We wish you early big harvests.

An old currant is growing: a large bush, and a mug of berries!

And in order to get a big harvest, currants need to be constantly rejuvenated.

Most berry plants do not require very close attention. But there are two species among them that need constant care. These are strawberries and currants.

The first summer residents, as a rule, devote quite a lot of time: they sit down, water, fertilize, mulch the beds, renew the plantation. But currants are most often forgotten for many decades. And then they wonder why the bush gives only a mug of berries, while you can really collect half a bucket from it.

What is most interesting, many gardeners attribute crop failure to an unfavorable summer or harsh winter. In the meantime, care is a problem. In order for blackcurrant to bear fruit well, the bush must be constantly updated!

Cut out old branches

Most currant berries ripen in the center of the shoots. In this zone, the main number of fruiting branches is located, but they do not bear fruit for long, only 2–3 years. And after 6-7 years, the crop completely disappears. That is why the bush must be rejuvenated annually.

When pruning, 2-3 new shoots are left. All older than 5 years are cut flush with the ground. With such a formation, there will always be up to 10–15 branches of different ages in a currant bush.
To read the article further, go to the next page by clicking the page number below.

Blackcurrant is the most common berry bush in garden plots. But it is far from always possible to get a good harvest of large berries. The yield of blackcurrant depends on a combination of factors:

• compliance with the optimal water regime;
• work on the formation and renewal of the bush;
• timely feeding;
• a set of pest and disease control measures.

Let's take a closer look at these and other factors for increasing productivity.

Black currant blossom

Blackcurrant blooms from the second half of May. Sometimes flowering is abundant, but does not bring the expected result due to shedding of the ovaries. This can happen both due to sudden frosts and due to insufficient pollination.

The first problem can be solved by the presence on the site of several varieties of currants that bloom in different time. In addition, self-pollination of several varieties leads to higher yields and the growth of larger berries. Do I need to remind you that the varieties you have chosen need to be bought only in nurseries or from trusted sellers.

As for the actual pollination, here you can try to attract insects that will carry pollen and contribute to pollination. For this purpose, during flowering, blackcurrant bushes are sprayed with a solution of honey: 1 tablespoon per 1 liter of water.

You also need to use all the ways to attract pollinating insects to your garden, plant helper plants next to the currant bushes. For example, Kotovnik (Nepeta), or Catnip, blooms from May almost all summer, bees visit it very well, it is believed that Kotovnik repels aphids. Lungwort narrow-leaved, Daffodils, Tulips, Irises, Ground primrose, Hionodoxa bloom early.

Protection of currants from recurrent frosts

It is not every year that spring is warm, sometimes it suddenly becomes colder and the temperature approaches minus.

In this case, it is imperative to protect the currant bushes - in the evening cover with film, paper, burlap, matting, mulch the root zone with hay or straw. In the morning, after 9-10 hours, be sure to remove the shelters so that the plants do not rot.

The correct arrangement of the bushes

Another factor that can affect the yield of blackcurrant is the location of the bushes on the site. When planting bushes too close, less than 1 meter apart, they will shade each other, in addition, closely planted bushes are more difficult to care for, air movement in the crown of the bushes is worse and the incidence is higher.

1. For a good harvest of currants is very important make three plentiful waterings:

• The first - at the end of flowering (approximately the first decade of June).
• The second - during the growth of the ovaries (the third decade of June).
• The third - during the ripening of berries. The water consumption rate is 4 buckets per bush.

2. A rich harvest is obtained if in spring the ground under the bushes is well loosened, and then mulched (that is, covered with organic matter: hay, straw, buckwheat husks, weeds) and watered with Baikal EM-1.

3. In addition, during the vegetative period it is necessary make four dressings:

• The first - as soon as the buds have blossomed: 2 tablespoons of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water. Consumption rate - 1 bucket per bush.
• The second - in mid-June: 1 tablespoon of urea, 1.5 tbsp. superphosphate and 0.5 tbsp. spoons of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water. Consumption rate - 1 bucket per bush.
• The third - in late September - early October: 0.5 cups of superphosphate and 2/3 cups of potassium sulfate per 1 bush.
• The fourth - at the end of October: 0.5 buckets of rotted manure under a bush.

4. For a good harvest you need cut all excess branches. Most fruits in blackcurrant ripen on two-year and three-year-old shoots. Older ones give fewer berries. Therefore, plants must be formed in such a way that 3-4 annual shoots remain on the bush annually. And all that are older than 6 years must be cut out. This is best done in the fall, when the leaves have fallen from the plant.

5. Currants are pollinated by bees. Currant bushes during flowering are useful to attract insects. spray with honey. And to attract more of them, the plants must be sprinkled with sweet water: 1 tbsp. dissolve a spoonful of honey in 1 liter. water and sprinkle the bushes.

6. Potato peels - rich a source of starch that currants need so much. From him, her berries grow to the size of a cherry. Therefore, make it a rule not to throw away the potato peel, but to collect, dry and store until the right time. Cleanings dry perfectly on a radiator or simply laid out in one layer on a windowsill. It is better to store them in cloth bags.

All spring and summer, bury dry potato peelings under the bushes or brew them with boiling water, and use the cooled broth to water the currants.

7. Wormwood planted under bushes or flower pot with geranium they will drive away the tick, and the aphid, and the sawfly. Garlic also helps. When he starts the arrow, it should not be removed immediately, but gradually broken by 1.5-2 cm so that phytoncides stand out longer.

8. Very effective method of dealing with spider mite : set fire to old rubber (hoses, galoshes) in a bucket, put out the fire and put it downwind as far as the bush.

9. The preparation EM-5, created on the basis of Baikal, has proven itself very well in the care of currants. The microorganisms included in it not only devour the aphids, but also give the plant health and strength. And most importantly - this drug is safe for currants both during flowering and after. The bush with this preparation should be sprayed several times in dry weather.

CUTTING TECHNOLOGY TO INCREASE CURRANT HARVEST

Amateur gardener Mikhail Rudenko from Moscow has invented a way to double the yield of currants. According to him, the method is derived from a combination of his own skills and some well-known agricultural practices. The increase in yield is achieved in the third year.

In spring and summer, currant cuttings should be pinched off the upper sprout bud, at the moment when it has reached a height of 20 cm. The twigs grown from this bud next spring should also bud off when they reach a length of 10 cm. At the end of the season, new shoots will grow from the buds at the base of these twigs, which will be super-fruitful the next, the third year after the first operation.

In subsequent years, the bush should no longer be pruned, and the size of currant berries increases after these procedures by 1.5 times.

HOW TO REJUVENATE A BLACKCURRANT BUSH AND INCREASE YIELD

To rejuvenate the blackcurrant bush and improve the yield, you need to do its thorough pruning. For the growth of zero shoots (they come from the underground stem part), cut out infertile branches of all ages. First of all, remove the broken, shaded ones - the lower ones, lying on the ground and located inside the bush. Remove any weak annual shoots. Of the strong ones, leave no more than 2-3 to replace the old ones to be removed.

If there are no strong zero shoots, thin out in different parts bush where it is desirable to cause the growth of zero shoots, cut an additional 2-3 strong, but old branches.

Do not remove all old unproductive branches in one year. Cut them out in 2-3 years, replacing them with new ones formed from zero and, in extreme cases, from top shoots. On leftover old branches, cut the ends to stronger side branches on old wood to promote growth on the branch and increase berry size. Shorten strong annual zero shoots and tops to a zone of growth and fruiting.

If zero shoots do not grow, it is necessary to next year, except for one or two branches, cut out the tops that have arisen in the lower parts of those old branches that are to be removed only next year.

Thus, in 3-4 years it is possible to bring the ratio of branches of different ages to normal in the bush, and then continue pruning according to the accepted rules.

Have a rich harvest!