Red currant Beloved: description of the variety, planting and care with a photo

Red currant Beloved is a modern high-yielding variety resistant to diseases and pests, therefore it is very popular among gardeners. Due to the abundance of vitamins and trace elements necessary for a person, which are contained in large quantities in this berry, it has gained its admirers in many regions of Russia and Belarus.

History of crop selection and region of growth

The Beloved variety was bred in the late 80s of the last century at the Belarusian Research Institute of Fruit Growing. Breeder A. G. Voluznev, when crossing three varieties - Wonderful, Dutch Red and Cherry, managed to get an excellent high-yielding novelty.The abundance of red berries against a bright green background of foliage made currant bushes so attractive that the variety was named Beloved and in 1991 was included in the Belarusian State Register of Varieties; in 2006 Beloved was allowed to be grown in Russia.

Description of currant Beloved

Mid-ripening variety of red currant, characterized by high yield (9-12 kilograms of berries from an adult bush), a high assessment of taste, it is self-fertile - does not need cross-pollination.

Shrub and root system

Beloved Bush - low, compact, not too sprawling, young shoots of a reddish hue, turning gray as the plant matures. The leaves are large, five-lobed, without gloss, rich green.

The root system is more branched and powerful than that of black currant. Redcurrant can bear fruit in the garden for more than 20 years, the first harvest (about 3 kilograms per bush) Beloved gives 3 years after planting.

All about flowering and fruiting

Currant blooms with inconspicuous, small, yellow-green flowers that resemble a bell. Flowering occurs in the first decade of May and continues until the end of the month.

Berries ripen depending on the weather in the region, in late June-early July. The ripening is friendly, the berry is large, red in color, with darkish stripes. The high sugar content, aroma and juiciness provided the Beloved with a high tasting score of 4.8 out of 5 possible points.

Berries are consumed fresh, they are suitable for making jam and preserves. The juice has a pleasant taste, is used in folk medicine as a diaphoretic and to saturate a weakened body with vitamins.

Harvest and storage of crops

Red currants are harvested in dry cloudy weather, the fruits are removed with brushes - this way there is less chance of crushing the berries.

Red currants are churned with sugar, jam is boiled, stored frozen or lightly dried in the oven at +50 °C until completely dry.

Positive and negative characteristics of the variety

The Beloved variety has many advantages that ensured its high popularity:

excellent yield;
low temperature resistant;
self-fertile;
high immunity bushes;
decorative landings;
resistance to fungal diseases.

Currant has few drawbacks, and they more than overlap with advantages:

may suffer from return frosts;
does not tolerate shadows;
suffers from heat and drought.

The highest yields of berries planted provide 8-15 years, then the yield gradually decreases.

Freeze and drought tolerance

Beloved frost-resistant, it tolerates cold down to -25 °C. If the winters are not too severe, she does not need shelter.

Young plants don't tolerate drought well, but Beloved will survive a few days of intense heat with additional watering.

Disease and pest resistance

Beloved is highly resistant to fungal diseases, can suffer from septoria (leaf spot), goblet rust, terry (rivers). Of the insects, the following are dangerous to her: moth, glass case, but the plant is resistant to bud mites.

Fit features

Planting any plants has its own characteristics that must be considered. Redcurrant should not be placed under fruit trees, it does not tolerate shade and waterlogging of the soil.

Optimal timing

It is best to plant red currants in autumn, in early September. Before the cold weather, the bush will have time to take root, in the spring it will be a strong seedling with strong immunity. If the seedling was purchased in the spring, it already has green leaves, it can also be planted, but the plant will require a little more care. Leaves should not be cut off from a seedling, only buds are removed.

Before planting, the plant is immersed with its roots in water with the addition of Zircon or Epin. The plant will be saturated with moisture and useful substances contained in the root formation stimulator. After planting, such a weak seedling needs moisture and light shade until it gets stronger.

Seedlings bought in summer in pots are transplanted immediately, they are watered in advance and carefully removed from the container along with an earthen clod. Autumn planting is optimal for red currants, the main thing is to have time to plant a bush in time.

Important: if it is placed in open ground in October-November, the seedling will not have time to take root and get stronger, so it will certainly die with the onset of cold weather.

The main advantage of this planting is that the seedlings on sale are fresh, they have not been stored for several months in unclear conditions, strong and strong.

Selecting and preparing a site

Beloved requires a sunny area with good soil drainage, you can choose a hillock or a well-lit slope. The selected area is cleared of weeds and dug deep.

Red currants should not be planted next to black - both will suffer from such a neighborhood. Do not place it next to other berry bushes: raspberries, cherries. The neighborhood of currants with onions and garlic will be optimal. Vegetables will provide her with additional protection against pests and diseases.

How to choose a he althy and strong seedling

It is best to purchase planting material in specialized nurseries. There you can get acquainted with the documents, the sellers are responsible for their products. They buy two-year-old and one-year-old seedlings, two-year-olds are stronger and more expensive.

Before buying, carefully inspect the roots of the plant. They should be well developed, without traces of rot. Skeletal roots (there are at least 3 of them) are elastic, moistened, with traces of clay mash. Twigs are strong and resilient.

Disembarkation Technology

Redcurrant loves space, when preparing holes for seedlings, the distance between them is 1.5 meters. If several rows are supposed to be planted, a 2-meter distance is provided between them.

Tip: Pits should be prepared 10-14 days before planting to allow the soil to settle.

The finished pit should be 50 centimeters in diameter and depth.It is filled by a third with organic matter mixed with soil, compost, mullein, which is poured into a slide. Complex mineral fertilizer is added. The seedling is placed in the hole at an angle. This ensures the development of the root system and shoots. The roots are carefully straightened, the pit is covered with soil and compacted. Landing needs to be watered, at the rate of 4-5 liters per bush. The soil under the bush is mulched.

Currant bush care

Red currant is unpretentious, but the plant needs minimal care and care.

Irrigation of plantations

Beloved can't stand drought. You need to water the plant once a week, but you need to focus on local weather conditions. Each bush needs 3-5 liters of settled, not cold water.

Feeding

An adult plant is fed for the first time in early spring, before bud break, mineral fertilizer granules are simply mixed with the soil. Azofoska is a complex containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus necessary for plants.

The second time the plant is fed with mineral fertilizers after flowering. During the season, once every 14 days, the soil is additionally fertilized with organic matter, introducing a little mullein or humus under the bush. After that, the soil is gently loosened so as not to touch the roots of the currant, which are close to the surface.

Pruning an adult bush

Sanitary pruning is done in the spring. Remove dry, rotten, broken branches. Forming and anti-aging pruning can be carried out either in spring or autumn. In warmer regions, fine autumn days are set aside for it. Remove old branches and shoots that thicken the bush. All pruning tools must be clean and disinfected to prevent plant contamination.

Caring for beds: loosening and mulching

Loosening saturates the soil with oxygen, so plants need it. The soil under the currant bushes is weeded, slightly loosened, carefully so as not to damage the roots, after watering, lightly mulch to keep the soil moist and prevent waterlogging of the soil.

Preventive treatments

In order to prevent plant diseases and pest reproduction, the soil under the bush is cleared of fallen leaves and remnants of branches in the spring. To protect against pests and diseases in the spring, before bud break, bushes from a watering can are poured with boiling water. You can add a little copper sulfate or potassium permanganate to it - this way you can stop the foci of the disease and pests in the soil. The water temperature should not exceed 70 °C.

If insects attacked the plants, the planting is treated with Karbofos or its analogues, in strict accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

How to propagate currants

Planting is propagated by dividing the bush, cuttings or layering.

Dividing the bush

This method is suitable if the bush needs to be moved to another place. In this case, it should be dug up and divided into several parts, leaving young shoots and he althy roots on each. The bush is divided into 2-3 parts.

Shanks

Small cuttings are cut from he althy strong and adult branches, 15-20 centimeters high, and placed at an angle in open ground. The cutting should have 4 buds. The cuttings are watered, weeded, and by the autumn they get a grown plant for planting in a permanent place.

Layers

The young branch is pressed to the ground, fixed with wire or staples, preventing it from straightening, and sprinkled with soil. By autumn, several independent plants with roots and shoots will develop from the buds on the branch. They are separated with a knife or a shovel and seated.

Reviews of gardeners about the variety

Olga, 43:

"I have two Beloved bushes in my garden. If not for sale, then no more. The variety is productive and very beautiful. Red tassels glow directly in the sun. And it is stored well, I put it unwashed with cuttings in small containers, and in the freezer.In winter, both compote and fruit drink are wonderful.”

Ivan Nikolaevich, 56:

“I love red currants more than gooseberries. The whole family drinks juice if we are sick. I chose the beloved one because there is a lot of it, large and sweet. I heard that red currants are added to cucumbers instead of vinegar. Will she go for such a thing or do you need more sour? It’s a pleasure to eat it, but what about the marinade?”