Currant Ilyinka: variety description and characteristics, planting and care with photo

It is impossible to imagine a garden without currants. These plants are long-lived among berry crops. In the second year they already bear fruit, and in the third year they give a full harvest. If the care of the plant is correct and constant, then it is possible to harvest crops up to 15 years, annually. Experienced gardeners have long decided on the best large-fruited varieties of currants. One of them is Ilyinka currant.

Description and characteristics of currant Ilyinka

To plant Ilyinka currant in your garden, you need to study the description of the variety. Breeders bred the Ilyinka variety in two colors: red and black. Almost all characteristics are the same, but there are some differences.

Ilyinka red

This variety is suitable for a region with a cool climate. It tolerates cold winters and dry summers well. The bush is dense, of medium size and branching, fructifies annually. In the middle of summer, large berries ripen on the bushes (weighing about 1.6 grams each), which have a dark red, almost burgundy color. They taste sweet and sour and aromatic. The brush hangs 4-6 centimeters.

During the season, up to 5.5 kilograms of currants can be harvested from a bush. Shoots are erect and thick. The leaves are five-lobed, large and medium in size, dark green in color. Virtually disease free.

Ilyinka black

The bush reaches a height of up to 1.4 meters, dense, moderately sprawling. Has a pyramidal shape. Doesn't need support. On the fruit brush, the length of which reaches from 4 to 6 centimeters, large berries grow (weighing about 5.0 grams each). Sweet, have a dessert, pronounced currant taste.

The variety is high-yielding and cold-resistant. One plant can produce up to 5 kilograms of fragrant berries. When assembling, the berries do not crumple and do not crumble. All fruits ripen at the same time. Well transported. The variety is moderately resistant to septoria, not affected by powdery mildew.

Main advantages and disadvantages

Like all varieties of currant, Ilyinka has its positive and negative characteristics. There are many more of the first than of the second.

Large berries Great tasting Must be fertilized regularlyResistant to diseases and pests Growth grows very fastHigh yields Frost hardiness Early ripening

With improper care, the berry quickly becomes small

Berries of black and red currant are very well transported and do not crumple. But if we talk about the demand for these two berries, then gardeners are more interested in the black variety of Ilyinka.

Subtleties of growing varieties

For a decent harvest, you need to know some tricks of growing currants. For this plant, the composition of the soil is very important. Sweet varieties of currants need to be fed and choose a place on the site.

Time and place

The right time to plant is the end of summer or the first month of autumn. During this period, the roots are well strengthened. If the seedling is planted later than September, then its roots will not have time to develop and gain a foothold, and this will lead to the death of the plant.

For planting, choose a sunny and protected from the north winds place (areas along fences, paths). A bush planted in the shade begins to hurt, its berries shrink, and they become much smaller.

The soil must be loose, without stagnant water. Planted on light loamy, sandy and medium podzolic soil.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Biannual plants with well-developed roots are the best planting material. The number of shoots is not so important, since they still need to be cut off when planting. You can ask the seller to make a cut on the shoot. If blackness is visible on the cut, then the glass case destroys the plant. You shouldn't buy it. He althy seedling - no signs of wilting, with clean leaves and no dark spots on the shoots.

If it is not possible to plant seedlings with open roots immediately, then after purchase they must be placed in water or temporarily buried in partial shade.

Boarding process

The place for planting currants must be prepared in advance (approximately 2-3 weeks in advance) so that the earth settles. For this you need:

1. Dig a hole half a meter deep and wide.
2. Mix the earth from the pit with 8-9 kilograms of compost, 200 grams of superphosphate, 30-35 grams of potassium sulfate and wood ash. Then fill the hole with the resulting substrate and pour 2 buckets of water. When the liquid is absorbed, you need to mulch with sawdust.
3. Pits must be made 1.5 meters apart.

Important! This process will nourish the young seedling. If there is no time to do this, you can purchase a ready-made composition and fertilize the soil with it.

After two weeks, the seedlings are planted in prepared, nutrient holes, maintaining an angle of 45 ° C. It is important that the root neck be buried in the ground by 50 millimeters. The roots must be carefully laid out in the hole. Through this process, new roots and shoots begin to grow from the buds in the ground.

The bush is formed strong, with powerful upright branches. Then the pit is covered with earth (a small amount), compacted tightly and filled with water. After the liquid has been absorbed into the hole, the soil is added and mulched with sawdust to prevent the appearance of an earthen crust.

In order for the bush to develop strong and strong, it is necessary to cut the shoots up to 10-15 centimeters, leaving 5 buds per stem. In dry weather, plants need to be watered a few days after planting.

Further plant care

Care includes: watering, shaping the bush, fertilizing, controlling diseases and pests, and preparing for the winter season.

Irrigation Rules

Currant needs regular watering, as it is very moisture-loving. It should be done about 2-3 times a week. Lack of moisture leads to a decrease in yield. For one watering, one bush requires 3-4 buckets of water. Blackcurrant is more demanding on watering.

Feeding and fertilizer

If all the necessary nutrients were added to the hole during planting, then the currants are not fed for 2 years. In the spring, starting from the age of 3, nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied (50 grams of urea per bush). From the age of 4, 20 grams of urea is used per bush, but twice a year.

In autumn they bring under the bush:

• about 5 kilograms of organic matter (compost or chicken manure);
• 50 grams of superphosphate;
• 15 grams of potassium sulfate.

This method should be used to feed currants every year.

Shaping a bush

The first pruning is done immediately after planting. Every year, cut off excess shoots that bear fruit (5-6 years old). The bush should have a wide base. The middle of the bush should not be thickened and light.Only then will there be uniform and abundant fruiting. The correct bush consists of 16-20 strong shoots of different ages.

Preparing for winter

Black and red currant varieties Ilyinka are winter-hardy and do not need shelter. But there are other necessary preparations for winter:

1. Autumn pruning. Remove dry branches, thin shoots and those lying on the ground.
2. Cleaning shrubs from fallen leaves.
3. As soon as the temperature is below zero, the currants must be tied with a rope in a spiral and pulled off.

Protection from diseases and pests

Plants are treated for diseases and pests in spring and autumn. On strong shrubs, diseases rarely progress. But prevention is needed.

In early autumn, the bush is treated with copper oxychloride (40 grams per 10 liters of water is diluted) or 1% Bordeaux liquid.Also spray the ground around the shrub. In early spring, spraying is carried out before the buds swell with such drugs: karbofos, copper sulphate or Bordeaux liquid.

For the prevention and destruction of pests and their larvae, currants are poured with boiling water at the end of winter. To increase the effect, manganese is added to the water. As soon as the snow melts, the ground around the plant is treated with copper sulphate.

Reproduction

Buying seedlings is not necessary. You can propagate currants yourself:

• woody cuttings;
• top cuttings;
• green cuttings;
• layering shoots;
• dividing the bush.

Cleaning and storage

Ripe berries are harvested only in dry weather. You can collect the whole bunches for further transportation, or partially - if the berries do not ripen at the same time (they ripen during storage).

If currants are intended for processing (jam, compotes, juices), only berries are picked.

Storing berries:

• in refrigerators at a temperature of 0 to 0.5 ° C, with a humidity of 85-90%. In this way, it will be possible to store up to five weeks;
• in cellars, cellars, glaciers at 0 °C, in sealed bags. Shelf life - 2 months;
• in the freezer at -2 °C. Freezer bags or containers. Stored until the next harvest.

The Ilyinka variety is very in demand among gardeners, as it has a lot of positive qualities. If you follow the rules of planting and caring for it, then the crop can be harvested every year.

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