Currant Pygmy: variety description and characteristics, planting and care features with photo

The Pygmy blackcurrant is called one of the most successful achievements of the domestic selection of coffee of the last century. Possessing many advantages, it is in great demand, both by summer residents and owners of household plots, and by small farmers, agricultural organizations.

Pygmy currant selection

The variety was created at the South Ural Research Institute of Horticulture and Potato Growing (YUUNIISK). The "parents" of the Pygmy are varieties such as Karelian (Bredthorp - the Finnish name) and Dove Seedling. The creator of the variety is Ilyin V.S. Included in the State Register and approved for use in 1999.

Main advantages and disadvantages

The advantages of this variety are:

• large-fruited;
• tight, crack-resistant skin;
• dessert (sweet) taste of ripe berries;
• frost resistance;
• drought tolerance;
• high resistance to such dangerous and harmful fungal diseases as anthracnose and powdery mildew.

The only drawback of the variety is the average resistance to bud mites, white leaf spot (Septoria).

Characteristics of the variety

The characteristics of this variety include a description of its appearance, yield indicators, resistance to low temperatures, droughts, berry picking time, their transportability and storage.

External descriptions of culture

An adult and fruiting plant of the Pygmy variety is a compact bush 1.5-2 meters tall, consisting of upright pale pink shoots. The leaves of this variety are large, rich green. The front part of the leaf blades is shiny, strongly corrugated, the back is smooth, matte.

Flower and yield

The main characteristics of the variety include the description of the timing and duration of flowering, ripening, picking ripe berries, crop yield, transportability and storage of the harvested crop.

Flowers and pollination

The flowers of this variety are voluminous, having a pale green color, collected in large brushes of 5-10 pieces each. Pygmy is a self-fertile variety that does not require pollinating insects. However, the neighborhood with such varieties as Vigorous, Bagira, Luchia allows, with additional cross-pollination, to increase the yield of the Pygmy plantation by 10-15%.

Ripening dates

Amicable ripening of berries of this variety is observed in late June-early July. This process is delayed with coolness at the beginning of summer, prolonged rains, strong hurricane winds, and prolonged drought.

How and when to pick berries

Collecting is done in dry and warm weather, in the early morning (after the dew has disappeared) or in the evening. It is not recommended to pick berries during the peak of the daytime heat, after heavy rainfall. With amicable ripening, the berries are harvested not one at a time, but with whole brushes. In case of uneven ripening, a large number of small and green berries in the brushes, they are cut off one by one.

In order for the berries not to be injured under their own weight, wide and shallow plastic containers are used for their collection and transportation.

Transportability and storage of fruits

Mature Pygmy berries are resistant to cracking.Due to this dignity of the berry variety, with proper collection, they withstand transportation over long distances well. They also keep well: fresh, in the refrigerator, their shelf life, on average, is 3-4 weeks, frozen - up to 2 years.

Frost and drought resistance

According to these two characteristics, Pygmy blackcurrant has very good performance:

• he althy and adult bushes of this variety are able to withstand both spring frosts down to -5-7 , and severe winter frosts up to -35 ^;
• Resistant variety to prolonged droughts in the spring and autumn. This phenomenon has the most detrimental effect on the yield of the variety during the flowering and berry-set phases.

Due to these features, this variety can be cultivated both in the Middle lane and in the more severe climate of Siberia.

Susceptibility to diseases and insects

The variety is highly resistant to powdery mildew, septoria, leaf doubleness. Pygmy is relatively resistant to damage by a disease such as septoria. Among pests, this variety is relatively resistant to currant bud mites, aphids, moths, moths.

Planting currant bushes on the site

When growing Pygmy currant bushes, it is very important to choose the right seedlings, choose the most suitable place for the plantation, dig a planting hole, and carry out the planting process itself.

How to choose the right seedlings for planting

When choosing a seedling, you must be guided by the following requirements for the condition of its aboveground and underground parts:

• age - for planting use well-formed two-year-old seedlings with 2-3 he althy shoots, without foliage, with he althy, not swollen buds;
• the height and condition of the aerial part are the most viable, and seedlings with an aerial part 40-60 centimeters high and shoots at the base of at least 8 millimeters take root best of all;
• length and condition of the root system - to provide the aerial part with the necessary nutrients, the root system of the seedling should consist of 4-5 roots, with a minimum length of 20 centimeters;
• state of the bark of the shoots - the bark on the shoots must be he althy, not mechanically damaged.

Also, a sticker must be attached to the seedling indicating the nursery, reproduction. All requirements for blackcurrant seedlings are regulated by such a document as GOST R 53135-2008.

Drop-off location

For this variety of blackcurrant, select elevated, well-lit areas with the following characteristics:

• type of soil by texture - cohesive sandy loam or well-drained light loam;
• fertility level - high, characterized by a humus content of more than 2%, available forms of phosphorus and exchangeable potassium - at least 180 milligrams per kilogram of soil;
• level of soil (groundwater) water - no closer than 1 meter from the surface;
• acidity (pH) - 5.5-6.0.

All soil indicators of the selected area can be found during a paid analysis of a soil sample at a local agrochemical laboratory.

Timing and planting technology

Planting seedlings of Pygmy sora is done either in early spring or late autumn. At the same time, the autumn period is more preferable, since a seedling that has taken root and overwintered will already start growing in early spring, and with normal care it will hurt less and begin to bear fruit faster.

The landing technology consists of the following steps:

1. Preplant soil preparation - the site is treated with a general direction of glyphosate-containing herbicides (Rainbow, Hurricane), dug up or plowing to the depth of the fertile layer.
2. Digging planting holes - holes are made in the selected area with a diameter of 50 centimeters and a depth of 40 centimeters.
3. Preparing a mixture of organic and mineral fertilizers - to fill the hole, in addition to fertile soil, use a mixture consisting of 2 buckets of compost, 170 grams of simple superphosphate, 75 grams of potassium sulfate, 300 grams of wood ash.
4. Moisturizing the bottom of the hole - pour 10-12 liters of water into the bottom of the hole, lightly sprinkle it with fertile soil.
5. Placing the seedling in the hole - the seedling in the planting hole is placed strictly vertically or at an angle of 45 ^{. The root neck of the seedling should be located 6-8 centimeters below the soil level.}
6. Backfilling the hole - placing the seedling in the center of the hole, it is covered first with a mixture of compost and mineral fertilizers, and then with fertile soil.
7. Watering - after the hole is filled up, an annular groove is made around the seedling, into which 8-10 liters of water are poured.
8. Mulching - after the moisture has been absorbed, the soil around the seedling is covered with a layer of mulch (peat, sawdust, humus) 5-7 centimeters thick.

Scheme of planting black currant using this technology (distance between plants × row spacing) - 1.5 × 2.5 meters.

How to care for shrubs?

Seedling care consists of watering, fertilizing, tillage, pruning, protection against pests and diseases, shelter for the winter.

Irrigation and fertilization

The most demanding currant bushes for watering in the following growth phases:

• flowering - ovary formation;
• berry ripening.

During these periods, the bushes are watered 2-3 times a week. Also, abundant watering is carried out with a lack of moisture, warming the bushes before winter (moisture-charging irrigation). The irrigation rate in any of these periods should provide soil moisture under the bushes to a depth of 40-45 centimeters. On average, on sandy and loamy soils, it is 25-30 liters of water per 1 adult bush.

During the first 2 years, young currants are fed only in early spring, before bud break. In this dressing, under each bush, 65 grams of ammonium nitrate or 45-50 grams of urea are added in dry form. Urea must be closed by loosening.

Fruit-bearing bushes over the age of 3 years are fed with nitrogen fertilizers 2-3 times per season:

1. In the spring (before bud break) - at this time top dressing is carried out on moist soil, ammonium nitrate at a dose of 65-70 grams of ammonium nitrate per 1 bush.
2. In the phase of green ovaries - currant bushes are fed in this phase with a solution of urea (50 grams of fertilizer per 10 liters of water) or dry ammonium nitrate at a dose of 70 grams per 1 bush.

Phosphorus and potassium are applied every year, for autumn digging or soil loosening, in the form of 210 grams of simple superphosphate and 70 grams of potassium sulfate per 1 bush.

Soil care

Soil care on a currant plantation of this variety consists of the following operations:

• early spring loosening to a depth of 10-12 centimeters;
• summer loosening and weeding near bushes to a depth of 5-10 centimeters;
• autumn digging between rows and loosening the soil near the bushes to a depth of no more than 10 centimeters.

When using mulch, summer loosening is not performed.

Cutting and shaping

In the first 3 years, to give the bush the necessary shape, height and productivity, formative pruning is performed:

• 1 year - the aerial part is shortened at a height of 20 centimeters (cut off at the level of 3 buds);
• 2 year - lateral branches of the 2nd order are shortened at the level of 4-5 buds;
• 3 year - thin out the root shoots, removing the shoots that thicken the bush.

In subsequent years, the bush is cut 3 times:

1. In the spring - cut off all shoots and side branches damaged by frost, rodents and wind.
2. In summer - when foci of aphids, viral diseases are detected, the affected shoots are removed at ground level, and then immediately burned.
3. In autumn - all unripened annual, broken, creeping and growing old shoots growing inside the bush are removed from the bush.

A properly cut and shaped bush should consist of 15-20 shoots 2-3 years old.

Prophylactic treatment for pests and diseases

The following insecticides are used to control pests (bud mites, aphids, moths and moths):

• Kinmiks;
• Prophylactin;
• Fitoverm;
• Tanrek from aphids.

Against fungal infections, bushes are treated with fungicides such as:

• Bordeaux liquid;
• Topaz;
• Byleton;
• Thiovit Jet.

Currants are treated against pests in early spring and during the period of mass appearance of pests. Fungicidal treatments are performed when more than 5% of the leaf surface is damaged by pathogens.

Protection from winter cold

To protect against frost, after the foliage has fallen, the bushes in late autumn are carefully prepared for the upcoming cold weather as follows:

1. Produce pruning, removing old, broken, unripened shoots.
2. Apply mineral fertilizers, dig aisles, loosen the soil near the bushes.
3. Watering bushes.
4. He althy stems are collected in bundles of 3-4 pieces, wrapped with agrofiber and, bending to the ground, pressed down with bricks.
5. The shoots insulated in this way are additionally sprinkled with a layer of earth 4-5 centimeters thick.

Currant bushes prepared and insulated in this way can withstand frosts down to -40 .

Reviews about the Pygmy variety

The reviews of summer residents and owners of household plots testify to the popularity and numerous advantages of this variety.

Oleg:

"Very good variety. For 7 years now I have been growing it in my summer cottage, and I do not regret the labors spent on it. I collect large and sweet berries up to 5 kilograms from one bush. I not only freeze the harvest and use it for various homemade preparations, but also sell it. There is no end to buyers.”

Anastasia Pavlovna:

“Of all the varieties of blackcurrant that grow in my country house, Pygmy is the most fruitful and unpretentious. Its berry is very tasty and large. In addition to jams and preserves, my fastidious city grandchildren eagerly eat it fresh. In general, I recommend this variety to all my fellow gardeners and gardeners.”

Stanislav:

Pygmy is my favorite variety of blackcurrant. Its beautiful bushes reaching up to 2 meters produce sweet and very large berries, which are well suited both for various preservations and for fresh consumption.I recommend it to all summer residents who are tired of looking for a universal variety. ”

Recommended