Rovada redcurrant: variety description and characteristics, planting and care with photo

Redcurrant is gaining popularity among gardeners. Its berries have a pleasant taste and many useful properties. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, breeders have bred various varieties of red currants. One of the most popular varieties of red currant is the Rovada variety, bred in Holland. This variety has characteristics that are superior to other varieties in many ways.

Description and characteristics of Rovada currant

When describing the Rovada currant variety, it is worth highlighting the yield. One bush gives, on average, ten kilograms of fruit.Rovada is a large plant compared to other varieties. Bushes in height reach one meter, brushes have a length of up to 20 centimeters. The berries are bright red in color, have a sweet and sour taste. The plant withstands winter frosts.

The main pros and cons of the variety

The advantages of the Rovada variety are high yields, as well as the taste and useful qualities of berries. However, currants are not without drawbacks. The variety has a tendency to thicken, so the bushes must be carefully shaped.

Rovada does not fully reveal its qualities in regions with a continental climate, as it does not tolerate the summer heat. In addition, cuttings do not root well in red currants compared to black varieties.

Features of growing crops

Planting currants is best done in late summer, early autumn, although many gardeners plant seedlings in early spring.

Where is the best place to plant?

Plant currants should be in places well lit by the sun. It is better to choose a place for planting behind the house so that the plant is reliably protected from strong winds.

Selecting planting material

One-year increments should be chosen for planting in the soil. Shoots of the second year of life will not work. To make a cutting, you need to cut the lower kidney at its base at an angle of 45 degrees. Then you need to measure 20 centimeters up and make a second cut a couple of centimeters above the last kidney. In this way, you can get several cuttings from one branch.

How to plant currants?

Before planting, get rid of broken roots. Soak currant roots in water for a couple of hours. Choose a suitable place for planting and plant the currants in rows, at a distance of one and a half meters from each other. After planting, abundant watering of the bushes should be carried out.Cover the soil around the plants with a ten centimeter layer of sawdust.

Nuances of care

Rovada is unpretentious in terms of care, however, to obtain a he althy crop, it is necessary to provide currants with sufficient watering, top dressing and regularly cut the plant in order to avoid thickening.

Feeding and watering

Rovada, as an abundantly fruiting plant, needs regular watering and fertilizing.

This variety of redcurrant is characterized by sprawling roots that require watering. It is recommended to carry out basal watering, or watering by sprinkling. Shower vigorous bushes with plenty of leaves and berries regularly. It is best to water the plant in the evening.

Keep track of the condition of the soil, it should not turn green or rot. So that the soil does not dry out, after watering it should be mulched near the roots. To provide the roots with access to oxygen, the soil should be loosened.

In early spring, fertilizers with a nitrogen content, such as s altpeter, should be applied to the soil. During the flowering period, the plant needs minerals, so you need to feed it with mineral complex fertilizers. In autumn, humus should be added to the root soil.

Cutting rules

Rovada is characterized by a tendency to thicken, so it must be thinned out. At the beginning of the development of the bush, it is recommended to leave two shoots, and when the bush has formed, four. After the age of three, the bushes need to be thinned out regularly, as second-order shoots begin to grow intensively. From the fourth year, the old growth is removed. It is optimal to perform the procedure in early spring and late autumn.

Shelter of culture for the winter

Despite the fact that Rovada is a frost-resistant variety, you should not expose the plant to too much hypothermia.In regions where temperatures can drop below 35 degrees in winter, the plant needs to provide shelter that will not only insulate from the cold, but also press the branches to the ground to protect against gusts of wind.

For these purposes, it is necessary to make trenches ten centimeters deep, lower branches into them and sprinkle with loose earth. You can also gently press the branches to the ground with bricks or pieces of wood. Metal cannot be used for this. After fixing, the bushes must be covered with insulation with mineral wool. Do not wrap branches with airtight materials, as the plant needs oxygen access.

At the beginning of spring thaws, you need to release the plants from their shelters so that the stems wake up without delay and give a full harvest.

Diseases and pests

The greatest danger to Rovada is fungal diseases, as well as pests such as aphids and currant glass.

Septoria (otherwise white spotting)

Septoria is a parasitic fungal disease that causes leaf spots that gradually enlarge and cause leaf fall. Nitrafen solution helps to prevent the disease. Before flowering, the bushes should be treated with a solution of Bordeaux mixture. Also, for prevention, it is necessary to remove the remains of plants around the trunk in a timely manner.

Anthracnose

The most dangerous disease for this variety. A fungus that causes leaves to fall and berries to rot. Just as in the case of septoria, to prevent anthracnose, it is necessary to get rid of plant residues in time and spray the plants with a solution of Bordeaux liquid.

Currant glass jar

Currant glass is a pest caterpillar that settles for the winter in last year's currant shoots.In the course of their life activity, they eat the buds of the plant and damage the shoots, as a result of which the plant withers. Branches affected by the caterpillar should be immediately cut and burned. Two weeks after the flowering of the currant, spray it with a solution of Karbofos to prevent the appearance of a glass case.

Redcurrant gall aphid

Green pests feeding on currant leaves. The greatest activity is shown at the beginning of the summer season. To combat aphids, the treatment of bushes with a solution of Nitrafen helps. Shoots that are heavily affected by aphids must be disposed of in a timely manner. For the fight, treatment with a solution of Karbofos helps. Plants should be treated before flowering or after harvest.

Plant propagation

Currant is propagated by green or woody cuttings, layering and division. Summer time is suitable for propagation by green cuttings. An annual shoot is cut from the bush, divided into several cuttings and planted in the ground.

For propagation by woody cuttings, you need to choose old shoots. This method should be used at the end of the summer season. Wood cuttings root less well than green cuttings, so they require a greenhouse.

Layers are the best way to propagate currants. The branches of a young bush should be cut at a distance of 10 centimeters from the base. In autumn, new shoots need to be separated and planted.

Reproduction by division is used when there is not enough planting material. To do this, a well-developed bush is divided into several parts.

Harvest and storage of crops

Red currants should be harvested after the bush is fully ripe. It is better to use small containers for collecting so that the berries do not crumple under their own weight.Berries should be picked on cool, dry days, as berries picked after rain do not store well. You can store dried berries in the refrigerator, in plastic bags.

Currants are able to retain their taste for a long time, but their beneficial properties begin to deteriorate after a couple of months of storage.

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