How to tie currants: we make supports and fences with our own hands

Almost all gardeners and summer residents are engaged in growing currants. 3-4 years after planting currant seedlings, it is necessary to engage in tying. Before that, you need to familiarize yourself with how to properly tie currants.

Why is it necessary to tie currants?

It is recommended to deal with the main reasons for tying currant bushes to supports in advance.

A few years after planting, blackcurrant bushes begin to grow strongly. The lower branches of the plant begin to touch the surface of the soil. Due to constant contact with the soil, currants develop viral and fungal diseases that negatively affect yields.To prevent the branches from touching the ground, they are tied to support poles.

Another reason for tying bushes is to speed up the ripening of berries. Tied berries are better illuminated by the sun, which speeds up the process of fruit ripening by 2-3 times. Also, tying prevents the strong growth of the bush in breadth.

Advantages and disadvantages of strengthening bushes

Shrub garter has some advantages and disadvantages, which should be familiar with in advance. Key benefits include:

• Protection against the appearance of fungal diseases, the pathogens of which are located in the upper layers of the soil. Even careful pinching of the bushes does not protect them from contact with the soil. The most effective way to eliminate the contact of currants with the ground is a garter. Bushes tied to supports get sick several times less often
• Easier access to berries. It is not easy to harvest from untied shrubs. Tied branches do not bend to the ground and therefore it is much easier to pick ripe berries.
• Wind protection. It's no secret that currant branches can break due to gusts of wind. If you tie a bush to a support, its branches will not break even in strong winds.

The only serious disadvantage of growing tied currants is that it takes a lot of time to create and install a support.

When tying currants

People who are planning to start tying the planted berries are wondering when to start tying the branches of the bush to the supports.

Experienced gardeners recommend tying planted berries to supporting elements 3-5 years after planting seedlings. During this period, the bushes grow up to one and a half meters, and their lower branches, under the weight of ripe berries, begin to reach for the ground. There is no need to do a garter earlier, as it makes no sense.

The currant support can be installed both in spring and autumn. If you do this in the autumn, it is better to finish everything before mid-October. In the spring, the garter is carried out at the end of April and in the first days of May, when the soil warms up well.

What materials and fixtures are used for fastening

It is recommended to figure out in advance what fixtures and materials will be needed to make a mount for supports for currant bushes.

Clothes and clips for fastening

Quite often, plastic clips or clothespins are used to tie vegetable and horticultural crops. The appearance of such devices resembles ordinary clothespins, which are used when hanging washed laundry.

The main advantage of clips is that they can be reused. The disadvantages include the small size of the devices, due to which they are used only when attaching branches to thin supports.

Garden straps

Many gardeners find garden straps to be the most convenient way to hang currants. They are equipped with special fasteners that allow you to tighten the straps on supports of any diameter.

Products like clip-on clothespins can be used over and over again for many years.

Ways to strengthen currant bushes with your own hands

There are several ways to tie currant bushes, the features of which should be familiarized with.

Installation of supports and garters on trellises

Many berry growers use trellises. Before attaching the bushes to the trellis, you need to make a special frame. To do this, pegs are driven in at the ends of each row with berries, between which a tight rope is fixed. It is to her that the branches will be tied up.

This method is very convenient, as it allows you to add a few upper ropes, if necessary, to which you can tie the top currant stalks.

For a single frame

Sometimes currant bushes are not planted nearby, but separately. In this case, it is better to tie the plants to a single frame made of stakes.

To build such a structure, four pegs are placed around the plant, which form a square. The installed tubes are connected by horizontally installed boards, to which the lower branches are attached.

On pipe support

Some gardeners make a frame out of PVC pipes. They are dug near the currant in such a way that a circle forms. Then a rope is pulled between each pipe in several rows at a distance of 50-60 centimeters.

On a triangular support

Among gardeners, a triangular stand for currant bushes is popular. When using such a support, three strong pegs will have to be installed around the plant. They are installed so that they form an equilateral triangle.

On the trunk

To grow currants using the standard method, immediately after planting, tie the seedling to a single pole. In the process of growth, all excess shoots that have grown in the lower part of the bush are removed from the plant. At the same time, the upper shoots are not touched.

The nuances of a garter for winter shelter

Some people think that tying is done only to speed up ripening and make it easier to care for currants, but this is not so. The garter is carried out to warm the planted plant and protect it from winter frosts.

For this, a frame insulating metal support is created. Around the bush, 3-4 pipes are installed one and a half meters high. From above it is covered with a covering material. It is necessary to cover the bush very carefully so that there are no cracks through which cold air could enter.

How to fence a currant garden

Often, gardeners create special fences for currants with their own hands. They are made not only for decorative decoration of the garden, but also for additional protection of currant seedlings from animals.

The easiest way to fence the bushes with wooden props. To do this, a main support is installed near the currant, to which the main stem is tied. Then a wooden fence is made around the bush from small boards 90-120 centimeters high. The installed fence is recommended to be varnished or painted so that it does not start to rot prematurely

The main mistakes of gardeners when tying currants

People who make supports from improvised materials and tie currant bushes to them often make mistakes. The most common mistakes include:

• Use of substandard materials. Sometimes people save on materials when building a support structure, which causes it to break quickly.
• Choosing the wrong garters. Do not use natural fabrics that can damage the shoots.
• Drag tied branches. Sometimes gardeners tie currant branches too tight. This not only slows down its development, but also leads to the drying of the branch.
• Single garter. Experts recommend tying currants regularly as they grow.

Conclusion

Growing currants in the garden, you will have to tie them to supporting structures. To properly tie the bushes, you need to figure out the timing of the procedure, choose the right materials and familiarize yourself with the basic methods of strengthening the planted berry.

Recommended