Greencurrant: description of varieties and characteristics, cultivation and care with photos

Greencurrant is a relatively new crop, not as common as black and red. Bred back in the 30s of the last century, it has only recently begun to “conquer” summer cottages and household plots. This is explained by the many advantages and characteristics of this culture.

Features of green varieties

The main features of the varieties of this crop, in comparison with black-fruited and red-fruited ones, are the following:

green color of ripe berries, thin skin and sweet taste;
absence of characteristic sharp "currant aroma" in berries;
high demands on growing conditions;
late ripening;
resistance to pests and diseases common with blackcurrants.

Also, the berries of this crop do not cause food allergies, the content of vitamins and trace elements in it is higher than in black and red currant varieties.

Description of the best varieties of green currants

The most popular varieties of green currants are Vertti, Emerald Necklace, Snow Queen.

Vertti

This variety of Finnish selection is characterized by a medium-sized compact bush 0.9-1.0 meters high, light green berries covered with small brown spots. The taste of berries is sweet. Harvest ripens in late July-early August. The variety is frost-resistant, resistant to powdery mildew, bud mites.

Emerald necklace

Medium-late variety of domestic selection. Low-growing (0.5-0.7 meters high) sprawling bushes of this variety in mid-August are covered with pale yellow, with an emerald tint, ripe berries that have a sweetish, with a slight sourness, taste. Medium-yielding variety is characterized by high resistance to powdery mildew, medium - to bud mites.

Snow Queen

Late-ripening variety, characterized by a short compact bush, large ripe berries of light green color. Unpretentious to growing conditions, not damaged by severe frosts, resistant to most diseases and pests of currants. The average yield from 1 green currant bush of this variety can reach 2.6-3.0 kilograms.

Pros and cons of growing on the plot

Like any other crop, green currants have both pros and cons.

The main advantages of this type of currant are:

Large-fruited - mature green currant berries weigh up to 4-5 grams.
Frost resistance - most varieties of this crop withstand not only winter frosts, but also early spring frosts.
Hypoallergenic - unlike black currants, green berries do not cause allergies.
High resistance to diseases, pests - most varieties of modern domestic and foreign breeding are resistant to diseases, slightly susceptible to pest attacks.
Invisible to birds - ripe berries do not stand out against the background of foliage, so birds do not peck them.
Sweet taste and thin skin of ripe berries.

The few disadvantages of green currants include:

late ripening period (August-September) - green currant crop ripens much later than chokeberry or red currant varieties;
shortage of seedlings - seedlings of this crop are not yet common, so it is not as easy to acquire them as the more familiar varieties of black and red currants.

Also, a minor drawback of this crop is the lack of a detailed description of the cultivation technology.

Planting conditions

Planting is the most important stage of cultivation technology.

Optimal location

The place chosen for planting green currants must meet the following requirements:

Light - The area should be well lit throughout the day.
Mechanical composition of the soil - the soil on the site should be light, with good moisture permeability.
Nutritional content - soils with a high content of humus (more than 2%), macro- and microelements are suitable for planting and growing green currants.
Soil water level - since the root system of the crop is sensitive to flooding, it should be planted in an area with a low water table.

In addition, both single bushes and a plantation of green currants should not be planted in low, wetlands, on drained high peat bogs, near fences, garages.

Preparing the soil and planting hole

Preplant tillage includes:

Destruction of weeds with continuous herbicides (Hurricane, Roundup, Glyphos).
Surface application of potash and nitrogen fertilizers 10-12 days after treatment of the site with herbicides.
Digging (plowing) of the site in autumn to a depth of 25-30 centimeters.
Early spring loosening of the soil to a depth of 10-12 centimeters.

After the site is prepared, start digging planting holes with a diameter of 50 centimeters and a depth of 40 centimeters. With a single-row planting scheme, the distance between the centers of the holes should be from 70-80 centimeters (for compact low-growing varieties) to 100 centimeters (for vigorous spreading varieties). When planting a plantation consisting of 2 or more rows, the row spacing is 1.0-1.5 meters.

Terms and technology of disembarkation

There are two landing dates:

early spring - mid-April, after the melt waters melt and the soil warms up;
autumn - early September, after harvesting on a fruit-bearing plantation.

For planting, both in early spring and autumn, two-year-old seedlings with a well-developed root system, 3-4 shoots should be used.

The technology of planting seedlings provides for the following manipulations:

To fill the hole, prepare a nutrient mixture consisting of 2 buckets of humus, 200 grams of simple superphosphate, 30 grams of potassium sulfate, 2 cups of wood ash.
Pour half of the nutrient mixture into the bottom of the hole in a mound.
The seedling is placed in the prepared planting hole, at an angle of 30-40 ^{, deepening its root neck 8-10 centimeters below the soil level.}
The remaining nutrient mixture and fertile soil are poured into the hole, carefully tamped.
The surface of the soil near the seedling is covered with a 5 cm layer of mulch - dry sawdust, lowland peat, humus, compost.

One day after planting, seedlings are watered abundantly. The mulch layer, when it settles, is updated.

How to properly care for a crop

Plantation care includes watering, fertilizing, pruning, pesticide treatments, shelter for the winter.

Water frequency

During the growing season of the crop, it is watered at the following critical periods:

after landing (April);
during the flowering period (early-mid July);
fruiting (August-September).

Use settled tap or rain water for irrigation. The rate of watering under 1 bush is 10-12 liters. When watering, water is poured under the root from a bucket or using a garden watering can equipped with a spray nozzle.

Fertilizing bushes

In the first 2-3 years after planting, green currants are fertilized only in early spring, adding 30 grams of ammonium nitrate under each bush.

In subsequent years, two more are added to the early spring top dressing:

during the beginning of fruiting (July-August), in the form of 40 grams of ammonium nitrate, 40 grams of simple superphosphate, 30 grams of potassium sulfate;
in autumn (after the leaves fall), in the form of 50 grams of superphosphate, 35 grams of potassium sulfate.

In addition, once every 3 years, in the fall, 10 kilograms of rotted manure or compost are applied under each bush.

Shaping and trimming

Depending on the time of year and purpose, the following types of green currant pruning are distinguished:

Early spring - produced before the start of sap flow, in early to mid-March. In the process of such pruning, dried, frost-damaged and broken shoots are completely removed from the bush.
Sanitary - produced when lesions are detected by a bud mite, sawfly, powdery mildew. During sanitary pruning, all shoots damaged by diseases and pests are removed. Cut shoots are burned.
Autumn - performed before the plantation leaves for the winter. During this pruning, all weak, unripened, bush-thickening shoots are removed.
Rejuvenating - perform this type of pruning on low-yielding old bushes. When performing such pruning in early spring, the entire aerial part is cut off, leaving 2-3 cm stumps.
Forming - performed after planting a seedling. Its essence is to shorten the seedling shoots at the level of 3-4 buds from the soil surface.

For pruning use a sharp tool - pruner, garden knife. Sections more than 2 centimeters thick are covered with garden pitch.

Preventive treatments

Despite the high resistance of the culture to diseases and pests, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments against pathogenic microorganisms and insects. From diseases, a plantation of green currants is sprayed with drugs such as Topaz, Thiovit Jet, Alirin-B, Bayleton.

For pest control sprayed with the following insecticides: Prophylactin, Aliot, Fitoverm, Kleschevit, Lepidocid, Biotlin.

We cover the bushes for the winter

To prevent frost damage to the shoots of the green currant bush, it must be covered for the winter. This procedure consists of the following operations:

The bush is inspected, all unripened annual, old and damaged shoots are cut out.
Shoveling fallen leaves.
The remaining shoots are bent to the ground and fixed with metal pegs, bricks.
A bush prepared in this way after the onset of stable night frosts is covered first with straw or sawdust, and then with spruce paws.

If the snow cover is large during the winter, such insulation allows you to completely avoid damage to the shoots even by the most severe frosts.

How to propagate a green crop

The main ways to propagate green currants are as follows:

Cuttings - during autumn sanitary pruning, cuttings 15-20 centimeters long, with 2-3 buds, are cut from the cut shoots. At the same time, the cut under the lower kidney is made straight, and above the upper one - at an angle of 45 ^{Water moderately before rooting. For the winter, rooted bushes are dug up and stored in a cellar or insulated with a layer of foliage, straw, spruce branches.}
Horizontal layering - with this method of reproduction, 2-3 strong shoots are bent to the ground in early spring, fixed with small pins and covered with earth, leaving 5-10 centimeters of the top. As rooting and the appearance of shoots, layering is additionally spud. In autumn, rooted cuttings are separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
Dividing a bush is the easiest way of vegetative reproduction. Provides for the division of the old mother bush with a sharp knife into two parts, followed by transplanting each of them to a permanent place.

Propagation by seeds (generative) is not used in summer cottages and household plots.