Currant Bagheera: variety description and characteristics, planting and care with a photo

It's not that difficult to harvest currant bushes every year. The gardener needs to choose one of the varieties that will not require a lot of effort and time to grow, but will bring delicious fruits. This description corresponds to the currant variety Bagheera. It is winter-hardy, unpretentious in care, and also bears fruit abundantly.

History of selection

This variety of medium late ripening was obtained at the Michurin Institute. To obtain it, the varieties Minai Shmyrev and Bredthorp were crossed. Crossing was carried out by K.D. Sergeeva and T.S. Zvyagin.

Advantages and disadvantages of the large-berry variety Bagheera

Benefits:

• hardy;
• drought resistant;
• transportable, lying;
• self fertile;
• precocious.

Flaws:

• not too resistant to powdery mildew;
• prone to bud mite;
• burns easily in direct sunlight.

Description of culture

A distinctive feature of this variety is winter hardiness. However, the gardener must take into account other characteristics.

External characteristics of the bush

The leaves of the bush are five-fingered. The color of the leaves is from light green to dark green. The leaf blade is matte, smooth. The edges of the leaf are wavy. The flowers of the bush are of medium size, goblet shape.

Variety yield

Bagheera bushes grow fast. 12-24 months after planting the seedling, the gardener will receive a harvest. It is possible to collect 5 kilograms of fruits from one bush.

Freeze and drought tolerance

The variety is resistant to low temperature conditions. It also tolerates summer heat and exposure to direct sunlight.

Susceptibility to diseases and pests

The variety is poorly protected from the bud mite. Buds that are affected by the mite do not produce he althy shoots, and carry diseases such as terry and mosaic. An effective method of combating a tick is treating the bush with acaricides (Neoron, Apollo).

You can also spray the bush with a solution of colloidal sulfur.

Growing Tips

In order for the work on planting currants not to be in vain, it is necessary to take into account factors such as climate, soil composition. Even the plants that grow near the bush matter.

Suitable climatic conditions

22 years ago Bagheera was included in the State Register of varieties that can be used in the North-Western, Volga-Vyatka, Middle Volga regions, as well as in the Urals, Western and Eastern Siberia. This means that the Bagheera currant can be successfully grown in the climatic conditions of the listed subjects of the Russian Federation.

Required soil composition

It is necessary to plant seedlings in loamy, sandy loamy soil with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The soil must be nutritious and loose. The groundwater level should not exceed 50 centimeters from the surface.

Best grade neighbors

Red and yellow currants should not be planted next to black ones. Honeysuckle and cherries feel good near Bagheera bushes. Of the herbaceous plants, onions, garlic, calendula, and marigolds are considered the best neighbors.For tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, phytoncidal elements produced by Bagheera will serve as protection against pests.

Step by step process of planting black currants

Bagheera has long been grown by gardeners in different regions of the Russian Federation. Such popularity of the variety is due to the fact that it is very unpretentious in care.

A gardener needs to properly plant seedlings, and then in a year or two he will be able to harvest an excellent harvest.

The landing algorithm is as follows:

1. Removing part of the earth from the recess.
2. Installation of planting material in a recess at an angle, straightening the roots.
3. Accurate backfilling with earth. You need to slightly shake the shovel so that the soil fills the voids present in the root system.
4. Tamping and mulching the soil near the currant bush.

Selection of seedlings

Only he althy seedlings can guarantee the proper development of the bush and a good harvest. The rules for choosing planting material are as follows:

• it is advisable to choose young seedlings (annual, biennial);
• roots should be powerful, strong. The minimum length is 200 millimeters. There should be no areas affected by rot;
• the top part should include a pair of twigs 30 to 35 centimeters long. Shoots should be resilient, covered with elastic bark that is not damaged.

Site preparation

You can prepare the site for planting in advance, 30 days in advance. The algorithm is as follows:

1. Leveling the soil, removing weeds.
2. Digging the earth, breaking up large pieces of soil.
3. Outline of a recess for landing (a circle with a diameter of half a meter). The depth of the pit should be from 40 to 45 centimeters. The upper, fertile part of the soil is removed to the side.
4. Adding 3 kilograms of manure, 130 grams of granulated superphosphate, 170 grams of ash, 27 grams of potassium sulfate to the deposited land. You can also use 200 grams of mineral fertilizers instead of all this.
5. Backfilling the deferred earth into the recess.
6. Pour 2 buckets of water into the hole. This is necessary to compact the soil.

If the soil at the selected location is too acidic, liming is required. To do this, half a kilogram of dolomite flour or burnt lime is poured into each square of land for digging.

Date and place of landing

Planting is best done in the autumn or spring season. In autumn, it is necessary to plant currants in early October. This will allow the bush to successfully adapt. Until spring, the bush will take root, and when it gets warmer, it will begin to grow rapidly.

In the spring, planting is required before the buds begin to swell. Otherwise, the period that the bush will take root will increase significantly.

Currant should be planted so that it does not fall on the scorching sun. In addition, it is required to protect seedlings from wind gusts. To do this, it is advisable to plant bushes along the wall of the house or hedge.

Currant bush care

Just because a variety is unpretentious and hardy, it doesn't mean that it doesn't need to be cared for. Carrying out simple agrotechnical procedures will make it possible to strengthen the immunity of currants and reap a big harvest.

Irrigation and fertilization

Watering should be frequent and plentiful, but do not be too zealous. The norm is five buckets per square. The earth should be moistened 40 centimeters deep. Top dressing can be started in the third year. To do this, you can use potassium sulfate. One bush requires 15 grams of fertilizer. Top dressing is applied in the autumn season, when the crop is harvested.

Cutting

Immediately after the bush is planted, it is cut off half or even two thirds of the length of the shoots. Then you need to follow this plan:

1. In the spring of the second year, the formation of skeletal branches is carried out. To do this, select from three to five of the strongest shoots. Other shoots are cut off. Around July, two buds are pinched on the skeletal branches.
2. On the third and fourth spring, five of the strongest shoots are selected from all zero shoots. Other shoots are cut off. The tops of branches that grew last year are cut off.
3. As a result, after five years, a strong bush is formed, which consists of three or four shoots of each age, but not older than five or six years.

Preventive treatments

Currant bushes need to be kept clean. This requires timely removal of weeds that attract pests.

The soil under the bushes and between the rows must be loosened regularly. This is required to ensure breathability, water permeability. A similar procedure must be performed at least once every 30 days, throughout the growing season. Every autumn, the soil around the currants and between the rows must be dug up by 15 centimeters.

Shelter for the winter

The variety can tolerate cold down to minus thirty degrees. Natural protection in the form of snow is sufficient. However, if the snow does not fall, it is necessary to create a shelter. To do this, the bushes that are connected are wrapped in any material that allows air to pass through.

Reviews of gardeners about currant Bagheera

Gardeners speak positively about this variety, consider Bagheera the best large-fruited currant. They note that the variety is vulnerable to bud mites, and requires chemical treatments. If you properly care for currants, the cons of Bagheera are minimized, and the pros will be fully revealed.

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