Golden currant: description of varieties, planting, cultivation and care with photos

Unfortunately, it is difficult to find golden currants in Russian gardens. She deserves attention. The berries are he althy, have an original blueberry flavor. The bushes are decorative, they can decorate any garden, country house courtyard, city square.

Advantages and disadvantages of culture

The plant can reasonably be called unpretentious. In its homeland in America, it grows naturally, so it can be grown in the country without problems. Berry Bush Benefits:

rarely sick;
not afraid of frost;
grows on soil of any composition except clay and swamp;
honey plant.

External description and characteristics of golden currant

Shrub with a root system extending to a depth of 1.5 m. Upright branches up to 2.5 m long, overloaded with clusters of berries, bent to the ground. The bark is red. The leaf plate in its shape resembles a gooseberry leaf.

Goldencurrant belongs to the Gooseberry family This is a perennial deciduous shrub. It blooms profusely for almost 20 days with yellow flowers. For their rich coloring, the culture got its name golden. The crop does not suffer from frost, as the flowers bloom in the last days of May.

The color of the berries is very diverse. In some varieties, it may be burgundy, in others it may be black, in others it may be orange. The yield is high. Fruits from one bush of golden currant are harvested 5-15 kg.The advantage of this variety of currant is low shedding. This allows you to harvest the entire crop at one time.

Berry characteristics:

the shape is different, depending on the cultivar, it can be drop-shaped, round-oval, rounded;
berries weigh from 1.5 to 3 g;
covered with strong skin;
the pulp has a sweet and sour taste;
probably blueberry or nutmeg aftertaste.

The bushes start fruiting at the age of 3. The most productive are 5-7-year-old shoots. They form the most berries.

What is useful solar berry

The composition contains vitamin C. Its amount is less than in blackcurrant fruits. Berries are good for he alth due to carotene and vitamin B. They are not acidic, so people with gastric diseases and duodenal pathologies can include them in their diet.

Application

The shrub has a dual purpose. It is grown as a fruit and berry crop and for decoration of streets, parks, squares.

As a fruit crop

Golden currant harvest is used for winter harvesting. Cook jam, jam, make compote, freeze. They make excellent homemade wine.

Landscape use

The high decorativeness of the shrub allows you to use the golden currant in the design of streets, squares, parks. Bushes decorate them from spring to autumn. Arcuate long branches reach 2 m in height. In the spring, they are covered with clusters of golden flowers for three whole weeks.

In summer, the branches are sprinkled with a scattering of shiny black berries. In autumn, the leaves turn purple. Gardeners form picturesque hedges from golden currants. Green fence decorates the landscape, protects from noise, dust, wind.

How to grow a golden bush

It is not difficult to breed a golden variety in the country. Although for good fruiting in the garden it is worth planting 2-3 seedlings. The more of them, the better the pollination.

Suitable climate

All varieties of golden currant are acceptable for the Moscow region. This variety can adapt to extreme climatic conditions. The climate of the middle zone and the South of Russia is suitable for growing and harvesting. The shrub freezes slightly, dies at a frost of -40 ° C. Varietal currant withstands southern heat and drought.

Optimal timing

In autumn, golden currant seedlings are planted in the garden from September to October. Before frost should take at least 1-1.5 months. In the spring they are planted after the ground thaws.

Choice of location and disembarkation scheme

Golden currant is wonderful because it grows and bears fruit on any soil. It can be planted near the fence, building. Areas with light shading are more suitable for planting, but the bush also tolerates bright sun and shade.

Landing pattern, landing pit requirements:

width - 0.5 m;
depth - 0.5 m;
backfill soil mixture consists of humus (1 part), garden soil (1 part), ash (1 tbsp), superphosphate (200 g);
distance between planting pits 2.5-3 m.

Principles and nuances of care

Shrub care is about more than just watering. Bushes need to be shaped, fed, treated if necessary.

Irrigation

Golden currant tolerates short-term drought well. If it rains, then it has enough rain. Water the bushes only during a long drought. 4 buckets of water are enough for one bush.

Utilization of fertilizers

Golden currant bushes are fed three times during the season. Urea is used for the first feeding. Granules (30 g/m²) are scattered over the area of the near-stem circle before watering and slightly loosen the soil.

The second feeding is carried out immediately after picking the berries. During it use:

superphosphate 35 g/m²;
potassium nitrate 25 g/m².

The last time fertilizers are applied in autumn. Use manure. It is laid out around the bush. Organic top dressing can be applied after a year.

Digging between rows

The soil between the bushes is dug up annually. Digging is needed to prevent fungal diseases and pests. With its help, mineral fertilizers and rotted manure are introduced into the soil.

Weeding and loosening

Weeds are removed as they appear. The soil is loosened after rains and watering. In autumn, the soil is cleared of fallen leaves, protective irrigation is carried out and loosened. The procedure is especially important for young bushes. In the absence of loosening, the soil becomes covered with cracks in summer, this causes damage to the roots, slowing down growth.

Forming a currant bush

Biennial bushes require shaping pruning. Thereafter, it is held annually. In the second year after planting, shoot growth is stimulated:

weak cut out;
the remaining branches are shortened by ⅓ length.

A year later, all annual shoots are left at a three-year-old bush. The branches that have grown over the summer are cut out except for the 3-6 most powerful ones. The purpose of such pruning is the formation of a bush consisting of 20-40 branches of different ages. In the 5th year, 4-year-old shoots are removed.

Adult bushes (10 years and older) require rejuvenating pruning. It is carried out by cutting the bush to a stump or cutting out all shoots older than 8 years. The older the bush, the more cardinal it is. All types of work are carried out in early spring before the buds swell or after leaf fall in the fall. Decorative pruning is used if the bushes are an element of landscape design.

Treatment from pests and diseases

Treatment of golden currant bushes is rarely done. All varieties have high resistance to viral and fungal infections. To maintain the he alth of the shrub, it is enough to comply with the rules of agricultural technology and the implementation of a number of mandatory measures:

annual sanitary pruning;
formative cutting;
removal of fallen leaves;
digging between rows.

Features of culture reproduction

You can grow seedlings from seeds. This is the most common way to propagate golden currants. The procedure is simple, but time-consuming:

seeds are taken from ripe berries;
they are sent for 2 months for stratification in the cellar, where the temperature is not higher than 4 ° C, they are stored in a container with wet sand;
sown in the ground in autumn.

You can propagate golden currant vegetatively:

layering;
dividing the bush;
green cuttings.

Diseases and pests characteristic of the variety, their control

Diseases on currants are rare, but they do happen. In bad years, the bushes are attacked by pests.

Spider mite

The pest weakens the plant, with a strong infection, the leaves dry on the bush, the berries ripen later. Signs of spider mites on golden currants can be seen in May before flowering. The leaves on the bushes turn from green to brown or whitish. You can see ticks from the back side of the leaf plate.

Destroy the pest "Karbofos" (50%). Bushes are sprayed after flowering. Leaves damaged by insects are cut off and burned. The earth in the trunk circle is dug up. Instead of "Karbofos" they use an infusion of garlic, sulfur preparations.

Bud currant mite

Very dangerous pest. You can find out about the infection by signs of its vital activity. They appear in early spring and during the growing season:

bloated kidneys;
deformed top leaves.

There are several methods of dealing with ticks. In early spring, infected shoots are identified by buds, cut out and burned. During flowering, currant bushes are treated with a solution of colloidal sulfur.

Big currant aphid

The fact that an aphid attacked a bush of golden currant is known by twisted, wrinkled leaves. Turning them over, they see small green insects on the back of the leaf plate. They suck the juice, carry the infection.

To destroy the pest, the bushes are processed:

Karbofos solution;
Nitrafen (3%).

Anthracnose

The cause of the disease is a fungus. Small brown spots on the leaves are the first symptoms of the disease. They turn brown over time, dry up, fall off. The infection primarily affects tender young branches, stalks, petioles. Anthracnose significantly reduces the winter hardiness of golden currants.

Ways to fight:

soil and branches are treated with Nitrafen, a 3% solution is used, processing time is spring-autumn;
in the summer, the leaves are sprayed three times with colloidal sulfur (1%), the treatment time is before and immediately after flowering, the third time after picking the berries;
control the cleanliness of the trunk circle, pull out weeds, remove leaves, loosen the soil.

Septoria

This disease has a second name - white spotting. Leaves suffer from infection. Septoria symptoms:

at the initial stage, small (2-3 mm) rounded brown spots;
affected areas turn white, a brown border appears around them;
pycnidia are formed on the leaves in the form of small black dots.

Leaves fall from a diseased bush, its yield drops, growth slows down. Apply treatment methods as for anthracnose.

Glass Rust

The cause of the disease is a fungal infection. It affects berries (70%), leaves (80%). Wet weather contributes to the epidemic. Control measures as for anthracnose.

Popular varieties

There are many varieties of golden currant, the bill goes to dozens. The best are worth listing. All varieties described below are worthy of the attention of gardeners. They are disease resistant, early maturing, and provide berries in the worst seasons.

Muscat

Crop variety. One compact Muscat bush produces up to 7 kg of dark berries. The variety got its name for the nutmeg taste of the pulp. She is very sweet.

Saffron

Medium-late variety. It has a number of valuable qualities: drought-resistant, productive, heat-resistant. It does not suffer from pests and diseases. The berries are very juicy, large, weighing up to 4 g. The color is dark cherry, the shape is elongated.

Isabella

Ripening date July 10-15. The mass of berries is 2-2.5 g. The peel is black when ripe, the taste is sweet and sour. The bush is tall, not spreading, the average yield of one plant is 4-6 kg.

Ermak

One bush produces 3 to 5 kg of light black berries. They ripen on June 10-15. The pulp emits a light aroma, it tastes sweet and sour. One weighs no more than 1.5 g.

Laysan

Early fruiting. The berries are round, weighing from 1 to 3 g, collected in short brushes of 5-6 pieces. The shoots are long, the strength of growth is large. Shrubs tolerate drought well, do not suffer from heat.

Kishmish

Winter-hardy variety. The yield is stable and high. The bushes are medium-sized, the berries are medium-sized (0.9-1 g). The skin is strong, black. Bushes are compact. Kishmish variety is resistant to fungal infection.

Amber

Bright orange, amber berries from the variety of golden currant Sultry Mirage. Weight 1.3g, taste refreshing, pleasant.

Yellow

Zarina variety with round yellow berries (3.5 g). Nice sweet pulp. Indicators of resistance to low temperatures, drought are high.

Michurinskaya

A vigorous shrub with strong straight shoots. The size of the leaves is medium, the color is green. Three-bladed form. Fruit weight 1.3-2.5 g. Round shape, maroon color. The pulp is sweet and sour with a fresh aroma. Mid-season variety.

Chinese

A variety of golden currant. Bush with a developed root system, high (2.4 m). Leaves up to 5 cm long, three-lobed. The berries are elongated, well stored.

Silver

Deciduous shrubs, about 2.4 m high, slightly branched. Harvest ripens in July. The fruits weigh 1-1.5 g.

Siberian sun

Medium sized berries, yellow. The taste is refreshing, with a slight sourness. Harvest time is at the end of July. Bushes are not afraid of frost, heat. They grow well in shade and full sun.

Pearl

Bushes of medium height, do not exceed 1 m. They winter well. Withstand frost down to -40 °C. In terms of maturation, the variety is medium early. Harvest begins in June.

Caucasian

Breeders of the North Caucasian Research Institute have bred two forms of golden currant. Form A - bushes 2.5 m high, black berries, sweet and sour taste, 1.5 cm in diameter. Form B - bushes up to 2 m tall, brown berries, up to 1.2 cm in diameter, with a pleasant sweet and sour taste.

Venus

The variety is drought-resistant, heat-resistant, does not like return frosts, flowers suffer. They are collected in inflorescences of medium size (4 cm). The berries ripen early, the variety is early ripe. The harvest is undulating (2-3 waves). The skin is black, shiny, the pulp is sweet and sour, juicy. Bushes are slightly sprawling, vigorous.

A large selection of golden currant varieties, easy care, a stable harvest, abundant flowering, he althy berries - these are enough reasons to plant several bushes in your garden.