Currant bushes are especially popular among owners of personal plots due to the plant's unpretentiousness to care and berries containing a high percentage of vitamin C. Before you decide to purchase a crop variety, it is worth studying the description and characteristics and figuring out whether it is suitable for a particular area. Black currant of the Azhurnaya variety has an average ripening period and has increased frost resistance.
Description and characteristics of the variety
The Azhurnaya blackcurrant variety was bred at the All-Russian Research Institute of Fruit Crop Breeding.Breeders crossed two varieties of the crop - Ershistaya and Lazy. The authors of the black openwork were scientists S. D. Knyazev, L. V. Bayanova and T. P. Ogoltsova. After passing all the necessary tests, the currant was included in the State Register; this happened in 2004, so the variety is quite young.
The description states that the crop is recommended for cultivation in central Russia, where the taste of the berries and all the characteristics of the variety are most fully revealed.
Description of Blackcurrant Openwork is as follows:
- The yield is high (on average, about 1.6 kg of berries are harvested from one bush), the fruits are large.
- It is characterized by high winter hardiness, but needs a lot of moisture, especially during the formation of berries.
- It is highly resistant to diseases such as columnar rust and powdery mildew, but in the absence of prevention it is affected by pathogens of septoria and anthracnose.
- The leaves are dark green in color and five-lobed in shape. The leaf blades are slightly wrinkled, with a shiny surface. The petioles are pubescent, brightly colored, medium-length and thick.
- The bark of annual shoots is greenish, on old branches it acquires a gray-yellow tint and is shiny.
- The buds of the variety are single, slightly pointed in shape, pink-violet in color.
- The bush is slightly spreading and medium-sized.
- The berries are large - one copy weighs about 1.6 grams. They are oval in shape, black in color, and have a sweet and sour taste. The purpose of the fruits is universal - they are consumed fresh, made into juices and fruit drinks, and also stored for the winter by grinding them with sugar.
- The variety is self-fertile, so it does not need to be planted nearby with pollinators.
- The first berries begin to be picked after July 20.
100 grams of berries contain 159 mg of ascorbic acid.
Advantages and disadvantages
Despite the fact that the Azhurnaya blackcurrant variety is quite young, it has already gained popularity among gardeners who have noted the following advantages of the crop:
- high and stable productivity;
- strong immunity to powdery mildew, which often affects other varieties of currants;
- good winter hardiness, which allows the variety to be grown even in regions with a cool climate;
- high transportability of fruits, which do not crack during transportation and do not release juice;
- simple agrotechnical plant care.
Disadvantages include:
- average resistance to damage by bud mites;
- the need for frequent watering during the period of formation and ripening of berries;
- low resistance to anthracnose without preventive spraying.
Specifics of growing currants Openwork
In order for all the characteristics of the Azhurnaya blackcurrant declared by the breeders to be fully revealed, it is necessary to choose the right place for the plant and carry out the planting correctly.
Selecting a location
The bushes of the variety can be planted both in spring and autumn, but experienced gardeners recommend the second option, especially for regions where a significant decrease in temperature is observed no earlier than mid-October. If spring work is still planned, then you need to have time to do this before the sap begins to flow and the buds swell.
Planting stages
2-3 weeks before planting the seedlings, the soil in the selected area is dug up using a shovel and fertilizers are added - humus, superphosphate and wood ash.
The landing algorithm looks like this:
- At a distance of 130 cm, holes are made with parameters 50 x 50 x 50.
- Half a bucket of cold water is poured into the hole and the seedling is placed, positioning it at an angle of 45 degrees and spreading the roots in different directions.
- Cover with the selected soil and moisten, again using half a bucket of water.
- To prevent moisture from evaporating, the tree trunk circle is mulched with organic materials.
Cultivation care
Since the plant wakes up early in the spring, it is necessary to have time to prune broken and diseased shoots before the buds swell. It is also necessary to remove the buds affected by the mite; if there are too many of them, then prune the branches to the very base.
To save time on weeding, a layer of mulch is placed on the soil around the bushes; it can be manure or humus; it is important that the organic matter is located at a distance of about 20 cm from the branches.
Currants are watered regularly and abundantly, especially if the winter has had little snow and in the summer there is insufficient precipitation. After each irrigation, the soil around the bushes is loosened; if mulch is laid, then this can be done through it.
In the spring, they feed the currants with nitrogen complexes, embedding the granules to a depth of 8 cm. If there are a lot of berries and the branches bend under their weight, it is worth installing supports so that they do not break.
Protection from diseases and pests
To prevent diseases and pests, boiling water is used to scald the bushes in early spring.To prevent infection with anthracnose, take 1% Bordeaux mixture, treating the currants at the moment when the first leaves appear from the buds. To protect against insect pests, use “Fitoverm” or “Agravertin”.
Collection and storage
The harvest begins on the 20th of July. The berries are stored in the refrigerator without loss of quality for up to 10 days. To enjoy healthy and tasty berries in winter, they are frozen, preserved in the form of compotes, and also made into jam.
