How to grow currants on a trunk with your own hands step by step, planting and care,

Growing certain varieties of currants on a trunk can significantly reduce labor intensity and facilitate care and harvesting. This is an excellent option for a small area, since the bushes take up less space than with traditional techniques, and they can be planted at a short distance from each other. The formation of the standard takes place over three years. Any gardener can accomplish this task.

What is standard currant?

The trunk is a section of the trunk from the soil level to the first branches of the lower level. Standard currant has the appearance of a small tree. Bush plants are given the required shape immediately after planting. As a result, there are more fruits, they are larger, more aromatic and tastier. Positive changes are associated with better sunlight.

Advantages and disadvantages

Growing on a trunk is an easy way to get a good harvest. There are many more advantages than using traditional methods. This list looks like this:

• the garden area is effectively used;
• it is possible to plant a cutting with one bud;
• the sun's rays are distributed evenly;
• bush plants have a decorative appearance;
• the clusters of berries and the fruits themselves are large, the aroma is more pronounced, the taste is more pleasant;
• care and harvesting are carried out with less labor (the berries can be shaken off by hand without harm to the bush);
• nutrients are not spent on the formation of root shoots;
• berries ripen faster;
• minimal yield losses;
• the risk of developing diseases and pests is reduced;
• the period of crop life and fruiting is increased.

With so many advantages, the disadvantages are insignificant. But they still exist and should be taken into account and, if possible, excluded. Disadvantages of growing a standard crop:

• the trunk is tall, so it is not completely covered with a layer of snow, which is due to the need to provide pre-winter shelter (the black variety is more susceptible to frost than red or white);
• in strong winds trees break, so a strong support is required;
• after 7 years, there is a sharp decrease in yield, there is no possibility of its recovery.

Landing Features

When figuring out for yourself how to grow standard currants, you should familiarize yourself with the peculiarities of planting the crop. Spring and autumn are suitable for work. The specific period is chosen depending on the climate zone. For example, if there is a lot of snow, planting is done in the fall, with little snow cover - in the spring.

Prepare a planting hole of standard dimensions - 0.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 m. Lay humus or compost and add 2 cups of ash. Next, they drive in a reliable support, which the plant needs throughout its life. The seedling is placed vertically in the hole, without tilting, then attached to a support. The straightened roots are buried and provide abundant watering.

Selection of currant varieties

Both dark and light currants are suitable. But in order to get the expected result, it is necessary to select the right varieties of standard plants. Below are the most common options:

• Black currant. This type of bush plant is the most popular, but suffers more than others from severe frosts. The best varieties include Pamyatnaya, Monasheskaya and Universitetskaya currants, and Stork. You should not grow black currants in Siberia and other areas where low temperatures prevail.
• Red Ribes. No special conditions required. Red currant grows well on a trunk. The main thing is to choose the right crop variety. The most common options are Bayan, Rondom, Natalie, Viksne, and Sugar variety. The fruits are great for making desserts.
• Yellow (white) currant. This variety is highly valued in Europe. The best variety is Imperial Yellow. Flowering is later than that of dark currants, so the crop does not suffer from frost.

How to grow currants on a trunk with your own hands?

You can grow a standard plant with its own root standard and on a rootstock. The first method is old and has been successfully used for many years. Gardeners first implemented this technique more than 100 years ago. The second method is no less common; it is often used in nurseries in Europe. After grafting, lateral shoots appear again and again; this is carefully monitored and unnecessary parts of the plant are promptly disposed of.

Own root standard

Using this method, you can form any seedling: either taken from the site or purchased from a nursery. The procedure is as follows:

1. In the spring, when sap flow has not yet begun, all shoots are cut off except one - the most developed and straight, the length of which ranges from 80 cm to 1 m.
2. Pinch the top of the selected shoot.
3. Leaving 3-4 buds on top, the rest, located at the lower level, are blinding.
4. After the side shoots have formed, they are pinched above the 3-5th leaf.
5. In the second year, the growing shoots are pinched again.
6. In the future, pruning is performed for sanitary or thinning purposes.

Standard on the rootstock

For the scion, a lignified cutting with dormant buds is prepared, the optimal thickness is 4-5 mm. Cuttings that are too young may not take root. They work step by step:

1. Initially, they promote vertical growth of the plant. The rootstock is prepared using layering or rooted cuttings. The plant is planted when the rootstock material reaches the required dimensions (thickness - 4-5 mm, height - 80 cm). To make the trunk thicker faster, side branches are gradually removed.
2. You can prepare cuttings of any variety of currant from those that are suitable for growing on a trunk.However, many gardeners recommend giving preference to bush plants that are resistant to the negative effects of pests and low temperatures. The required scion length is 3-4 buds.
3. Grafting into a standard is carried out by improved copulation.
4. Next they move on to blinding the buds on the trunk.
5. When the length of the side shoots of the scion is 10-15 cm, pinching is performed above the third leaf. This is the maximum length; with a higher value of the indicator, the integrity of the base of the plant may be damaged.
6. After a year, new side shoots are pinched out.
7. In the third year, the plant is periodically pruned and thinned out if necessary.

Nuances of caring for standard currants

In order for a standard plant to grow resistant to negative factors, and for the fruits to be large, juicy and tasty, several important points are taken into account:

• Correct landing. The rules are different for all varieties and varieties of crops. Full compliance with the technological process also implies an understanding of the features of preparing the pit, applying fertilizers, and garter.
• Feeding. Not everyone adheres to this rule, but in vain, because by using fertilizing, you can significantly increase productivity.
• Protection from pests and diseases. Currants are a vulnerable crop, therefore there is a need to implement preventive and therapeutic measures. With this approach, there is a high probability of saving the crop.
• Pruning and watering. It is important to trim excess branches in a timely manner and regularly water the plant.

Watering

Excess moisture and stagnation of water are undesirable. However, watering must be done regularly, preventing the soil from drying out. Otherwise, the quality of the harvest will deteriorate not only in a particular year, but also in subsequent years.The buds of plants that lack moisture are very weak, the berries are smaller and quickly fall off. The consequences of drying out are observed for a long time.

Abundant watering is required only in autumn and during the fruiting period. Root growth continues almost until the end of the autumn season, therefore from September to the end of October, standard currants are watered 2-3 times more.

Loosening, mulching

Tillage begins in the last days of April. When loosening, maintain a depth of 7 cm. Next, the soil is mulched. The optimal thickness of the mulch layer is up to 10 cm. Loosening is carried out every 14 days, and weeds are also weeded.

Fertilizer application

When planting plants, lime is added to the soil (0.3–0.8 kg/m² at pH 4–5.5). For 1 sq. m of soil, it is enough to use a mixture of the following substances: potassium sulfate - 25-35 g, granulated superphosphate - 150-200 g, organic matter - 3-4 kg.

Fertilizers containing potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen are very useful for currants. To saturate the soil with these elements, you can apply manure or humus. It is also important to remember about the dangers of chlorine, so before purchasing you should carefully study the composition of the selected fertilizer. Spraying with fresh cow's milk helps to increase yield; it is first mixed with water in a ratio of 1:10.

Trimming

Late autumn and early spring are suitable for pruning, namely, the period when the leaves have already fallen or have not yet formed. The plant is formed from 16-20 branches of different ages, leaving 3-5 zero shoots annually. Branches whose fruiting lasted 6-7 years are removed.

A thorough inspection of the bush plant is carried out, according to the results of which very long and too low, branched, crooked and tangled branches that interfere with the normal growth of other shoots are cut off. After completion of the work, sections larger than 8 mm are treated with garden varnish.

Garter

Usually the need for a garter arises in the fourth or fifth year of the plant’s life, when the tree is large and spreading. In areas with gusty winds, a garter is used as a way to protect against negative influences. Proper pruning helps prevent severe sagging of branches. Up to 20 shoots are left, the remaining branches are attached to a support.

Pre-winter shelter

Currants are prepared for wintering by performing the following steps:

• 14 days before frost, currants are no longer watered, which allows the plant to shed its leaves;
• collect fallen leaves and remove the old layer of mulch;
• the length of the branches is reduced by 10-15 cm if this stage was skipped last year;
• the soil is loosened, if fertilizers were not applied after harvesting, fertilized with a potassium-phosphorus mixture, then hilled to a height of 10 cm, mulched with sawdust or fallen leaves from ornamental plants (the optimal layer thickness is 5-7 cm);
• Watering is allowed just before frost and only if the soil is very dry (the mulch is first removed).

In the northern regions, branches are bent to the snow cover, which reduces the risk of freezing. Growing currants on a trunk is a creative process. This approach to planting allows you to save space in your garden and place many trees on a small plot of land. As a result, the bush plant acquires an attractive appearance and produces a good harvest.There are a lot of advantages, but there are practically no disadvantages.