Currants are planted in many garden plots. The shrub is characterized by unpretentiousness, takes root on any soil without problems and ultimately bears fruit well. The berries are enjoyed fresh and are also suitable for making jam. However, an important condition for the proper development of currants is proper watering. You can find out below exactly how to organize it.
When to water currants
As you know, if the soil is sufficiently moist, this is the key to good currant growth. In order to get a rich harvest every year, you need to take care of proper crop care.In this case, the most important condition is to water the plant throughout the growing season.
Many gardeners are interested in how often to water blackcurrants in the summer in order to get a good harvest.
Basically, you need to water the bush when it really needs it. Along with this, the crop is watered four times a year according to the following schedule:
- The first watering is carried out at the end of May, when the currants are just beginning to form ovaries (the period from late May to early June).
- The second watering is done at the time when the fruits are full (in June or early July).
- The third watering is organized immediately after the end of the harvest (from August to September). By the way, the question of whether currants need to be watered after harvesting usually causes a lot of controversy. So, some believe that this is not necessary, but this statement is fundamentally wrong.
- The fourth watering is carried out before the start of wintering, usually around October.
It is also worth keeping in mind that if the time has come to moisturize the currants, but the weather is rainy, naturally, additional watering does not make sense. By adhering to this rule, you will never harm the bush.
Suitable methods
There is an opinion that the first watering of currants is done in early spring, and it should be done with boiling water. This is done to neutralize the colony of pests that have spent the winter on the bushes. This method also destroys fungal spores that can cause certain diseases in the plant. And, of course, so that the currants can wake up from winter hibernation.
By the way, this method works and gives good results. The only caveat is choosing the right time.The best option is to do this watering before the buds awaken. Most often this is the end of March.
If we talk about spring and summer watering, it is done not with cold, but with slightly warm, settled water.
Often, owners of garden plots resort to the sprinkling method, when moisture evenly covers the ground around the bush as if it had rained. However, there are also supporters of drip irrigation, but in this case you need to constantly monitor the level of soil moisture so as not to flood the bushes.
How much water is needed
So, how much water does the bush need in order for it to fully develop, and as a result, the summer resident receives a decent harvest of tasty and healthy berries. The plant loves moisture. However, if you overdo it with watering, he won’t like it either.
If you spray water over the surface of the area, this will ultimately lead to the rapid growth of weeds. If you overwater the culture, the currants will get sick. We'll show you how to avoid this.
So, before watering, the soil is certainly loosened to find out how deeply it has dried. If you see that more than 15 centimeters of the ground are dry, the bush will need 40 liters of water. If we are talking about 10 centimeters, you need to take no more than 20 liters of water. If the soil is dry to 5 centimeters, it is better to postpone watering.
Moisture retention
Properly performed hydration is not all that a crop needs. So, it is necessary to understand how to retain moisture, in particular at the currant root. This question is relevant when watering currants during the ripening period. Mulch will help solve the problem. After watering the plant, it is worth mulching the bush using any means. It can be humus, hay, sawdust, peat.A gardener or gardener always has one of the listed components on his property.
The fact is that mulch will serve as a kind of shelter, under which the soil remains loose and moist for a long period of time. In addition, air circulation will not be disrupted, which is important for the roots of the plant.
Useful tips
In order to achieve the maximum effect from watering currants, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with some tricks, in particular:
- Determine the time when you want to water the currants. A few days before the planned date, fill the barrels with the required amount of water so that it can settle and warm up, since currants should only be watered with settled water at a suitable temperature. The barrels can be placed directly on the garden plot, because in summer the ambient temperature will not allow the water heated by the sun during the day to cool down.
- Before watering the currants, weed the ground by removing the old layer of mulch that you need to get rid of.
- Watering the bushes should be done before sunset, since at night the root system will take as much moisture as it needs.
- It is not recommended to water the plants during the day, as they may get burned.
- Immediately after moistening the plant, it would be a good idea to apply fertilizer, solving two issues at once: watering and fertilizing. Suitable fertilizer options: urea, starch, potassium humate.
- If the summer is dry, the number of waterings can be increased, but each time, without fail, you need to check how deeply the soil has dried out.
