Description and characteristics of the Black Pearl currant variety, planting and care

About 200 varieties of tasty berries have been bred by breeders and entered into the State Register. One of the popular varieties of black currant is Black Pearl, recognized as a masterpiece of Russian selection as a result of crossing the hybrids of Brodthorpe and Minai Shmyrev. This variety is a real storehouse of vitamins, a beautiful, high-yielding and unpretentious berry when cultivated.

Description of the variety

Black pearl is a mid-season currant variety. Full name: Golden Black Pearl. In terms of external characteristics, it is similar to gooseberries and blueberries.

During the crossing of the original varieties, the variety differs from its relatives:

• high self-fertility;
• resistance to kidney mite;
• fragrant flowers;
• winter hardiness with withstanding frosts down to -30 degrees;
• early flowering period (mid-May), in July you can already harvest the first harvest of up to 5 kg from 1 bush.

Maximum fertility is observed in the 4-5th year of cultivation. Black pearls produce stable harvests annually and up to 12-15 years in one place.

Leaves

Currant leaves are smooth, matte, with white edges bent inward. The main color is light green. The peculiarity of the leaves is their downward direction, bending towards the roots and pointed corners (5 pieces).

Flowers

The flowers of Black Pearl are golden, goblet-shaped with tassels and red sepals.

Fruit

The berries are round in shape. Weight - 1.2-1.5 g. The color is black, like pearl beads that shine in sunlight. The peel of the fruit is dense with large-seeded pulp inside.

Clusters of berries ripen evenly, do not fall off, and remain on the clusters for a long time. They are held firmly on the stalks and are torn off dry, despite all the juiciness. They are assembled mainly by hand and are quite suitable for transportation.

Characteristics of Black Pearl currant

Black pearls have similarities with gooseberries. It grows vertically, like a shrub, to a height of 1.5 m. Young shoots begin to bend down as they grow. As they grow older, the branches begin to change in color to gray-yellow. The buds are lattice-shaped, pink, growing on short stems of oblong-shaped shoots.

Main characteristics of Black Pearl:

• bushes - spreading with yellowish lignified branches;
• the berries are round, identical in size, shining in the sun like pearls;
• the foliage is not thickened, with corners facing down, which is important for aeration and lighting;
• fruiting - regular;
• petioles are strong.

The ripening period is average. Productivity is stable.

Reference! Black pearl is a self-fertile currant variety, therefore, regardless of bees, during flowering it is completely resistant to bud mite and anthracnose. Although it does not resist powdery mildew.

Advantages and disadvantages

Many gardeners fell in love with this variety for the following advantages:

• high content of vitamins and pectin in berries;
• return of stable high yields;
• frost resistance;
• the presence of beautiful golden flowers decorating the area;
• maximum safety during transportation;
• withstand high humidity and sudden temperature changes;
• immunity to anthracnose, kidney mite.

The disadvantage of the variety is its inability to tolerate powdery mildew. Currants are a little sour, which is also unacceptable for some summer residents.

Black pearl is a hardened and winter-hardy variety, because the selection was made in the latitudes of Siberia. But the variety is already considered obsolete due to the development of newer species. Although gardeners still prefer and love it for its many advantages.

Features of growing the variety

Pearl is an unpretentious variety that has inherited the best qualities from its relatives. Although to obtain decent harvests it is important to adhere to certain rules of agricultural technology:

1. Planting of seedlings is carried out mainly in the fall (early October) at t + 10 + 12 degrees, so that they have time to take root in a new place before the onset of cold weather.
2. It is important to choose lighted areas for planting, away from drafts.
3. It is not recommended to plant in the shade.
4. The bushes should not shade each other, so the optimal distance between them is 2-2.5 m.
5. The best soil is light and slightly acidic, equipped with nutrients, and also moist, otherwise the berries will ripen slowly, sour and small.

Reference! The main points of agricultural technology for this variety are proper planting and formation of bushes. When planted in autumn, young seedlings begin to grow quickly and gain strength in the spring, bearing fruit in the second year up to 2 kg per bush.

Selecting a location

For comfortable and rapid development, it is recommended to plant Black Pearls in open sunny areas, protected from the winds. The soil is ideally loose, nutritious, slightly acidic.

Currants do not tolerate drought, stagnation of water in the soil, crowding and shade. When planting shrubs, it is important to maintain a distance between them of at least 1.5 m.

Landing dates

The plant can be planted throughout the growing season:

• in the fall, in early October, so that the currants have time to gain strength and take root before the first frost;
• in the spring before the buds swell.

In the first year, the seedlings do not bear fruit, but only grow and strengthen. You will be able to taste the first berries in the second year with a yield of up to 2 kg per bush.

Advice! If you plan to plant in the spring, then all work should be done in the fall.

Site preparation

The site needs to be prepared in advance, 1.5-2 months before planting the seedlings:

• weeds are uprooted;
• the earth is dug up and loosened to increase air throughput;
• equip with humus, compost;
• add potassium fertilizers and superphosphate if necessary.

Selection of seedlings

When purchasing shrubs, it is important to inspect the root system to ensure it is strong and healthy.Also, 4-5 green buds should extend from the base of the shoots.

Landing instructions

Prepared place in advance:

• free from grass and vegetation;
• dig the soil up to 1.5 m deep;
• equip with fertilizers, humus (1 bucket), pouring 1m under each bush² (you can use superphosphate, potash or mineral fertilizer).

Steps for landing:

• soak the seedlings in water for 2-3 hours so that the roots absorb the required amount of moisture;
• dip into a clay mash for a few minutes;
• plant the plants in holes so that the root system remains slightly above the ground (4-5 cm);
• place the seedlings at an angle of 45 degrees between the soil surface and the trunk;
• spill the wells with settled water (up to 2 buckets);
• mulch tree trunk circles with peat, compost, sawdust to retain moisture in the soil;
• cut the shoots from the ground by 15 cm, leaving 5-6 buds.

Black pearl is a spreading shrub, so it is important to plant at a distance of 2 m from each other. When planting in autumn, the air temperature should not be lower than +8 degrees so that the shrubs have time to take root before winter and can easily withstand frosts.

Subtleties of caring for currants

Basic care details to obtain stable yields. Important:

• mow the grass around the circumference of the bushes as soon as they appear;
• loosen the soil, enrich it with oxygen;
• carry out abundant watering of up to 3 liters of water under each root during flowering and fruiting of the bushes in order to saturate them with a sufficient amount of moisture before wintering;
• apply fertilizers, fertilizing in the fall (phosphorus, potassium), in the spring - urea;
• trim periodically: the first pruning - immediately upon planting, leaving 5-6 buds on the shoots;
• remove excess root, diseased and broken branches, as well as shoots older than 3 years, leaving only healthy branches of different ages.

Reference! It is not recommended to stuff the soil with humus and fertilizers. If mulch was added when planting bushes, then organic matter will no longer be needed.

Watering rules

The soil should not dry out, so it is important to provide the currant bushes with timely watering. Especially during the period of fruiting, ripening and flowering. It is also worth shedding the soil under each bush before wintering.

Fertilizer application

It is worth fertilizing periodically, using chicken droppings and a weak solution of mullein. During the flowering period of seedlings, you can use organic matter.

Bush formation

The formation process is the removal of old unnecessary shoots and branches, redirecting nutritional components to promising areas. When planting currant seedlings, it is important to trim the shoots, leaving up to 4 buds on each trunk, thus stimulating the development of side shoots over 2-3 years.

It is recommended to trim off excess annual shoots at the base of the bush, and so on annually, ending only in the 4th-5th year.

A fruiting bush must have branches of different ages. It is important to remove only diseased, broken and affected shoots. Also cut out young ones that do not produce growth.

Wintering

The Black Pearl currant has high winter hardiness. The bushes are quite resistant to frosts of -35 degrees. However, in the first year of life, it is important to cover young sprouts for the winter to protect them from freezing, covering the bushes with 15 cm of soil. With the first snow, you can compact the soil around the circumference of the bushes and lay agrofibre.

Treating plants against diseases and pests

The main enemy of currants is powdery mildew, which affects young seedlings to the point of death.

Chemical options to combat the disease:

1. Mullein infusion and water (1:3). Instead of mullein, you can use hay dust. Let the solution sit for 3 days, add more water, and strain. Spray each bush. Repeat the procedure after 2 weeks and a third time in mid-June.
2. Vitriol with treatments before flowering and after harvesting currants.

It happens that if care is not taken in a timely manner, shrubs are affected by spider mites and sawflies. Special preparations (Dichlorvos, Fitoverm) are used for treatments.

If you provide timely and proper care to currants, then it is unlikely that pests will settle on strong bushes with good immunity.

Reproduction methods

Black pearl currant propagates in 3 ways: layering, green or lignified cuttings.

Harvest and storage

The variety is considered mid-season, so the first harvest of up to 3.5 kg from 1 bush will be ready by July. The skin of the fruit is dense. They will hang on the bushes until the end of August, without falling off or losing their taste. The berries are easy to transport. Can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 20 days.

The conclusion based on the description and characteristics of the Black Pearl currant variety is as follows: yield is high, cold resistance is up to 40 degrees. The berries have a sour taste, so it is best to eat them fresh. Due to the high content of pectin, currants produce high-quality jelly jam.