Description and characteristics of green currant varieties, cultivation and care

Green currants are a relatively new crop, not as widespread as black and red ones. Bred back in the 30s of the last century, it only recently began to “conquer” summer cottages and garden plots. This is explained by many advantages and features of this culture.

Features of green-fruited varieties

The main features of the varieties of this crop, in comparison with black-fruited and red-fruited ones, are the following:

• green color of ripe berries, thin skin and sweet taste;
• the absence of a characteristic sharp “currant aroma” in the berries;
• high demands on growing conditions;
• late ripening;
• resistance to pests and diseases common to blackcurrant.

Also, the berries of this crop do not cause food allergies; the content of vitamins and microelements in it is higher than in varieties of black and red currants.

Description of the best varieties of green currants

The most popular varieties of green currants are Vertti, Emerald Necklace, and Snow Queen.

Vertti

This variety of Finnish selection is characterized by a medium-sized compact bush 0.9-1.0 meters high, light green berries covered with small brown spots. The taste of the berries is sweet. The harvest ripens in late July-early August. The variety is frost-resistant, resistant to powdery mildew and bud mites.

Emerald necklace

A mid-late variety of domestic selection. Low-growing (0.5-0.7 meters high) spreading bushes of this variety in mid-August are covered with pale yellow, with an emerald tint, ripe berries that have a sweetish, slightly sour taste. The variety, which has an average yield, is characterized by high resistance to powdery mildew, and average resistance to bud mite.

The Snow Queen

A late-ripening variety characterized by a low-growing compact bush and large ripe berries of light green color. It is unpretentious to growing conditions, is not damaged by severe frosts, and is resistant to most currant diseases and pests.The average yield from 1 green-fruited currant bush of this variety can reach 2.6-3.0 kilograms.

Pros and cons of growing on site

Like any other crop, green currants have both pros and cons.

The main advantages of this type of currant are:

1. Large-fruited - ripe green currant berries weigh up to 4-5 grams.
2. Frost resistance - most varieties of this crop can withstand not only winter frosts, but also early spring frosts.
3. Hypoallergenic - unlike black currants, berries of green-fruited varieties do not cause allergies.
4. High resistance to diseases and pests - most varieties of modern domestic and foreign selection are resistant to diseases and are weakly susceptible to attacks by pests.
5. Invisibility for birds - ripe berries do not stand out against the background of foliage, so they are not pecked by birds.
6. Sweet taste and thin skin of ripe berries.

The few disadvantages of green currants include:

• late ripening period (August-September) - the harvest of green-fruited currants ripens much later than the varieties of black-fruited or red-fruited;
• shortage of seedlings - seedlings of this crop are not yet widespread, so purchasing them is not as easy as the more familiar varieties of black and red currants.

Also, a minor drawback of this crop is the lack of a detailed description of the growing technology.

Landing conditions

Planting is the most important stage of growing technology.

Optimal place

The place chosen for planting green currants must meet the following requirements:

1. Lighting – the area should be well lit throughout the day.
2. Mechanical composition of the soil - the soil on the site should be light and have good moisture permeability.
3. Nutrient content - soils with a high content of humus (more than 2%), macro- and microelements are suitable for planting and growing green currants.
4. Soil water level - since the root system of the crop is sensitive to flooding, it should be planted in an area with a low groundwater level.

In addition, you should not plant either single bushes or a plantation of green-fruited currants in low-lying, wetlands, on drained high peat bogs, near fences, garages.

Preparing the soil and planting hole

Pre-planting soil treatment includes:

1. Destruction of weeds with continuous action herbicides (Hurricane, Roundup, Glyphos).
2. Surface application of potassium and nitrogen fertilizers 10-12 days after treating the area with herbicides.
3. Digging (ploughing) the site in the fall to a depth of 25-30 centimeters.
4. Early spring loosening of the soil to a depth of 10-12 centimeters.

After the area is prepared, they begin digging planting holes with a diameter of 50 centimeters and a depth of 40 centimeters. With a single-row planting scheme, the distance between the centers of the holes should be from 70-80 centimeters (for compact, low-growing varieties) to 100 centimeters (for vigorous, spreading varieties). When planting a plantation consisting of 2 or more rows, the row spacing is 1.0-1.5 meters.

Timing and technology of planting

There are two planting periods:

• early spring - mid-April, after meltwater has melted and the soil has warmed up;
• autumn - early September, after harvesting on a fruit-bearing plantation.

For planting, both in early spring and autumn, two-year-old seedlings with a well-developed root system and 3-4 shoots should be used.

The technology for planting seedlings involves the following manipulations:

1. To fill the hole, prepare a nutrient mixture consisting of 2 buckets of humus, 200 grams of simple superphosphate, 30 grams of potassium sulfate, 2 cups of wood ash.
2. Half of the nutrient mixture is poured into a mound onto the bottom of the hole.
3. The seedling is placed in the prepared planting hole at an angle of 30-40 ⁰, deepening its root collar 8-10 centimeters below the soil level.
4. The remaining nutrient mixture and fertile soil are poured into the hole and compacted thoroughly.
5. The surface of the soil near the seedling is covered with a 5-centimeter layer of mulch - dry sawdust, low-lying peat, humus, compost.

A day after planting, the seedlings are watered abundantly. The mulch layer, as it settles, is renewed.

How to properly care for crops

Activities for caring for a plantation include watering, fertilizing, pruning, treating with pesticides, and covering for the winter.

Watering frequency

During the growing season of the crop, it is watered during the following critical periods:

• after planting (April);
• during the flowering period (early-mid July);
• fruiting (August-September).

For irrigation, use settled tap or rain water. The irrigation rate for 1 bush is 10-12 liters. When watering, water is poured under the root from a bucket or using a garden watering can equipped with a spray nozzle.

Fertilize the bushes

In the first 2-3 years after planting, green currants are fertilized only in early spring, adding 30 grams of ammonium nitrate to each bush.

In subsequent years, two more are added to the early spring feeding:

• at the beginning of fruiting (July-August), in the form of 40 grams of ammonium nitrate, 40 grams of simple superphosphate, 30 grams of potassium sulfate;
• in the fall (after the leaves fall), in the form of 50 grams of superphosphate, 35 grams of potassium sulfate.

In addition, once every 3 years, in the fall, 10 kilograms of rotted manure or compost are applied to each bush.

Shaping and trimming

Depending on the time of year and purpose, the following types of pruning of green-fruited currants are distinguished:

1. Early spring - produced before the start of sap flow, in early to mid-March. In the process of such pruning, dried, frost-damaged and broken shoots are completely removed from the bush.
2. Sanitary – performed when foci of damage by bud mites, sawflies, and powdery mildew are detected. During sanitary pruning, all shoots damaged by diseases and pests are removed. Cut shoots are burned.
3. Autumn - performed before the plantation leaves for winter. During this pruning, all weak, immature shoots that thicken the bush are removed.
4. Rejuvenating - this type of pruning is performed on low-productive old bushes. When performing such pruning in early spring, the entire above-ground part is cut off, leaving 2-3-centimeter stumps.
5. Formative – performed after planting the seedling. Its essence is to shorten the shoots of the seedling at the level of 3-4 buds from the soil surface.

For pruning, use a sharp tool - pruning shears, garden knife. Sections more than 2 centimeters thick are covered with garden pitch.

Preventative treatments

Despite the high resistance of the crop to diseases and pests, it is necessary to carry out preventive treatments against pathogenic microorganisms and insects.For diseases, green currant plantations are sprayed with such preparations as Topaz, Tiovit Jet, Alirin-B, Bayleton.

To control pests, spray with the following insecticides: Profilaktin, Aliot, Fitoverm, Kleschevit, Lepidotsid, Biotlin.

Covering the bushes for the winter

To prevent frost damage to the shoots of the green currant bush, it must be covered for the winter. This procedure consists of the following operations:

1. The bush is inspected, all unripe annual, old and damaged shoots are cut out.
2. Raking fallen leaves.
3. The remaining shoots are bent to the ground and fixed with metal pegs and bricks.
4. After the onset of stable night frosts, the bush prepared in this way is covered first with straw or sawdust, and then with spruce paws.

If the snow cover is heavy during the winter, such insulation allows you to completely avoid damage to the shoots even by the most severe frosts.

How to propagate green crops

The main methods of propagation of green currants are the following:

1. Cuttings - during autumn sanitary pruning, cuttings 15-20 centimeters long, with 2-3 buds, are cut from cut shoots. In this case, the cut under the lower bud is made straight, and above the upper one - at an angle of 45 ⁰. Such cuttings are planted on a pre-prepared bed (school), placing each of them at an angle of 40-45 ⁰. Before rooting, the cuttings are watered moderately. For the winter, rooted bushes are dug up and placed in a cellar for storage or insulated with a layer of foliage, straw, or spruce branches.
2. Horizontal layering - with this method of propagation, 2-3 strong shoots are bent to the ground in early spring, fixed with small pins and covered with earth, leaving 5-10 centimeters of the top.As they take root and shoots appear, the layering is additionally spudded. In the fall, the rooted cuttings are separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a permanent place.
3. Dividing the bush is the easiest way of vegetative propagation. It involves dividing the old mother bush into two parts with a sharp knife, followed by transplanting each of them to a permanent place.

Propagation by seeds (generative) is not used in summer cottages and garden plots.