Content
People have been using black currants for more than 1000 years. In the wild, it grew everywhere in Ancient Rus', preferring river banks. Few people know that the Moscow River was once called Smorodinovka, thanks to the thickets of this berry along the banks. The cultivation of currants in Russia began in the 16th century. But most modern varieties were created not so long ago - in the second half and at the end of the twentieth century. There are already several hundred of them. Among this diversity there is always a variety that meets the requirements of any gardener. It happens that consumers are unanimous in their assessment of a variety and leave excellent reviews about it. This is exactly the opinion they have about the black currant Izyumnaya. Many people like it for its unpretentiousness and high quality berries. To understand what other advantages are inherent in the variety, let’s compose its description and characteristics. Photo of the variety.
History of creation
Black currant Raisin was created by the All-Russian Research Institute of Lupine under the leadership of Alexander Ivanovich Astakhov. To do this, he crossed the currant variety Seedling Dove and the form 37-5. The result of the work has been in the State Register since 2007. Raisin currants are recommended for cultivation in the Central region, but gardeners are happy to plant them in many other places.
Black currant Izyumnaya has features that are rarely seen in other varieties.
Variety characteristics
This currant is unpretentious and easily adapts to any weather disasters: spring frosts and lack of moisture.
Appearance
The bush of the black currant Izyumnaya is compact, low - no higher than 1.5 m, and does not tend to spread out.
The three-lobed leaves have medium-sized notches. The leaf blades are large, leathery, wrinkled, dark green in color, and have a convex shape. There is a deep notch at the base of the leaf. The edges of the leaf blades end in blunt teeth.
Flowers and fruits
This early variety blooms already in the first ten days of May.
- The raceme of the Izyumnaya currant is quite long and contains from 7 to 11 pale yellow large flowers.
- Already in early July, the weighty berries - up to 3.3 g, have a round shape and a black color without shine - ripen.
- The taste qualities of the berries of the black currant variety Izyumnaya are very high. Numerous reviews from gardeners indicate that this variety is a dessert variety and has a real sweet taste. With a small amount of acids - only 1.8%, the sugar content is high and amounts to almost a tenth of the weight of the berry. It also contains a lot of ascorbic acid: for every 100 g of pulp - 193 mg.
- The peculiarity of this particular variety is that the ripe berries do not fall off and hang on the bush almost until autumn, while raisining. It is this ability that gives the variety its name.
- The harvest of black currant of the Izyumnaya variety is quite decent - up to 2 kg per bush. But so many berries can be collected only with good care.
Important advantages of the variety include its good resistance to such serious currant diseases as bud mite and American powdery mildew.
This variety has only one drawback - it is difficult to propagate, since woody cuttings do not take root well.
How to care
Currant Raisin is an unpretentious variety, but it also has its own care requirements that must be observed.
- Raisin black currants should be planted in a well-lit place, it should be ventilated so that dampness does not accumulate, but strong wind is contraindicated for currants.
- This berry bush prefers loose and moisture-permeable soil, preferably loam or sandy loam enriched with organic matter.
- For black currant variety Izyumnaya, the correct soil acidity level is very important. It should have a neutral or close to it reaction. In acidic soil, the bushes are suppressed, the berries become smaller, and the yield decreases.
- Where they plan to plant Raisin currants, there should be no accumulation of water after the snow melts. If the groundwater is high, the roots will get wet and the currant bush will die.
Landing
You can plant black currant bushes Izyumnaya in both autumn and spring. Reviews from gardeners indicate that autumn planting is preferable. Why? Before frost, the blackcurrant bush will have time to take root; in the spring, with the beginning of the growing season, the roots will already begin to supply nutrients to the growing above-ground mass. There will be no delay in the growth and development of the plant. The period of time during which you can plant black currants of the Izyumnaya variety in the spring is very short, since its buds open early. And a bush that has begun its growing season can only be planted if it is grown in a container.The most important time for spring growth will be spent establishing.
Proper planting of black currant Raisin is the key to good development of the plant and its longevity. The currant variety Izyumnaya has a compact bush, so compact planting is possible with a distance between plants of just over a meter.
If there is enough organic matter, the entire area of future blackcurrant plantings is treated, covering the applied fertilizers during digging. For each square meter you need to add:
- from 7 to 10 kg of rotted compost or humus;
- about a liter of wood ash, if there is none - 80 g of potassium salt;
- from 80 to 100 g of superphosphate.
If there is a lack of organic fertilizers, food is applied directly to the pits. It is better to begin their preparation in the season preceding planting.
- Dig a cubic hole with an edge size of 40 cm.
- 20 cm – thickness of the top fertile layer. This soil is mixed with a bucket of humus or matured compost, superphosphate (200 g), wood ash (400 g) or potassium sulfate (70 g). To deoxidize the soil, you can add 200 g of ground limestone.
- Fill the hole 2/3 with soil mixture, pour half a bucket of water into it.
- Install a black currant seedling Izyumnaya, tilting it 45 degrees and deepening the root collar by 7-10 centimeters.
On heavy soils, seedlings are buried less deeply. - Carefully straighten the roots and cover them with the prepared soil mixture so that there are no air bubbles in it. To do this, shake the seedling slightly.
- The earth is compacted a little and half a bucket of water is poured out.
- The surface of the soil under the blackcurrant bush must be mulched. Any organic matter and even dry soil are suitable for this. Do not neglect mulching; it will help retain moisture in the root zone longer and improve the survival rate of the seedling.
- When planting in spring, currant branches are cut off, leaving 3-4 buds. This will cause new shoots to grow from the root collar.
- If planting is carried out in the fall, pruning is postponed to early spring. When planting in autumn, the currant bush must be hilled. In spring, excess soil is removed.
Watering
Although the Izyumnaya currant variety is drought-resistant, it still needs watering. Roots can only absorb nutrients from moist soil, so the root layer should not suffer from a lack of water.
How to water black currant Raisin:
- Watering should be done only in the evening. Overnight, the moisture will be well absorbed into the soil and absorbed by the roots. When watering during the day, most of the water will evaporate, leaving very little for the plant.
- According to reviews from experienced gardeners, the best watering for this variety of blackcurrant is from a sprayer with a fine nozzle. If the weather is dry, it should be carried out at least 2 times a week, the duration of irrigation is from 1 to 2 hours. Such watering is possible only for varieties that are not at risk of being affected by powdery mildew, and Izyumnaya is resistant to it.
- It is important not only to water the currant bushes, but also to ensure that the moisture in the root layer is retained as long as possible. The best assistant for this is mulch. In summer, there is no shortage of various wastes that we get from weeding, mowing, and trimming the stems of ornamental plants. All this can be put into action.
Feeding
In the year of planting, and if the soil is fertile the next year, fertilizing of Izyumnaya currants is not necessary. In the future, the bushes are fed as follows:
- In spring, plants need nitrogen, for young bushes - from 40 to 50 g of urea. After 4 years of life, they do not need more than 40 g of urea, and even this amount is given in the form of double feeding with a certain interval;
- after flowering, fertilize in liquid form with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer, 10 liters of water are poured under each plant, in which 10 g of nitrogen and potassium fertilizers and 20 g of superphosphate are dissolved;
- fertilizing is repeated while filling the berries;
- when the harvest has already been harvested, another fertilizing will be required, but without nitrogen - superphosphate in the amount of 50 g and 20 g of potassium sulfate, which can be successfully replaced with a glass of ash.
In autumn, currant bushes are covered with manure or compost - up to 6 kg each, 15 cm away from the root collar. According to gardeners, Izyumnaya currants can be grown without mineral fertilizers with regular addition of organic matter, ash, and herbal infusions.
Currants are very fond of starch and respond positively to burying potato peelings under a bush.
Formation
Why does a gardener prune currant bushes?
- To achieve the correct ratio of shoots of different ages.To do this, annually leave 2-3 strong zero shoots of an already formed bush and cut out the same number of old ones that are 5-6 years old.
- To achieve maximum branching of shoots, on which the harvest will be appropriate. To do this, prune zero branches in July, stimulating the regrowth of second-order branches. It is enough to shorten them by 10 cm.
In the video you can see how the spring formation of a currant bush is carried out in practice:
Reviews
Conclusion
Blackcurrant is one of the main sources of vitamin C. You should have it in every garden. In raisin currants, the undoubted benefits are combined with an excellent dessert taste. And this is doubly pleasant.
