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Black currant berries contain many vitamins and beneficial microelements, which puts them one step higher than red fruits. Housewives even learned to use the leaves in canning and pickling. A striking representative of the chokeberry crop is the currant variety Sokrovische, bred by Siberian breeders.
Description of the variety
Treasure currant bushes grow up to 1.5 m high. The branches do not fall apart on the sides. The bush is formed with medium density. Young shoots grow evenly without bending. The yellow-green skin is covered with a small edge. On older branches the bark turns brown. The leaf shape is three-pointed. Wrinkled skin is observed on the surface of the leaf blade. The leaf grows on short and thick petioles.
Currants bloom amicably. The flowers are small and collected on racemes. The petals are yellow-green with a cream tint. The shape of the flower resembles a small cup. The clusters grow single or fused in groups of three. The short stalks are covered with fine pubescence. One bunch bears up to ten berries.
When considering the Treasure currant, description of the variety, photos, reviews, you should pay attention to the fruits. A special feature of the crop are large black berries with a purple tint. The mature fruit weighs 1.6–2.1 g. The berries grow of the same size, round in shape and slightly oval.The pulp contains many small grains. The skin is covered with a slight coating, which gives it a matte finish. However, after rain or watering, the berries shine, reflecting sunlight. The skin is thin, almost imperceptible when eaten. The taste of the berries is sweet with a slight sense of acidity.
The fruit ripening period is early. Currant bushes winter well and are slightly affected by fungus and mites. A distinctive feature of the Treasure variety is self-pollination. The harvest can be obtained without the participation of bees and other insects. During the season, about 4 kg of berries are harvested from one blackcurrant bush. In a harvest year, the branches are not able to support the weight of the fruit on their own. To prevent the bush from falling apart, it is propped up with stakes or tied.
Treasure black currant has many positive qualities, but gardeners have identified some disadvantages. The main disadvantage is the rapid aging of the bush. The variety is demanding in terms of agricultural technology and does not tolerate drought well.
The video talks about the blackcurrant variety Treasure:
Rules for planting seedlings
The area for planting blackcurrant seedlings is prepared in advance. The soil is dug up to a bayonet depth and everything is removed. weeds and their roots. Choose a place that is sunny, well ventilated, but without drafts. Currants grow well in slightly acidic soil. Increased acidity is extinguished with chalk, old clay plaster or dry cement. Depending on the acidity level, from 0.5 to 1 kg of desalination is mixed into the hole when planting a seedling. Crushed egg shells give a good result.
Treasure currants take root in the spring, but autumn seedlings take root better. The root system of the bush is in constant development. Before the onset of winter, the currants will get stronger, easily withstand frosts, and in the spring they will give strong growth.
When buying blackcurrant seedlings, you need to do a thorough inspection of the entire bush, including the root system. The branches should be without damage with healthy buds. The bark is uniform in color without spots. The length of the root system is from 15 to 20 cm. If the seedling is sold in a pot, it is taken out along with a lump of earth. The soil should retain its shape and be completely braided with thin roots.
The rules for planting black currant Treasure consist of the following points:
- Preparation of the bed for planting seedlings begins two months in advance. First, during digging, the roots of weeds are removed. The Treasure variety loves nutrients. To enrich the soil, a bed for every 1 m2 scatter 10 kg of compost or humus, 50 g of potassium and 100 g of superphosphate. The soil along with the fertilizer is dug up to the depth of a spade bayonet.
- Before planting, the roots of blackcurrant seedlings of the Sokrovische variety are soaked in water. For better development, you can add the drug Kornevin.
- While the seedling is soaking, begin digging a hole. A hole is dug 40 cm deep and 50 cm in diameter. A bucket of fertile soil mixed with compost is poured into the bottom. At high acidity, a desalination agent is added. 5 liters of water are poured into the hole.
- A blackcurrant seedling is lowered with its roots to the bottom of the hole and tilted at an angle of 45O and begin to carefully sprinkle with loose soil, deepening the root collar to 8 cm.
- The upper part of the seedling is cut off with pruning shears. A twig with four buds is left above the ground. Pruning is mandatory, otherwise the bush will quickly grow old.
- The soil around the seedling is lightly compacted by hand. An earthen rim is poured around the hole and two buckets of water are poured out. After the liquid has been absorbed, the damp soil is covered with peat or sawdust mulch 5 cm thick.
If several currant bushes of the Sokrovische variety are planted on a plot, then a distance of 1 m is maintained between the bushes. On plantations, row spacing is set up with a width of 2 m for ease of maintenance and harvesting.
Caring for mature bushes
According to the description, the Sokrovische currant variety does not require special care, but the bush cannot be left to grow to its own devices. The crop necessarily requires watering, fertilizing, pruning and weeding.
In order for oxygen to reach the blackcurrant roots, you need to loosen the soil. It is advisable to do this after each watering. Weeding is done as the grass grows. It is necessary to loosen the soil carefully, shallowly. The root system of the Sokrovische currant variety is located in the upper layers of the soil and you should try not to damage it with a hoe. If you don’t have time to frequently loosen the soil, then it is enough to perform the procedure twice a season: in the spring during fertilizing and in the fall after harvesting the berries.
The intensity of watering of the Treasure variety depends on weather conditions, but currants require water at four important stages of life:
- with the appearance of the ovary;
- when the berries begin to ripen;
- at the end of the harvest;
- late autumn after the leaves have fallen.
In dry weather, black currants are watered abundantly, more than one bucket per bush. However, water should not stagnate in the hole. Moistening the soil to a depth of 50 cm is considered optimal.
The Treasure variety responds well to fertilizing. To increase productivity, fertilizers must be applied twice per season. In spring, bushes up to four years old are fed with 50 g of urea. For old currants, the amount of fertilizer is reduced to 30 g. In the fall, after harvesting the berries, each bush is fed with 5 kg of compost, 20 g of potassium and 50 g of superphosphate.
Four times per season, the Treasure variety needs liquid fertilizers:
- in spring when buds open;
- at the end of flowering;
- when the berries begin to ripen;
- at the end of the harvest.
The liquid fertilizer is bird droppings infused in water at a ratio of 10:1. You can mix 1 part mullein in 4 parts water. When using mineral fertilizers, add 10 g of potassium and 20 g of phosphorus per 10 liters of water. Pour 1 bucket of any liquid fertilizer under each currant bush.
Pruning currant bushes of the Sokrovische variety is required. A neglected shrub will not bear fruit and will quickly grow old. Formation is carried out every autumn after the leaves fall. The cutting diagram looks like this:
- The top of the planted seedling is cut off, leaving a twig with four buds above the ground.
- In the second year, all grown branches are cut off, leaving shoots with 4–7 buds.
- In the third season, all old branches and long new shoots are shortened by about 1/3.
- Starting from the sixth year, all old branches are cut out from the bush. Further formation occurs according to the considered scheme.
The period from 5 to 7 years of life for black currants of the Sokrovische variety is considered the peak of full fruiting. At this time, the bush should consist of 10–15 fully developed branches.
Additional pruning can be done in early spring. The procedure is aimed at removing frozen and snow-damaged branches.Pruning is done before the buds open.
Disease Control
The Sokrovische variety is considered resistant to diseases, but preventive measures are needed. Most pests breed in dense thickets of grass. The simplest way to get rid of the enemy is timely weeding.
Since autumn, parasites overwinter on currant branches. To prevent them from awakening, in the spring the bushes are doused with hot water from a watering can at a temperature of 60–70OWith the addition of soda. A hot shower additionally stimulates currants, accelerates sap flow, and awakens the kidneys.
Reviews
Many gardeners have the most flattering reviews about black currant Treasure. The variety is loved by summer residents because of its stable yields of tasty large berries.
