Red currant Sugar: description of the variety, photos, reviews

Content

1 Main features of the variety
2 Selection of seedlings
3 Landing place
4 Rules for planting seedlings
5 Seasonal care
6 Reviews

The taste of red currants is usually associated with sour berries. However, there are varieties that are the complete opposite. One of them is Sugar currant. The name already says that a gardener should expect sweet berries if he plants bushes on his site. A description of the red currant variety Sugar, photos and reviews from summer residents will help you get to know the culture better.

Main features of the variety

By its origin, the Sugar red currant is a hybrid. The culture was developed by domestic breeders. The shrub grows branched with straight shoots. The leaves are five-pointed, with teeth along the edges. The buds are round, slightly elongated, and brown in color when unopened.

Flowers are collected on a brush. The shape resembles cups or saucers. The petals are yellow with a green tint. A mature bunch stretches up to 9 cm long. An average of 20 berries are tied on each cluster. Ripe fruits acquire a bright red color. The berries are sweet, aromatic, tasty fresh and are great for processing.

Important! Sometimes you can find sugar black currant on the market, which is compared to the red-fruited variety. In fact, the cultures are not related.The Ordinary Miracle variety is often hidden under this name.

The advantages of the variety will help you get to know the characteristics of currants better:

the yield of the Sugar variety with good care reaches 7 kg per bush;
the decorative effect of the bush allows you to decorate the site and plant hedges;
berries have dessert properties;
the variety is considered winter-hardy, tolerates severe frosts, and is not afraid of temperature fluctuations;
long fruiting period, lasting from early July to late autumn;
the variety does not require complex care;
bushes bear fruit without a decrease in yield for up to 25 years;
red currants are rarely affected by pests;
berries collected in bunches can be stored and transported for a long time.

Jams, juice, and jams are prepared from the red fruits of the Sakharnaya variety. The berries are frozen or dried for compotes. Due to the high sugar content, overripe fruits make good wine.

Among the shortcomings, the average size of the berries stands out. The second negative feature is the low percentage of self-pollination - 30%. The variety is susceptible to anthracnose disease.

Important! If only one variety of red currant, Sugar, grows on the plot, then there will not be a good harvest. This is due to poor self-pollination. For cross-pollination, you need to plant several bushes of another currant.

The red-fruited variety Sakharnaya tolerates cold more easily than black currants. Such characteristics make it possible to grow the crop in cold regions and even Siberia. For better survival, seedlings are planted in September. Planting time for warm regions can be shifted to October. Spring planting is carried out in March, but they look at the weather conditions.

Autumn red currant seedlings of the Sakharnaya variety take root better.They have time to take root before winter. Hardening will occur in the cold. In spring, currants will begin to grow in full force.

Selection of seedlings

Sugar currant propagates by seedlings. The development of the bush and future productivity depend on the quality of planting material. The selection of Sugar Redcurrant seedlings takes into account the following nuances:

A good root system of a seedling is determined by its light brown color and a length of at least 15 cm. The bunch should consist of many thin threads and the main root.
The above-ground part of the Sugar currant seedling is inspected for the absence of dry buds, damage to the bark, spots, and bumpy growths.
The height of the aboveground part of a well-developed seedling is about 40 cm.

It is better to buy currant seedlings in nurseries. Even with postal delivery, you can hope that a healthy bush will grow from the planting material. Nurseries comply with seedling storage conditions, which guarantees a high survival rate.

Advice! Buying currants from a nursery eliminates the risk of slipping in another variety, which is often found on the market.

Landing place

The Sugar variety grows well on sandy loam or light loamy soil. Pure clay and acidic soil inhibit the root system of the bush. Currants grow poorly in such areas, bring little yield and disappear over time.

If the groundwater level is high on the site, embankments will have to be erected. This can be a whole raised bed or separate hills for each bush. The root system of the Sakharnaya currant develops in the upper layers of the soil, so a 40 cm thick embankment will be enough for it.

Red currants love good light and sunlight. The area should be well ventilated.Free air movement reduces the risk of powdery mildew affecting bushes.

Advice! Drafts are not considered good ventilation and are detrimental to currants.

To protect from drafts, seedlings are planted near buildings, solid fences and other structures.

Rules for planting seedlings

Red currant seedlings take root well when planted in spring and autumn. If there is a choice, then the second option is preferable for all varieties, including Sugar. The best month for landing is September. Before the onset of frost, the currants will have enough time to take root. The Sugar variety is characterized by compact bushes, and a distance of 1.2 m between seedlings will be sufficient.

The landing process consists of the following steps:

For a seedling, a hole is dug 40 cm deep and 50–60 cm in diameter. On plantations, currants are planted in rows, and instead of holes, a trench of similar depth is dug.
A nutrient mixture is prepared from fertile soil and compost. If the site is located on acidic soil, add chalk or old clay plaster. Pour a bucket of the prepared mixture into each hole and add half a bucket of water.
When the liquid is absorbed, the seedling is placed at an angle of 45^O. The root system is straightened along the bottom of the hole and covered with earth. The soil level is adjusted 5 cm above the root collar. Deepening helps to grow basal shoots from buried buds.
The loose soil around the red currant seedling is pressed with your hand. 3 buckets of water are poured into the hole one by one. If, after absorbing the liquid, roots appear on the surface, they are covered with crumbly soil. Sawdust or peat mulch is scattered on top.

After planting all the seedlings, the top of each currant is cut off, approximately a third of the length.

The video talks about the correct planting of red currants:

Seasonal care

Getting a good harvest depends on caring for currants. The Sugar variety does not require spending a lot of time on it, but basic watering, weeding, fertilizing and pruning must be done.

Watering

Many currant varieties are tolerant of watering, but Sugar loves water. Waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed. Add just enough water so that the ground around the bush is soaked to a depth of 50 cm.

Attention! Lack of moisture while pouring the berries will cause them to fall off.

Water is poured directly to the root. Do not pour leaves in hot weather. It is unacceptable to use sprinkling during flowering. The frequency of watering is adjusted according to weather conditions. In case of drought, 5 buckets of water are poured under an adult bush every 10 days. In cool and humid summers, the frequency of watering is increased to 20 days.

Weeding and loosening the soil

Under the red currant bushes of the Sugar variety should always be kept clean from weed. The soil is weeded with a hoe when small grass appears, preventing it from taking root. In spring and autumn, be sure to fluff up the soil at the same time as fertilizing is applied. Mulching will help simplify soil care. A thick layer of peat or sawdust will retain moisture, prevent dry crust formation and reduce weed growth.

Fertilizer application

For the first two years, red currants do not need to be fed. The bushes will have enough nutrients initially added during planting. Feeding begins in the third year. Each bush is fertilized with a solution of nitroammophoska. A matchbox of dry matter is diluted with 10 liters of water.

The Sugar variety responds well to nitrogen-containing fertilizers. At 1 m² soils add 10 g of saltpeter or urea.

Bush formation

By autumn the next year after planting, 3–4 branches should grow from the seedling. They are shortened with pruning shears, leaving shoots with four buds. In the spring, fruiting branches and young shoots will grow from them. Further formation follows a similar principle. The result should be a bush with 15–20 fruiting branches. Pruning is carried out in the fall, and in the spring only frozen and damaged shoots are removed.

Preparing for winter

The Sugar variety tolerates cold well without additional shelter. It is enough to insulate the roots with a mound of earth. The bush itself can be tied with twine to protect it from breaking snowdrifts. Additionally, the currants are tied to any support, for example, reinforcement driven into the ground. For northern regions, additional protection can be provided with an agrofibre shelter. The film cannot be used, since the bark of the branches will get burns from the cold in places where it touches it.

Reviews

Reviews about Sugar currants are mostly positive. The crop is in demand by summer residents and small farms growing berries for commercial purposes.

Katerina

Sugar red currant has been growing on my plot for 7 years. The two bushes don't give me much trouble. I water it in the summer, prune it in the fall and feed it twice a year. The berries are more sweet than sour, which is why I liked this variety. For better pollination, I planted a bush of another red currant nearby, Beloved.

Nikolai

I bought five different varieties of red currants at the nursery. Sugar is the most delicious and prolific. I wanted to cut down the rest and breed only this variety, but it does not pollinate well.I had to leave two old bushes, and instead of the two that were cut down, I planted three more Sakharnaya seedlings. The berries make excellent jam and I tried making liqueur once.

Redcurrant Sugar