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Currant bushes are characterized by rather intensive growth of young shoots, and over time the side branches bend close to the ground or even lie on it. In this case, gardeners say that the bush is “falling apart.” Meanwhile, the side shoots are still quite young and bear fruit abundantly, so there is no point in cutting them out. It is much more correct to make fences for currants with your own hands, giving the side branches a vertical or close to it position with the help of such a support.
Why do you need a stand for currant bushes?
Fences for currant bushes are made so that the side shoots do not bend too much to the ground. The flexible shoots of the plant, under their own weight and the weight of the ripening berries, actually fall to the ground, which not only spoils the appearance of the bush, but also creates a number of problems. Harvesting on such branches is difficult; the berries get very dirty due to their proximity to the ground. Air exchange in such shoots is slower, increased humidity and proximity to the soil create an increased risk of infection of the currant bush with fungal diseases.
If the side branches are old, they can be trimmed.However, this is not always justified, especially with red and white currant bushes. These species bear fruit on shoots that can be up to 7-8 years old, so if they are cut before this period, you can obviously lose a significant part of the harvest. It is much more correct to install a ring support around the bush, on which the side shoots will rest. Thus, several problems are solved at once:
- Contact of side shoots with the soil is excluded.
- Air exchange in the lower part of the bush is normalized.
- Fruiting shoots are preserved.
- The risk of infection of the currant bush with fungal diseases is reduced, as well as the risk of infection by pests living in the upper layer of soil.
- Improves the appearance of the garden.
There are a large number of different options for ring supports for currant bushes. Finished products can be purchased at a gardening store, and if you wish and have the tools, these devices can be easily made with your own hands.
What are fences for currant bushes made of?
To make a fence for currant bushes, you can easily adapt a wide variety of things. Among them:
- wooden slats;
- wire;
- metal pipes, fittings, corners;
- polypropylene or polyethylene pipes;
- metal-plastic pipes.
When choosing a material and design for making a support for currant bushes, gardeners focus primarily on the simplicity of the design, its practicality and minimal installation costs. For some plot owners, the issue of aesthetics is of paramount importance, and for the sake of the appearance of the garden they are willing to incur additional costs. In this case, the support for the bushes can be made, for example, from carved wood or wrought iron.
It will undoubtedly look more beautiful, but in fulfilling its main function, namely supporting side shoots, such a fence will be no better than one made from an old water pipe.
Types of fencing for currants
The simplest fencing support for a currant bush can be made with your own hands from pieces of reinforcement and wire. Three or four rods are driven evenly around the bush, and then tied with wire, fixing it on each post. You should not drive the stakes too close to the center of the bush; the fence should support the side shoots and not pull the bush together.
Bush fencing made from wooden posts and slats looks more aesthetically pleasing. Usually they are made quadrangular by driving four bars into the ground at the corners and tying them together with wooden planks. The structure is fastened with nails or self-tapping screws. A wooden fence for currant bushes is often made collectively if the bushes are planted in a row. You can see more about this in the video:
Often, an old polyethylene or metal-plastic pipe is used to make currant fencing. Typically, such a stand is made in the shape of a ring, complementing the design with 3 or 4 legs made from an old metal pipe. For ease of putting on the bush, the design can be either closed or open.
Trellis can be used to secure the currant bush.In this case, the bush is made flatter by removing some of the shoots from opposite sides. The lower remaining shoots are simply tied to the trellis, and the bush itself is formed into a fan.
For currants grown using the standard method, a fence is not installed. In this case, a wooden stake is driven into the ground next to the shoot, to which a standard is tied.
Requirements for stands for currant bushes
First of all, currant stands must fulfill their immediate function - keep the bush in a compact state and prevent the side branches from falling to the ground. In addition, the devices must have some other qualities.
- Convenience. The design of the stand should not interfere with agricultural work in the root zone, watering or spraying, or harvesting.
- Mobility. It’s good if the support can be quickly removed and put back in place. The design of collapsible stands is undoubtedly more complex, but they are more functional.
- Environmental friendliness. The materials used to make the supports should not harm the currant bush itself or the environment.
- Ease of production. It’s good if the support stand can be quickly made or repaired with your own hands.
- Economical. To make a fence, you can use disused items or materials, which allows you to save a lot of money.
- Aesthetics. A well-made and beautifully made support for a currant bush can become a real decoration of the garden.
- Durability. The materials used must be resistant to atmospheric moisture, sunlight, high or low temperatures, and the structure itself must last as long as possible.
- Safety. The support design should not pose a danger to the gardener, pets or birds.
How to make a currant fence with your own hands
If funds do not allow you to buy a finished product in a store, then you can easily make a stand-fence yourself from scrap materials. Below are examples and photos of the most common fencing for currant bushes, which you can easily make with your own hands:
Wooden cage. To make such a support with your own hands, you will need wooden blocks and planks. Their size depends on the size of the bush. The height and width of the cage are selected in such a way that the angle of deviation of the side shoots resting on the fence from the vertical does not exceed 45 °. Four bars are corner posts. Planks are attached to them, which serve as support for the side shoots.
Assemble the fence as follows. Using self-tapping screws or nails, 3 sides of the cage are mounted on all 4 supports. Then the bush is pulled into a bun using a regular belt. The fence is placed on the side of the currant, after which the boards are attached to form the 4th side of the cage. After this, the belt securing the shoots is removed.
Pipe ring. There are quite a lot of options for making this kind of product with your own hands. The base of the support is a ring made of metal-plastic or polyethylene water pipe. Its diameter depends on the size of the bush. A variety of objects can be used as legs: the same pieces of pipes, fittings, thick wire.Most importantly, there should be a hole at the end of the post through which the ring from the main pipe is passed.
Depending on the size of the bush, there can be from 1 to 4 legs. For ease of installation, the support ring is often made detachable. A type of such support can be a plastic ring with wooden posts. In this case, the role of the legs is played by wooden blocks driven into the ground along the perimeter of the currant bush. A recess is cut out at their upper end into which the support ring is placed.
The shoots press the ring tightly against the bars, but for reliability it would be better to fix it or make it heavier by passing a metal rod inside or filling it with sand.
For lovers of strong and durable structures, we recommend making your own all-metal stand for currant bushes from a corner or profile pipe. This option is suitable for those who know how to operate a welding machine and have plumbing skills.
Structures of this type can be made either entirely welded or collapsible. Before use, they must be primed and painted, this will greatly increase their service life.
To make your own stand-support for a currant bush, you can use recently introduced polypropylene pipes. They are durable, aesthetic and environmentally friendly, and do not have a high price. To make a fence you will need a polypropylene pipe with a diameter of 40 or 50 mm, as well as 4 corner (two-plane) tees.
You can assemble such a structure using a special soldering iron.If such a device is not available or the structure needs to be made collapsible, then it is preferable to use ordinary self-tapping screws.
A good option for making a support for currants with your own hands is a metal rod. If you bend it in a certain way, in the form of a ring with supporting legs, then such a device will serve as an excellent support for the bush. The method is good for its simplicity, but to bring the idea to life you will need good physical training.
A currant bush holder made of a metal rod, pictured below.
The number of possible options for making your own fencing for currant bushes is much greater than described in this article. Human imagination is truly limitless.
Conclusion
Making currant fences with your own hands is quite simple; there are a lot of different options for this, to suit every taste and budget. Most of them do not require special training and can be done by people with minimal physical labor skills. However, despite its simplicity, installing a fence on currant bushes is an important procedure and should not be neglected.
