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Many gardeners are aware of such cases when they have to replant shrubs on their site. One of these plants is currants. Black, red, white or green - this berry is very widespread in countryside and suburban areas of the country. The shrub, in fact, is unpretentious, takes root well on almost any soil, produces stable yields and requires a minimum of attention.
You can learn about why you need to transplant currants and how to properly transplant currants on your site in this article.
Why do you need to transplant currant bushes?
Everything is clear with planting newly purchased shrubs - they need to be planted in the ground as early as possible. But why might it be necessary to replant blackcurrants that have been growing in the same place in the garden for many years?
There may be several reasons for transplanting black or some other currant:
- replanting currants in the fall to propagate the variety you like;
- for the purpose of rejuvenating an already aged bush;
- if it is not possible to cure the plant from some kind of infection or get rid of the parasite;
- when new buildings appeared on the site, trees and a vineyard grew, providing shade and preventing the currant bush from fully developing;
- in order to thin out overgrown currant bushes, some of them also need to be replanted;
- Replanting is also a good way to increase the yield of berries, because the soil under the berry bush is very depleted.
What should be the ideal place for a bush?
The requirements for a new place for currants are quite high; they also depend on the type of plant: red currant, black or more exotic, white and green.
Black currants can be planted in almost any soil, but red currants are better planted in soil with a high sand content. This is due to the fact that this shrub has higher requirements for the level of soil moisture - red currants do not like excess water, as they more often suffer from fungal infections and rot.
The general requirements for the area under the transplanted bushes are as follows:
- The place should be sunny. Any currant loves the sun very much, perhaps the red currant loves it a little more. If black berries can be planted in partial shade, then red currant bushes are planted only on the south side of the plot in open areas. Typically, red currants are planted in the fall in a mixture of sand and soil.
- It is good if the planting area is on a plain.Lowland areas are completely unsuitable for planting bushes; here the plant will begin to hurt, and its roots will simply rot. The currants are also not placed too high, because the bush suffers too much from the wind, and the moisture quickly leaves the ground.
- As predecessors for currants, you need to choose potatoes, corn or beans; you should not plant the bush where there is a lot of weeds or the intertwined roots of previous perennials remain.
- There should be enough space between the transplanted bush and fruit trees or other shrubs on the site. Currants are too susceptible to various infections and pests; they are easily infected from other plants.
- Light loamy soil is most suitable as soil. The acidity of the earth should be neutral or slightly alkaline. If these indicators do not meet the requirements, you will have to work with the composition of the soil when transplanting currants.
When to replant currants
There are several opinions regarding exactly when to transplant currant bushes. And this can be done at almost the entire stage of the plant’s growing season: summer, autumn or spring.
It is believed that A transplant during which the movement of juices in the shoots is slowed down and the shrub itself is in a state of “sleep” will be less traumatic for the plant. So, when is it better to replant currants: in spring or autumn. Here gardeners have different opinions the following reasons:
- spring – time of awakening of plants.If you have time to replant the bush before its shoots and roots wake up and the sap begins to flow, the plant will tolerate the replanting quite well. But the shrub will no longer be able to bear fruit this season, since all its energy will be spent on adaptation to the new place. But winter frosts are not scary for a bush that is not yet strong after transplantation - this is a strong “trump card” of spring.
- For autumn characterized by a weakening of the strength of all plants, a decrease in their immunity, but it is noted that in this state, shrubs and trees tolerate transplantation much easier. For currants transplanted in the autumn, fruiting is typical in the next season, that is, the gardener will not lose a single harvest. The roots stop growing by winter, so autumn replanting should be done 30-35 days before the onset of severe frosts - this way the currants will have time to take root in a new place.
Which month is best to choose for transplantation?
Depending on what season it is planned to plant a new bush or replant an old one, the exact planting date is determined. For those who prefer to plant currants in the spring, it is better to stop in the month of March, or, more precisely, planting is carried out from March 10 to 20. This period is characterized by the thawing of the earth and the first truly warm rays of spring. The juices in the plant have not yet had time to move, which is especially favorable for transplantation.
To the question: “Can currants be replanted at another time?” The answer is clear: “It’s possible.” The only thing you need to pay attention to is the weather in the region, namely soil temperature - it should be above 0. There are winters when in mid-February the ground has completely thawed and warmed up - you can plant shrubs.
If you decide to replant a currant bush in the fall, it is better to do it before mid-October, before serious frosts begin. It is not worth doing this earlier, since the transplanted bushes may begin to grow due to high air temperatures. Later planting risks freezing of poorly rooted currants.
How to prepare a place for transplanting a currant bush
Two to three weeks before the expected planting of the shrub, it is recommended to prepare a place for it. For proper preparation, follow these steps:
- Dig up the area, remove all roots, weeds and other debris from the ground.
- Taking into account the size of the bush, dig holes for the currant bushes. The diameter of the hole should be approximately 60 cm, and the depth should be about 40 cm. If a bush with an earthen clod is to be replanted, the hole should be made larger.
- At least 150 cm is left between adjacent holes, since currant bushes greatly interfere with each other.
- If the soil is heavy, you need to organize drainage in the holes. This is especially true when transplanting red currants, which are afraid of stagnant moisture. For drainage, broken bricks, crushed stone or pebbles are laid at the bottom of the pit.
- The soil must also stand before transplanting currants; prepare the soil in advance. First, the top layer of turf is poured into the hole from the same soil that was dug for the holes.Then add a bucket of compost or well-rotted humus, 200-300 grams of superphosphate and a liter jar of wood ash. All components of the soil mixture are mixed well and left for a couple of weeks.
Preparing currant bushes for transplantation
Not only the soil, but also the currants themselves must prepare for transplantation to a new place. It is recommended to prepare the bushes for the “move” in advance, because the preparation includes pruning branches, which is very traumatic for the plant, and it still has to acclimatize to the new place.
The bushes should be shortened; they should reach a maximum height of 0.5 meters. To do this, all old stems are cut out, and young stems are shortened by about a third of the length. There should be at least three weeks between pruning and replanting!
Now the bush is dug to a depth of 20-30 cm, retreating 40 cm from the trunk. They take hold of the lower part of the bush and try to pull the plant up. You can’t pull the branches, if the currants don’t give in, you need to cut off all the lateral roots with a shovel.
After extraction, the plant is inspected, paying special attention to the roots. Rotten, diseased and dry roots are cut out. Pests and larvae are identified and also removed along with part of the root.
If the plant is infected, you can dip its roots in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes to disinfect. The currants are transported to a new location on a tarpaulin or thick film.
How to transplant currants to a new place in the fall
You need to replant the shrub correctly:
- At the bottom of the prepared hole, a mound of earth is formed. Water this soil with two buckets of water.
- The bush is positioned relative to the cardinal directions in the same way as it grew in the previous place, so that the branches of the plant do not bend.
- Transplant the currants into the hole, making sure that the root collar is 5 cm below ground level.
- Holding the plant in weight, begin to sprinkle the roots with soil.
- To prevent the roots from ending up in the voids, shake the currants several times, thereby compacting the soil.
- Thoroughly compact the soil around the transplanted bush.
- A shallow trench is dug near the trunk and approximately 20 liters of water are poured into it. You need to water gradually, making sure that the water is evenly absorbed into the soil.
- The dug trench and tree trunk circle are mulched using peat, straw or dry leaves.
- Within two weeks, if there is no rain in the region, the currants need to be watered. They do this every other day, pouring out two buckets of water each time.
We replant currants correctly and get high yields of tasty and healthy berries!
And this video will tell you more about how to transplant currants to a new place in the fall:
