Content
Many people love blackcurrants. Berries contain many vitamins and nutrients. Almost all varieties have fruits with a universal purpose. Delicious preserves, jams, jams, and juices are prepared from currant berries. It is difficult to list all the culinary delights that can be prepared from the fruits of this crop.
When choosing a variety, many factors are taken into account: ease of cultivation and care, size and taste of the berries. Currant Bashkir giant is just from such a series. Readers will find a description of the plant, characteristics, photos and reviews in the article.
Description and characteristics
The medium-ripening blackcurrant variety Bashkir Giant was created by Russian breeders of the Bashkir Research Institute of Agriculture.
Bushes
The bushes of this variety are of medium height. On annual shoots, the bark is light brown with clearly visible pubescence. Mature branches can be distinguished by their darker bark. The shoots are erect, of medium vigor.
Dark green leaf blades with five lobes. The middle part of the leaf protrudes forward, and the remaining two pairs are located parallel to each other. Each plate has sharp teeth.
Flowers and berries
The racemes on the inflorescences are drooping and long. On each of them 12-15 flowers bloom, shaped like a bell with oval petals. The sepals are wide, the edges of the petals are bent outward.
The self-fertility of the Bashkir Giant variety is high; the currant does not require pollinators. Almost all flowers are tied on each brush. By the time they ripen, large black berries weigh 1.4-2.5 grams. Many gardeners write in reviews that the shiny, round fruits are similar in size to cherries. And the photo also confirms this.
The berries of the Bashkir giant variety have a dense skin and are torn off dry, so they are highly transportable. Consumers also note the taste of currants. The pulp is tender, juicy, with a small acid content. The aroma is truly currant.
Characteristic
- Since this variety has excellent fruit set, the yield is high. With proper agricultural technology, up to 7 kilograms of berries are harvested from one bush.
- The berries ripen almost at the same time and do not fall off. This makes cleaning easier.
- The Bashkir giant variety is a frost-resistant plant; temperatures down to -35 degrees do not lead to freezing of the root system. Therefore, currants can be grown even in the northern regions of Russia.
- The plant is drought-resistant and unpretentious in care.
- Disease resistance of this currant variety is average, but is sometimes affected by bud mites and anthracnose.
Breeding rules
Black currant, including the Bashkir giant variety, is an amazing plant. It takes root anyway. As gardeners write in reviews, just stick a twig in and it will start to grow. But to get a good harvest you need to have healthy seedlings.
Of course, if gardeners want to plant a new variety on their plot, they will have to purchase planting material. It is better to use the services of nurseries or companies that distribute root-capable seedlings. To propagate currants growing on the site, you can prepare seedlings yourself.
The Bashkir giant variety reproduces:
- cuttings;
- layering;
- dividing an old bush.
Cuttings
To propagate black currants, green or lignified cuttings are used. Reproduction can be done at any time, even in summer.
Lignified cuttings
In March, when the buds are just beginning to swell, cuttings are taken from annual shoots located in the middle of the bush. The length of the cuttings is 18-20 cm, and the thickness is approximately the size of a pencil. 4-5 buds are left on each cutting.
The planting material is cut off on both sides: from the bottom at an acute angle, and the upper part of the branch is straight, and placed in a jar of water. The upper cut can be coated with varnish or sprinkled with wood ash or activated carbon.
The water in the jar is constantly changed so that it does not stagnate and rot. With the onset of warm weather, seedlings with rudiments of roots are planted in a special bed - a kindergarten for growing. The soil must be fertile. It remains to water in a timely manner. By autumn, the seedlings will be ready for planting in a new location.
Propagation of currants by cuttings to obtain a large number of seedlings:
Green cuttings
In summer, you can use green cuttings to propagate the Bashkir giant blackcurrant variety. They are cut from healthy shoots.
A cutting up to 10 cm long should have two leaves, which also need to be trimmed a little.Fertile soil is poured into bags with holes for water drainage, watered abundantly and cuttings are inserted at an angle of 45 degrees.
You need to water the cuttings every 2-3 days so that the soil is very moist. Seedlings are planted in a permanent location in the fall. The Bashkir giant currant variety is buried 15 cm lower than it grew in the nursery.
Reproduction by layering
Obtaining new blackcurrant seedlings of any variety by layering is the most common and simplest method. This is a good way to propagate valuable varieties of currants, but you need to take two-year-old branches from a productive and healthy bush. Over the summer, several strong shoots with a well-developed root system appear.
A ditch is dripped next to the bush, a shoot is placed in it and pinned with staples or knots. The top is covered with fertile soil and watered abundantly.
Now all that remains is to keep the soil moist and prevent it from drying out. In autumn, the seedlings are moved to a permanent place.
Dividing the bush
Often, valuable currant varieties are propagated by dividing one bush into several parts. Work can be carried out in early spring before buds open or in autumn after leaf fall.
Only healthy plants without signs of disease are suitable for propagation. The currant bush is dug up at a great distance from the center and uprooted from the hole. The soil is shaken off to expose the root system. The number of divisions will depend on the age of the bush and the number of shoots.
After examining the bush, they mark the cutting sites. First, cut out all old or broken branches to the base.Then the roots are shortened. The cuttings are planted in prepared planting holes at an angle of 45 degrees and watered well.
Then the shoots on each planted bush are cut off, leaving a height of no more than 20 cm, with 3-4 buds. There is no need to regret escapes. As experienced gardeners write in reviews, such pruning stimulates the growth of the root system and the appearance of strong shoots from the buds.
After planting, the currant bushes of the Bashkir giant variety must be mulched to retain moisture and prevent weeds will.
Useful tips on planting currants can be found here:
Currant care
Caring for Bashkir giant currants is traditional, but there are some features depending on the time of year.
Spring
The spring period is very important for blackcurrants of any variety. At this time the growing season begins. What needs to be done:
- Look around the bushes. According to the description, characteristics and reviews of gardeners, black currants of the Bashkir giant variety can be affected by bud mites. If there are swollen buds that stand out in an unnaturally large size, then they must be removed. In case of severe damage, cut out the entire shoot to the very base.
- They loosen the ground at a shallow depth and dig up the bushes.
- Fertilize currants with potato peelings, wood ash and humus. Water generously and mulch with sawdust or manure. At the beginning of spring, so-called moisture-charging irrigation is performed.
- They carry out sanitary pruning and treat the bushes with drugs against pests and diseases.
Summer
In the summer, the currant variety needs the following measures:
- In abundant watering, especially at the beginning of flowering and fruiting.
- If the soil is not mulched, you will have to remove weeds all summer. The fact is that currant bushes have a root system located close to the surface. A large number of weeds will draw out all the nutrients and slow down the growth of the plant.
- Simultaneously with watering, fertilizing with organic matter is carried out. Infusions of mullein, green grass, nettle and wood ash are excellent. The same compositions can be used for foliar feeding.
- Any change in the condition of the plant should be alarming. In some years, the blackcurrant variety may be affected by anthracnose. For prevention, you can spray the plantings with copper sulfate (add 40-45 grams per 10 liters of water). It is good to treat bushes with Hom.
Autumn
When the harvest is harvested, the plants begin to prepare for winter:
- loosen the soil;
- water abundantly if autumn is dry;
- carry out pruning;
- feed currant bushes with organic matter or mineral fertilizers;
- sprinkle the root system with humus or compost 20 centimeters deep.
How to increase your harvest
Every gardener dreams of getting a good harvest of currants every year. The Bashkir Giant variety has large berries, but they can be even larger if the following measures are taken:
- In case of abundant flowering, in order to prevent the ovaries from shedding, it is advisable to spray the currant bushes with honey infusion. Warm water is poured into a liter jar and a tablespoon of honey is added. The honey smell will attract bees, which in turn increases pollination and increases yield.
- Currant bushes of the Bashkir giant variety are planted at a distance of 1.5 meters.
- Feeding plants with potato infusion (soaking the peel) also affects the size of the berries. 3 liters of infusion are poured under each bush.
Growing black currants is not difficult, the main thing is to get acquainted with the peculiarities of agricultural technology.
