Black currant Hercules

At least one blackcurrant bush should grow in every garden, because this berry is incredibly healthy, and also has a very pleasant taste and strong aroma. Of course, any owner wants to grow the largest and sweetest fruits - to the envy of all their neighbors. An excellent option for summer residents and farmers is the Hercules blackcurrant. Some call this variety Hercules, but this does not change the essence: the crop pleases with consistently high yields, very large berries and excellent taste. The most important advantages of Hercules are obvious - you can learn about them from the photo, but this variety also has other, no less valuable advantages.

A description of the Hercules currant variety with photos and reviews from domestic summer residents is given in this article. Below we will list all the strengths of the culture and talk about its shortcomings. Beginners will be able to learn about the rules of agricultural technology and learn how to plant black currants and care for them.

Characteristics of the variety

A relatively young blackcurrant variety, Hercules, appeared at the end of the last century. The author was an employee of the Siberian All-Russian Research Institute L. Zabelina. Hercules is positioned as a late, large-fruited and productive variety with valuable nutritional qualities.

Detailed description of the Hercules blackcurrant variety:

• the plant is tall, the bushes are erect, not spreading;
• The foliage of the shoots is average, which greatly simplifies the picking of berries;
• The thickness of the young shoots is average, they are colored green with a pink “blush”;
• old branches are woody, light brown in color, with a slight waxy coating;
• Currant buds are medium-sized, round-ovoid in shape, located singly;
• Hercules leaves have three lobes, they are glossy, dense, bright green, and large in size;
• the edge of the leaf is finely toothed, the teeth are rounded;
• the leaf petioles are quite thick and short, with slight pubescence;
• flowers of medium size, beige-pink;
• the brushes are long, packed tightly, each of them contains 8-12 berries;
• Hercules fruits are very large - the weight of each berry is from 1.6 to 3.5 grams;
• the shape of the berries is regular, round, one-dimensional;
• the peel is thin, but elastic, has practically no glossy shine, with a slight coating;
• inside the fruit there is a small amount of light brown small seeds;
• cutting the currants dry, which makes Hercules suitable for transportation and short-term storage (the berries do not “drain”);
• the taste of the Hercules variety is considered dessert: strong aroma, sweet pulp with a small amount of sourness;
• self-fertile currant - about 50%, does not need pollinators (but the presence of other varieties nearby increases the yield and has a good effect on the taste of Hercules);
• The variety's yield is excellent - more than 11 tons per hectare, about 3.5-4 kg per bush;
• the plant is winter-hardy, capable of spending the winter without shelter even in Siberia (both the buds of Hercules and its flowers tolerate frost);
• currants have strong immunity to fungal infections such as anthracnose and septoria;
• the variety is unpretentious to the mechanical and chemical composition of the soil - Hercules can be grown on any soil;
• There is a weak resistance of Hercules to the bud mite, so preventive treatments of the bushes are required.

Advantages and disadvantages

Almost all reviews about Hercules black currant are positive: everyone without exception likes this variety. Moreover, the opinion of gardeners does not depend on the climatic conditions of their residence: the crop has proven itself well in the north, south, and center of the country.

The fruits of Hercules are valued not only for their pleasant taste, but also for the composition of this currant:

• 1.7% ascorbic acid;
• 8.7% sugar;
• 2.2% fruit acids;
• 18.4% dry soluble substances.

The disadvantages of the Hercules variety are minor, and the most important of them is the lack of resistance to bud mites. This problem can be solved simply by regularly spraying the bushes twice a year (in early spring and late autumn) and digging up the soil around the plants.

But the Hercules blackcurrant still has many advantages:

• high and stable yield;
• excellent taste;
• large-sized berries (Hercules is one of the largest-fruited varieties in Russia);
• suitability of the crop for transportation and storage;
• excellent winter hardiness;
• high frost resistance of flowers in spring;
• self-fertility;
• resistance to fungal infections;
• unpretentiousness to the composition and type of soil.

Currant variety Hercules is one of the most unpretentious crops of its kind. It can definitely be recommended even to novice gardeners and inexperienced summer residents. The variety has proven itself no less well in industrial plantings: the berries are technologically advanced, the harvest can be harvested by automated machines and used for any purpose.

Agrotechnical techniques

Any black currant, be it Russian or foreign selection, cannot be called a problem-free crop. Growing chokeberries has its own characteristics and nuances. Quite often you can hear complaints from farmers about the lack of survival and capriciousness of this crop.

In order for a currant bush to take root and produce good harvests every year, it must first be planted correctly. And subsequently - provide competent care.

Time and place of landing

In principle, black currants can be planted in both spring and autumn. In most Russian regions, spring is early and summer is quite hot. In such conditions, fragile spring seedlings often disappear and die from heat and drought. That's why Hercules is best planted in the fall: from the beginning of September to the second ten days of October.

For normal development, black currants need sun and sufficient air. Therefore, a place for planting Hercules should be chosen in an open, sunny area.

Despite the unpretentiousness of the variety to the composition of the soil, it is still recommended to avoid excessive soil acidity.In such cases, before planting, the soil can be watered with lime milk or other deoxidation methods can be used.

It is necessary to choose the interval between neighboring bushes taking into account the height of Hercules. This is a tall plant, and although the currant shoots are erect and not prone to lodging, the distance between the bushes should be decent. If the shadow from an overgrown bush falls on neighboring plants, fungal infections of currants and the spread of mites cannot be avoided.

Planting process

Late Hercules can be planted both in holes and in trenches. The depth of the holes should be 30-40 cm. Experienced gardeners recommend preparing planting holes for currants in advance - at least a couple of months before planting. This will allow the earth to compact and settle, which will have a beneficial effect on the currants planted later.

Fertilizers must be placed at the bottom of the planting holes. It can be humus, compost, horse manure, humus. Organic matter can be mixed with wood ash or mineral phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. Sprinkle some soil on top and begin planting currants.

Many gardeners note better survival rate of black currants when planting bushes at an angle. In this case, the seedling is placed at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal. This way the roots of Hercules will grow faster, the currant will take root and grow.

Even before the roots are covered with soil, water is poured into the hole.Only after this they begin to compact the soil and fill the planting hole with soil. To rejuvenate the crown and direct the strength of the currant to the roots, the shoots of the bush are cut by a third or half.

Shrub pruning

There is nothing complicated in the subsequent cultivation of Hercules black currant; it requires the same care as any other variety. The most important condition for high yield and long “life” of the plant is proper pruning.

It is recommended to prune currants twice a year: in spring and autumn. Spring pruning should be done until the buds swell on the branches. In autumn, Hercules is pruned between the last harvest and the first serious frost.

The rules for pruning black currants are as follows:

1. All shoots are cut down to the ground or to a larger branch - there should be no stumps left.
2. Those shoots that lie on the ground or are located close to its surface must be cut out. Otherwise, they can cause infection of the bush.
3. All diseased, dry and old shoots older than five years must be removed.
4. From the young shoots, only the erect and largest shoots should be left; crooked and weak branches should be cut out.
5. By the age of five, the currant bush should consist of three old shoots, three two-year-old and three young branches. There should not be more than 12-15 shoots on one bush.

Review

Conclusion

Black currant Hercules can be called a universal variety. This crop is successfully grown both on private farms and on a large industrial scale. The Hercules variety has a lot of advantages, but it also has a significant drawback - poor resistance to bud mites. So, it is better to plant this currant where the presence of the pest has not previously been noted.

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