Content
Many people love black currant. Berries are rich in vitamins and nutrients. Almost all varieties have fruits with a universal purpose. Delicious preserves, jams, jam, juices are prepared from currant berries. It is difficult to list all the culinary delights that can be prepared from the fruits of this culture.
When choosing a variety, many factors are taken into account: unpretentious cultivation and care, size and taste of berries. Currant Bashkir giant is just such a series. Readers will find a description of the plant, characteristics, photos and reviews in the article.
Description and features
The black currant variety Bashkirian giant of medium ripening 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. Erect shoots, medium vigor.
Dark green leaf blades with five lobes. The middle part of the leaf protrudes forward, and the other two pairs are parallel to each other. Each plate has sharp teeth.
Flowers and berries
Clusters on inflorescences drooping, long. On each of them 12-15 flowers bloom, resembling a bell with oval petals. Sepals are wide, the edges of the petals are bent outward.
The self-fertility of the Bashkir Giant variety is high, the currants do not require pollinators. Almost all flowers are tied on each brush. By the time of ripening, large black berries weigh 1.4-2.5 grams. Many gardeners write in reviews that shiny, rounded fruits are similar in size to cherries. And the photo also confirms this.
Berries of the Bashkir Giant variety have a dense skin, come off dry, therefore transportability is high. Consumers also note the taste of currants. The pulp is tender, juicy, with a low acid content. The aroma is truly currant.
Characteristic
- Since the set of this variety is excellent, the yield is high. With proper agricultural technology, up to 7 kilograms of berries are harvested from one bush.
- Berries ripen almost at the same time, do not crumble. This makes cleaning easier.
- The Bashkir Giant variety is a frost-resistant plant, temperatures up 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 easy to care for.
- Disease resistance of this variety of currants is average, but sometimes it is affected by a kidney mite, anthracnose.
Breeding rules
Black currant, including the Bashkir giant variety, is an amazing plant. It takes root anyway. As gardeners write in the reviews, it is enough to stick a twig, and it will begin 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 the site, then they will have to purchase planting material. It is better to use the services of nurseries or firms that distribute root-viable seedlings. For reproduction of currants growing on the site, you can prepare seedlings yourself.
The Bashkir giant variety reproduces:
- cuttings;
- layering;
- dividing the old bush.
Cuttings
For cultivation of black currant, 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 cut from annual shoots in the middle of the bush. The length of the cuttings is 18-20 cm, and the thickness is about the size of a pencil. 4-5 buds are left on each cuttings.
On both sides, the planting material is cut: from below at an acute angle, and the upper part of the branch is cut straight, and placed in a jar of water. The upper cut can be covered with pitch or sprinkled with wood ash, activated carbon.
The water in the jar is constantly changed so that it does not stagnate and rot. With the onset of warmth, seedlings with root rudiments are planted in a special bed - a kindergarten for growing. The soil must be fertile. It remains to water in a timely manner. By the fall, 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, green cuttings can be used to propagate the black currant variety Bashkir Giant. They are cut from healthy shoots.
On a handle up to 10 cm long, there should be two leaves, which also need to be cut off a little. Fertile soil is poured into bags with holes for the outflow of water, watered abundantly and cuttings are inserted at an angle of 45 degrees.
You need to water the cuttings in 2-3 days so that the earth is very damp. The seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the fall. The currant of the Bashkir Giant variety is deepened 15 cm lower than it grew in the nursery.
Reproduction by layering
Getting new blackcurrant seedlings of any kind by layering is the most common and simple method. In this way, it is good to propagate valuable varieties of currants, but you need to take two-year-old branches from a productive and healthy bush. Several strong shoots with a well-developed root system appear over the summer.
A groove is dripped next to the bush, a shoot is laid in it and pinned with staples or knots. Top covered with fertile soil, watered abundantly.
Now all that remains is to keep the soil moist, preventing it from drying out. In the fall, the seedlings are moved to a permanent place.
Dividing the bush
Often, valuable varieties of currants are propagated by dividing one bush into several parts. Work can be carried out in early spring before bud break or in autumn after leaf fall.
Only healthy plants without signs of disease are suitable for reproduction. The currant bush is dug at a great distance from the center and uprooted from the pit. The earth is shaken off so that the root system is exposed. The number of divisions will depend on the age of the bush and the number of shoots.
After examining the bush, they outline the cutting places. First, all old or broken branches are cut out to the base. Then the roots are shortened. Delenki are planted in prepared planting pits at an angle of 45 degrees and watered well.
Then cut off the shoots on each planted bush, leaving a height of no more than 20 cm, with 3-4 buds. You don't need to feel sorry for the shoots. As experienced gardeners write in reviews, such pruning stimulates the growth of the root system and the emergence of strong shoots from the buds.
After planting, the currant bushes of the Bashkir Giant variety must be mulched in order to retain moisture and prevent weeds will.
Helpful tips for planting currants can be found here:
Currant care
Caring for the Bashkir Giant currant is traditional, but there are some peculiarities depending on the season.
Spring
The spring period is very important for all varieties of black currant. At this time, the growing season begins. What needs to be done:
- Examine the bushes.According to the description, characteristics and reviews of gardeners, the black currant of the Bashkir Giant variety can be affected by a kidney mite. If there are bloated kidneys that stand out unnaturally large in size, then they must be removed. With a strong defeat, the entire shoot is cut out to the very base.
- They loosen the earth at a shallow depth, dig in the bushes.
- Fertilize currants with potato peelings, wood ash and humus. It is abundantly watered and mulched with sawdust or manure. At the beginning of spring, the so-called water-charging irrigation is carried out.
- They carry out sanitary pruning and treat the bushes with drugs for pests and diseases.
Summer
In the summer, currant varieties need the following activities:
- In abundant watering, especially at the beginning of flowering and fruiting.
- If the soil is not mulched, then weeds will have to be removed all summer. The fact is that in currant bushes, the root system is 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, organic fertilizing is carried out. Infusions of mullein, green grass, nettle and wood ash are excellent. The same formulations can be used for foliar feeding.
- Any change in the state of the plant should be alarming. In some years, the black currant variety can be affected by anthracnose. For prevention, plantings can be sprayed with copper sulfate (40-45 grams are added to 10 liters of water). It is good to treat the bushes with Hom.
Autumn
When the crop is harvested, the plants begin to prepare for wintering:
- loosen the soil;
- watered abundantly if autumn is dry;
- pruning;
- feed the currant bushes with organic matter or mineral fertilizers;
- sprinkle the root system with humus or compost by 20 centimeters.
How to increase the yield
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 you perform the following measures:
- With abundant flowering, in order to prevent shedding of the ovaries, it is advisable to spray currant bushes with honey infusion. Warm water is poured into a liter jar, a tablespoon of honey is added. The honey smell will attract the bees, which in turn increases pollination and increases yields.
- 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.
It is not difficult to grow black currants, the main thing is to get acquainted with the peculiarities of agricultural technology.
