Pruning currant bushes is a necessary agricultural technique, which contributes to the proper development of the plant. Subject to all the rules for pruning currants, this work is also within the power of novice gardeners.
Why do I need to prune the bush?
This procedure has the following objectives:
- Shaping the correct shape.
- Cleansing shrubs from mechanically damaged branches, pests or diseases.
- Providing branches with food.
- Rejuvenation of bushes.
It is very important to form a bush during the first years of its life. From pruning currants at this stage depends on its further growth and development. Mistakes made during this procedure lead to diseases of various origins, low yields and ugliness of the bush. It can develop one-sidedly. Currant pruning can be done in any season, even in winter, but it should be done annually.
What are the benefits of spring pruning?
At this time, the state of dormancy has not yet ended for shrubs of fruit plants, since there are no vegetative processes and active movement of juice. Spring is the best time for pruning currants. The exact time of the procedure is affected by the weather. Pruning should be done when positive temperatures are established and return frosts are not expected. Gardeners have little time during this period. With the mass blooming of the kidneys, pruning stops. The benefits of pruning currants in spring are as follows:
- Growth strength of promising branches increases, resulting in higher yields this year and laying the foundation for the next. In addition, the berries become larger.
- The fruits ripen at the same time, as the vegetative mass is evenly illuminated.
- The sun's rays help prevent various diseases of the bush.
- Next year's shoots get a boost.
Benefits of autumn pruning
The procedure should be carried out when the bulk of the leaves fall off. At this time, the preparation of currants for winter begins, as sap flow slows down. Readiness for pruning is easy to find out: if drops of juice do not stand out on the cut, it can be carried out. The procedure ends half a month before the onset of cold weather, so that the wounds have time to heal. If the currant growing region is characterized by a harsh climate, it is better to prune it in the spring, as autumn frosts can freeze the tips of the shoots. The benefits of pruning currants in autumn are as follows:
- The work period has been extended bytime.
- The plant will prepare for the winter period.
- Young shoots stock up on nutrients, which will allow them to actively develop.
- There will be more replacement shoots in the spring, because, thanks to pruning, the plant receives an incentive to form them.
- Currant conditions are created under which fruiting will be better next season.
Rejuvenating pruning of old bushes
If currant bushes are constantly updated, they can bear fruit for 20 years or more. Anti-aging pruning consists in removing old shoots, it stimulates the laying of flower buds. The procedure is best done in the fall. Blackcurrants are pruned in the fifth year after planting, and red and white - in the eighth. The anti-aging procedure can be carried out in four ways:
On the ring. With this pruning, all old and thick branches are removed. They are cut off at the very base. Cuts leave large wounds. They are treated with antimicrobial agents, after which they are covered with var
- On the kidney. During pruning, shoots are shortened, thereby controlling their branching. To stimulate the density of the bush, a cut is made on the inner kidney. For the formation of shoots, on the contrary, from the center to the outside. Thanks to this pruning, the bush is ventilated, and each bud receives more light.
- Pinch. This procedure stimulates new shoots to grow, and regulates fruiting.
- Pruning to switch to stronger branching. This procedureespecially effective for red and white currants. It is carried out on old branches that have not yet lost their ability to bear fruit.
Redcurrant
This berry variety is valued for its properties and composition, so gardeners grow it. The culture can bear fruit for 15 years or more, delighting its owner with a bountiful harvest. Red currant pruning is carried out in accordance with the following recommendations:
- It is better to carry out the procedure from the end of September to the beginning of the next month. At this time, the foliage has already fallen off, you can clearly see the shoots for removal. During pruning, the plant experiences stress, but it will be easier for him to transfer it, since the currant is already at rest by this period.
- First, young, weakened shoots and those damaged by pests or diseases are pruned.
- The procedure for pruning red and black currants is different. It should be borne in mind here that the formation of a crop of black berries occurs on the shoots of the first, second and third years of life. Therefore, in this variety of currants, shoots of four years and older are subject to removal. The remaining branches are shortened so that they branch better, and some zero shoots are also cut.
- The formation of the crop of the red variety of the crop occurs on annual and adult shoots, up to the age of six. During pruning, older branches are removed.
- It should be borne in mind that in red currants, young shoots are formed in small quantities. Therefore they are not worth it.cut, but it is better to shorten.
- Part of the shoot from above is removed in the summer and only when it is damaged by aphids. You can learn about this by twisted branches.
- Immediately after planting, all branches are pruned, leaving three buds on each.
- In the future, for six years, only sanitary pruning should be carried out, which consists in removing broken, dry and diseased shoots. The procedure can be carried out not only in autumn, but also in any season if damage is detected.
- During pruning, inward shoots should be removed.
- When the branches grow strongly, they are shortened by a third of their length.
- To prevent infection, all sections are processed. For this, Bordeaux mixture or garden var is used.
- If the pruning of the red currant bush is carried out correctly, then there are 20-25 shoots of different ages in it. All of them will bring a good harvest.
Blackcurrant
This variety of berries has high taste and medicinal properties. Blackcurrant is a useful berry due to the high content of vitamins in it. It is used to treat colds, strengthen the immune system. The bush of this berry is sprawling, it has many branches of different years of life. Pruning blackcurrant is to form a bush of 15-20 branches. Six-year-old shoots and older should not be left, as they will not bear fruit. Experts recommend starting the correct pruning of currants immediately after planting. ATthe concept of "correct" includes procedures that allow the plant to grow normally, develop and bear fruit.
Before planting, the tops of the shoots are cut off, leaving two or three buds on each. In a year, new branches will grow from them in the amount of five to six pieces. In the second year, the procedure is carried out differently. During this period, there is a need for pruning zero shoots. For this, three to five he althy, powerful branches are left, and the rest are removed. You also need to get rid of shoots that interfere with the development of neighboring branches.
For the formation of side shoots, young stems are shortened. This time falls on the second month of summer. It is necessary to pinch the tops at the level of the second kidney. Thanks to such actions, the number of small branches will increase, which, having entered the fruiting stage, will please with a bountiful harvest.
Currant bushes of three or four years of life are pruned in the same way as the previous ones. They get rid of unnecessary shoots, leaving only well-developed ones in the amount of three to six pieces. So that the bush does not thicken, the middle branches are removed, otherwise the fruit-bearing ones located in the neighborhood will be closed from the light. The tops of last year's shoots are shortened, leaving two to four buds. At this age, the formation of currant bushes ends. They take on the right shape for their species.
After five or six years after planting, the formation of old branches occurs. During this period, anti-aging pruning is necessary. To do this, get rid of all the old branches. Frozen, dry, broken,lodging, diseased shoots. The bush will experience its second birth. Further trimming is carried out in the same way as described above.
Pruning a running bush in spring
This procedure is carried out when the currant has not been cut for many years. Over the years, her bush has accumulated many such branches that prevent her from growing, developing and bearing fruit.
- First, you need to thin out by removing all weak, damaged and low-yielding shoots.
- When growth is slow, you need to remove a few old but strong branches.
- Shorten at the base, but it is better to completely remove the increments.
- Remove dried tops along with a small part of the shoot.
Unusual cutting method
There are different technologies for the procedure. But experts recommend pruning currants for beginner gardeners using the Michurin method, which is especially effective in large areas. Its essence is as follows:
- After the seedlings are planted, they do not need to be pruned for five years.
- After that, half of all planted bushes need to be cut to the very root.
- After a year, of all the bushes that survived, you need to leave 20, and cut the rest.
- Another year later, the same is done with the bushes of the other half of the plot.
- Thus, all the old bushes will be uprooted, new plants should be planted in their place.
Helpful tips
To pruning currants in autumn for beginnersgardeners was successful, experts advise:
- Plant bushes plants need before the onset of frost, about 21 days.
- The shoot cannot be cut near the bud, as the entire branch may die.
- If fruiting has decreased on a not quite old bush, pagons are completely removed from the plant at a level of three centimeters from the base.
