Sugar currant

One of the sweetest varieties of red currant is Sugar. In addition to its well-expressed sweetness, the variety has many other advantages. Hardy, fruitful, feels great in central Russia.

The bush is of medium height, up to 110 cm in height, with straight stems. The foliage is large, light green. Stems are not very powerful, medium, shoot-forming ability is high.

Berries are medium in size, weighing 0.8-1 g each, slightly flattened. Collected in large enough brushes, up to 9 cm in length. The color is deep red. The skin is thin, but firm and firm, with a shine.

Dessert berries, sweet, with a slight sourness. The purpose is universal, however, the gelling properties of the variety are low. It is less suitable for jams, mousses, marmalades and jellies than other varieties, however, being a variety of red currants, it still remains a suitable raw material for these purposes. Red currant contains on average more pectins than any other, so the sugar confiture will acquire the consistency of jelly anyway.

Sugar is ideal for fresh consumption, raw, as a dessert. And also drinks are prepared from it: compotes, fruit drinks, wines, syrups, tinctures. The berry is great in salads, desserts, gravies and sauces. It is used to decorate ready-made dishes, in baked goods, as an addition to fish or meat. The leaves of the plant are placed in blanks from vegetables, to add aroma, they are also used in folk medicine. They contain a lot of vitamins and bioactive substances, are useful for hypovitaminosis, cystitis, have a mild laxative effect, normalize the acidity in the stomach, and reduce the risk of blood clots.

Early variety. Harvested from late June to September. The berries do not crumble, they stick well to the stalks. The separation is dry.

The yield is high - 4-7 kg from 1 bush. This is an excellent indicator for varieties of any group.

The variety can be pollinated on its own, but not enough. To increase yields, it is worth planting Natali varieties, self-fertile, early, very hardy cultivar, and Latvian mid-early Viksne with cherry berries nearby.

High-quality seedlings have a root system of 15 cm, a well-developed main root and many small roots, the aerial part should be at least 40 cm long.

The bush grows in 1st place up to 25 years, although the most productive period lasts no more than 7 years. In any case, the place is chosen carefully. For red currants, you need a sunny, windless place, with light fertile soil. The best soil is sandy loam or loam. Good drainage is essential. It is better not to plant currants in low-lying, wetlands, even resistant varieties in such areas often get sick, grow strained and bear little fruit.

The holes should be shallow, the plant has a superficial root system. The depth of the planting pit is 40 cm, the diameter is 50 cm.

Planting pits fertilize well. The bottom is loosened, a well-mixed mixture of humus (a pair of buckets), ash (1 glass), superphosphate (2 tbsp. L.) Is poured onto it. Pour 5-7 cm of ordinary earth, allow to lie down for 2-3 weeks.

The seedlings are planted by tilting the stem at an angle of 45 degrees, the root collar is deepened by 5 cm.The soil around the bush is compacted, watered abundantly, 1 plant will require at least half a bucket of water. After planting, the shoots are cut to 3-4 buds.

It is better to plant young plants in autumn, in September. In some regions, it can be planted in October, the main thing is that a month has passed before the onset of inclement weather, and the plant has time to take root.

Sugar currant is unpretentious, very winter-hardy, perfectly tolerates the dryness and temperature drops of the continental climate. Grows well in the suburbs. However, the minimum care for a given culture is necessary for it too.

Young, only planted plants are watered 2 times a week. Then watering is reduced, they will be required only in the complete absence of rain. Watering is necessary if it has not rained for more than 10 days. In extreme heat, especially during the ripening period, water is watered once a week. If it is not possible to water often, the soil under the bush should be mulched. Mulch is useful in any other case. It evens out the temperature and humidity conditions, protects the roots from overheating or cooling, and even protects against some pests.

The variety grows well; annual spring and autumn pruning will be needed. In the spring, frozen or broken shoots are removed, in the fall they perform formative pruning, cutting off the branches to the 4th bud, by the third year they get a bush with 15-20 fruiting shoots.

The variety is resistant to the main diseases and pests of the currant. May suffer from anthracnose, but to a lesser extent than other varieties. As a prophylaxis, the seedlings are treated with a solution of copper sulfate of 1%, and the bushes are sprayed with it before the buds dissolve. In the spring, you can use Bordeaux mixture, iron vitriol, the preparation "Horus", if last year signs of fungal diseases were noticed on the plants - their pathogens could successfully overwinter. Spring treatments are considered the most important.

During the growing season, the plants are fed with fertilizers containing phosphorus, potassium and calcium, this both nourishes and acts as a prevention of diseases, and in the fall they carry out a thorough cleaning of the site. The soil should be clean, shelter (if necessary) only from fresh spruce branches, straw or sawdust.

You can use biological products such as "Fitosporin", they prevent the appearance of diseases, are completely safe for humans and can be used at any time.

From aphids, you can use folk remedies: a solution of tobacco dust (2 cups of dust per 10 liters of water + 1 tbsp. L. Liquid soap), a solution of soda, ordinary or calcined (no more than 3 tbsp. L. Per 10 l of water), onion infusion (200 g of onion husks pour 10 liters of boiling water, boil for 5 minutes, leave for 3 hours, strain, dilute before spraying by adding 9 parts of fresh water and 2 tablespoons of liquid green soap to 1 part of the infusion).

It is not necessary to cover Sugar currants for the winter, a mound of earth or mulch at the roots is enough, however, heavy snow can damage the branches, so the bush is tied up and fixed at the support. If a cold, snowless winter is expected, you can cover the bushes after pruning with agrofibre.

There are few live reviews, but the currants are noticed. It is, indeed, sweet, quickly leaves fresh, does not live up to the blanks. Tasty even when not ripe. Easily wins over other varieties in taste. Sometimes sour variants of the same variety come across - it may be a misgrading. Therefore, when buying seedlings, you should be more careful. And it is also important not to confuse it with the Sugar blackcurrant variety, which can be sold under this name, this is actually an Ordinary Miracle variety.