Currant Vologda

The versatility in the use of fruits, a high degree of winter hardiness, a solid immune potential and unpretentious care have earned Vologda currants respect and popularity among gardeners. And the taste and benefits of the fruits of this culture have never been in doubt.

This remarkable crop was created by a group of employees of VSTISP consisting of V.M. Litvinova and A.N. Zarubin. For breeding, the varieties Bredthorpe and Compact were taken. The culture was introduced into the State Register of the Russian Federation in 1995, and it is intended for cultivation in the North-Western and Central regions of Russia. It is also successfully cultivated in the regions of the Middle Volga and the Far East. Culture is universal by design.

Vologda bushes are vigorous, grow up to 150 cm, medium spreading. The shoots are thickened, medium-sized, arched, light green in color (in autumn they get a red-brown color), without pubescence, matte. The foliage is five-lobed, rounded, of medium size, green, but with a bluish-gray tinge, undisturbed, matte, slightly wrinkled, leathery.

The cup-shaped flowers are pale and medium in size. The culture blooms in May, forming racemose inflorescences. The petioles are of medium length and thickness.

Of the advantages of culture, we note:

• unpretentiousness;
• stability of moderate yields;
• good level of adaptation to different climatic conditions;
• wonderful taste properties;
• versatility;
• high level of winter hardiness;
• reliable resistance to a wide range of diseases;
• good keeping quality and transportability;
• indiscriminateness to soil composition.

Minuses:

• average yield level;
• demanding for irrigation.

Large round-oval black berries are held on elongated clusters about 8-10 cm long. Fruits in one cluster can be up to 10 pieces, berry weight - 1.9-3 g. The peel of the berries has an average thickness. Sugars in them - 8.1%, acids - 2.7%; vitamin C - 138.0 mg / 100 g. The gap in berries of dry quality. The number of seeds is usually average.

The berry tastes sweet and sour, juicy. Tasting score in points - 4.5.

The ripening period will be medium late.

High-yielding culture: up to 90.4 kg / ha or 12 t / ha (3.7 kg / bush).

The variety is self-fertile, pollinators are needed only in order to increase yields.

The culture is well accepted in any area, but it is better to grow it on sandy loam and loam. The place should be sunny and sheltered from the wind. The unpretentiousness of currant bushes has been tested for years in practice.Nevertheless, three aspects pose a threat to the culture: shaded areas, waterlogging of beds, stony soil.

They start planting young animals in October. If frosts appear earlier, then the landing dates are postponed to mid-September. One of the features of Vologda is that its roots do not have a rest period. In the fall, seedlings take root quickly, take root and grow well. In spring, the young are planted in March-April. The soil must be thawed and warmed up. The buds on the bushes may be swollen, but not open.

For planting, it is recommended to choose two-year-old seedlings. When choosing, pay attention to the structure of the root system. A high-quality specimen has a pair of lignified brownish roots with many branching thin threads. Their excessive dark color may indicate hypothermia or drying out. Such seedlings are unlikely to take root. The age of two-year-old seedlings is determined by the length of the roots, which should be at least 15 cm. The peel should be smooth, brown in color, without spots and deformations.

When planting, it is important to follow a number of rules.

• The smallest distance between plants when planting is 1.5 m.
• If the bushes are arranged near the fence, then the distance to it should also be at least 1.5 m.
• On plantings of significant area, the culture is planted in rows. In this case, the distance between the rows is approximately 2.5 m. The formed path is necessary for caring for the bushes.
• If there are other horticultural crops nearby, then they should be at a distance of 2 meters.
• Before disembarking, the site must be dug onto a shovel bayonet. At the same time, weed roots, stones are eliminated, and the soil is checked for acidity. If the latter is higher than the norm, then about 500 g of lime is scattered per 1 m2, dug up and kept for two days.
• When planting, the seedlings are placed at an angle of 45 degrees, and the roots are carefully straightened and buried. The soil near the plants is carefully tamped.
• At the end of the landing, 4 buckets of water are poured into each well. Saplings are cut by 50%. In bushes with highly developed roots, 30% are cut off in the upper part.
• Places near seedlings are made out in the form of small earthen ridges. The soil in the holes is abundantly mulched with peat or sawdust.

Immediately after planting, the bushes need careful care. At the same time, water serves as both an irrigation agent and a preventive measure. Hot irrigation is done in early spring. To do this, a bucket of liquid is heated to 60-70 degrees, 250 g of baking soda are stirred in it, a watering can is filled and the bushes are irrigated. This method of irrigation is safe for the crop, but it destroys pests that have overwintered on plants.

However, frequent watering should be avoided, because there is usually enough moisture in the soil. Irrigation is increased in dry season, when cracks appear in the soil from the heat. At this time, a recess is equipped near each bush, where up to 5-6 buckets of water are poured. The soil should be soaked by about 40 cm.

Obligatory irrigation is performed by:

• in the spring before the buds open (in stable dry weather);
• during flowering and ripening of fruits;
• dry summer;
• in the fall, when the bushes shed their leaves.

Soil maintenance includes loosening, weeding, adding wood ash and mulching. Fertilizers are added 3 years after planting the seedlings. The scheme is as follows:

• after dropping the leaves, 3 kg of organic matter is added under each bush;
• simultaneously with organic matter, mineral fertilizers are put: 30 g of nitrogen and phosphorus, as well as 15 g of potassium;
• during the period of fruit filling, the bushes are watered with potassium (10 g) and superphosphate (40 g) dissolved in water;
• during the flowering period and after picking the fruits, the currants should be fed with urea (40 g per bush).

The first pruning of young seedlings is performed immediately after planting. By the fall, 5 shoots are usually about 45 cm long. The next year, new shoots will be added. The old branches will become the source of growth, and only the strong ones are left of the new branches (the weak ones cut off everything). For 3 years, shoots of the last season become fruit-forming. Old branches also bear fruit, but they are cut off in the fall. In the future, this cycle is repeated. A mature and well-formed bush should include 10-15 fruit branches.