How to propagate currants in the spring by cuttings so that it takes root

Cutting currants in the spring is one of the best ways to get the right amount of bushes. You will not have to spend money on the purchase of planting material. It is enough to choose a healthy mother bush with excellent varietal qualities and cut the cuttings. How to carry out cuttings and care for currants after planting, we will tell in the article.

Features of spring propagation of currant cuttings

Currants are propagated by seed and vegetative methods. The first is used by experienced gardeners to breed new varieties, the second provides for reproduction by layering, dividing the bush and cuttings. Blackcurrant varieties take root and develop especially easily.

Cuttings are the most time consuming but popular breeding method.

Its advantages:

• high performance;
• the ability to grow a certain number of seedlings;
• regular updating of berry plantings;
• rejuvenation of old bushes;
• lack of financial investments;
• preservation of varietal qualities;
• high productivity;
• preservation of taste.

Disadvantages of the method:

• the percentage of survival of cuttings is slightly lower compared with reproduction by dividing the bush and layering;
• the method is suitable for regions with a warm and temperate climate, since it provides for the autumn planting of cuttings.

Harvesting cuttings

The method of harvesting cuttings depends on their type. Gardeners use woody, green, and apical.

Lignified

Reproduction of currants by lignified cuttings is considered one of the most effective and reliable methods. 3-4 strong cuttings are obtained from the annual branch of the mother bush. For reproduction, select fruitful varieties without signs of infection by fungi and insects.

Harvesting is carried out in spring or autumn, combining with preventive pruning of bushes. The branch should be 6-8 mm thick, the buds should be healthy and strong. Pruning is performed with a sharp pruning shears, after having previously disinfected it with medical alcohol 90-96% or a strong solution of potassium permanganate. The upper cut is made straight, at a distance of 1 cm from the kidney. The lower cut should be oblique, under the lower kidney. The green top is removed, the branch is cut into cuttings 20-25 cm long. To prevent moisture loss, all leaves are cut off.

Green

Green cuttings are taken from a mother plant with excellent varietal qualities, without signs of infection by fungi and insects. With further development, any shortcomings are passed on to future generations.

Cutting is performed with a disinfected secateurs. To do this, choose an annual branch with a thickness of 4-5 mm and cut off a flexible, green, non-fruiting shoot. Next, the branch is cut into cuttings 20 cm long, leaving 2-3 leaves and axillary buds. The unripe apex is removed.

Experts recommend choosing the middle sections of the branch for reproduction, since the lower part rarely takes root, and the tops do not tolerate winter well, despite the high survival rate.

The lower cut of the cutting is made oblique, 1 cm below the axillary kidney, the upper one is straight, 1 cm above the kidney. All the leaves are cut off on the handle.

Apical

If there is a shortage of planting material, it is recommended to cut the cuttings from the tip of the branch. However, it is worth remembering the low survival rate of apical cuttings in comparison with green and lignified cuttings. The apical shoots are distinguished by high demands on the type of soil, growing conditions and moisture level.

Harvesting is performed in late spring - early summer. One-year flexible shoots are suitable for cutting. The procedure is carried out in the morning using a disinfected secateurs. The length of the cuttings should be 10-15 cm. The lower oblique cut is made under the nodular bud. The wood in this area is denser. The apical cuttings are kept in a humid environment until planting.

Rooting methods for cuttings

Gardeners use 2 ways of home rooting of currant cuttings - in water and soil.

In water

Enamel, glass or plastic dishes with a volume of 250-500 ml are suitable for rooting cuttings in water. The main rule: the kidneys should remain above the water surface.

How to grow currants from cuttings in a jar of water:

1. Distilled water is poured into the container, cuttings are immersed in it and placed on the windowsill from the north-west or north side. There is no need to change the water, since this slows down the growth of roots; it is enough to periodically add fresh water.
2. The cuttings are kept in water for 8-10 days until the roots appear. At this moment, they are fed with nitroammophos (5 g per 1 liter). As soon as the roots reach 10 cm, the cuttings are planted in paper cups filled with soil (3 parts peat, 1 part sand, 1 part humus). There is one stalk for one glass.
3. A deepening is made in the soil up to 5 cm, 5 granules of nitroammofoska are added and the cutting is planted. Provide moderate watering for the first 3 days, keeping the soil moist. Then watered 2-3 times a week. The container is kept on a sunny windowsill.
4. A month later, the cups are taken out to the balcony for hardening. Start at 15 minutes and increase the time in the fresh air to 24 hours. After 1.5-2 weeks, the cuttings are planted in open ground.

In the ground

In the northern regions, currant cuttings are rooted in the soil and grown in containers until spring:

1. The soil for rooting currant cuttings is prepared from a mixture of sand and black soil 1: 1. Plastic bottles or pots are used as containers.
2. Several holes are made at the bottom of the container to drain excess water. Lay a layer of expanded clay or crushed eggshell. Wet soil is poured on top.
3. The bottom of the cuttings is dipped in Kornevin powder and buried 2-3 cm in the soil mixture. 2 kidneys are left on top.
4. The cuttings are watered daily, monitoring the moisture content of the soil. The roots appear 2.5-3 weeks after rooting, and leaves with inflorescences grow from the upper buds.

In the southern regions, currant cuttings are rooted directly in the open field in the fall. The soil is fertilized with humus or compost. The planting material is soaked in a growth stimulator for 12 hours. Next, the cuttings are dropped into the ground at an angle of 45 °, leaving 2-3 buds on the surface. The distance between the cuttings is 20 cm.

The soil is watered abundantly with water, mulched with peat or compost and covered with black agrofibre to retain moisture and prevent the growth of weeds. Holes are made in the covering material by cutting the fabric crosswise with scissors.

Reference. To get fruitful currant bushes from apical cuttings, they are rooted in sunny areas. This method is considered the most labor-intensive, therefore it is not very popular.

When to transplant cuttings into open ground

Planting dates depend on the growing region. In areas with a harsh climate, autumn harvesting of cuttings is practiced, followed by planting in spring. In the south and in the regions of the middle lane, cuttings harvested in spring are planted in September - October, so that they have time to take root before the onset of cold weather.

General rules for planting currant cuttings

Currants prefer sunny or slightly shaded areas. In the shade, the berries grow small and sour. The soil should be moist with a neutral or slightly acidic pH (6.5-7 units).Soil type - black earth or loam.

They dig up a place for planting by cuttings, remove weeds with roots. The soil surface is leveled with a rake, humus or compost (10 l per 1 m²), superphosphate (40-50 g per 1 m²) are added. In the prepared area, holes are formed with a depth of 20-25 cm and a diameter of 30-40 cm. The width of the row spacing is 1.5-2 m. The distance between the holes is 1-1.5 m.

The 1/3 hole is filled with fertilized soil and the rooted cuttings are placed at an angle of 45 °. The pits are 2/3 filled with earth, carefully tamped and poured 4-5 liters of warm water. Next, the holes are completely covered with soil and poured into each 2-2.5 liters of water. If the gardener has set himself the goal of getting a bush with a large number of shoots, the root collar must be deepened by 5-8 cm.

After planting, the trunk circle is mulched with peat, compost, pine needles, dry foliage, straw or hay to protect it from the cold. In the spring, the mulch is completely removed so that the roots do not squeeze.

Features of planting lignified and green cuttings

Before planting, lignified cuttings are soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, then planted in prepared soil at an angle of 45 °. 2-3 buds are left above the soil surface.

Green cuttings are soaked in stimulants of growth and root formation for 12 hours ("Epin", "Ribav-Extra", "Zircon", "Kornevin"). The planting material is buried 2 cm in the ground at an angle of 45 °.

Currant care after planting

Berry bushes are capable of bearing fruit only with normal growth and development. The potential yield depends on the annual growth: the stronger it is, the higher the productivity.

The main task of the gardener is to create optimal conditions for the successful survival of currants in the first year of planting. It is important to maintain the growth and fruiting of the shrub through proper soil treatment, watering, regular fertilization, and systematic pruning.

Loosening of the soil is carried out 1 time in 2-3 weeks, carefully breaking the earthen crust, removing weeds. When watering, this provides better moisture penetration to the root system. Currant roots are located in the upper loose soil layer. To protect them from damage, the soil is loosened to a depth of 6-8 cm, in row spacings - 10-12 cm.

Organic mulching helps to retain moisture in the soil and prevents weed growth. In this case, the trunk circle can be loosened less often. Recently, gardeners have used black film or agrofibre as a covering material. This technique eliminates the need for loosening during the summer. In autumn, the synthetic coating is removed to improve soil aeration, fertilize and other work.

In the fall, heavy loam is dug to a depth of 8 cm, leaving lumps to retain moisture. The sandy loam is loosened shallowly - by 5-7 cm. In order not to damage the root system, the soil is dug up with a garden pitchfork.

No fertilization is applied after the autumn planting. The bushes have enough organic and mineral top dressingmade at landing. The first portion of fertilizers is applied after 3 years in the autumn: 50 g of superphosphate, 15 g of potassium sulfate, 5 kg of compost for each bush.

The fertilization zone is determined by the placement of the bulk of the roots. In currants, it is located under the crown of the bush and even a little further. Therefore, for adult plants, fertilizers are applied along the projection of the crown of the bush.

From 4 years old, currants are fed annually with urea (20-25 g per bush). Organic, potassium-phosphorus fertilizers on loam are added once every 3 years in spring or autumn: 15-20 kg of organic matter, 120-150 g of superphosphate, 30-45 g of potassium sulfate per 1 m².

On light sandy and sandy soils and peat bogs, such fertilizers are applied every spring in a dosage for 3-year-old bushes. In the summer, liquid organic-mineral fertilizing is introduced and combined with irrigation. The mullein solution is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4 and 10 liters per 1 m² are consumed, bird droppings are diluted 1:10 and 5-10 liters are consumed per 1 m².

Instead of organic matter, it is allowed to use the Riga mixture (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) - 2 tbsp. l. 10 liters of water. Consumption for 1 bush - 10-20 liters. This top dressing is recommended after harvest to stimulate the setting of fruit buds.

In June, the currants are additionally fed with foliar fertilizers: 1-2 g of copper sulfate, 2 g of boric acid, 2 g of manganese sulfate, 3 g of zinc sulfate, 2 g of ammonium molybdenum per 10 liters. Each trace element is diluted in a separate container, then mixed in a large container. Top dressing is applied in furrows 10 cm deep at a distance of 20-25 cm from the bushes. After watering, the recesses are leveled and mulched with straw, sawdust or peat.

Black and red currants love moisture and need abundant watering during dry periods. Deficiency of moisture leads to shedding of berries and freezing of plants in winter. Particular attention is paid to watering during the period of active growth and formation of ovaries, pouring berries and after harvesting. In autumn, water-charging irrigation is carried out to a depth of 50-60 cm. Water consumption per 1 m² is 30-50 liters.

Features of reproduction by cuttings of black and red currants

Red currants, like black ones, lend themselves well to vegetative propagation. The mother bush must be drought-resistant, frost-resistant, productive, large in size and excellent taste of berries, immunity to diseases and pests... The optimal age of the bush for grafting is 10 years.

The procedure is performed in the morning or evening in cloudy weather. The lower sections are treated with growth stimulants and rooted in water or soil. Optimum indicators of soil moisture - 80%, air - 90%.

In contrast to the black variety, apical cuttings take root best in red currants. 4-6 buds are left on one cuttings. The lower cut is performed at an angle of 45 °, 2 cm away from the lower kidney. The upper cut should be even at the level of 1 cm from the upper kidney.

For cutting cuttings of red currants, annual shoots with light bark are chosen. Roots are often used as planting material. Care rules behind cuttings of red currant are the same as behind cuttings of black.

A year after planting in open ground, perform pruning, leaving 2-4 buds on the branch. All ovaries and flowers are pruned to stimulate lateral shoot growth.

Common mistakes to avoid

Among the most common mistakes beginner gardeners make:

1. Failure to comply with the plan for planting cuttings in open ground. Too dense planting negatively affects their development. The plant will be deficient in sunlight. Thickened plantings are an excellent breeding ground for fungi and insects.
2. The lack of moisture and nutrition leads to drying out of the cuttings. Currant is a moisture-loving plant that needs regular watering. Top dressing with organic and mineral compositions, it stimulates a set of green mass, the formation of berries and strengthens the immune system.
3. Failure to comply with the rules of care. Currant seedlings need regular loosening of the soil, weeding, and disease prevention.
4. Illiterate choice of the mother bush. The better the source material, the better the survival rate of the offspring and the higher the yield.

Conclusion

Cutting currants is considered the most time consuming and at the same time reliable method of propagation of a shrub. Black currants take root best of all with green and lignified cuttings, red with apical ones. The procedure is performed with a garden pruner, the lower cut is made oblique, the upper cut is straight. For rooting, use water or soil. Cuttings harvested in the fall are planted in September - October, after preparing the soil and holes. Caring for currant bushes includes abundant watering, the introduction of organic-mineral fertilizers, soil mulching.