How can red currants be propagated?

You can propagate red currants in different ways. The plant readily takes root from both cuttings and seeds. In the second case, there is a nuance: child copies do not repeat the quality of the source. Therefore, most often, currants are propagated vegetatively.

You can harvest both lignified and green cuttings. The first method is the most convenient. Cuttings are harvested at the beginning and at the end of the season. It is very successfully combined with the spring pruning of the bush, you can get many new plants from unnecessary branches at once. Green cuttings, that is, young, flexible shoots, are harvested if, for some reason, it was not possible to prepare lignified branches. You can dig them in. Let's consider the whole process in more detail.

To propagate red currants with lignified cuttings, the stems are cut at the beginning of spring. Their characteristics:

• age - 1 year;
• length - 70-100 cm;
• stem thickness - 6-8 mm.

3-5 excellent cuttings 15-20 cm long are obtained from one stem. Each cutting should have at least 4 healthy buds. The apex is cut at a distance of 5 mm from the superior kidney. The upper part of the branches, not yet lignified, is not used. The lower cut is made at an angle of 45 °, leaving a distance of about 2 cm to the last lower kidney. Important! Collect cuttings only from healthy bushes. Even the presence of 1-2 unhealthy branches is already a reason to refuse to use the bush as a mother plant. The autumn collection of lignified cuttings allows you to get full-fledged plants by spring. Cuttings are harvested late, but until the plant is ready for hibernation, around the end of September. Planting material is immediately planted in seed boxes or individual pots. They are kept in greenhouse conditions. In the spring they are planted in a permanent place.

Green cuttings are harvested at any time of the year, preferably in wet weather. If the weather is dry, then the collection is best done in the early morning on cool days. Cuttings are cut up to 15-20 cm long, each must have at least 4 leaves. Trimming cuttings from above and below is performed in the same way as for lignified ones. Leave 2 cm from the bottom, 5 mm from the top. The lower leaves of the cuttings are cut to half.

The roots of the cuttings appear between the nodes and just below the buds. They can be rooted in the ground and in the water. The preferred method is at your discretion. The plant is not capricious, willingly gives roots by any method. Plus water - the whole process is clearly visible. Plus the soil - the roots immediately adapt to the soil, starting to feed the future plant.

The process of rooting in the ground.

• Trenches are prepared in autumn. They dig holes as wide as a shovel's bayonet, 12-15 cm deep. Manure or compost is laid out on the bottom.
• In the spring, a small layer of fertile soil is added and dug up.
• Freshly cut cuttings are planted in a trench, buried by 2-3 buds. The distance between the cuttings is 15-20 cm.
• The cuttings should be dripped in correctly: obliquely, at an angle of 45 °, for better rooting.
• The soil around is well compacted.
• Water abundantly. Mulch. In the future, they make sure that the soil does not dry out. Can be covered with a covering material. If there are few cuttings, they are covered with glass jars.
• By the end of summer, the cuttings will turn into strong bushes, ready for planting in a permanent place.

Growing in the open field in the middle lane begins not earlier than the end of March.

Possible mistakes:

• insufficient moisture;
• poor drainage;
• stagnant moisture.

Green cuttings are rooted in greenhouses. Humidity is carefully monitored. Cuttings love daily spraying. It will take about 20 days for rooting. After their expiration, watering is reduced, fertilizing is carried out with nitrogenous fertilizers for a better set of green mass.

After 10 days, they begin to accustom the plant to fresh air, gradually increasing the period without shelter... Then they are transplanted into open ground, in trenches, as for lignified cuttings. Next spring, the plant can be planted in a permanent place.

The resulting plants are planted in the desired place in spring or autumn. Currants are unpretentious, but you should choose a suitable site for it. Here are its features.

• Sunny, well lit.
• Low-lying but not marshy.
• Protected from the winds by fences, taller bushes or trees. But you need to take into account the growth of bushes for the future.
• With fertile, rich soil.
• With a pH below 5, acidic soil should be limed beforehand.

Unwanted predecessors and neighbors: plums, cherries, raspberries, black currants, apricots. They are planted in pits 40-50 cm wide and 30-40 cm deep. A compost bucket, 1 glass of ash, 1 glass of superphosphate are poured onto the bottom, mixed thoroughly, sprinkled with ordinary soil.

The distance between the rows is 2-2.5 m, between the bushes - 1.2-1.5 m. The seedlings are buried to the level of the root collar, shaking occasionally in order to avoid the formation of "air bubbles". Then the soil is well compacted, watered and mulched. Cover with polyethylene around the perimeter for better survival and protection from weeds and pests. Water at least 1 time in 3-4 days.

All types of currants are easily propagated by layering. The method is simple and involves feeding future plants from the mother liquor. It is almost impossible to ruin the landings in this way.

We offer a simple instruction.

• Shallow, up to 15 cm, grooves are dug near the bush.
• A nutrient mixture is poured onto the bottom of the grooves: 2 parts of peat, 1 part of manure or compost. Sprinkle with ordinary earth.
• Branches at the age of 2-3 years are bent to the grooves and fixed in the soil at a distance of 15-20 cm.
• Sprinkle on top with earth to the level of the soil so that the soil layer above the branch is not more than 5 cm. Water well.
• Periodically, the layers are spudded.

Spring layering will give roots by autumn. The resulting plants are separated by pruning shears and planted in a new place, where they are grown to "readiness" for another 1-2 years. By the age of 3, these will be seedlings ready for full-fledged fruiting. One cut is capable of producing 3-6 plants. From one bush, you can make 2-4 layers.

You can plant a bush if there is a need to move old plantings to another place. The division order is pretty straightforward.

• The bush is divided either until March, until the sap flow has begun, or at the end of October, in November, before preparing the plant for winter.
• Old, damaged branches, branches with traces of diseases are cut from the bush.
• The plant is dug up, the soil is shaken from the roots.
• With a spade, with a quick movement, the bush is divided into 2-5 parts, depending on its size and age. Each section should have at least 2-3 strong shoots and enough roots.
• Each piece is planted in planting pits, deepening by 5 cm.
• The ground part is shortened to 15-20 cm. Water well.

Red currants are easily grown from berries.It is enough to press the ripe berries into the soil in the fall, sprinkle them with earth, in the spring young plants will grow, perfectly adapted to the conditions of this particular site. But when it comes to breeding a unique hybrid or getting seedlings from rare berries, they act in a certain way.

• Only well-ripe berries are harvested.
• Cut them in half, and spread the pulp with seeds in a sieve. Rinse, spread the seeds on pieces of cardboard. Seeds are dried and then harvested prior to planting.
• You can leave the berries under the snow, in this case they get natural hardening during the winter. Or immediately plant it entirely in the seed boxes, place it in the basement, get it only in the spring.
• Seeds that have not undergone natural stratification are planted at any necessary time, but before planting they are kept in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
• Before planting, the seeds are soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
• Then they are sown in boxes or pots to a depth of 1 cm.The height of the dishes is at least 25 cm.
• The soil for planting should be loose and very nutritious. Good drainage is essential.
• For seed germination, a temperature of 25-28 ° C is required. In an ordinary apartment, this temperature is easily created in seedling boxes, if they are placed in the sun and covered with glass. Germination time is 25-30 days.
• They are grown as ordinary seedlings. Make sure that the plants have enough space, fresh air, moisture and sun, but not direct rays.
• In the spring, from the end of March, the plants are taken out into the fresh air as often as possible. If these are autumn seedlings, you can plant them in a greenhouse in the open field next spring. Spring seedlings are planted when they are sufficiently strong, will be more than 23-30 cm in height, with a sufficient number of leaves.

It is important to consider that young red currant seedlings are very tender. They love the sun, but can suffer from sunburn, so it is best to choose a location with abundant but diffused lighting. They are sensitive to lack of fresh air, but drafts should be avoided. In the first year, plants develop very slowly. They are planted in a permanent place no earlier than 2 years of life.

Cons of the seed method:

• labor intensity;
• the plant will begin to bear fruit fully only at the 5th year of life.

Red currants reproduce well at any time of the year. Cutting lignified cuttings is possible both in autumn and spring. In the first case, the cuttings are stored in cool conditions or left for rooting in a greenhouse, in the second they are planted immediately in the ground or placed in water. Collecting green cuttings is carried out in late spring, if necessary - in summer. Layers are formed in early spring, before bud dissolution. The division of the bush is carried out either in early spring or in late autumn. But in case of urgent need, the bush can be moved and divided at any time of the year. With the support of the gardener, the bushes transplanted in summer will successfully take root: the bush will need to be shaded from the bright sun, cut off the excess branches. Leaves should be sprayed regularly.

It can be propagated by seeds at any time of the year, if it is possible to provide young seedlings with enough light, warmth and space. If there are no greenhouse conditions, it is better to adhere to standard terms: sow seeds in late winter or early spring, so that by the time the seedlings come out of the ground, they have enough sun.