How to water currant bushes?

Currant - a useful berry, it contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals.Especially in it there are many vitamins C and E - these are powerful antioxidants that strengthen the immune system. The leaves of this culture also have a mass of beneficial properties, in the winter they are often brewed in tea and drunk as a healing drink. This decoction allows you to relieve fatigue, improve tone.

Currant happens:

• black;
• red;
• yellow (white).

Agrotechnics of each type has its own characteristics. But if we talk about such an event as watering, then there will be no noticeable differences. And the currant is quite sensitive to the “drinking regime”; if it is disturbed in one direction or another, the ground either dries up or swamps, which leads to a decrease in yield.

The amount of moisture in the soil is easy to install, just dig a bayonet with a spade near the plant and make a notch. If the moisture in the soil is low, then it is concentrated in the form of small droplets in the area of ​​small lumps of soil. Without proper watering, no plant in the garden, including currants, can fully develop. In the hot summer, this topic is especially relevant when there is a risk of drying up of trees and shrubs. It should be remembered that plants during the dry months evaporate moisture from the leaves of a significant amount, so rational watering is extremely relevant.

An insufficient amount of water leads to the following phenomena:

• the disappearance of the ovary;
• growth retardation;
• withering and drying out;
• death of the plant.

Wet soil gives life to plants, for this it must be at least 60% water. But there is a flip side of the coin when there is too much moisture in the soil. When thinking about where to plant a plant, it’s best to take into account the groundwater level (more than one meter from the surface is required), which can sometimes cause flooding. But even if this point is taken into account, with frequent excessive irrigation of this agricultural crop, an excess of water in the soil will lead to oxygen deficiency, which, in turn, generates the process of carbon dioxide accumulation.

Inevitably, undesirable processes will begin:

• decomposition;
• rot formation;
• reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms;
• reduce the overall resistance of the culture;
• dying off the roots.

This theme is also important during the flowering, ripening of berries and fruiting. After the flowering is over, after two weeks the currant bush is recommended to start watering regularly. During the formation of the berries, before harvesting (in two weeks), you also need to water, this generates an increase in the volume of the berries.

After harvesting, you will need to make another watering, if summer is especially dry, then it is best to make two waterings with a difference of two weeks. This technique will enable future buds to form better, the plant will also be able to more efficiently prepare for the cold season.

In general, if spring and summer are not rainy, then currants are watered only four times a year:

• in the spring in the second half of May, the first watering takes place;
• second watering is needed when the fruits are already starting to pour juice;
• after harvesting, the third watering follows;
• before the start of winter, the bushes are watered for the last time.

It is recommended to monitor the condition of the soil and calculate the volume of water supplied, depending on weather conditions.

It is recommended to water currant bushes early in the morning or in the evening twilight so that as much water as possible penetrates the soil and does not evaporate for a long time. The best water for irrigation is rainwater, it contains the most oxygen, is soft. Before use, water must be allowed to settle. It is very good to use hoses - “syringes”, the liquid is removed from them at a low speed, which makes it possible to absorb moisture well into the soil.

This method is suitable for watering after planting, as it allows:

• activate metabolism;
• strengthen the roots;
• compact the soil around the trunk.

Currants love to grow in the lowlands on the northern slopes than in dry land on high ground. Therefore, optimal irrigation is a method of creating artificial “rain” if the crop is in open ground. A small sprinkler can be used for irrigation, it will allow to waste water efficiently and with great efficiency. Inexperienced gardeners often simply put a hose under a bush and open the faucet.

Doing this is strictly forbidden. Currants do not like cold water, this method of watering can bring great harm.

The sprinkling method compacts the soil, so digging out small trenches so that moisture can build up in them is more efficient. If the plot is perfectly smooth, rationally dig furrows that are created by collecting soil near the trunk. Thus, a small parapet with a height of about 16 cm is formed.

Special “tanks” are also made: dig a small depression, it is filled with coarse gravel (20-25 mm). The edges are laid with a strip of metal 6 cm high. To prevent the soil drying out, a cover is put on the created structure. Any material can be used: from plastic to metal.

In winter, these containers cover dry leaves. On clay and very hard soils, such constructions make it possible to effectively retain moisture.

Currant, like any shrub, loves moisture, but when water is abundant, then the root system of the plant begins to sweep. Pouring culture with water is not recommended, it may die. It is necessary to concentrate on the fact that the liquid is delivered pointwise for each plant, but at the same time observe the measure so that the soil is soaked with water approximately 49 cm in depth. As in any business, in matters of irrigation, it is important to respect the middle ground. Their solution must be approached wisely. Before you begin to moisten the land around the bush, it is recommended to dig up the soil.

It is worth paying attention to the degree of moisture. If the soil has an excessive dryness of more than 14 cm in depth, this means that the shrub will need at least four buckets of water per square meter. If the earth has dried to a depth of 9 cm, then the liquid will need 2.2 times more. These indicators are important, so you should pay attention to them. If the dry layer is only 4-5 cm, then there is no need to process the bush.

A plant like currant in summer requires at least four buckets of water per square meter. These months have a stage of formation of ovaries, active fruiting, a period of intensive growth. It should be controlled so that water does not flow away in vain; it must be retained using various methods. It is important to remember: the ground must be wet to a depth of half a meter, this is enough, and if the summer is rainy, then the bush cannot be watered in any case, otherwise it will die.

In the heat, watering is done once a week for two hours. It is important to monitor the leaves, if there are signs of drying out (with normal watering), it is imperative to loosen the ground, perhaps the roots do not have enough oxygen and they are “choking”. Water must be defended in special tanks.Watering should be done in the evening or morning, it is better to immediately apply fertilizer to ensure good feeding for a long period of time.

In the autumn, when it is still warm, it is recommended to reduce watering, it is necessary to allow the plant to prepare for the cold season.

The amount of water when watering is also highly dependent on the size of the plants. The larger the bush, the more abundant watering it will need. In addition, the composition of the soil affects the amount of water applied. Sandy soil "holds" moisture much worse. For the remaining, heavier soils, water is required significantly less.

Watering currants should be infrequently, but regularly, it is recommended to keep in mind the technology of mulching, this method allows you to effectively store moisture in the soil for a long time, maintain the normal balance of water in the soil, reducing the risk of drying out. It is an important factor for increasing yields and stimulating plant growth, especially if you use compost as mulch.

Here you should also know the measure: too much mulch prevents the normal penetration of moisture into the soil. In the soil where there is a lot of sand, a layer of mulch about five centimeters will suffice, on clay soils it is recommended to put no more than three centimeters. The mulch should not concern trunks, it can provoke diseases. If you do not comply with this norm, then the bark of the plant will inevitably be damaged, the currant will begin to ache.

Young bushes are recommended to be pruned, thereby forming the shape of a bush so that it contains at least three shoots of different ages. Pruning occurs every year, after harvesting the tops are reduced by ten centimeters, it rejuvenates the plant and gives more yield. After trimming, it is recommended to apply roasting, this will help the currant to transfer the stress better. This event allows you to leave only the required number of shoots for maximum yield, thereby optimizing the consumption of moisture and fertilizing the bush.

It is important that the plant adapts to negative winter temperatures. Young plants after transplanting in the autumn time watered abundantly. The frequency of watering is gradually reduced. If autumn is not rainy, then it is possible to cultivate the crop so that the earth becomes wet 55 cm deep. This requires about five buckets of water per 1 square. meter.

From pests, currants are treated with karbofos (2.2% solution) as well as colloidal sulfur (one percent composition) as a preventive measure. Also, these mixtures can cultivate the land near the bush. Work is best done in warm, dry, windless, warm weather with protective equipment. Also, the plant is watered with herbal infusion, which has a beneficial effect on the development of culture.

Often practiced "hardening" of plants. The currant is adapted to low temperatures with a “+” sign, then the negative values ​​gradually increase. Such operations are best carried out with bushes that have finished vegetation. At the beginning of autumn, in such circumstances, it is impossible to apply fertilizer so that the plant will not “come to life” again. Otherwise, the culture may meet the cold season completely unprepared. Watering is done when the top layer is loosened as much as possible, while the water charging method is used. It enriches the soil well, supplying it with moisture.

It also helps to reduce the freezing of the soil, in the event that in the spring there will be little rain. In the spring, proper soil treatment should begin with the cleaning of rotten leaves, they contain a myriad of parasites. In March, April and May, they pour currants only once a week; a minimum of liquid is spent, no more than three liters. It is impossible to water a culture with cold water with settled water, its temperature should not be below +18 degrees; only then will moisture maximize the activation of metabolic processes.

If currants are supposed to be planted in large quantities, then you should think about drilling from a well, and also provide rational access roads in order to freely deliver water. The place of growth of useful berries should be well lit, then the harvest will be good. Pits for bushes are prepared for six months and watered abundantly, then the soil will be well prepared for seedlings.

The peculiarity of currant is that it cannot do for a long time without moisture, therefore, during the setting of buds and the formation of fruits, this culture badly needs abundant watering. The correct plot, rational watering and a reasonable amount of fertilizer will help to maintain a high yield for many years.

The expert in this video tells about the intricacies of watering berry crops.