Over time, blackcurrants have a reduced yield, the berries become small, the taste is lost, the bush looks sick and neglected. What needs to be done to revive abundant fruiting?
Kyiv. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – June 12, 2021 – Agriculture
Terms of rejuvenation
A good harvest can be in the bushes, which are constantly cared for, regular fertilization and disease prevention, pests are destroyed in a timely manner. But after 7 years of growth, any bush must be rejuvenated, ie pruned. In addition to aging shrubs, plants should be pruned for the following reasons:
Wrong shape of the bush
A plant without regular fertilization, growing on poor soil, in which the neighbors are branches of different years of life, acquires an ugly shape.
Many diseased shoots
Branches with ulcers, powdery mildew, mold – must be removed immediately. It is necessary to exclude the development of diseases, it is especially dangerous to leave the plant with diseased branches to winter.
Heavily overgrown, the thickened center contributes to the development of diseases, pest activity
The thickened core during fruiting does not give access to the sun’s berries. The fruits are few, they are small and sour.
The ideal time for rejuvenation is autumn, after dropping the leaves.
How is autumn pruning
To clean completely, under roots, it is necessary:
diseased shoots;
thick, coarse branches, which are covered with lichen;
creeping branches;
one of two or more shoots growing in parallel.
Branches that are removed during thickening, cut at 1/3 of the root.
If the bush is too large, pruning is done in two stages. In the first year the shoots are removed from one half of the bush, and the following year the other half is treated. If you do a total pruning at once, the plant may suffer from stress. She will not have time to tighten the wounds on the cuts and will not survive the winter.
Pruning rules
The bush should be treated in dry weather. If there is high humidity, then the bacteria on the diseased branches multiply rapidly.
The tool must be clean and sharpened. During the transition to pruning each subsequent plant – hacksaw, pruner, brushcutter should be cleaned.
Waste after rejuvenation should be immediately removed from the bush and preferably burned.
According to the rules of agricultural technology, pruning is desirable after treatment against diseases and pests, not forgetting that you need to spray not only the upper part of the crown but also the trunk, starting from the ground.
Garden shrubs cannot live forever. With good, competent care, black currants live 30-35 years. For such a life expectancy and for excellent yields, the rejuvenation procedure should be performed 3-4 times.
Read also: The Rejuvenation Pruning of Black Currants
Source: Ukrgate