Planting currants with cuttings from A to Z

Currants are considered not only tasty, but also a very healthy berry. At the same time, it is not necessary to purchase seedlings of such a useful plant, because it is quite possible to independently prepare and plant cuttings. It is the methods of planting currants with cuttings that this article will be devoted to.

Material preparation

If you already have a currant bush that gives very tasty berries, and you want to harvest a much larger harvest, then you can prepare cuttings from this bush for future planting. Remember that only properly harvested cuttings will give exactly the harvest you expected. So, let's take a closer look at the process of preparing the material. There are several types of cuttings - lignified and green.

Lignified blanks are taken from annual shoots. To ensure a higher survival rate after planting, it is recommended to cut the material only from healthy and strong bushes that give a good harvest, both in volume and in taste.

Procurement of material for future planting is carried out either in early spring or in autumn. Some gardeners advise that you can combine two processes at once: harvesting material and spring pruning. If you do this in the spring, then you need to wait until the shoots are fully ripe.

The most suitable shoots are branches with a diameter of more than six millimeters, while the length of the cutting should be about 15 centimeters.

Remember that the amount of nutrients in it depends on the length of the harvested shoot, but then you will get slightly fewer currant bushes at the exit. The choice is yours, to get a small amount of material with a high degree of survival in the spring, or to prepare a lot, but at the same time reduce the possible survival. When harvesting material, the cut on the shoot should be above the bud. For these purposes, it is better to use a well-sharpened and clean secateurs. The cut is made, stepping back from the kidney 1 cm up. Thus, a “spine” remains above the cut. From the bottom of the taken shoot, you need to make an oblique cut under the lower bud. In the future, the development of young roots will occur in the space between the nodes, as well as under the kidneys.

During the preparation of the material, it should be borne in mind that the upper part of the shoot is not suitable. It is best to take the middle part. Annual shoots are also suitable for harvesting green cuttings. They are harvested at the moment when there is a transition from green to lignified shoot. A shoot that retains its flexibility, but breaks with a sharp bend, is considered suitable in this situation. This kind of material, in case of hot weather, is harvested only early in the morning. In case of cloudy weather, this procedure can be done throughout the day.

When harvesting green cuttings, the rules change slightly:

• the tip of the shoot is considered optimal, since it is it that rooted best after planting;
• the length of the workpiece can vary from 8 to 12 cm;
• the cut off shoot should have about four leaves;
• in several lower leaves (one or two), the leaf plate must be shortened (its complete removal is allowed). The cutting of the leaf is saved. If the leaves are large, then it is cut in half;
• a cut from the bottom is made at a distance of 0.5 cm from the lower kidney, while the upper one is slightly higher than the upper kidney;
• the cuts are made straight (using a sharp knife or secateurs).

Such cuttings should be stored only in a humid environment - for this, the cut shoot is placed in a wet burlap, and then just wrapped in a plastic bag.

After the shoot has been cut, in order to improve the rooting ability, the branches are tied in bunches and the lower ends of about 1.5 or 2 cm are dipped in a solution of a special growth substance. This solution is prepared as follows: 10 mg of heteroauxin, 50 mg of indolylbutyric acid are diluted in 1 liter of water (temperature about 20-24 degrees). Cover the prepared solution with a damp cloth on top. In this position, he should stand for 12 to 24 hours. Immediately after such processing, you can proceed directly to planting.

Planting rules by cuttings

You can plant the previously harvested material in spring, summer, and autumn. For example, you can plant woody blanks in autumn or spring. But it is advisable to plant green shoots in the summer. Depending on the type of planting material, the planting method will differ.

Planting currants with lignified cuttings:

• at the very beginning, you need to prepare trenches - this will improve the survival rate of cut shoots. The earth in such trenches must be dug to the depth of a bayonet shovel. It is necessary to prepare trenches in the fall, if you want to have time to plant a shoot in wet ground. Excess moisture will only speed up the rooting process;
• at the bottom of the trench, it is necessary to pour out a previously prepared mixture of rotted manure with compost;
• you need to plant cooked shoots at an angle of 45 degrees.

Scheme for the preparation and planting of lignified currant cuttings

If you are planting the harvested material before winter, then the main thing is not to miss the moment when the buds on the shoot enter the dormant stage (late September or early October for black currants and late August for red ones). If you are late, then the risk that the shoots will not take root will increase dramatically.

For simplicity in further caring for the bushes, it is recommended to plant along the lace, keeping a distance of about 10-15 cm. A distance of about 40 cm should be left between the rows. After planting, it is necessary to lay mulched soils with humus or peat. The thickness of the layer should be on average 3-5 cm. If the young bushes have already taken shape in the fall, they can be moved to another place.

Planting currants with green cuttings:

• the earth needs to be dug up by an average of 20 cm and leveled;
• pour on top a layer of a mixture of peat with sand (1: 1 or 2: 1) or river sand (layer thickness of about 4 cm);
• water the soil abundantly;
• planting plants is best at a distance of 8 cm from each other. The gap between the rows is 5 cm;
• plant the harvested shoots straight, to a depth of 2-2.5 cm;
• water abundantly after planting.

Then, when the planting process is completed, the planted shoots are tightly closed and shaded with gauze, whitewash, branches, etc.

Observing all the above rules and features of planting currants with cuttings, you will achieve excellent results.

Video "Planting currant cuttings"

In this video, you can watch the whole process of this option for planting currants.