How to care for currants in spring

Many garden plots boast entire currant bushes, but this doesn't necessarily mean they're producing abundant fruit. Don't expect to harvest currants every year once you plant them, as, like any other plant, they require specific care.

Providing the plant with timely watering is only part of the process of caring for currants in spring to ensure a good harvest. Other tasks also need to be completed, and if they're not done, you can't expect a good harvest.

What's on the spring to-do list?

The list of how to care for currants in the spring to ensure a good harvest (video) includes:

• Loosening the soil;
• Weed control;
• Adding fertilizer to the soil;
• Trimming.

As soon as the last patches of snow melt, you can begin spring currant care to ensure a bountiful, ripe, and, most importantly, healthy harvest. First, remove any old, diseased branches that will only hinder the plant's full growth.

Pruning should begin as early as possible, while the plant is still recovering from winter. To prune, you'll need pruning shears and a keen eye. When pruning, it's important to avoid leaving any diseased or dead branches on the plant. You can also remove any very weak branches.

Important! When pruning, you should not only remove old and diseased branches but also adjust the shape of the bush. This will not only help improve the bush's appearance but also increase its yield.

As soon as the weather warms up, currants enter a phase of active growth, as they receive sufficient nutrition and moisture. However, if spring rainfall is lacking, the bush will need regular supplemental watering. It's important to use warm water when watering, as the plant doesn't tolerate cold water.

Proper watering means pouring water under the plant's roots, not directly on them. Overwatering currant bushes can cause powdery mildew, which requires additional work.

With the arrival of spring, not only plants awaken, but also their main enemies—various diseases and parasites. Therefore, disease and parasite prevention is an integral part of a comprehensive approach to caring for currants in spring to ensure a bountiful harvest. Prevention is accomplished by spraying the plants with special preparations.

For currants, we recommend using products such as Akelit and Fitoverm. Instructions on how to use these products correctly and at what dosage are indicated on the packaging are readily available at any gardening store.

It's also important to regularly weed the area around the plant and remove weeds. This will protect the currants from pests and larvae, which love to hide on the bush's leaves.

Spring fertilization

Providing the plant with adequate nutrition is crucial in the spring, so fertilizing is essential. After winter, the plant is starved of nutrients and requires an additional source of nutrition to replenish its energy for further growth and fruiting. Both mineral and organic fertilizers (manure, ash) can be applied. Currants are particularly deficient in magnesium and potassium in the spring, so it's recommended to purchase fertilizers that contain these nutrients in abundance.

Helpful tips

Helpful tips on how to care for currants in the spring to ensure a good harvest will show you how to properly carry out certain tasks:

• Before the plant's buds begin to swell, you can dig around the currant bush and add fertilizer in the form of humus;
• After pruning currant bushes, you can give them a hot shower to wash away all the larvae and pests that hid there during the winter;
• You need to take care of the currant bushes until autumn: remove fallen leaves and other debris, dig around the bushes, add humus and cover the ground with mown grass.
• When pruning, it's recommended to remove not only old and dry branches but also some young shoots. Of all the new shoots, only the strongest and healthiest (no more than 5-7) should be left.

Spring currant care won't present any difficulties, even for those new to gardening. The main thing is to follow all the recommendations, and with a little effort and careful care, the bush will yield plenty of ripe and healthy berries!