Spring currant care: tips from experienced gardeners

Currants are one of the most popular bushes in gardens, due, of course, to the abundant, healthy and delicious berries they produce. Growing a full-grown currant bush isn't difficult, even for beginners, but to ensure a bountiful harvest of delicious berries each year, the bush requires careful care. Advice from experienced gardeners will help you care for currants in the spring, as this is the time of year when you need to do the most work to ensure the bushes develop and grow to their full potential.

Spring care for currants: the beginning

Currants begin to vegetate early in spring. Therefore, seasoned gardeners' advice on caring for currants in spring recommends starting work as early as possible, as soon as the snow melts.

First, it's recommended to warm the bushes with a hot shower. This will harden the plant and prevent attacks from pests and diseases that have weakened over the winter and haven't yet had time to recharge.

Also, spring currant care, according to gardeners' advice, includes spraying the plant with a solution of copper sulfate and iron sulfate, Bordeaux mixture, or Nitrafen. This procedure should be done before the plant begins to bud.

You can watch a few more tips from experienced gardeners on how to care for currants in the spring in this video:

Just like in summer, in spring, you need to loosen the soil to ensure the plant's roots receive more oxygen and nutrients. Don't forget to pull out weeds and collect fallen leaves and other debris accumulated under the snow. This type of work reduces the risk of pests and diseases, as weeds and other debris around the currants are a source of microbes and viruses that are dangerous to the plant.

Since currants thrive in moisture, the soil in which they grow must be kept constantly moist. Currant bushes are watered at the roots. It's especially important to monitor soil moisture during the ripening period.

Mulching the soil in spring is also beneficial for the plant. This helps retain soil moisture, reduces surrounding weed growth, and allows the plant to absorb more nutrients. Gardeners especially favor mushroom waste for mulching, but peat, sunflower husks, straw, and compost are also suitable.

How to fertilize currants in spring

Fertilization is another important point in list of spring chores for currant careAfter all, it is fertilizing that allows the plant to receive maximum nutrients and bear fruit abundantly in the future.

For the first three years after planting, the nutrients added at planting are sufficient for currant growth. After three years, the plant needs to be fed annually.

To help currants develop foliage faster in the spring, they need to be fed with nitrogen fertilizer. Granular forms, such as urea and ammonium nitrate, can also be used for this purpose. Organic fertilizer is a worthy alternative to nitrogen fertilizer, if such fertilizer is more convenient and easier to obtain.

Important! Nitrogen fertilizers should be used strictly according to the instructions. Overdoing it with nitrogen can trigger the development of certain currant diseases.

And after spring feeding, in the summer, currants are fertilized with mineral fertilizers.

How to control pests and diseases

Experienced gardeners' advice on caring for currants in spring suggests the most effective methods for combating diseases and pests.

The most characteristic diseases of currants These include anthracnose, spot, powdery mildew, and cup rust. The most effective preventative measures are considered to be maintaining a high agricultural background and eradication treatments.

However, if for some reason the gardener is late with these tasks, and a disease has already begun to manifest itself, immediate action can be taken. This includes irrigating the shrubs with products such as Acrobat Ridomil, Topaz, or Fitosporin.

Another danger that can affect currants is the bud mite. This pest causes severe damage to currants, causing them to weaken and eventually wither completely. Watering the bushes with hot water and pruning out swollen buds will help get rid of this pest.

Attention! The bud mite not only damages currants but also transmits a disease called terry leaf spot, which cannot be cured. If currant bushes are infected with terry leaf spot, they should be dug up and burned.

Spring care for currants This doesn't involve any complicated or new work; all these procedures are familiar to every gardener. If you take the time to care for your currants in the spring, they will reward you with a healthy and bountiful harvest, and will continue to delight you for many years to come.

Good luck in the garden!