Currant Black Pearl: description, reviews, photos

On each garden plot, currants are grown, but it is not so easy for a very "young and green" gardener to choose a variety for planting, because there are more than 200 varieties of currants. the Black Pearl currant was bred, it was even awarded the title of "Masterpiece of Russian selection". This article discusses information about it.

Currant Black Pearl: a short excursion into history

Authors of the variety - Zvyagina TS, Sergeeva KD Place of variety breeding - VNIIS im. Michurina I.V. How did you get the variety? We crossed 2 varieties of currants: “Minai Shmyrev"And" Bradthorpe ".

"Black Pearl" was included in the State. Register in 1992. It began to be grown in the Central Black Earth Region, in the Urals, in the North Caucasus, in the Middle Volga Region, in Siberia.

Currant Black pearl: variety description

Currant Black Pearl photo

Black currant of the Black Pearl variety resembles a gooseberry by its descriptive features. Currant Black pearl is a golden variety of currant. How are gooseberries and our variety similar? Branches and leaves are inclined downward. According to the reviews of experienced breeders, it can be noted that currant berries are similar to blueberries.

Bush

The bushes reach a height of 1-1.3 meters. Possesses spreading. Young shoots are bright green in color, have a curved appearance. Over time, they become lignified, the color turns to gray with a yellow tint. The buds are elongated, pink in color, growing on short stems. The flowers are goblet-shaped, they have red sepals. Each cluster contains 6-8 fruits on strong cuttings. Leaves are bright green in color. The leaf blade has sharp corners, has 5 lobes. The sheet is smooth and matte to the touch, the edges are slightly bent. The teeth are large, like a saw, their ends are white. The bushes themselves have few leaves.

Fruit

Ripens in a medium time. Fruit weight - 1.2-1.5 g. Large berries can be 3 g. Berries are in the shape of a circle, of the same size. The taste of the fruit is sweet and sour. Tasting score - 4.2 / 5 points. The color of the berries is black, with shine, looks like a pearl, hence the name. The pulp with large seeds is covered with dense skin. What valuable substances are contained in fruits: 133.3 mg of vitamin C, 1.6% of pectin substances, 3.6% of organic acids, 9% of sugars, 18% of dry elements. When the berries are ripe to the end, they are able to hang on the stalks and not fall off for a long time. The place of separation of the currants remains dry, because of this, the fruits lend themselves well to transportation. Cuttings contribute to mechanization when harvesting currants.

Variety traits

During breeding work on a variety, a variety was born that is very much appreciated by gardeners and truck farmers. "Black Pearl" inherited the best quality characteristics of its progenitors.

The yield indicator is high and stable. After the plants have been planted in the ground, 1-2 years pass, and the variety begins to bear fruit. If plants are planted in the autumn season, then in the summer season you can already see the first harvest. Although it is small (1.5-2 kg), it is already there. Until this moment, naturally, the seedlings must undergo wintering, undergo rooting, in order to burst into spring bloom with renewed vigor. It takes place on May days. Fruit ripening occurs in the second summer month.

The most fruitful year of life of the currant is 5-6.You can collect 5 kg of fruit / bush. The average indicator is 3-4 kg / bush. But there could be more.

The currant is grown on one site for no more than 12-15 years.

Advantages

• Resistant to frost, its "survivability" is observed under temperature conditions in the range of -35 degrees.
• Has immunity to anthracnose, indifferent to kidney mites.
• Possesses tolerance to negative weather conditions, such as: temperature extremes, dry periods.
• Produces fruits for 2-3 years of life, regular yield.
• The fruits remain in their original form after they have been transported or frozen.
• Why are currants so seasoned and winter-resistant? Because they took her out in Siberia, and that explains everything.

Minuses

Not resistant to powdery mildew. It doesn't smell as bright as we would like. Has a sour taste, for an amateur. In general, "Black Pearl" is outdated, because a great variety of varieties have already been bred, which have been improved every time for the better. But you should not give up the variety, it is still popular with summer residents because of its many advantageous characteristics.

How the fruit can be used

Can be eaten fresh. Can be recycled. After you process the berries, they will still be rich in valuable elements.

It is good to use currants in culinary business: filling in baked goods, dessert dishes. Jelly, gummies, preserves, marshmallows, jams are prepared from currants, because currants are a storehouse of pectin substances. Also, tinctures and wine are made from the fruits.

Currant leaves are used for canning vegetables, they add richness to their taste and are "protection" from spoilage. Tea is brewed from the leaves, which reduces heat and is effective against inflammation. To cure children's diathesis, tea compresses are made.

Attention! Black currant is prohibited for people whose blood is prone to blood clots. Because currants contain vitamin K, which promotes blood clotting.

Currant Black pearl: when to plant and where

If you observe agrotechnical rules when planting, properly care for the seedlings, then the plants will be healthy and strong, giving a regular generous harvest.

When to plant.

You can plant currants throughout the growing season. If you plant in the autumn season, then the optimal time is the last days of September or the beginning of October. To root the bushes until frosty days come, temperature conditions should be at least +10 degrees. Thus, the first fruits can be seen in the second summer month. In the spring season, you need to plant currants until the buds swell. 1 year the bush will grow and strengthen. Fruiting usually begins in the second year of the plant's life. Harvest from 1 bush - 2 kg of fruits. When purchasing bushes in a nursery, store, or market, inspect them - the roots should be healthy, not frail, there should be 4 buds from the main part of the shoot.

Where to plant plants and how to prepare the place

A place for a comfortable stay must meet these criteria. Open space, well lit, plenty of sun, no strong gusts of wind. The variety does not like being in the shade and huddling in cramped conditions, for these reasons, the branches need a lot of space for free growth. The soil should be saturated with useful substances, loosened, slightly acidic. Saplings like slightly damp soil. It is forbidden to plant in the place where moisture stagnates and in arid areas. The berries will be sour and small if the bushes are planted in a shaded place, if they suffer from a lack of moisture.

Weeds and roots must be removed 60 days before planting the plants at the planting site. It is necessary to dig the soil 50 cm deep, in order to loosen it and to allow moisture and air to pass through. If the soil is depleted in nutrients, this means that humus or compost fertilizer must be added to it (in a bucket).Potassium and superphosphates can be added. If you plant in the spring season, then all procedures are carried out in the autumn season.

Planting rules

If the roots of the plant are dry, they need to be soaked for 2 hours so that they are saturated with water. A preparation can be added to the water to stimulate growth, in order to strengthen the roots of the currant.

Planting plan

Dig a hole at the planting site. Depth - 0.5 m, width - 0.5 m Fertilizers can be humus, sand, compost feeding, potash mixtures. Then water the pit to keep the soil moist.

We straighten the root system, plant the plant in the hole, slightly tilt it 45 degrees from the soil. We cover the seedling with earth, shake the roots so that there are no empty spaces. To form new shoots and roots, the root collar should be lowered into the ground 5-7 cm below the surface. Tamp the soil around the circumference of the plant, then water with settled water (1 bucket). Cut off the tops of the shoots by 10-15 cm, leave 5-6 green buds.

Pour peat, branches, grass on the surface of the soil. Before unexpected cold snaps, the seedling is covered with dry soil and mulched. The Black Pearl variety is planted at temperature conditions not lower than 8 degrees. In this case, the successful rooting of the currant will occur, it will spend the winter well. The interval for planting bushes among themselves is 1.5-2 m, because the plants are distinguished by spreading branches.

Agrotechnics

The shrub will delight you with its fruits regularly, if you follow some agrotechnical techniques. When plants bloom and bear fruit, they need good watering, 2-3 buckets are required to be poured under the roots. When preparing the bush for wintering, pour a good amount of water over it.

When weeds appear near the bush, it must be instantly removed. Weed cleaning can be done at the same time as loosening the soil so that it is saturated with oxygen. Just make sure that the roots are not harmed.

If at the time of planting the plants, top dressing was introduced into the ground, then it is recommended to feed the bushes after 3-4 years. In the spring season, they are fed with urea, in the autumn - with potash and phosphorus fertilizers.

Periodically, the bushes need cutting. The first time the bushes are cut off when they are planted - 5-6 buds are left on the shoots. The next time, you can cut off the broken, diseased and unnecessary branches that are at the roots, make new branches short. Shoots over three years old are cut annually. The bush is completed in 4-5 years. It should have branches of different ages in its composition.

Advice: it will not be necessary to loosen, weed, fertilize the soil with organic substances if the soil around the circumference of the shrub was mulched with humus.

Currant Black Pearl: Diseases and harmful insects

Black currants of the Black Pearl variety can be affected by powdery mildew. This is a fungus that infects young seedlings. Symptoms: white bloom, later turning into brown, obscures shoots, leaves, fruiting twigs; shedding of greenery, curvature of the plant occur. If you do not start the fight in a timely manner, the bush will simply die.

How to deal with this fungal infection. Copper sulfate will help here. The bushes are processed before they bloom or when the fruits are harvested. From organic fertilizers, mullein or a solution of hay dust is used. Top dressing is diluted with water 1: 3. Withstand the infusion for 3 days and cover with water, 1: 3. The solution must be filtered and the bushes must be sprayed with a spray bottle. The procedure will be repeated after 15 days and on the 15th of the first summer month.

The fruits of our variety are not very susceptible to attacks by harmful insects. But if it is illiterate to care for the bush, uninvited guests may come to it: spider mites, aphids, sawflies.The preparations "Fitoferm", "Dichlorvos" will help to say goodbye to them. If the currant is strong and well-groomed, then you have nothing to be afraid of, rarely will anyone run to see it. The variety has a high resistance to diseases.

Currant Black Pearl: reviews of gardeners

Natalia, 24 years old, Nizhny Novgorod: “As for me, this is a wonderful variety, on which I focused my attention. He pleased with frost resistance, he does not need to be especially looked after. The fruits are sweet, this is a significant aspect, I do not like sour currants. I bake cakes, constantly add currants to the filling, this is my chip. And people like it. "

Vladimir, 54 years old, Sterlitamak: “I bought 2 bushes of this variety, for some reason I was guided by the name. I don’t regret anything, because the currant lives up to the name. The fruits are large, like black beads. The bushes do not require any special care, they give a rich harvest, despite the weather. "

Tatiana, 36 years old, Saratov: “This is my favorite variety of currant, time-tested. When the berries are ripe, they remain on the bush for a long time, they do not crumble. Over time, they resemble raisins. The berries are not that big, but they are sweet and tasty. "

Currant Black Pearl is an outdated variety, because a great many new and more advanced varieties have been bred. But among summer residents, the variety is still appreciated and grown, since the plant is proven.