Autumn is a fertile time for gardeners. At this time, summer residents harvest juicy fruits and berries, and also make large quantities of preparations for the winter and storing fruits in the underground or cellar for long-term storage.
Experienced plant growers are sure to plan pruning of fruit and berry crops at the end of the season. According to experts, this procedure significantly extends the life of bushes and trees in one place, makes it easier to care for plantings and leads to a stable increase in yield, naturally, if it is carried out correctly.
There is no exception and everyone’s favorite crop, which annually produces a harvest of sweet and sour vitamin berries, is currants (black, white, red). Currant pruning can be done in autumn, early spring (before sap flow begins), and even in winter if the air temperature is above +3°C.
The benefits of thinning plants in the fall are obvious. Since currants awaken very early, you may simply not have time to prune after the snow melts if you are at the dacha only in the warm season.In addition, spring is a busy time for gardeners, when it is necessary to pay attention to all crops and carry out a countless number of different activities to prepare seedlings for the season of active fruiting.
But in the fall, you can always set aside time to care for currants, even if you are preserving the area for the winter and do not plan to appear here until the onset of the new season. Shrubs can be thinned out using garden shears at any time, be it warm September, golden October or pre-winter November. The main thing is that at this time the air temperature does not drop below +3°C.
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Rules for pruning currants in autumn:
1. First of all, sanitary pruning is carried out. All shoots lying on the ground, thin, dried out and broken branches, as well as those that show even minimal signs of disease, must be removed.
2. Then the tops of the entire shoot are shortened, since, as a rule, they contain egg-laying pests, in particular aphids and mites.
3. The last stage is rejuvenation. On each bush, 2-3 of the oldest shoots, which are more than 3-4 years old, are removed at the root. Such branches are unproductive; they can be easily identified by the degree of lignification and the presence of growths of mosses and lichens.
Advice from experts on caring for currants in autumn
Use well-sharpened garden shears, the blades of which have been disinfected with alcohol or a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Remove old shoots as low as possible so that the remaining stumps do not become a place for the penetration and spread of dangerous phytopathogens.
Thin out the bush, using pruning shears to remove young growth growing inward and thickening the crown.Leave only the most powerful replacement shoots of the current season, which will bear fruit in the coming years instead of the old ones that were cut out.
Immediately after the event, remove plant debris from the berry garden. It is advisable to immediately burn cuttings, carrion and leaves from under currant bushes or take them outside the garden, since they contain pathogens, pest larvae, and adult dangerous insects.
To enhance the effect of sanitary, thinning and rejuvenating pruning of currants, treat the bushes with insecticides and fungicides, biological or synthetic. Late in the season, once the crops have been harvested, it is safe to use effective pesticides, especially if your plants have suffered from pest infestations or infectious disease outbreaks this summer.
Such simple measures will help your bushes awaken much sooner with the arrival of spring warmth. May your currant harvest be record-breaking every summer!
