Reasons why black currants do not bear fruit. Red currants If currants do not bear fruit, what to do?
Black currant is perennial shrub, which annually pleases gardeners not only with tasty, but also healthy berries. Blackcurrant is rich in vitamins A, B, C, P, as well as sodium, potassium, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, pectins and organic acids. Needless to say, a handful of freshly picked currants contains an excellent supply of vitamins and minerals. If we're talking about about the harvest, then from one hectare of land you can collect up to thirty kilograms of berries. Many summer residents know black currants as unpretentious plant and therefore expect a good harvest every year.
However, very often black currants either completely stop bearing fruit or produce two or three berries from each bush. In the first year this is normal, but in subsequent years it is worth looking for the reason for this abnormal behavior.
Why black currants do not bear fruit: reasons and their elimination
1. Lack or excess of sunlight
Black currants love sunlight, but in moderation. Therefore, the gardener may simply not wait for the harvest or it will be very, very modest. The same thing happens when currant bushes are planted in the full sun. For planting, you should choose a shaded place; the bushes should not be roasted in the sun from morning to evening, but they should receive scattered sunlight.
2. Weather conditions unfavorable for blackcurrants
The shrub belongs to heat-loving plants, so southern varieties of currants may simply not take root in the climate middle zone Russia. This can lead to spring frosts damaging the already delicate buds of the bush. Not resistant to low temperatures the plant may not produce a harvest of berries this year. Often severe spring frosts lead to the death of young shrubs that are not adapted to harsh conditions. climatic conditions. To prevent this from happening, you should choose those blackcurrant varieties that are suitable specifically for a particular region.
3. Soil condition
Black currant is very demanding on the composition of the soil. The shrub prefers to grow in loose soil enriched with fertilizers. The soil should be as moist as possible. Potassium salt and superphosphate are excellent for maintaining the mineral composition of the soil necessary for shrubs. However, you should not overdo it with fertilizers, because this can lead to excessive oiliness in the soil and, as a result, a lack of harvest.
4. Diseases and pests
Often black currants bear fruit poorly due to diseases and pests. For example, wood ants, bud mites and glass moths can prevent crops from appearing. The bud mite can be recognized by the enlarged buds that appear on the shoots of the bush. If the gardener notices this, the buds should be removed immediately. The glass butterfly is almost invisible, but it is capable of making real moves for itself and severely damaging the shoots of the plant. Forest ants cause serious damage to black currants: they are capable of gnawing out the inside of the flower. Pest control needs to be done in a timely manner: destroy damaged parts of the bush, completely uproot dead plants, plant onions and garlic between the rows. In the most severe cases, the gardener should use chemicals.
In the practice of gardeners, a situation often occurs when currants do not produce berries even 2-3 years after planting. Many then decide to take drastic measures and purchase another variety of this crop for their plot. But such hasty decisions in this case can only do harm, since there are at least six reasons why.
1. Place the berry garden in a shaded area. At the same time, the plants usually develop rapidly, producing branches two meters long with huge leaves, but the berries either do not appear at all, or ridiculously few of them are formed.
2. A lack of moisture in the soil can also provoke a decrease in the yield of this crop. Probably every experienced gardener has noticed that without watering in a very dry summer, currants turn out to be very small and sour.
3. In very rich soil currant bushes grow intensively, but refuse to produce offspring. Then take action in the following way: Dig trenches around each bush with a depth of 35 to 45 centimeters and the same width. The same distance should be retreated from the plant. Next, fill the grooves with a mixture of clay soil and bone meal. It is also recommended to plant to get rid of excessively fattening and thickening shoots.
4. Take a closer look at the mother currant bush. It may be infected with reversion(). This disease may be another not obvious cause of currant infertility. In this case, the leaves acquire an elongated, three-lobed appearance with pointed tips. The teeth along their edges are large and sparse, and the veins on the leaf blade become clearer and coarser. Another unmistakable symptom of this dangerous disease is that currant foliage partially loses its specific aroma.
At the same time, especially noticeable external changes occur in flowers. The corollas, calyxes and stamens degenerate into small dirty purple petals, and the pistils grow unusually. The berry either does not form at all, or appears in minute quantities. On infected bushes, many thin, densely located branches are formed. Depending on the degree of reversion damage, yield loss can range from 20 to 100%.
Unfortunately, today there are no blackcurrant varieties that demonstrate resistance to this disease. The likelihood of terry disease is slightly reduced in varieties that are resistant to kidney mite. Unfortunately, when diseased plants are discovered, the only way out is to completely destroy them by burning them.
5. Currants bear fruit poorly even when the gardener neglects them regular feeding his berry grower or uses only one type of fertilizer for these purposes (most often a solution of manure or chicken droppings). They will help you draw up a competent plan for fertilizing currant plantings.
The blackcurrant bush is unpretentious to grow. It bears fruit successfully both in the northern regions and in European countries. At the same time, black currants bloom in garden plots, but do not bear fruit. What this is connected with and how to make black currants bear fruit, you will learn from today’s article.
Currants bear fruit every year, regardless of the place of cultivation or region. The berry belongs to the number perennial plants. The peak of flowering and fruiting occurs in the 5th year from the moment of planting.
In the first year of its life, currants traditionally do not bear fruit, but bloom. This is quite normal - the bush is just beginning to form, root system it is not yet strong enough, and the currant itself has not gone through all the natural stages of development.
Blackcurrant begins to bear fruit after flowering in the second year. After this period, fruiting should be regular.
Why does black currant bloom but not bear fruit?
- Shading
- Wrong landing site
- Extreme heat/direct sunlight
- Acidified soil
- Lack of moisture in the soil
What needs to be done to restore black currants after identifying the problem.
- When preparing blackcurrants for planting, you also need to work on the area. The soil mixture should not be strongly acidified - liming will help cope with the increase in acidity.
- The location for planting black currants should be moderately lit, without constant shading or exposure to direct sunlight in the midst of summer. The soil on the site should be loose, nutritious, allow moisture and air to pass through, but not dry out quickly.
- It is also necessary to moisten the soil for black currants regularly, adhering to the rule of drying the soil by 4-5 cm.
Bushes without ovaries - why don’t black currants bear fruit?
Black currants may not bear fruit due to the lack of ovaries. Due to an unsuitable climate or an incorrectly chosen variety for the planting region, currant bushes may not form ovaries.
In addition to the reasons listed, there are no ovaries if there is not enough pollination, which depends on the ratio of male and female inflorescences (blackcurrant is a self-pollinating plant). A gardener can independently, armed with an ordinary artistic brush, transfer pollen between bushes. You can also pre-plant honey-bearing flowers next to black currants. 
Why black currant blooms but does not bear fruit: diseases
Diseases and pests on black currants:
- Mite. Develops in the kidneys. When detected, blackcurrant buds infected with mites are removed. Garlic is planted next to the berries.
- Glassware (butterfly). In addition to the lack of fruiting, flowering black currants are characterized by partial withering of the shoots. It is necessary to cut them off almost to the base of the trunk and treat the removal areas with garden varnish.
- Ants. Insects eat away inner part flower, leaving the sepals. Kill ants on black currants using biological or folk preparations.
- Reversion (non-fruiting disease). It appears as an elongation of the blackcurrant leaf. It acquires a characteristic pointed end and ceases to emit its specific smell. The inflorescences turn purple and the berries do not set. Black currants are completely uprooted and burned - there is no cure.
(No ratings yet, be the first)
Currants belong to shrubs from the gooseberry family. With proper care, this crop will develop and produce good yields in one place for many years. The plant is widespread in Europe and Asia, and is also found in the territory North America. For normal development, the bush must be planted on a hill in a well-lit place with loose aerated soil. Currant berries contain a huge amount of vitamins, as well as microelements and organic acids. Ripe fruits are used for food fresh, preserves, jams, compotes are prepared from them, and used for freezing.
Many gardeners, especially beginners, encounter certain difficulties when growing this crop. Next, we will consider what reasons may cause the lack of fruiting in this berry. We will pay special attention to ways to solve emerging problems.
Insufficient or excessive lighting
According to experienced gardeners The peak of currant fruiting occurs in the 5th year after planting this plant. If the crop does not form berries in the first year, then this is not yet a cause for concern, but if there is no fruiting in the second and third years, then it is worth considering. One of the main answers to the question why currants do not bear fruit is considered to be a deficiency. sunlight. The plant can tolerate the influence of intense solar lighting, but for a short time.
Excessive natural light is also harmful for bushes. In the sun, a significant part of the formed berries fall off, which will ultimately lead to a loss of yield. Based on the above reasons, it is better to plant currants in a shaded place so that only diffused light falls on the leaves of the crop.
Aging bush
A currant bush has a yield potential for 7-10 years, after which the plant exhausts its natural resource. You can rejuvenate the crop by pruning, but if this does not help, then the currants are uprooted. They're digging a new one next door landing hole, mix the soil with fertilizers and plant a new plant.
Soil conditions
The condition of the soil is important for growing the crop in question. The soil must be loose in structure and contain a sufficient amount of nutrients. Heavy soils are contraindicated; they can lead to stagnation of moisture, which will cause rotting of the plant's root system. To saturate the earth nutrients before planting, add organic and mineral fertilizers, if necessary, fertilize.
Excess fertilizer for currants is also harmful. In the case where the land has high degree fertility, a trench is made at a distance of 40 centimeters from the bush around the circumference of the crown. This recess is subsequently filled with wood ash, clay soil and bone meal. The acidity of the soil should be neutral. Chalk or lime is added to the acidic soil. Such operations must be carried out approximately a year before planting the crop.
Weather influences
The lack of blackcurrant harvest is often caused by unfavorable weather conditions. The crop in question belongs to heat-loving plants, therefore, when growing berries, it is necessary to select only zoned varieties. If in southern regions In our country, gardeners manage to obtain rich harvests of large-fruited currants, but such varieties are unlikely to be suitable for the Urals or Siberia.
Spring frosts often lead to freezing of the buds. Other adverse weather events include: sharp drop temperatures, persistent drought. The plant does not tolerate rainy weather well, because excess moisture can lead to rotting of the root system and shedding of berries. Most often, the lack of blackcurrant harvest is due to the influence of spring frosts. That is why it is necessary to select zoned varieties for a specific region of our country.
The influence of diseases and pests
Formations and further development The fruit clusters are not yet sufficient to obtain a rich harvest. During the growing season, it is important to protect the plant from the effects of diseases and pests. Reversion is considered one of the main diseases of currants. This disease leads to elongation of leaf blades and the appearance of veins. IN in this case The aroma of the berries is almost not felt; during the flowering period, the petals of the inflorescences turn purple. It is impossible to help plants with this disease; they are removed from garden plot and burn.
Video
From this video we will learn about the secrets of a good blackcurrant harvest.
Red currant - answers to questions
Gardeners love red currants for their unpretentiousness and responsiveness to care. There is no point in pitting black and red currants against each other; each of them is good in its own way and deserves a place in the garden. But red currant plants, compared to black currants, are more durable, tolerate drought better, are distinguished by regular fruiting and increased resistance to some pests and diseases; the berries have high technological properties. However, not every gardener manages to grow red currants.
A lot has already been planted on my plot, but there are no red currants yet. Where is the best place to place it?
When choosing a place for a currant plantation, you need to take into account its biological characteristics.
Red currant shoots easily break off when exposed to wind, especially in vigorous varieties (Faya is fertile, Laxton is perfect), therefore, areas must have natural or artificial protection from winds. Red currant seedlings are placed in unshaded areas.
Compared to black currant, the root system of red currant is more powerful and deep (up to 1.5-2 m), which explains its increased drought resistance and dislike of too wet soil.
Red currants are propagated like gooseberries and black currants. But in many varieties, lignified cuttings root worse than those of black ones; they require two years of cultivation in a nursery, since in the first year they form only a short growth. It is usually recommended to do this in late August - early September. But I prefer (this has been verified) the flowering period of bird cherry. At the same time, the survival rate is almost 100%; the growth of plants is even better than those planted in the fall.
Cuttings are harvested in late autumn or in early spring, before the buds open. In both cases, they are stored in the refrigerator. Before rooting, they are placed in water for 2-3 days, which is changed every day. And if you add aloe juice, or a little honey, or a drop of lemon juice, or what you consider “life-giving” moisture, the currant will certainly respond to such care and give roots.
Green cuttings with a “heel” are also acceptable (during berry setting, new growth is cut from 1 cm of last year’s growth). This method requires light soil, artificial fog, watering, ventilation, etc. In amateur gardens, when the need for planting material is small, it is better to propagate currants by horizontal and arcuate layering. In this case, the annual shoot is bent, pinned and covered with light soil. Further care consists of watering, weeding and loosening. The shoot can be bent down both in the fall and in the spring, and in the first case, it can be planted after a year, in the second - in the fall.
I want to plant red currants, but I don’t know when and how to do it?
Considering that the buds wake up at an air temperature of plus 6°, and the roots (at the level of the suction roots) when the soil warms up above 10°, plant red currants, like all shrubs, better in autumn 1-2 weeks before the onset of frost. Before planting, dig up the soil half a meter and add manure and fertilizer.
What methods of shaping red currants exist?
Red currants can be used to form both a bush and a tree.
If they want a bush, they plant it obliquely and after planting they cut it back heavily, leaving 3-4 buds above the soil surface. Starting from the second year, pruning achieves the formation of approximately 8-10 evenly spaced branches in the center of the bush. The peculiarity of the formation and pruning of bushes is associated with the durability of fruit formations, skeletal branches and the nature of fruiting. Strong annual basal shoots are usually not cut out, but only short and underdeveloped ones are completely removed. If in the second year there is not a sufficient number of lateral branches, shorten the zero shoots by 1/5-1/4 of their length. One-year growth on skeletal branches is also not pruned, since the bulk of flower buds are formed in the upper part of the branches (at the boundaries of growth). If the old branches give good harvest high-quality berries, they are not touched either. Usually old branches are cut out at the age of 6-7 years and older. Branches 5-6 years old, if they have stopped growing and the berries have become small, can be shortened by 1/3-1/2 by transferring to stronger lateral branches. This is the so-called anti-aging pruning, which will enhance growth and fruiting.
Straightness and strength of branches of certain varieties of red currant (Jonkier van Tete, Firstborn, Dutch Red), the durability of the ringlets and bouquet branches allows you to form bushes in standard form (trees), which facilitates soil care, harvesting, and improves the quality of berries.
Plant the “tree” only straight, having previously removed other shoots and buds from the root collar and stem to a height of up to 40 cm (if possible) and leaving the apical growth plus 2-3 more to replace in case of freezing.
Red currants also lend themselves well to flat shaping in the form of a fan and a vertical wall.
Please explain whether it is necessary to have pollinating varieties.
Red currant is a self-pollinating plant. In the garden it is enough to have two bushes of the same variety. But... the plant is alive and it is much more fun for it to overcome difficulties when there is another variety nearby. If the area is limited, currants can be grafted well by all means, and believe me, someone else’s branch will not be superfluous.
How to deal with red gall aphids and other pests? Why do individual currant branches dry out?
Red gall aphids are the eternal companion of red currants. Unfortunately, there are no varieties resistant to this pest.
Currant shoots (branches) dry out if:
*they are damaged by glass - the core is eaten;
* the roots have reached salts (carbonates), water, unrotted manure: in this case, the plant is initially depressed, there are light leaves (white, yellow);
*in winter there were long thaws followed by frosts or there was severe frost in the absence of snow cover.
The spread of diseases and pests depends on many factors - weather, infestation, etc. To contain the onslaught, you need to follow the following simple rules and techniques for plant protection:
**pluck and burn affected leaves (red gall aphids, powdery mildew) and cut out shoots (glass glass); keep ants out;
**do not thicken the plant, the area itself and the currants should be well ventilated;
**after preliminary collection and burning of litter, shallowly loosen the soil in the fall under and around the bushes;
**purchase and grow only healthy planting material;
**do not plant bushes near diseased or pest-infested plants;
**do not leave open wounds (breaks from the wind, from tools, etc.);
** dust the crown with stove ash; spray or rinse the plants with a soap solution (200-250 g of green liquid soap or 300-400 g household + soda ash);
**Regularly trim garlic and onions planted between plants.
I consider it unacceptable to use strong poisons in your garden, but biological agents such as Delta, ladybugs, and trichograms help.
Which modern varieties have a long cluster and large berries, and which varieties have the sweetest berries?
Beautiful long filled cluster with large even berries in varieties Stefanis, Valentinovka, Imperial yellow, Memory Gubenko, Hero, Dutch pink.
Sweet berries from red currant varieties Chotaqua, Dutch pink, Rose Chair, Early sweet, Rondom, Hero, ELS 10-10.
The listed varieties are suitable for all regions of Russia, except the most northern ones.
Currant is a surprisingly responsive plant. She is always with us both in trouble (he will heal, heal) and in joy (wine is not inferior in taste to grape wine, remember also jellies, juices, etc.). And how decorative it is! It grows almost everywhere. So let her please us and rejoice in us - caring and skillful.
N.V. Fedorycheva, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Ulyanovsk
Why did red currants suddenly stop bearing fruit?
Most likely, yours is old. Fruitlets (short fruit branches on which fruits are laid flower buds, located along the entire length of the branches, but there are especially many of them at the ends of the branches) live for about 10 years. Then the branch becomes obsolete and just needs to be cut. The entire bush may become outdated if it is about 15-20 years old.
In this case, it can be rejuvenated by gradually cutting out a third of the bush to the very base over three years.
The blackcurrant bush also rejuvenates after about 10-12 years. Or gooseberries - after 18-20 years.
In gooseberries, fruits stop bearing fruit after 8-10 years, and in black currants - after 5. Therefore, as soon as the yield on a branch begins to decline or it stops bearing fruit altogether, it should be cut out to the point of attachment to the trunk.
The bark on the stems of the red currants has peeled off. What it is?
Don't worry, there's nothing special - this is normal for red currants. The same phenomenon is observed in honeysuckle and some raspberry varieties.
Red swellings appeared on the leaves of the red currant. What to do with them?
Red swellings on the leaves are so-called galls, which are caused by red gall aphid. She lays eggs on the tops of stems, which causes the leaves at the tops to curl. It overwinters in these leaves. They need to be robbed and burned.
In early spring, as soon as the leaves begin to grow, aphids penetrate the leaf blade from below and eat away the inside of the leaf. Its excrement causes swelling on the leaves.
To prevent aphids from getting into the leaves, you can spray with a solution of drinking or soda ash(3 tbsp per 10 liters of water). But spraying must be done before the swellings appear, and not after, because the aphids are inside the leaf. And be sure to inside leaf so that the aphid crawling on it will burn the body with soda and die. In rainy weather, such spraying is pointless.
Spraying can be done with any absorbable preparation, but it is better not chemical, but biological.
Red currants grow, bloom, but dry out before they have time to produce berries. What is the reason?
Most likely, the reason is that the bush is old (more than 20 years). No amount of rejuvenation will help him. Taking cuttings from him is pointless, because the same thing will happen to them.
Buy new planting material. There are a lot now good varieties, but there are few good nurseries that grow seedlings. Most often at exhibitions they sell material that, to put it mildly, is not at all what they claim it to be. To the North-West, for example, planting material is often imported from Belarus or Ukraine, from the southern regions of Russia and even from Moldova, which is not at all suitable for this climatic zone.
Planting material should be purchased zoned and in nurseries in your area.
But maybe the reason is one of the fungal diseases. Try in the spring, as soon as the leaves begin to unfurl, spray this bush with zircon. After flowering, immediately spray it again, and after harvesting, spray it with copper oxychloride or Bordeaux mixture. If this does not help, feel free to replace the bush. It can be planted in its old place only by completely changing the soil.