Currant Krasa Lviv is on the list of the best blackcurrant varieties. It is chosen by both gardeners for cultivation with personal goals, and farmers who trade in berries. Tips on how to properly plant and care for this crop are provided in the article.

Description of blackcurrant variety Krasa Lviv

Before you buy seedlings and start growing varieties of currants, you need to familiarize yourself with its description, basic characteristics and recommendations for care. The described plant is classified as large-fruited, with a medium-late ripening period. It is recommended to grow in forest-steppe areas, Polesie, the Central region.When grown in the southern regions, the crop needs regular plentiful watering, shading and mulching. The bushes are medium in height and not too sprawling. A large number of leaves are formed on them with three dark green blades. Shoots are growing up. They are strong, not very thick, light green at a young age and gray in mature. Brushes are densely arranged. Flowering occurs in mid-May.

The flowers are small, bell-shaped, light green with a pink tint. The variety is self-fertile, does not need additional planting of pollinators. Propagation of shrubs can be carried out by rooting green and lignified cuttings, separating layering, dividing into several parts of the bush.

Selection history

The variety was obtained as a result of crossbreeding of the Riddle Riddle and Lazy, carried out by employees of the Lviv branch of the Institute of Horticulture of the Ukrainian Academy of Agrarian Sciences Z. Shestopal and G. Shestopal. The selection was completed in 1985. A little later, the variety was included in the State Register.

Appearance, characteristics of berries, ripening time, yield

The fruits ripen after July 15th. They are large, weigh 1.5-1.7 g, rounded in shape. The skin is black with gloss, dense, elastic. The taste of pulp is sweet and sour. Tasters, he was rated at 4–4.2 points. The pulp is characterized by density, jelly-like consistency, brown color. It contains about 6.7% sugar and 12% solids. The cliff is dry.

Did you know? Since blackcurrant contains elements capable of removing radioisotopes and combating the effects of radioactive radiation, it was advised to eat after the Chernobyl disaster. At the same time, these berries occupy a leading place in the degree of accumulation of radionuclides among fruit and berry plants.

After full ripening, berries can still hang on the branches for a long time and not fall off. They perfectly tolerate transportation, even over long distances. They can be consumed fresh and used to make drinks, preserves, jellies. The average yield per season is 15–18 t / ha, 2.5–5 kg / bush.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

• According to gardeners who already had experience growing Krasiv Lviv currants, it has a number of positive characteristics:
• high level of productivity;
• large fruits;
• good taste and marketability of berries;
• the ability of the fruit to tolerate transportation well;
• unwillingness of berries to fall after ripening;
• suitability for mechanized harvesting;
• the possibility of growing in small areas;
• the versatility of the fruit;
• resistance against diseases caused by viruses;
• friendly ripening.

• Among the shortcomings are called:
• the need for frequent watering when grown in hot places;
• lack of resistance to drought;
• unsuitable for cultivation in sandy soils.

Agricultural technology

Planting the described blackcurrant and its cultivation will not be difficult even for a beginner. The main thing is to adhere to recommendations on the correct choice of a place, planting, and mandatory care measures.

Seat selection and landing

For the cultivation of currants, you need to choose a well-lit and draped plot. In the southern regions, it is worth shading the plant slightly. In other areas, this is not necessary. When grown in the shade of shrubs, productivity decreases and small, too acidic fruits are formed. The best soil for currants is loamy, moist and well-drained. Groundwater should not come closer to the ground surface closer than 1.5 m. Wetlands for growing berry crops are not suitable.

Seedlings can be planted in April and in September - early October. During spring planting, the preparation of the site is carried out in the fall. It is removed, dug, and fertilized: humus (7–10 kg / m²), wood ash (1 l), superphosphate (80–100 g). During autumn planting, the place is prepared in 2-3 weeks. At this time, the soil is fertilized with double superphosphate (2 tbsp. L.), Wood ash (1 handful), rotted compost (5 kg).Pits for seedlings are prepared in advance. Recommended sizes - diameter 60 cm, depth 30 cm. Planting scheme for Krasiv Lvov currants can be this: the distance between plants is 0.5–0.7 m, between rows - 2.5–2.7 m. Seedlings need to be selected healthy - with a strong root system, a clean, rootless neck without growths, 2-3 shoots. Before placing in the soil, the roots need to be soaked in water for several hours. If desired, it is also possible to soak in the rooting agent.

Important! Plant currants later than mid-October is not worth it: it will not have time to take root and adapt before the onset of frost, therefore, the risk of its death increases. It is better to leave the seedlings in storage until spring.

During the planting of seedlings, the following steps must be taken:

1. At the bottom of the pit pour a low earthen mound.
2. Set roots on it, distributing them evenly.
3. Cover the pit with earth. Deepen the root neck by 5-6 cm.
4. Trample the ground.
5. Moisturize into pre-dug trenches at a distance of 20 cm from the trunk, spending 3-5 liters of water in several stages.
6. Cover the trunk circle with mulch from a layer of peat, humus, sawdust.
7. Trim the shoots, leaving them for 2–4 buds.

Care

For Lviv Currant, standard care procedures are required: moisturizing, fertilizing, pruning, loosening, weeding, mulching. The first watering after planting should be carried out after 5-7 days. In the future, irrigation with the same interval will be required. It is necessary to expend such an amount of water so that the soil is moistened to a depth of 30–35 cm and moisture reaches the ends of the roots. On 1 m² approximately 20-30 liters are required.

Watering must be carried out when the ovaries are formed and the fruits are poured. Water needs to be poured into a trench in the near-stem circle formed during planting. When the earth dries out after watering, the next day you need to carry out cultivation. So it will be possible to improve the moisture and air conductivity of the soil, enrich the roots with the nutrients supplied with water and oxygen. Among the procedures carried out in the near-stem zone, weeding and mulching are important.

Important! When applying fertilizer under the root, it is necessary to moisten the soil in advance. If you feed in dry soil, there is a danger of root burns.

Weed grasses should be removed with the root: they are carriers of pathogens and harmful insects. They need to be removed from the site in a timely manner, avoiding its strong clogging. To reduce the amount of moisture, weeding and loosening, periodically the near-trunk area should be covered with a layer of mulch. It will maintain soil moisture at the required level and inhibit weed growth. After fertilizers were introduced into the planting pit, the next top dressing should be done after 3 years.Prior to the growing season, nitrogen must be added, for example, with urea (25–40 g / bush). In June - July, you can spend 3 foliar dressings with micronutrient fertilizers by spraying the solution on the leaves. After collecting the fruit, the plant needs phosphorus and potassium. At this time, at the same time as digging, compost, manure, bird droppings (10-15 kg / m²), phosphorus-potassium mixtures (superphosphate - 50 g / bush) should be added.

Pest and Disease Control

If mistakes were made during planting and care, preventive treatments and measures are ignored, then plants can be affected by such diseases:

Of the pests for the currant Krasa Lviv the most dangerous are:

Trimming and shaping a bush

The first pruning, as we have already noted, is carried out immediately after planting. In the future, you need to annually cut the shoots in spring and autumn. Spring pruning is done for sanitary purposes. During it, all broken, old, sick, deformed, shoots growing inside the crown are cut.

Important! To prevent infection from getting into the wound after trimming, the procedure is performed exclusively with a disinfected garden tool. Places of cuts are treated with copper sulphate, glossed over with garden var or RanNet paste.

Before the plant reaches four to five years of age, it is necessary to form a crown. During the formation, two or three year old bushes remove all shoots, leaving only 3-4 of the strongest. Starting from the fifth year of life, every autumn they remove all shoots that already bear poor fruit or do not bear fruit at all. An adult shrub should not contain more than 10-15 skeletal branches of different ages.Fig. 1. Currant pruning: a - annual seedling; b - a biennial bush; c, d - shortening of shoots. Fig. 2. Currant bush before anti-aging pruning (a), after it (b) and pruning of a neglected bush (c).

Preparing for the winter

Preparing Krasiv Lviv currants for winter is to carry out the following procedures:

• pruning
• site cleaning;
• water-loading irrigation (in dry autumn);
• top dressing.

Shelter is only required when grown in regions with very harsh winters. They cover the trimmed bushes with agrofibre in 1-2 layers. It is imperative to protect the bushes from pests that eat the bark - cover them with spruce branches, plastic net, roofing material or roofing paper, grease the trunk with manure or clay.

Harvesting and transportation of the crop, shelf life of berries

Harvesting currants is done when it turns black, reaches the mass specified in the description, and acquires a hint of sweetness in taste. Fruit collection is carried out by hand, in the morning or in the evening, when their surface dries from dew. The harvester should raise the branch with one hand, and pick the berries with the other with the stem, preferably with whole hands. You can’t harvest the fruits on a hot day, under the scorching sun: so their shelf life will be significantly reduced.A feature of the Krasa Lviv variety is that it can be cleaned mechanically. It is recommended to pick berries in a container with a volume of not more than 6–8 kg: when harvested in large containers, they are crushed, juice is released and spoilage occurs. Those fruits that are planned to be transported should be cooled immediately after collection.

Blackcurrant should be stored in the cold. Under temperature conditions of about + 10 ° C it lasts up to two weeks. When berries are placed in plastic bags at 0 ° С, the shelf life is extended to 30–45 days, at –2 ° С - up to 90 days. Blackcurrant tolerates freezing well, does not lose its appearance, taste and nutrients.

Did you know? Currant cultivation in Europe begins in the Middle Ages — it was cultivated first by the French, and then by the Germans. For a long time, the culture was used only as a medicinal plant.

In frozen form, it can be consumed throughout the year. So, the variety of currant Krasa Lviv is considered promising for cultivation for personal and industrial purposes. It has many advantages, in particular, delicious fruits, and caring for it is absolutely not complicated.

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