How to tie the currants correctly and what is needed for this?

Not everyone knows how to properly tie up currants, and yet this technique plays an important role in the agricultural technology of culture. It is necessary to tie up the bushes regularly: this reduces the risk of diseases and positively affects the yield. For the garter, different types of supports can be used, and the use of each of them has its own characteristics.

What does a currant garter give?

Experts recommend tying up all fruit bushes - black and red currants, raspberries, gooseberries.

A currant seedling becomes an adult plant in 3-4 years. By this time, the bush reaches an impressive size and consists of 20-25 shoots. Under the weight of the leaves and fruits, the branches begin to lean to the ground, as a result, the berries can touch the soil, which threatens them with pollution and the development of rot. Branches lying on the ground are more easily affected by pests and various diseases, and this significantly reduces productivity. The care of the shrub is difficult: it is more difficult to water, weed, fertilize it. Fruit clusters in such a situation are deficient in sunlight, the berries ripen more slowly and have a more sour taste. Over time, the overgrown bush begins to take up a lot of space, interferes with neighboring plantings. During the winter months, some of the shoots may break due to wind or adhering snow mass.

Considering all this, we can conclude that the currant garter procedure provides a number of advantages:

• a bush tied to a support takes on a compact shape;
• the risk of diseases and pest attacks is reduced;
• the quality of berries improves due to the lack of contact with the ground;
• the crop ripens faster, receiving more sunlight;
• plantings become less thickened;
• it is easier to care for a bush and pick berries from it;
• breakage of branches due to wind, rain and snow is prevented;
• if necessary, the tied up bush is easier to cover.

The garter procedure is devoid of drawbacks, except that the summer resident will have to spend a certain amount of time and effort on the construction of a support. Tied branches sometimes look unnatural, however, given all the advantages that this agronomic technique gives, external aesthetics can be neglected.

When should you tie a bush?

The currant garter is carried out for 3-4 years. It is by this age that the shrub grows strongly in breadth, and its branches bend and begin to touch the ground. It is customary to carry out the procedure in mid-spring or autumn: it is important that the shoots bend well.

It is necessary to tie up younger plants in the following cases:

• abundant fruiting causes the branches to bow to the ground;
• the bush grows in an open place where strong winds blow;
• before hiding currants for the winter.

In order to properly tie the bush, use home-made or purchased support structures and garters (fabric bands, twine). You can replace strips of fabric with special clips, clips, straps - they are sold in garden centers. Such devices serve for more than one season, with their help the branches are fixed easily and reliably.

What supports are used for the shrub?

Currant bushes are tied to a vertical support, the height of which should be at least 1/2 of the height of the bush. Only in this case it will be possible to keep the adult plant in an upright position, preventing its branches from touching the ground.Both individual supports are used, serving to support one bush, and those that fix the branches of several specimens of a shrub at once, planted in a row.

Tapestry method

The trellis is often used for currant bushes planted in one line. This allows you to give the plantings a compact shape, free up the passage and make the care of the fruit shrub more convenient. The height of the support can be increased as the currants grow.

The trellis installation process looks like this:

1. At the edges of the row, two vertical supports are buried in the ground (these can be wooden stakes or metal posts 1.8–2 m high);
2. At a height of 20 cm from the ground, the first row of wire or rope is pulled. You need to fix it so that it does not slide down. Can be wrapped around the post several times and tightened on a knot or secured with a loop.
3. Above, they make several more horizontal tiers, increasing their number as necessary in the process of growing the bush.
4. The lower branches of the currants lying on the ground must be carefully lifted and fixed on the wire rows in the form of a fan. Similar manipulations are done with each bush.

Sometimes the trellis is constructed according to a different principle, making it two-lane, which does not require a garter of branches. In this case, slats are nailed perpendicularly to the vertical supports with a step of 30 cm, to the ends of which rows of wire are tied. Thus, the bushes are fixed on both sides. Wire fencing will prevent them from changing their position or becoming too spreading.

Wooden frame

The wooden frame is made individually for each bush. Such supports are constructed for separately planted plants.

Installing the framework looks like this:

1. Along the perimeter of the bush, 4 wooden blocks of the required height are driven into the ground to a depth of 20 cm.
2. After that, the currant branches are lifted and tied with a rope so that it is convenient to carry out further work.
3. Then the bars in the upper part are interconnected with wooden slats, forming a square lying in a horizontal plane. Now the branches can be untied and straightened - the support will hold them securely.

If the bush is small, you can use not 4, but 3 bars. In this case, the frame will have a triangular shape.

PVC pipe support

Pipes made of PVC take precedence over wooden beams. Such supports do not rot in the ground, do not absorb moisture, and do not become a breeding ground for pathogens. In addition, the pipe structure looks more aesthetically pleasing.

Making a support with your own hands is not difficult:

1. To begin with, the pipe is cut into pieces 1.5 m long.
2. Then, in each tube, several through holes are drilled with a step of 30 cm.
3. The supports are buried in the ground around the bush by 30 cm, placing them in a circle.
4. The bent branches are collected in a bunch and temporarily fixed.
5. A strong rope is passed through the holes in the pipes, thus creating several horizontal tiers.
6. It is possible not to use a rope, but to combine the tops of the supports using connecting elements with a bent pipe forming a hoop.
7. After that, the currant shoots are evenly distributed within the structure.

For the manufacture of a support, it is better to choose green pipes. Such a support will not stand out strongly against the background of the plants.

Garter bushes in front of shelter for the winter

In the south and in central Russia, currants can not be sheltered for the winter, but the inhabitants of Siberia and the Urals have to insulate the shrubs so that they can safely survive the severe frosts. A shelter will help protect currants from extreme temperatures, squally winds, and the adhesion of a snow mass.

The bush is pre-tied, and then insulated:

1. The branches of the bush are wrapped with rope in a spiral.
2. Then supports are installed around them with an inclination to the center, so that a kind of hut is obtained.
3. From above, the frame is covered with two layers of covering material.All cracks should be carefully sealed so that cold air does not get inside.
4. Then the structure is tied with a rope. The material must be fixed securely so that it does not crawl under the weight of the snow and is not blown away by a strong wind.

Currant garter is a laborious procedure, but necessary. This technique will make it possible to protect the fruit shrub from fungal diseases, will contribute to the uniform ripening of berries, and will facilitate care and harvesting. It is important to remember that a single garter is not enough for a plant; it is repeated as the bush grows, fixing the branches at a higher level.