Black currant has long been known to gardeners, 1-2 bushes can be found in almost every courtyard, because this berry successfully combines a pleasant taste and healthy composition.
In total, more than two hundred of its varieties are known and described, one of them is the rather popular variety "Black Pearl".
Description of the variety
Black currant is a tasty and healthy garden berry
The development institute recommended "Black Pearl" for breeding in the Central Black Earth, Siberian and Volga regions of Russia, as well as in the North Caucasus, i.e. this variety is not only a southern "inhabitant" of gardens.
Full name of this variety – golden black currant Pearl, while golden are not the berries, but the wonderfully smelling flowers of this currant.
Golden currant flowers "Black Pearl"
"Black Pearl" – winter-hardy currant, it can withstand frosts down to minus 30 degrees. This variety is also distinguished by its early maturity - the plant begins to bloom in the month of May, and already in July the first berries can be removed. Currant Black pearls can ripen even during a short summer, the work of breeders in this direction is still ongoing. Productivity is stable – one currant bush can provide from 4 to 5 kilograms (the variety reaches its maximum fertility in 5-6 years of cultivation) of a vitamin delicacy, the first harvest can be expected within a year after planting.
Matte smooth leaves have five pointed corners, are painted in a light green color, the tips are whitish. Their characteristic position – downward directed towards the roots of the plant. Buds do not appear on shoots, but on small stems growing on them. The shape of future flowers is slightly elongated, they are covered with pinkish scales. Germinating young branches are slightly bent, have a light green color, and adult branches are already painted in gray-yellow colors and have a geniculate structure.
Bushes are medium-sized with branches lowered to the ground
Sweet currant flowers Pearl are small in size, have the shape of a glass, they themselves are golden, and the sepals are reddish. The flowers are clustered, each with a maximum of 8 pieces, the petioles are strong, short.
The berries of this currant are similar to pearl beads, all the same size, each weighing on average one and a half grams. The skin is dense, has a thick shiny black color, so suitable to the name of this variety, and inside there are several large grains – seeds. The length of the brush with fruits is 5-7 centimeters. Ripe berries are characterized by the possibility of dry separation, which ensures the use of mechanical collection, easy transportation, long-term storage in a marketable state, as well as the ability to freeze.
The taste of currant Pearl is sweet, with a predominance of sourness due to the high content of ascorbic acid (the content of vitamin C in 100 grams of fruit is 133 mg). Also vitamin berries are rich in pectin (1.6% by volume) and fruit sugars (9%) and organic acid compounds (3.6%).Due to the large volume of acid, the black currant of this variety remains usable for a long time, as well as for the preparation of jam, marmalade, jam, jelly, wine drinks, confectionery desserts and blanks. In addition, blackcurrant leaves are also used for canning vegetables and making medicinal teas.
Berries of "Black Pearls" are smooth and black like pearls
Growing features
Black currant of the Black Pearl variety is an unpretentious species, however, in order to obtain a decent harvest, certain agricultural rules must be observed. So, it is recommended to plant new plants in the spring or autumn months, while the weather is already or is still quite warm - not lower than plus 10 degrees. The step when disembarking is one and a half to two meters, the area for currants should be open to sunlight, but protected from blowing winds.
Soils "Black Pearl" prefers slightly acidic, loose, breathable, well moisturized.
The seedlings are planted in pits 40-45 cm deep, where humus and superphosphate fertilizer are pre-poured, the seedling is immersed by a maximum of five cm.As care, soil mulching and mandatory rich watering are required (two or three buckets of water under one bush), and in poor soils - feeding with diluted chicken droppings or mullein. It is also necessary to remove shoots until the main branch releases at least 2 aerial buds.
Planting seedlings of the "Black Pearl"
Black Pearl currants are quite resistant to various pests, but gooseberry moths, spider mites, and glass bowls can harm it. To combat them, it is necessary to dig the space between the bush, pour it with a solution of potassium permanganate, and add wood ash with mustard to the ground. Special chemicals will also help, but they can only be used before flowering begins.
This variety can be sick with powdery mildew (branches and foliage are covered with a white, “powdery” bloom) and other fungal plant diseases. They are cured with a solution of copper sulfate, infusion of mullein or hay dust (ratio 1: 3) and proper, accurate care of the bushes.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The characteristic of the variety will be incomplete without a description of its pros and cons. So, "Black Pearl" is loved by many gardeners for:
- frost resistance;
- immunity to kidney mites and anthracnose;
- tolerance to sudden changes in temperature and humidity;
- stable good harvest;
- high safety during transportation;
- high vitamin C content;
- beautiful golden flowers that decorate the site.
In general, the variety is considered obsolete because breeders are working to correct deficiencies in new blackcurrant varieties.
Golden black currant Pearl – a representative of one of the most mysterious types of currants, obtained as a result of crossing and loved by summer residents throughout Russia. Berries resembling black pearls contain a lot of vitamins and pectin, which allows them to be widely used in the food industry and for home consumption and procurement.
