Black currant – wakeowl.com

Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) is one of the most common species of the Currant genus, which is part of the Gooseberry family. In their natural environment, such shrubs live in Eurasia and on the North American continent. As a cultural planting, currants are found almost everywhere, grown both by ordinary gardeners and for the needs of industry..

Description of black currant

Black currant bushes form fibrous roots, mainly located at a depth of about 25 cm. The height of plants in this case reaches 1 m. Young stems are pale in color and pubescence, adults become brown. The lobed foliage has 3-5 lobes in the shape of a wide triangle. Its dimensions vary from 3 to 12 cm both in length and in width. The middle blade is usually elongated. The foliage has golden streaks and a jagged edge. From the outside, it is painted in a dark green color, and from the inside it is pubescent in the area of veins. Currant leaves exude a characteristic pleasant aroma, which is why they are often used as a seasoning and added to drinks.

During the flowering period (in late spring), drooping inflorescences-brushes are formed on the bushes, which include from 5 to 10 gray-pink or light purple small bell flowers. From the outside, their corollas are often pubescent. After their wilting, shiny black berries with a pleasant smell are tied on the branches. The size of each can be up to 1 cm.

Due to the taste and useful properties of its berries, black currant is considered one of the most common berry crops in a temperate climate, along with other members of the genus, raspberries and strawberries. Its berries are rich in vitamins (especially vitamin C) and useful elements. They are eaten fresh, stored ground with sugar to preserve their beneficial properties, or used to create blanks, and also added to desserts and drinks.

Compared to red currants, black is considered less winter-hardy and more whimsical to growing conditions. It is more hygrophilous and susceptible to pest attacks. Moreover, all aerial parts of black currant have a special aroma. Other species of this culture do not have a similar smell, and their berries are more watery and sour in taste. Black currant berries contain 4 times more vitamin C, but its bushes also age a couple of times faster than white and red species.

Growing black currants is not a very difficult task, but only proper care of the plants can guarantee their health and a regular bountiful harvest of fruits..

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Brief rules for growing black currant

The table shows brief rules for growing black currant in the open field..

Landing	Planting of black currants is carried out in early autumn or in March-April.
Lighting level	They select a sunny corner in the south or southwest of the site. It is good if it is also protected from strong winds..
Watering mode	Watering is carried out approximately once every 5 days, per 1 sq. m. land is consumed by 2-3 buckets of water, soaking the ground 30-35 cm deep.
The soil	Drained fertile non-acidic soil is suitable for planting black currants..
Top dressing	If the soil was fertilized before planting, feeding begins from the 3rd year of cultivation. At the beginning of the season, nitrogen supplements are introduced, in the first half of summer, both conventional and foliar feeding can be carried out, at the end of the season, organic matter and potassium-phosphorus supplements are embedded in the soil.
Bloom	During the flowering period (in late spring), drooping inflorescences-brushes are formed on the bushes. After their wilting, shiny black berries with a pleasant smell are tied on the branches..
Pruning	Sanitary pruning is carried out in the spring, the main one – in the fall, after the leaves have fallen.
Reproduction	Cutting, layering, dividing the bush.
Pests	Aphid, sawfly, leafworm, tick, firefly.
Diseases	Fungal and viral infections.

Planting black currant

When and where to plant

The fruiting period of black currant bushes lasts 12-15 years, but the maximum number of berries is removed from them for about 5-7 years of cultivation. Almost all varieties of this plant are self-fertile – they do not need pollinators to form the ovary. Nevertheless, the largest and most delicious berries are obtained by planting several currant varieties at once..

Black currants can be planted throughout the season, but the beginning of autumn is considered the most optimal time for planting. The bush planted in September or the first half of October will have time to take root before the frost begins, and in the spring it will begin to develop with renewed vigor. At the same time, they try to carry out spring planting early – before the buds swell on the bushes..

For planting, nutritious loamy soil is suitable, which can be neutral or slightly acidic. The land for planting should also be drained, and the groundwater level should be at least 1.5 m. For the bushes, a sunny corner in the south or southwest of the site is selected. It is good if it is also protected from strong winds..

Spring planting

The site for spring planting of black currants has been prepared since autumn. The selected place is dug onto the bayonet of a shovel, embedding ash with humus and superphosphate into the ground (1 liter, 7-10 kg and up to 100 g per 1 sq. M, respectively).

If several blackcurrant bushes are grown in the garden at once, the distance between individual plantings will depend on their varietal characteristics. Bushes with straight or not too spreading shoots are placed 1-1.3 m from each other, keeping up to 1.5 m between rows. For spreading varieties, the distance is increased. The hole for planting a seedling is about half a meter in width and depth. About 5 liters of water are poured into it and a bush is planted, placing it at a slight angle. At the same time, the root collar is deepened by about 4-5 cm.This planting will contribute to a more active formation of roots and young branches.

When the roots of the seedling are straightened, they are covered with earth, gradually compacting it, and then the remaining 5 liters of water are poured into the hole. Mulching will help keep the soil moist for longer. In this capacity, you can use peat, dry soil, humus or sawdust..

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Autumn planting

If black currant bushes will be planted at the end of the season, the site can be prepared for this in 2-3 weeks. The planting holes are 2/3 filled with a mixture of the remaining soil with rotted compost (about 5 kg) and superphosphate (2 tablespoons). It is also recommended to add a large handful of ash there. During this time, the earth must have time to settle. After that, planting is carried out according to the same principle, and then the seedlings are trimmed, leaving only 2-3 buds on each shoot.

Features of black currant care

Spring care

In spring, currant bushes wake up very early. Because of this, it is important to have time to carry out the necessary sanitary pruning before activating kidney development. Broken or diseased branches, as well as buds damaged by ticks, are subject to removal. If there are too many such buds, the branches are cut almost to the base. In addition to sanitary pruning, shaping can also be carried out during this period, but if the bushes wake up too early, it is carried out in the fall..

If the plants were huddled before wintering, in the spring they rake off an earthen embankment. The land near the bushes should be dug up and covered with manure or humus. The mulch layer should be up to 10 cm thick. It is laid out not under the bush itself, but about 20 cm from its branches.

Black currants are moisture-loving, so in dry spring it is important not to forget about watering. Weeding is carried out after them as necessary. Watered currants can also be fertilized by embedding nitrogen granules in the soil. They are buried approximately 7 cm during loosening. You can loosen the soil near plantings in about a day or two, mulching will help reduce the number of such procedures.

Currant growth rates in spring are particularly active. To prevent return frosts from affecting the development of the bushes, covering material should be kept at the ready. Smoke will also help protect plantings..

In May, when the bushes bloom, they must be examined, trying to identify shoots affected by terry. Because of this disease, instead of a bell-shaped flower, separate petals appear in the flowers. If the branches of the plant need support, it is also installed at the beginning of the season..

Currants in spring: pruning, processing and important care

Summer care

At the beginning of summer, watering, weeding and loosening are carried out, as well as root fertilizing with organic matter. In addition to them, you can fertilize black currant and foliar method, spraying the foliage with nutrient solutions.

During this period, the presence of fire butterflies or sawflies can be noticed on the plantings. Butterfly nests must be destroyed. Sawflies can be identified by the early deformation of the fruit and their browning.

Almost all varieties of currants ripen in July-August. Unlike red currants, which are harvested with brushes, black fruits are picked off the berry. For harvesting, use a tray or box, or other container in which the fruits cannot be very crumpled.

After removing the berries, the bushes are watered abundantly, and after the soil dries up, loosening is carried out.

Autumn care

In the first half of autumn, plantings are fertilized with organic matter and potassium-phosphorus compounds. If fertilizers were applied dry, then watering is carried out and the soil is dug up to embed nutrients.

In the fall, the black currant is pruned again. Removing thickening shoots allows you to get planting material – cuttings, which are immediately planted for rooting. If in the spring a layering was formed on the bush, in the fall it is separated from the main currant and transplanted to the final place.

If the fall is dry, watering is carried out at the end of the season to provide the plants with moisture for the winter..

Preventive treatments

In order not to waste energy in the summer on resisting diseases and pests of black currant, their appearance can be prevented in advance with the help of appropriate treatments. In early spring, the bushes are scalded, pouring water over their shoots with a temperature of up to 80 degrees. Instead of such a shower, you can pollinate the shoots and root area with wood ash..

Before awakening the buds, as part of the fight against insects, the plants can be sprayed with a 7% urea solution. This procedure will serve as an additional nitrogen fertilizer for planting..

With the appearance of the first leaf, the currants are treated with a 1% solution of copper sulfate or Bordeaux liquid. The use of fungicides can protect plantings from fungal diseases such as septoria or rust..

If in the previous season a fire butterfly appeared on the currants, before flowering, the bushes should be treated with insecticides (Fitoverm, Iskra-bio, Karbofos, etc.) according to the instructions. In addition, the area near the bushes is covered with a film, blocking the way to the surface for the fireflies wintering in the ground. After the beginning of flowering, the film is removed, otherwise beneficial insects can be left in the ground along with pests.

Before flowering, you should fight other insects that can harm the bushes – gall midges, sawflies, leafworms, etc. For this, plantings are sprayed with Iskra, Inta-TsM or other similar means. Preparations of this type act systemically, so spraying will have to be repeated two more times – immediately after flowering and after picking berries..

If signs of anthracnose, septoria or powdery mildew appear on the faded bushes, such medicinal compositions as Vectra are used against them. Colloidal sulfur (if it is above 18 degrees outside), Topaz or another similar remedy will help against American powdery mildew. When all the berries are collected, the processing is repeated.

In autumn, when the bushes shed their leaves, they are collected and destroyed along with other plant residues. At the same time, the bushes themselves are again treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid or copper sulfate.

Watering

Black currants thrive best in moist and loose soil, so they should be kept in this state throughout the season. Lack of moisture will affect the rate of development of branches, and during the period of fruit formation will lead to a decrease in their size or premature fall. Planting should be watered abundantly and often enough, but at the same time be guided by the weather and try not to overmoisten the soil.

The currants will have to be watered most abundantly during the formation of the ovary and its further development – in the first half of summer. At the same time, they try to moisten the earth to the entire depth, reclaimed by the roots – up to 45 cm. m of the site consume 20-30 liters of water. It is poured into prepared grooves in the aisles or into grooves 30-40 cm from the base of the bush. Their depth can be about 10-15 cm. After waiting for a slight drying out of the soil, after watering it is necessary to loosen it. If the soil near the bushes is mulched, such procedures will need to be carried out much less often..

Top dressing

If during the initial planting of black currants, nutrients were added to the soil, they will be enough for the first year of cultivation, and you will not have to additionally feed the bushes. In the second year, you can add about 40-50 g of urea under each bush, or spray the branches with a 7% solution before awakening the buds. Bushes over 4 years old will need less fertilizer: up to 40 g of nitrogen supplements, divided into 2 application rates.

Once every couple of years in the fall, blackcurrant bushes are fertilized with organic compounds. For this, bird droppings, manure or compost are suitable. About 10-15 kg are consumed for each bush. In addition, in the fall, mineral supplements are also used – potassium sulfate (about 15 g per plant) and superphosphate (50 g). If in the spring organic compounds were used to mulch the soil, they can not be used in the fall. And vice versa – if in the fall the currants were fed with humus, in the spring they no longer bring nitrogen.

Black currant pruning

When is the best time to trim

Although early spring is considered the optimal time for pruning black currants, due to the rapid awakening of the buds, it is not always possible to complete this procedure on time. If the bushes were cut before the start of sap flow, at the end of the season it will be possible to simply remove the damaged branches from them. In other cases, formative pruning is postponed until autumn..

Pruning in spring

In the 1st year of cultivation, immediately after planting, all currant shoots should be cut to the level of 2-3 buds. In the 2nd year, only 3-5 of the largest zero shoots are left there to form the skeletal branches of the bush. All other shoots are cut off. In mid-July, the left shoots are pinched on a couple of buds to activate the growth of fruit branches and young shoots. This allows you to combine the formation of a bush with an improvement in its fertility..

For 3-4 years of currant life, young zero shoots are reduced to 3-6 of the strongest, removing the rest. Last year’s branches are slightly shortened by removing their tops. On the branches of the main shoots, 2 to 4 buds are retained. By the 5th year of cultivation, the bush is considered formed.

By 5-6 years of cultivation, currant branches are gradually beginning to age. From this period, the bushes gradually rejuvenate, cutting off the oldest branches at the base. The rest of the pruning scheme remains the same:

The tops of last year’s shoots are removed;
Shoots for 2-4 years are shortened at the branching points, leaving up to 4 buds at each end;
Only 3-5 zero shoots formed in the current season are left on the bush, removing all the rest of the young growth.

Pinching the tops of the shoots can also be carried out in the summer – usually this is done in mid-July..

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Pruning in the fall

If in the spring it was possible to comply with the terms of the formative pruning, only sanitary is carried out in the fall. Dry, broken or diseased branches are removed from the currants, as well as those that grow inside the bush and contribute to its thickening. They start pruning after the currants have dropped all the foliage. Dry branches can be removed from bushes in any season..

Reproduction of black currant

You can propagate black currants in different ways. The most in demand are vegetative ones: the use of green or woody cuttings, the formation of layering or division of adult bushes. You can grow currants from seeds, but this takes too long, and the resulting bushes may differ from the parent and not inherit the characteristics of the variety..

Cuttings

It is cuttings that are considered the most common method for obtaining new black currant bushes. Planting material is taken from an annual root growth or branches of the first order. The cuttings should be at least 7 mm in thickness with a length of up to 20 cm. A clean tool must be used to prepare cuttings. The cut is made above the bud, retreating from it by 1-1.5 cm. The cuttings are harvested during autumn pruning (by the end of September), or in early November, when the currants have already begun to rest. If the time allows, and the plants have time to start before frost, the cuttings are planted for rooting in the same autumn. Otherwise, they are stored until spring. The lower sections are dipped in garden varnish or liquid paraffin, the segments are tied, wrapped in wet paper, put in a bag and placed in the refrigerator, or buried in the snow until spring. Immediately before planting, the tip with pitch or paraffin is cut obliquely.

Spring planting of cuttings is carried out early, but for this the earth must warm up to at least 8-9 degrees. Sections are planted at an angle, deepening them by 1-2 upper buds. After planting, watering and mulching are carried out. So that the cuttings take root faster and do not suffer from spring frosts, arcs up to 50 cm high are installed over the bed with them, covering them with polyethylene. With the appearance of the first foliage, the shelter can be removed. After that, you will need to carefully monitor the maintenance of constant soil moisture in the garden – it should not dry out.

In the summer, in addition to watering, weeding and fertilizing are carried out. Cuttings can be fertilized with mullein nutrient solution with the addition of superphosphate and ash. If by autumn the seedlings grow to 30-50 cm and form 1-2 shoots, they can be transplanted to their final place.

Green cuttings can also be used for propagation of currants, but they take root more difficult and require greenhouse conditions and a high level of humidity..

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Reproduction by layering

Reproduction of black currant by layering is considered no less popular. So in one season you can get a seedling with developed roots. In early spring, a strong two-year-old shoot is chosen from the edge of the bush, located obliquely. It is bent to the ground and the middle part is fixed in the prepared groove up to 12 cm deep. The upper 20-23 cm of this branch is not covered with earth, leaving this part on the surface. Until autumn, the layers are systematically watered. By the end of the season, the branch should start its own roots and form several shoots. After that, the resulting seedling can be cut off from the original bush and transplanted to the desired location..

Dividing the bush

The division of overgrown currant bushes is carried out in spring or autumn, combining it with a transplant. To do this, the bush is dug out, trying to damage the roots as little as possible and sawn or cut into pieces with a sterile tool. Each received division should have its own roots and developed branches. At the same time, old or diseased parts of the bush are removed. Young shoots are shortened to about 25 cm. All cuts are powdered with coal and the cuttings are planted in the holes prepared for them, like ordinary seedlings. During rooting, the bushes will need a sufficient amount of moisture. Berries will appear on them next season, when the plants finally recover after dividing..

Diseases

In addition to preventive treatments, proper care will help to avoid diseases of currant bushes. Compliance with the irrigation regime (when the soil is not overdried, but also not waterlogged), maintaining a distance between individual bushes, pruning carried out at the optimal time and keeping plants clean will help maintain their strong immunity. The initial selection of disease-resistant varieties will also serve as additional protection..

Most often, black currant suffers from fungal infections. The most common are powdery mildew and anthracnose. Powdery mildew symptoms are quite noticeable. The affected parts of the bush are covered with a light bloom. Usually this disease manifests itself after currant flowering. The development of anthracnose is favored by rainy weather in the middle of summer. Because of it, red spots appear on the foliage, ending in tubercles. The leaves at the bottom of the bush begin to fall off, and the degree of winter hardiness of such currants decreases. Fungicidal preparations, which are used according to the instructions, will help to cope with diseases of this type. The main thing is to notice signs of the spread of the disease as early as possible, as well as to withstand the necessary processing times before harvesting..

Black currants can also rust. This disease also manifests itself in the middle of summer, orange-brown spots appear on the foliage due to it. As part of prevention, you should not plant bushes near conifers, and also regularly weed. If there are signs of the disease, fungicidal treatment is carried out, repeating it after harvesting. Against gray rot, due to which brown spots of mold appear on the leaves, preparations containing copper will help. In this case, the affected parts of the bush should be removed and burned..

The most dangerous diseases of black currant are viral. Medicines for them have not yet been invented, therefore, the affected parts of the plant or completely diseased bushes should be removed from the site as soon as possible. This group of diseases includes mosaic and terry (reversion). The spread of the mosaic is facilitated by aphids, but it can be accidentally brought onto the bush through a non-sterile tool. The foliage of the affected bushes brightens and becomes covered with yellow stripes near the veins. After removing the plant in this place, they try not to grow anything for 5 years..

Due to the terry, the bushes cease to bear fruit, the foliage slightly changes shape, and the flowers become small and double. The affected parts of the currant are removed.

Pests

One of the most common pests of currants is aphid that feeds on its juices. Due to her attacks, foliage and shoots are deformed, and the bush itself is depleted. Aphids are fought with insecticides;
Kidney mites are especially noticeable in spring. They live in too swollen kidneys. Gradually, these buds dry up, and the tick moves to the next one. In addition to the damage done to the kidneys themselves, ticks can also carry incurable viral diseases. Such buds should be removed, and the rest of the bush should be treated with an insecticide;
The larvae of glass butterflies and currant goldfish spoil the core of the shoots. Traces of their presence are noticeable during pruning. Shoots with a darkened core are cut to healthy tissue or to the base;
Another butterfly pest of currants is a firefighter. She lays eggs in the flowers of the plant, interfering with the formation of the ovary, and the caterpillars, when they appear, devour the rest of the berries. Bunches of berries with a characteristic cobweb are removed, and in the fall they dig up the ground near the bushes, where pests hibernate. In addition to covering the soil with a film in autumn or spring, you can mulch it with peat. It will also prevent butterflies from climbing to the surface of the soil. After flowering, the mulch is removed.

Black currants and other species of this genus have common pests and can be affected by the same diseases. For this reason, it is not recommended to grow red and black currants, as well as gooseberries nearby – this will avoid the rapid spread of infections or harmful insects..

Black currant varieties with photos

There are several hundred different varieties of black currant, differing in the external characteristics of the bushes and the taste of the berries. For convenience, they are usually divided into groups according to size or other characteristics of the fruit, as well as the timing of their ripening..

Large-fruited

This group includes varieties with berries weighing 1.5 g or more. Among the most famous are:

Dobrynya – the weight of the berries of this variety reaches 7 g. They ripen towards the end of July. The variety is remarkable for its sweetness, resistance to powdery mildew, early maturity and the ability to endure cold winters;
Selechenskaya-2 – winter-hardy currant, giving high yields and resistant to powdery mildew. The mass of early ripening sweet and sour fruits reaches 6 g;
Vigorous – the weight of the berries reaches 8 g. They have a dense skin and sweet fleshy pulp. The berries ripen by the end of July. But, despite its high taste characteristics, the variety is prone to powdery mildew, its bushes age quickly, and reproduction is difficult..

Sweet

Bagheera – a fast-growing variety, resistant to weather changes, characterized by large berries, almost completely devoid of acidity. Its fruits are excellent gelatinous. Despite its winter hardiness, such currants are susceptible to many diseases and are often affected by kidney mites;
Green haze – fragrant berries ripen in medium terms. The variety tolerates winter well, is considered very fruitful and fast-growing, but is susceptible to kidney mites;
Nina – an early ripening winter-hardy variety that consistently gives a good harvest. The diameter of the berries reaches 1.3 cm.The bushes are resistant to powdery mildew, but are susceptible to attacks of ticks and terry.

Early ripe

The ripening of the fruits of such currants occurs at the beginning of July. Such plants are protected from the heat typical of mid-summer, and with it – from pests and diseases that affect later currants in such weather. Among the main early varieties:

Curiosity – a winter-hardy variety that gives an excellent harvest without other currants in the neighborhood. It is resistant to powdery mildew, but sensitive to drought. Berries with a dense skin are oval in shape, medium size and sweet and sour taste;
The little Prince – a fruitful self-fertile currant with dark sweet and sour berries. From one bush, you can get up to 6 kg of berries;
Dove seedling – a very early variety with berries weighing up to 1.5 g. When overripe, they crack.

Mid-season

The berries on the bushes of this group begin to ripen in the middle of summer. The most common varieties:

Bolero – this early-growing variety, which does not need pollination, is resistant to frost and a number of diseases, has a good yield and forms large and fragrant sweet-sour berries of a round or oval shape. Their weight reaches 2.5 g;
Titania – the bushes form berries of the same size, having a strong skin and greenish flesh. They taste sweet and sour. Due to the uneven ripening of the fruits, the harvest is stretched over time;
Black Pearl – the bushes consistently give a good harvest, do not need neighbors for pollination and are highly frost-resistant. Berries have almost no difference in size, and their weight reaches 1.5 g. The disadvantage of the variety is susceptibility to powdery mildew.

Late ripening

The ripening period for these varieties is in August. Their berries are ideal for freezing and creating blanks. Among the most popular:

Vologda – self-fertile and disease-resistant currant, forming many large fruits up to 2.2 g in weight. When collecting sweet and sour berries are not injured. But with resistance to winter cold, the bushes can suffer from recurrent frosts;
Daughter – the bushes tolerate drought well, give a good harvest and show resistance to bud mites. The berries are dry. Their weight reaches 2.5 g, and they taste sweet and sour;
Lazy person – the variety forms large and round sweet berries, and is also resistant to frost and a number of diseases, including terry. The disadvantages of such currants are considered to be a prolonged harvesting in time, as well as its unstable volume..

The best varieties of black currant

The most delicious varieties of black currant are called dessert varieties. For example:

Venus – a variety with large dark berries with a thin skin, which gives good yields;
Centaur – a very early variety that gives a good harvest in June. The berries are sweet and sour and large, collected in long clusters;
Legend – a variety of early ripening, disease resistant. Large berries have a dry break despite the thin skin;
Oryol waltz – medium late variety with sour-sweet fruits and good disease resistance;
Selechenskaya and Selechenskaya 2 – very productive varieties, resistant to return frost, with large and sweet round-shaped fruits;
Sweetheart – mid-early berries are resistant to deformation after picking and are distinguished by juicy pulp;
Pearl – large spherical berries are notable for their high sweetness, but poorly transported.

Varieties for the Moscow region

Although black currant loves warmth, there are many winter-hardy varieties that can withstand even severe frost. Thanks to this, you can choose a suitable variety for the Moscow region or other regions of the middle lane:

Belarusian sweet – a variety resistant to diseases and cold, forming medium-sized sweet berries. Even with uneven maturation, they do not fall off the bushes;
Izmailovskaya – fragrant large berries have a sour-sweet taste, the harvest is harvested in an average time;
Pauline – winter-hardy currant with medium-sized sour fruits with delicate skin. The disadvantage of the variety is its susceptibility to fungal diseases..

Varieties can also be found for areas with more severe climates. So for the Ural gardeners are suitable:

Memory of Michurin – average winter hardiness is compensated by resistance to spring frosts. Medium-sized berries ripen together;
Rhapsody – a late variety of increased winter hardiness with shiny sweet and fragrant berries;
Sibylla – brownish fruits with fragrant pulp are well transported. The bushes can withstand frosts down to -30 and are resistant to drought.

Siberians can pay attention to such varieties as:

Brown – a variety with large brownish sweet and sour berries for high yields needs pollination. The bushes survive even the most severe winters, but are not too resistant to fungal diseases;
Hercules – compact bushes with frost-resistant buds form large and aromatic sweet berries by August;
Lucia – forms large, fleshy black berries, ripening by the end of July. They have a pleasant refreshing taste. Bushes are winter-hardy and resist diseases and pests well.

The benefits and harms of black currant

Beneficial features

In terms of the amount of vitamins and other useful elements, black currant significantly exceeds all other berry crops. The content of vitamin C in its fruits is so high that a healthy person needs to eat only 20 berries to meet the daily requirement. In addition to it, currant fruits contain vitamins of group B, K, P, A, D and E, sugars, acids, useful salts, pectins, carotenoids, as well as essential oil. The foliage of the plant also contains many valuable substances – it contains even more vitamin C than fruits. Along with it, essential oils and phytoncides, it is rich in sulfur, silver, lead, copper, magnesium and manganese..

Due to this composition, black currant is considered one of the especially useful foods. It helps to strengthen the immune system and improve the health of the body. This berry is recommended for inclusion in the diet of diabetics and people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and is also indicated for cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the eyes, kidneys, liver and respiratory system. This plant can also help with atherosclerosis, as well as with the appearance of tumors..

Due to the content of anthocyanidins, berries can have an anti-inflammatory effect in sore throat. You can rinse your throat with diluted juice. By mixing currant juice with honey, a cough remedy is obtained. Berry broth is recommended for anemia, as well as for gastritis, stomach ulcers or duodenal ulcers. It will help with high blood pressure and even with bleeding gums.

Currants are also suitable for cosmetic purposes. The pulp of the berries, when rubbed into the skin, can make age spots or freckles less noticeable. Rubbing currants into cuticles and nails will add strength and make them smoother..

Currant foliage, which is no less useful than berries, is often added to various drinks and marinades. Teas, decoctions or infusions of the leaves not only invigorate, but can also have a diuretic and antirheumatic effect, as well as help with inflammation. Various drugs from the leaves are used to treat dermatitis and diuresis externally, and internally – for gastritis, gout, as well as for diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

For the preparation of decoctions and infusions, both freshly harvested and dried currant foliage are used. Young leaves collected in spring can become the basis of a vitamin drink that helps to strengthen the body. They are placed in a mixture of water with any acidic juice, kept in it for a day, and then filtered and consumed in half a glass a day. If desired, you can add honey to such a drink..

A special vinegar is also obtained from the leaves, which is used to add flavor to various dishes. Fresh foliage is poured with cold syrup (100 g of sugar is taken for 1 liter of water), covered with gauze and left in this form for two months. Then the infusion is filtered and poured into dark glass containers..

Black currant – useful properties

Contraindications

Even with the undoubted benefits of black currant berries, in some cases they should not be consumed. Due to the fact that fruits contain vitamin K and many phenolic compounds, their constant use can turn into problems for patients with thrombophlebitis due to increased blood clotting. Fresh berries are not recommended for ulcers, gastritis and high gastric acidity. The berries themselves and their fresh juice should not be consumed after a stroke or heart attack and with thrombosis.

Concentrated juice of berries can lead to the development of child allergies, it is not recommended for pregnant women. At the same time, being diluted with water, the same juice in small doses helps to increase the level of hemoglobin.