Description of the Caust
White currant berries are an albinum version of red currants and can be white, yellow or pink. As a rule, white berries contain more sugar and less acidic than their colored brothers. The tastes of white currants much sweeter than red and black.
Geography/origin
White currants appeared as a result of a natural mutation of red currants. The birthplace of the berry is central and eastern Europe, as well as in some areas of Asia. Currants refer to the same family as gooseberries and grows on shrubs without thorns that flourish in a temperate climate.
White currant seedlings are universal and unpretentious, they successfully grow in moist conditions (subject to drainage) and in partial shade, which makes them ideal for the unproductive corners of your garden, where other plants do not take root. Like red currants, white currants are hardy, which allows you to plant it in cold regions (but not in frosty areas). Fruiting for 20 years after planting, white currants is a highyielding culture that requires relatively small efforts, place and costs.
Varieties
White currant berries are usually slightly less than black or red currant berries. Many varieties are selffrequent. The most famous varieties are presented below.
Blanca
Blanca is one of the most hardy varieties of plants, giving rich yields. This variety is selffertile and perfectly attracts bees. He produces large clusters of juicy, aromatic translucent berries.
White imperial
White Imperial currant gives loose clusters with pinkish translucent berries. The variety is quite resistant to all kinds of pests and fungi.
White grapes
This is a great variety for those who have restrictions in space. It has a vertical shape, highly productive and provides gardeners with delicious yellow berries.
Versailles Blanche
Berries of the Versailles Blanche have a yellow tint and very sweet. This variety gives currant, which is slightly larger than other varieties. This is the most productive variety of white currants, and it is well suited for planting on the trellis.
Application in cooking
Berries of white currants are most often used to prepare desserts, summer salads and soups, juicy sauces for poultry or meat, sweet or tart jams or sorbetes, and also eat fresh, do fruit drink and rub with sugar. Also very tasty are berries in yogurt, ice cream, as a filling for baking or in the form of jam. Currants can also be used for the preparation of juices and wine. Any recipe with a key and red currants is applicable to white currants.
Ideal compatibility: cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cream, cloves, citrus fruits, tomatoes, juniper, ginger, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, cherries, gin, basil, lemon verbena and mint.
White currant in aromatherapy
The aromatic oil of white currants is a universal aroma that attracts due to the alluring balance of tart and sweet notes. White currants are the perfect aroma for creating a modern fresh atmosphere of the house and in the car. Most often this can be done using products such as elegant candles and wax. Do not give up this aroma when taking baths and body massage try soap, oils and lotions based on white currant extract.
The content of white currant extract in cosmetics does not cause allergies. It goes well with such natural essential oils as lemongrass, fir needles, orange, geranium and peppermint.
The nutritional value
White currant contains less nutrients compared to red and black, but it also contains a large amount of vitamin C.
The berry is not so common among the gardeners of warm regions, so few know that it is full of nutrients that show numerous beneficial properties for the body.
Modern scientific studies show that it really contains compounds that can prevent serious diseases and improve the condition of a person suffering from a disease.
Currant contains strong antioxidants that help strengthen immunity. Scientists especially emphasize the role of anthocyanin, antioxidant, which is contained in currant in high concentration. There is evidence that Anthocyanin is able to reduce the risk of developing several types of oncological diseases in T. h. and liver cancer.
Antioxidants, in particular Anthocyanin, are also very effective in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, infectious diseases. The combination of anthocyans and polyphenols in currants positively affects the signal paths of the brain through which nerve impulses pass, thereby protecting the brain from destruction and helping to preserve memory.
Procaretanians contained in currants prevent the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria to the walls of the urinary tract, thereby helping to prevent the formation or development of infections from acute into chronic.
Another study showed that people who ate a mixture of berries daily, including white currants, normalized blood pressure and the level of HDL (“useful” cholesterol increased). Both of these factors significantly reduce the risk of stroke or heart attack.
Given all new discoveries about the benefits of white currants for health, it can be argued that the berry should be part of any diet. Currants are tasty and unpretentious in preparation, so it can be easily added to the diet and get positive results for your health.
Potential harm
As mentioned above, white currants are a delicious berry that contains a large number of different substances necessary for the human body. In general, the benefits of the berry are much greater than harm. If you take into account all the contraindications and observe the rules of its use, then there will be no side effects.
It is important to note that white currants do not contribute to the appearance of allergic reactions. Berries are allowed to be consumed during pregnancy, during lactation and children.
It is not recommended to use berries for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, especially gastritis in which increased acidity is observed. Caution should be used by those who have diagnosed peptic ulcer of the stomach or intestines. White currant removes the destructive acid compounds that accumulate in the stomach, so limited eating together with other products can be useful. To calculate the number of berries permissible to use the attending physician.
How to grow
White currants are rarely found in nurseries compared to its brothers. For this reason, many gardeners want to grow their own currants in order to fully enjoy its exquisite berries.
Berries of white currants can have different color, from white to cream, and some of them after complete maturation seem almost yellow. They prefer a cool climate and feel great in the northern regions of the Northern Hemisphere.
How to plant
Select a place in the sun. You can also grow white currants against a shaded wall overlooking the north, but in this case the quality of currants will be below. Select a place protected from the wind. Make sure that there are no foci of freezing.
Choose hardy and welltrained plants. They should be with two-three-year roots. They are best planted from November to March. Plant them in welldrained soil, slightly neutral, with pH at 6.7. Arrange the plants at a distance of about 5 feet from each other to provide them with enough space for growth.
You can also use container plants, but keep in mind that they will take root best if they are imprisoned in the autumn or winter months.
If you have little space, you can choose one copy or several and grow it in the form of a bush with an open center in the shape of a glass, provided that you leave from 8 to 10 branches well located above a short ass.
Watering
In dry weather, be sure to water currants well. Longrooted plants should be watered rarely. Pot bushes should be watered with compost and not allowed to dry out.
In order to prevent the appearance of weeds, between the plants, a hoe or weeding should be carefully carried out.
If the white currant grows in pots, make sure that the pots are not excessively filled with water. Put the containers on the stand or legs so that excess moisture can drain through the drainage holes in the bottoms of containers.
Fertilizers
White currant in the pot needs liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks from the end of winter until the beginning of spring.
In the spring, be sure to remove the upper several inches of compost and gently loosen the upper part of the soil, adding a little fresh compost.
This is the perfect time to add granules of fertilizers.
Potter plants should be transplanted about once every three years. This can be done by transplanting them into a larger pot or taking them out of the current pot, putting them in new soil and removing one third of the roots, as well as compost.
After transplanting, sprinkle granular fertilizer. Fertilizer should be about 2 ounces per square yard or 2 inches of soil. Make sure that the soil is easy.
How to trim it correctly
It is important to understand that the fruits of white currants grow on the old wood. This means that you must carefully monitor where you are trimming. Do not cut the old wood, otherwise you will lose currants.
Always cut the sick or “elderly” wood in the winter months. Remember that you need the oldest wood. Pruning of a new growth in early summer will help maintain the shape and compactness of plants.
In the early spring months, remove the branches to the kidneys directed out, unless the branches begin to bend, in this case it is better to cut the kidneys directed upward. Support for trimming and rooted cordons. Cut the new growth on a vertical stem for one quarter from the growth of the previous year. In the summer months, carry out pruning at a distance of one kidney from a new growth.
Common pests
White currant bushes can be damaged by pests and birds at all stages of development. Below are the most common insects and larvae that affect the plant.
Sawfly
The sawright is the most common pest of white currants. These pale green larvae are very similar to caterpillars. They quickly devour the plant and often can turn the bush into a naked stem. They usually attack in the middle and end of spring. Up to three generations may appear per year, so carefully follow them.
Sawfly
Solution to combat sawders: if they attack, you will see larvae. Remove them manually and dispose of them. When the larvae appear, spray the plant with a pesticide containing pyrethrum or tialopride.
Currant aphid
Aphid (lat. Cryptomyzus ribis) winter in the stage of eggs on plant stems. Eggs are hatched in early spring, and insects feed, sucking plant juices, which leads to a slowdown and deformation of new growth. When the leaves continue to develop, they become wrinkled with lowered edges. The plots between the veins on the upper surface of the leaves can turn red. When aphid feeds, it releases an excess of sugar and water in the form of small drops called honey dew. Ants can eat this dew, and a black fungus (soot mold) often grows on it. The aphids themselves are small (up to 2 millimeters), green and are usually found in colonies. Other types of aphids also sometimes feed on currant berries and gooseberries.
Currant aphid
Aphid is often under good natural control of predators, such as ladybugs, small parasitic wasps and even insects. In some areas or in certain years, these natural control means may be insufficient, and you can use chemical sprayers. Spraying during rest, as well as summer garden oil or insecticidal soap, if you use them at the first appearance of aphids.
Import currant worm
Import currant (lat. NEMATIS RIBESII) is the most serious insect-pest of currants and gooseberries, and the latter is the favorite master. Several small, spotted, caterpillars of larvae are erected foliage. Adult individuals are sawnup pills the size of a room fly. Two generations are hatched annually, which damage in the spring and at the end of summer.
To combat this insect, drugs based on Bacillus Thuringiensis and/or insecticides of a wide spectrum of action should be used. Start looking for damage shortly after the leaves of the leaves. The second generation is usually less seriously than the first, and does not require processing.
Import currant worm
Currant stem crush
Adult sawders (lat. Janus Integer) is made by numerous punctures in the reed during the laying of eggs in the spring, which leads to diluting and wigging new shoots in late spring. Further damage occurs as the larvae lay tunnels in the reed. This insect also affects poplar and willow, and damage is usually more serious near the stands of these trees. Removing and destroying infected reeds at the first signs of wilting is the best way to fight.
Currant stem crush
Fourleaved vegetable bug
Fourline vegetable bug (lat. Poecilocapsus lineatus), has a yellowish-green color with four dark stripes on the back. He is quite active, easily runs and flies. It sucks plant juices from leaves and young stems, causing deformation and brown coloring of foliage. Old leaves are covered with many small light spots. Most often, damage is caused when such plants grow next to currants and gooseberries.
In areas where plant bugs are a frequent problem, they can be dealt with, using pyrethrumbased drugs or pyrethroides at the beginning of the season.
Birds
Pigeons especially love white currants, but do not be surprised if you like it and other species of birds. Birds eat seeds, seedlings, as well as leaves, kidneys and everything else that they can get to.
If birds become a problem, you should cover the plants with fleece or some net. Think about adding a scarecrow and other means with which you can drive away birds. The top or reflective surface helps to scare them off.
Pigeons pests for white currants
Harvesting
When the fruits become elastic and juicy, they are ready to collect the crop. This usually happens in the middle and end of summer, in late June early July.
Do not collect individual fruits, t. to. They are easily crushed. Instead, cut entire inflorescences and use them immediately or store them in the refrigerator during the day or so. You can also freeze inflorescences to use them later for both culinary and decorative purposes.
