Harvesting Cuttings In December

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

In winter, the gardener has more free time. But it can also be carried out with the benefit of your personal plot and taking care of the future harvest. If in the fall, hands did not reach the preparation of cuttings to obtain seedlings of currants, gooseberries, this can be done now, in December, before the onset of severe frosts

Simple and economical

The yield of black currant is two or even three times inferior to red. However, this is exactly the case when quantity is compensated by quality. After all, according to experts, a handful of black berries provides the body with a daily need for vitamin C. The processed product does an excellent job of strengthening the immune system, helps in the treatment of colds. Therefore, without a doubt, the reproduction of black currant is by no means an idle venture.

One of the easiest and fastest ways to increase the number of bushes is to harvest cuttings for seedlings. Novice gardeners in vain neglect this method in favor of buying ready-made seedlings. First, such an acquisition will cost a pretty penny. And secondly, by cutting cuttings from the shoots of your own bushes, you have the opportunity to choose the most productive, healthy specimen. Moreover, it is not difficult to store cuttings, and they take root quickly. And it is quite simple to cope with these works, they will not cause difficulties even for a novice gardener.

Bush selection

If you cut the shoots for cuttings at random, the result may not be the best. It is important to choose bushes based on the following criteria:

• high productivity;

• cleanliness;

• healthy appearance.

Remember, in the last 2-3 years, diseases such as powdery mildew and terry have not been noticed in this bush. It is not recommended to use currants for reproduction, which were pestered by pests - kidney mites, glass, stem gall midge. Only the best specimens should be chosen.

powdery mildew

Harvesting cuttings

Annual lignified shoots are cut as raw materials for cuttings. Among others, they stand out with a lighter color of the bark, and the thickness of the shoots is about 6-8 mm in diameter of the cut.

Shoots are cut into cuttings about 15-18 cm long. This size depends on how close the buds are. It is recommended that there are five or six of them on one handle. The unripe upper part of the shoot is not used as a cutting.

The upper cut of the cutting should be no more than 1 cm from the bud, it is made straight. The lower cut is performed at an acute angle.

Storage of planting material

You can store cuttings before spring planting in different ways, everyone chooses the most convenient for themselves:

1. If there is a lot of planting material and there is no shortage of snow in the yard, the cuttings are placed in a box with their tops up and covered with snow. The container is covered with sawdust or straw and left outside.

2. In winters with little snow, the box is filled with wet sand. The cuttings are stored in a cellar or a cool basement.

3. Instead of sand, you can use a wet mixture of peat with sawdust.

4. A small amount of planting material can be kept directly in the refrigerator, previously wrapped in plastic.

5. A non-standard way to retain moisture is to insert sharp slices of cuttings into a potato and wrap it in a wet rag.

The optimum storage temperature for cuttings is from 0 ° C to + 5 ° C. The planting material should be checked from time to time to see if it has dried out or has awakened prematurely. If necessary, ventilate the storage room.

In the spring, before planting, the cuttings are left in water for a day or two. After that, it is recommended to process the slices with growth stimulants. With such care, the rapid growth of seedlings and young fruiting black currant bushes will not keep you waiting long.