Red currant 'Rodneus'

Red currant 'Rodneus' (Ribes rubrum 'Roodneus') – a late-ripening, intensive-type red currant cultivar suitable for mechanical harvesting. Considered one of the best red currant varieties. High yield, up to 10 kg from a mature bush. Effective fruiting lasts up to 20 years, with peak yields in years 7–10.

It is a compact shrub 1.5 m in height, with vertically oriented branches and a good root system that allows it to withstand heat and drought.

Berries are large, weighing 1.5–2 g, glossy, bright red, round in shape, with a dry detachment. Flavor is harmonious, sweet-and-sour. Clusters are long with numerous berries. Transportability and storage life are good.

Hardiness zone: 4a (-25°C)

Location: prefers well-lit sites but can also grow in partial shade; moisture-loving but does not tolerate waterlogging or excessive wetness. Does not like heavy, clay soils; the groundwater level should not be higher than 75 cm below the soil surface. Not demanding with regard to soil fertility; grows well in any garden soil. Prefers slightly acidic, well-drained, sandy, light or medium loamy soil.

Planting: planting is done in August. For this, beds or trenches are dug and bushes are planted at a distance of at least 1.3 m from each other (otherwise bushes will shade each other and the berries will be small). The soil mixture consists of garden soil and manure. After planting, in dry weather the plants are watered at a rate of 1 bucket per bush.

Care: during the growing season, additional feedings are carried out – in early spring apply nitrogen fertilizers: ammonium nitrate (30 g per bush) or urea (20 g per bush); after flowering and at the beginning of fruit set – poultry manure (1:12) or cow manure (1:6), at a rate of 1–1.5 buckets per currant bush and after harvest.

Pruning: tolerates trimming well, suitable for forming hedges and borders. Requires thinning (removal of old stems). Pruning is done in spring; young shoots are shortened by 5–6 buds and old ones are removed. Each bush should consist of 10–15 stems. Old branches are removed because large berries grow on 3–4-year-old stems.

Propagation: propagated vegetatively (by division of the bush, grafting, green cuttings, vertical or horizontal layering) or by seeds. For vertical layering, bushes are heavily pruned in spring almost to ground level; in July young shoots are earthed up. In autumn the young shoots are planted in a nursery. To obtain horizontal layers, rooted shoots are left until the following spring, then bent over, earthed up and separated from the parent plant in the autumn.

Diseases: powdery mildew, septoria and anthracnose.

Pests: gall aphid, yellow gooseberry sawfly, currant clearwing

Uses: berries are eaten fresh, used to make jams, mors (fruit drinks), puddings, as a filling in pies, and in soups.