You have read correctly: in addition to the blackcurrant varieties, we can now also offer you currant young plants of red-fruited varieties. Our assortment includes exclusive varieties from Lubera® breeding. These varieties have been specially bred and selected for home gardening and they are characterised by their good health as well as their outstanding fruit quality and size. In addition to the red currants, we will of course also expand the range of blackcurrants by innovations in the near future.
Breeding currants at Lubera®
All currants of the series Ribest® – the red currants – and Cassisima® – the blackcurrants – come from the breeding programme of our sister company Lubera®. The aims of breeding are primarily the taste and of course the berry size because the larger the individual berries are, the better or more pleasant is the relationship between seeds and flesh. In addition, the so-called premature dropping of the red currants should be completely prevented if possible by means of breeding efforts. For blackcurrants, an additional breeding goal is to increase the length of the strings. In addition, for both the red and blackcurrants, great importance is attached to the general health of the plant.
Red currant young plants
For the red currants, we can exclusively offer you the varieties from the Lubera® breeding programme. These varieties are characterised by a very good plant health and very large individual fruits. In addition, the varieties also hardly tend to drop their fruit in the early stages of growth.
Ribest® Lisette® - A medium early variety with strikingly large individual fruits. The very large individual fruits on the compact strings produce a very good visual effect. The plants are vigorous growing and have good tolerance to mildew.
Ribest® Babette® - An early ripening variety, the earliest of the Ribest® series. Babette® has extremely large individual fruits, which are visually appealing as they cling to compact strings. The taste is fruity and mild and due to the fruit size, the few seeds are barely noticed. The growth is not quite as strong, but the variety forms bushy, well-branched shrubs.
Also part of the red currants, at least in the botanical sense, are currants in special colours such as white and pink varieties. These are varieties that lack the red pigment either completely (white) or only a partly (pink). The following variety is available:
Ribest® Blanchette® - A white-fleshed, early-ripening currant with large berries on long strings and a very mild taste. Blanchette® is vigorous growing and very resistant to fungal diseases.
In addition to the exclusive Lubera® varieties, we have also included standard varieties in our assortment.
Jonkheer van Tets – An early ripening variety with dark red, sweet and sour fruits on long strings. The plants form a strong growing, upright shrub.
Blackcurrant young plants
Just like red-fleshed currants, the majority of blackcurrants in the assortment come from the breeding programme of our sister company Lubera®. These exclusive varieties are characterised by a very good plant health and an outstanding fruit size. We can already offer you the following varieties:
Cassissima® Noiroma® - A very early variety, the earliest in our range. Noiroma® has very large individual fruits that grow on medium-long strings and can also be harvested individually. The taste is extremely mild with a high sugar content and only a very subtle cassis flavour. The plants have a strong, upright habit and are resistant to powdery mildew.
Cassissima® Neva® - A medium early variety that is characterised mainly by the very large individual fruits on long strings, which is extremely advantageous at the time of harvest. Neva® has, in addition to its mild flavour, a well-developed cassis aroma. The variety is upright and strong growing and not susceptible to powdery mildew.
Lowberry® Little Black Sugar® - The most compact blackcurrant in our assortment. It is an early variety with medium-sized to large fruits on rather small strings. The flavour of the variety is characterised by a very high sugar content with the typical cassis aroma.
In addition to the exclusive Lubera® varieties, we have also added standard varieties to the blackcurrant assortment.
Titania - A supplement to the blackcurrant range. The variety is medium early, vigorous growing and robust. It produces large fruits with an intense cassis aroma.
The speciality: jostaberry
Something special, which resembles a currant, but botanically speaking it is only 50% of a blackcurrant: the jostaberry. The jostaberry is a cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry. It has medium-sized, pale, brown-black fruits with a rather acidic but aromatic taste.
A glimpse into the future
The assortment of currants, whether red, black or special colours, is still not complete. New varieties are already in preparation and will complement our assortment from 2020 onwards. Then we will be able to offer two new blackcurrant varieties (Black Marble/Black Bells) that have even bigger fruits and are therefore even more productive. In addition, we will add a late-maturing variety (Sonette) to the assortment of red currants. We will also be working on the special colours and will be able to offer a green-fleshed variety (Greenlife).
The breeding of higher yielding and better tasting jostaberry varieties has also made great progress at Lubera® and will also have a favourable outcome in the next few years.
The quality of currant young plants at Lubera® Edibles
Since the red and white currants tend not to grow so much, our standard young plant tray is not sufficient enough to achieve a saleable plant within a growing season in a C2 or C3 (i.e. in 17 cm or 19 cm containers). Therefore, these varieties are offered in a stronger quality, an 18-cell tray. These plants are the size of a P9 (9 cm pot) and are thus strong enough to form a saleable plant (up to C5) within one growing season. In direct comparison with the red currants, the blackcurrants have much stronger growth, so we can offer these varieties as usual in our 60-cell standard tray. With this quality, a saleable C3 plant can be reached within a growing season.
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Would you like more information, an individual consultation or information about additional ranges?
Click here for the complete 2019 catalogue, which can be downloaded.
If you have specific questions, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service, where you can also spontaneously place an order.
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