Blackcurrants

[MaureenHall]

I've had a blackcurrant bush for 3 years and I don't know when to prune it, or which branches to prune! I've just harvested all the fruit, 220g, and made a pot of jam yummy!!. The bush is a Ben Lomond, and I'm sure I should have had a bigger harvest if I'd pruned it / looked after it properly. This is the first year I've had more than about a dozen fruits off it . Can anyone help?

[coomber]

Not sure if this is right, but here's what I do
When the fruit is ripe cut out about a quarter of old wood (the brownest!)with the fruit still attached (makes it easier to pick!). Also cut out any dead/diseased branches.
I'm not sure how old my blackcurrant is 'cause I got it with the house, but I've been pruning this way and so far I've picked about 6 KG of fruit (loads more still on the bush).

[MaureenHall]

wow!! thanks I've already picked all the fruit, but I can go back to the branches they came off and do a bit of lopping

[Two_Sheds]

I cut off the wood that has the fruit on it ~ harvest and pruning all in one go.

Not that I had any blackcurrants this year ... the ruddy wind blew the fleece off it, and the ruddy blackbirds have scoffed the lot.

[djhs196]

With Blackcurrants yes you prune out the older wood - from a 1/4 but no more than a 1/3 at the end of the season and mulch after that to help with new growth. The idea is to keep all the branches young(ish) and vigorous.

[MaureenHall]

Any idea about growing blackcurrants from seed? I've squashed a couple of really ripe ones and collected the seed, but now I don't know what to do with them!!

[djhs196]

I think that you can do seed, yes - but if you just want to increase the number of bushes I'd suggest instead that you use the prunings that you'll take in a few months time (the older wood talked about above) and plant those up as cuttings in semi shade. Move them the following year perhaps to their final position?

[MaureenHall]

Thanks for that Douglas. I've already stuck a few of the branches just into the soil and keeping my fingers crossed

[Two_Sheds]

cuttings take really easily - I have 6 baby plants from last year's cuttings, all about a foot high & healthy, waiting for Oct to go in their final positions

[jackie j]

Last year when I had just got my plot someone had chucked out the bits they had cut back so the chap on the next plot said ' if you do this that and the other and stick them in the ground they will take ' I must have looked a bit vague and he did it for me and gave me seven small sticks, so I put them in the ground and to my surprise they have all taken and have got quite a bit of fruit on them.

[Tam]

Blackcurrants fruit on year old wood, so you are best to cut out as much of this year's fruiting wood as possible. Sometimes you will find strong new shoots growing from older stems that you want to leave. Some of my blackcurrant bushes are over twenty years old and give massive crops.