How to look after an old red currant

[ado]

We moved into our house two years ago and inherited and old red currant 'tree.' I have got no idea how old it is but I would assume from the history of the house, that it hasn't been cared for in any way for a long time. Some of the branches while still productive, appear to be hollow and the whole plant is unkempt which means that when it is covered in leaves and fruit that some of the weaker branches look close to breaking point. The whole tree is about 8 feet tall and 6 - 8 feet wide.

I'd like some advice about the best way to prune it and if I should remove the hollow branches? How long do currants live for and how do I take cuttings?

Thanks.

[FB.]

For starters, I would not prune it while it has leaves on - I've seen many old fruit trees killed that way.
Wait until most or all of the leaves have fallen in late autumn before undertaking pruning. I'd suggest not cutting off more than a quarter of the branch mass in any one season.

Cuttings are easy - wait until the leaves turn yellow around October and take some shoots at least pencil-sized and just poke them into the ground where you want them to grow, or in pots of compost. At least nine out of ten currant cuttings will root with no help needed, as long as they are left outdoors where they can remain cool and damp over winter while they produce roots.
Don't be tempted to look at their rooting progress because newly-formed roots are easily upset.

[ado]

Thanks for the reply.

I wasn't going to prune it now as my wife loves the currants and we get a good harvest, so I was going to leave it until either Autumn or late winter. When I do prune it what should I do about the hollow branches?

[rustylady]

Have you got a picture of the bush Ado? If not, which are the "hollow" branches (near the top or bottom)

[FB.]

When I do prune it what should I do about the hollow branches?

Most old fruit trees go hollow inside eventually, although the usual "fruit trees" such as apples and pears usually take several decades to get to that point. The hollow branches are fine as long as they are structurally sound, healthy and productive.

When it comes to winter pruning, I'd suggest planning a multi-year renovation. In the first winter, remove all the dead wood, plus any which are damaged, diseased or badly placed (such as rubbing).

In the second, third and fourth winters, start removing further unwanted shoots or branches; removing no more than a quarter of the living wood in any season. Eventually you'll get what you want.
Unfortunately, most people hack at a tree in a brutal awy once every several years, rather than the little-and-often which is most suitable.
Irregular harsh pruning will make an unattractive tree by causing "witches brooms" of clustered, upright, unproductive/non-fruiting shoots crowding each other out. Regular light pruning gets a nice rotation of fresh, healthy, productive wood with good crops, and keeps the tree to an appropriate size and shape for optimum cropping.
Sometimes harsh pruning will shock an old tree and send it into gradual decline; dying a few years later.

[ado]

I've tried to attach a couple of pictures which show a couple of the hollow branches. I tried to add another picture of the whole redcurrant but that didn't work.

[FB.]

The hollow branches look OK to me - plenty of shoots with leaves coming off them which indicates good sapflow.
I see no reason to take off the branches which are hollow; if anything, the holes are from previous pruning cuts and if you cut them back further you may end up with the hollow-ness getting to the trunk quite quickly and compromising the structural integrity.

So I'd say just tidy it up as needed, in late autumn to early winter, as mentioned in my earlier post.

[darcyvuqua]

When I took my plot on I found a red current bush that was lost in brambles, nettles and whatever else I made it my mission to sort that out first and when I did I took a lot of branches off I then mulched in January with a bag of compost and it has done wonders looking like a bumper crop of red currents for me this year

[rustylady]

When I took my plot on I found a red current bush that was lost in brambles, nettles and whatever else I made it my mission to sort that out first and when I did I took a lot of branches off I then mulched in January with a bag of compost and it has done wonders looking like a bumper crop of red currents for me this year

Did you use the prunings as cuttings Darcy?

[darcyvuqua]

Nope I asked this question a week ago on here hind sight is an amazing thing

[rustylady]

Never mind, there's always this Autumn's prunings.

[ado]

The hollow branches look OK to me - plenty of shoots with leaves coming off them which indicates good sapflow.
I see no reason to take off the branches which are hollow; if anything, the holes are from previous pruning cuts and if you cut them back further you may end up with the hollow-ness getting to the trunk quite quickly and compromising the structural integrity.

So I'd say just tidy it up as needed, in late autumn to early winter, as mentioned in my earlier post.

Thanks FB, that all sounds like good advice.