Old blackcurrant bushes

[Bill Door]

I have two bushes that haven't produced well this year (fed them growmore and sulphate of potash earlier in the year). I have had the plot for about 6 years and they may well have been there for many years before.

Should I dig them out (after taking cuttings as replacements)? Or Should I give them a deep and savage pruning in October?

Anyone had this problem before?

many Thanks

Bill

[scarey55]

Hello Bill, and welcome to the Vine

I have had blackcurrants in my garden for 9 years and they are still fruiting very well, I might just have been lucky but I doubt it.

I would say give them a prune and a feed and see haw they are next year. You might have just had some freak conditions that have caused them not to fruit much this year.

[Scarlet]

I agree with Scarey. They probably need a good prune. Take cuttings at the same time

[FB.]

I don't think one bad year justifies removing the plants.

If there's something wrong with them (virus/disease) any cuttings you take will have it too.

It could be something as simple as lack of proper pruning or peculiar weather.

[sparrow100]

Prune and feed. My Mum's are 30+ years old and still going strong.

[BUFFS]

prune out the oldest stems and mulch around the base with compost, the stems only last so long, probably depending on where you are, I have done this for the last 3 years as some were getting past it and not producing much. I will be picking mine at the weekend, now 19 plants from a poundshop "stick" and it is looking to be a bumper year despite the terrible local "summer" which arrived on Tuesday, we have now had 3 days of sun without the usual cold days in between and it feels lovely, long may it last..

[Speed Gardener]

A few weeks ago, Bob Flowerdew on GQT answered a question about blackcurrant bushes with low productivity. He said that if the bushes were old (the lady in question said hers were 15 years old), it was probable that they were suffering with big bud, swollen buds caused by a mite, and that it's quite common for old blackcurrant bushes. His advice was to dig it up and start again.
I went and looked at a very old bush I inherited on one of my plots, one that had not produced much for the last couple of years and was on its "last chance", and there were swollen buds all over the place. I outed it straight away, no guilt, thanks Bob Flowerdew!

[Bill Door]

Thank you all for the replies.

I will go with you speed gardener. Will start new bushes in another part of the plot later in the year. I think I knew what needed to be done but required a "poke" in the right direction.

Regards

Bil

[Scarlet]

Here's some info on big bud, it's worth a read
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=452

[sparrow100]

If the plants have Big Bud, don't take cuttings from the bushes as you're just transplanting the problem. If they haven't, you can take cuttings now too - I have 16 blackcurrant cuttings rooting in glasses of water at home. It takes about 3 weeks for the roots to show, and when the roots are a little bigger you can pot them up. I'm keeping mine in the greenhouse over winter in largeish pots. It'll give a bit of a headstart on Autumn cuttings.

[Dorothy rouse]

My blackcurrants bushes are only about 4 years old, last year the leaves died back just after fruiting, no bugs or anything, so got some advice from here, cut them right down, the result this year, looking much better but obviously not 1 blackcurrant, hoping next year will have bumper crop. So be careful about pruning too drastically.