New Red Currants and Black Currants?

[MarkHackwell]

I am currently looking at sorting out the Fruit Cage. At Present I have a lot of Blackcurrant bushes and Redcurrant bushes inside. I tried digging up a Redcurrant bush a few weeks back to move it so I could train it into a cordon however getting it up the roots appear to be soo deep. So I think I might look into buying new redcurrant cordons and training them and trying to keep the black currant bushes but spacing them out (Its currently nearly impossible to pick any fruit as the blackcurrants and redcurrants are soo close together).

What would other's do? Dig up and move, taking cuttings (Would mean no fruit this year possibly) or buy new? (Just a bit worried the blackcurrants will be too big to move so might need to buy new of them too )

[Thelma Sanders]

Can you thin them out, removing every other plant, so there's more space around them, then rooting some cuttings to plant further away from the old bushes?
That way you will get good fruiting from the undisturbed plants this year, giving the cuttings time to grow on for 2019.

[MarkHackwell]

Can you thin them out, removing every other plant, so there's more space around them, then rooting some cuttings to plant further away from the old bushes?
That way you will get good fruiting from the undisturbed plants this year, giving the cuttings time to grow on for 2019.

The problem I have is the blackcurrants are currently mixed in with the redcurrants (I only have about 3 Redcurrants and have about 10 Blackcurrants) and they aren’t in lines at all. I have removed one Redcurrant the other week so now I’m down to just 2.

I could try and take cuttings and see what happens I just wanted to tidy it up really as it’s becoming a bit of a nightmare but then again buying new fruit bushes espically the cordon red currants will be very expensive

[nickdub]

"What would other's do? Dig up and move, taking cuttings ..."

I'd probably dig 'em out this time of year, being mean ( you can take cuttings as well of course). Strong pick-axe, an early start, dig the hole to move bushes in to first, then get a large sheet of polythene or black plastic so you can move the bush once on that by dragging it. Once in place cut off enough of the top of the bush so that its roughly the same size as the roots you managed to get out.

[Speed Gardener]

If you've already removed one redcurrant, I would take a load of cuttings from that bush and plant them now so you have as many to choose from when it comes to selecting the bast shape to train. If you've disposed of it, just take cuttings from the other two. Hack back the blackcurrants that are encroaching on the redcurrants because you have 10 of these so won't suffer too much lost production.
For the blackcurrants, cut out about a third of the mature (dark brown) wood, this will give the new shoots more room.
You're a bit late in the dormant period to do any serious moving as fruiting will be reduced, I would look to next year and be ready with well prepared ground and newly rooted cuttings. I wouldn't do the whole plot in one go as you still want some fruit, maybe do half next year and the other half the year after.
Also, keep watering the moved plants and cuttings throughout the summer so they get well established.

[Ocelot]

I often move both, and have never had a problem (as long as it's not during the fruiting season).

Nearly all my bushes are from hardwood cuttings. I've even got a (small) blackcurrant growing out of the patio wall, which has presumably self-seeded.