How do you prune a red and black currant bush?

Prune sprawling branches laden with fruit for easy picking, cutting back to strong upright growth, but delay the main pruning until winter. Cut out a quarter to a third of the branches each year, aiming to remove old unproductive wood, weak growth and low-lying branches.

When and how do you prune red currants?

In early summer, prune new growth back to two buds to keep plants compact. Leaders should be pruned to outward-facing buds unless the branches are bending, in which case they should be cut to upward-facing buds.

How do you prune a black currant plant?

Each year, prune all the previous year’s growth back to a single bud. Remove any branches that have become unproductive, and replace them with a new shoot that will help to keep the shape of the bush. Remove any branches that hang low to the ground, as the fruits on these may rot or be eaten by pests. And that’s it!

When should blackcurrant bushes be pruned?

Pruning of blackcurrant bushes is very simple. The time to prune is when they are dormant, mid-winter to early February is a good time for this garden job. Don’t prune for the first year of their life.

How do you take care of red currant bushes?

Grow redcurrants and whitecurrants in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. Keep them well supplied with nutrients by adding a mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost annually. A sunny spot is preferable, although they should still crop well in semi-shade.

How do you look after redcurrant bushes?

Do you cut back currant bushes?

Each year, prune all the previous year’s growth back to a single bud. Remove any branches that have become unproductive, and replace them with a new shoot that will help to keep the shape of the bush. Remove any branches that hang low to the ground, as the fruits on these may rot or be eaten by pests.

How do you prune red currants in the summer?

For Redcurrants (Those new shoots will be fruitful next summer.) Either head back the older branch to an outward growing new shoot or leave the branch in place for another year and trim back all the shoots by a thirdor if it’s cluttering up the shrub remove it at the base.

How do you take care of a red currant bush?

Can you prune blackcurrant bushes in summer?

Summer will be when the crop is still producing its sweet berries so you can gently prune away any dead leaves but getting rid of too much of the stems will mean less fruit yield. You can remove some of the healthy leaves however and these can be used to make herbal tea.

How long do redcurrant bushes last?

20 years
As long as the soil is reasonably good quality and not alkaline, they will usually do well. Once planted, redcurrant plants will remain productive for almost 20 years. Even if you don’t want to eat the fruit, redcurrants are highly ornamental and a great way of attracting birds to your garden.

How tall do red currant bushes grow?

Red currants grow on woody shrubs with deep-lobbed leaves that can grow 1.5 – 2m (4.9 – 6.5 ft) tall. Although used in ornamental gardening occasionally, these deciduous shrubs are prized for their edible fruit – delicious pearl-shaped berries.

When should I prune my red currant bush?

Pruning is the main care task for redcurrants but even this is very simple. This is a once a year task which should be done during December to early March when the plant is dormant. To understand how to prune a red currant bush it helps to know that it produces lots of fruit on two and three year old stems.

How long do red currant bushes last?

As long as the soil is reasonably good quality and not alkaline, they will usually do well. Once planted, redcurrant plants will remain productive for almost 20 years. Even if you don’t want to eat the fruit, redcurrants are highly ornamental and a great way of attracting birds to your garden.

How do you increase blackcurrant yield?

Prune the original branches back hard , around 6 cm (2-3 inches) above soil level. This will encourage new root and shoots growth. Allow a minimum of 1.2 m (4 feet) between plants. During the first year, give a feed of a general purpose liquid fertilizer every month and keep the plants well watered.