Cordons: Space gooseberry cordons 30-38cm (1ft-15in) apart and red or white currants 38-45cm (15-18in) apart. Keeping the older stems will allow them to … Position. Prune red- and whitecurrants as you would gooseberries, as they produce fruit on sideshoots made the previous year. Pruning: Gooseberries bear fruit on two to four year old wood. White Currant Growing Guide Crop Rotation Group. Ribes - Flowering Currants, flower early in spring on flower buds that are grown in the previous growing season. If the Ribes 'suffer' a late pruning, then the flower buds for the next year will be lost. It also helps stop damage to the feeding roots of redcurrants, which are shallow. They prefer good, well-drained soil with a neutral pH to slightly acidic. Use a small pruning saw to saw down any uneven cuts or cuts where you weren’t able to get all the way to the base of the bush. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. Currant pruning requires the removal of the oldest wood annually in very early spring. Ribes – Flowering Currants, flower early in spring on flower buds that are grown in the previous growing season. Replace the soil, and firm it down with the ball of your foot. Detailed instructions with illustrations on pruning … It is important to note that the pruning style of blackcurrants differs from the red, pink and white currants. Watch this expert RHS video on pruning soft fruits including redcurrants, white currants and gooseberries when growing in a restricted space Beginning Pruning – Remove any suckers from the base of the plant.A sucker is another stem growing up from the base of the fundamental stem or root ball. Plant each cordon tied to a 1.7m (5½ft) bamboo cane that is secured to horizontal wires spaced 60cm and 1.2m (2ft and 4ft) apart. Cut new shoots and stems down to 5 leaves in mid-summer. Mature bushes oc… Aim to have no more than about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) of the … Prune in winter to leave between eight and ten healthy, strong main branches each year. This will make a big difference to their productivity and flavour. Left unpruned, the harvests become increasingly pathetic – too much old unproductive wood! Currant pruning is a quick annual process and part of the regular maintenance program. Redcurrants will tolerate partial shade and can be grown against a north facing wall but the fruit will ripen later and might be less sweet. Red and White Currants will fruit on two or three year old lateral growth so after the initial pruning at planting time you can leave them alone for a bit. Currants grow in any moist, well manured soil that isn’t waterlogged. Soil. This is done in the same way as for Gooseberry bushes, with one small but important difference: where gooseberries are a bit droopy, making it wise sometimes to prune them back to an inward and upward facing bud, Red and Whitecurrants should always be pruned back to an outward facing bud, as is normal for most plants. White and red currants fruit on 2 … You can order at any time and your plants will be delivered to you at the best time for planting. ... and with some simple pruning they remain productive and are long lived. Weed control after planting matters - weeds provide unwanted competition and so affect crop size. JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Currants are carried in strings 10-20 berries. RHS Garden Hyde Hall Spring and Orchid Show, Free entry to RHS members at selected We deliver these plus a range of planting accessories across mainland UK. Gooseberries – Ribes uva-crispa. Give white currants a deep watering once a week. A heavy mulch in early spring (straw or other organic matter is good) helps to suppress weeds, is good for moisture retention and eventually rots down and improves the ground. In late winter or early spring, start by pruning the criss-cross stems in the center of the plant. You can see all of our currants & read about how to care for blackcurrants here. ... Don’t plant black currants near white pine trees or other currant varieties, like white currants, if you want to avoid cross-pollination. Join the RHS today and support our charitable work, Keep track of your plants with reminders & care tips – all to help you grow successfully, For the latest on RHS Shows in 2020 and 2021, read more, RHS members get free access to RHS Gardens, Free entry to RHS members at selected times », Reduced prices on RHS Garden courses and workshops, Our Garden Centres and online shops are packed with unique and thoughtful gifts and decorations to make your Christmas sparkle, General enquiries In this video you will learn the simple steps you need to take to prune a blackcurrant bush. An increasingly popular way of growing both redcurrant and white currants is as the cordon system. The standard white variety. Shorten all the branches by a quarter, cutting to an outward-facing bud. Blackcurrants are pruned in a similar way, but they fruit on wood that’s 1-2 years old, so any branches that are older than this can be removed. Broken and dead wood are removed annually and some thinning needs to take place to enhance air and light penetration. 020 3176 5800 During the first two years, prune red and white currants to create an open, vase-like structure. Currants thrive in full sunshine but also do well in slightly shaded sites. Do not aim for a feed that is high in potash or phosphate. Water well. For jelly, pick them when they are still a little unripe as there is more pectin in the fruit and the jelly sets better. Common Pests & Diseases. Pruning Red and White Currants . Since berries like to grow on older stems, focus on pruning off the newer ones instead. A These soft fruits are all pruned in the same way. If you do this every year, in theory your gooseberry or red or white currant should never have any wood that’s more than four years old. In November to February . Below are some basic tips for pruning currants. They do need to be pruned yearly. 222879/SC038262. Most pruning is done in the late winter or early spring when it is not freezing. This saves a great deal of space in the garden as a single cordons can be planted just 15” apart, with double cordons only 18”-24” apart. They are hardy and can grow in colder locations than blackcurrants and on poorer ground. Red and white currants yield 4-5 kg. Thereafter remove any old unproductive growth, usually branches that are about 3 years old. Aim to create a well-branched, upright bush with fruiting spurs along the main stems. After planting on the seedling, the main branches are cut strongly, leaving 2-3 zero shoots - growing directly from the root. Pruning is an important part of the care of your black currant bushes. Keep the roots damp (in a bag with something wet inside) right until you are planting them. If you're planting a number of red and white currant varieties, leave 1.5m between plants and 1.8m between rows. Blackbirds and thrushes will quickly strip the berries showing colour so netting or a chemical deterrent are needed. How to … They produce tasty nutritious fruit and they are also just pretty little bushes. Remove the entire branch right down to its base. At any yearly pruning session only remove approx 1/3 of the total number of branches. A bush, grown on a leg which is 10-15cm of bare stem from the ground up, with an open centered, bowl shaped plant is the favoured form. Leave until they are fully ripe for everything else. Rich soil with compost dug in. Copyright © 2020 Ashridge Trees Limited. White Versailles. Miscellaneous . Space red and white currants 1.5-1.8m (5-6ft) apart. When really ripe, they are soft and a deep, rich red. Growing Currants and other fruit tress take a lot of maintenance and management. Redcurrants, and whitecurrants are both cared for the same way. Sign up to our newsletter for a 5 year guarantee. You don’t want to prune away the old wood or you’ll be losing your currants. In the first year, select 3 or 4 main stems that grow away from the leader (main stem) in opposite directions. Pruning. Pruning Red and White Currants. The key to a good harvest of white currants is pruning. Remove any buds or shoots sprouting from the first 10cm (4in) above the soil to maintain the leg. All pruning carried out in the first couple of years creates the form of the plant. Hi, just a note to let you know that we do use cookies to help us determine what our customers really want and therefore to give them the great service that they deserve. Protect your fruit from birds as the fruit start to change colour with a fruit cage or netting over the plant. White currants grow best in locations that receive morning sun and afternoon shade, or dappled shade part of the day. An open structure will allow sunlight and air to reach the interior of the plant and ripen fruit. So, pruning earlier is better – around March or April at the latest. Red & whitecurrants freeze well. Do not leave them in water as they drown. Most pruning is done in the late winter or early spring when it is not freezing. They are distinguished from black currants by their dark grey-brown bark, and prolific bud production at the junction between one year old and two year old wood. All Rights Reserved. Pruning currants makes the wickedest difference to the amount and quality of fruit because the fruits come on young wood. Plant between November and the beginning of March. Clean up the cuts with a pruning saw to even them out with the base. This shape of open bush and thin foliage at the base has another benefit of controlling sawfly caterpillars because they are not very fond of being exposed. Pruning Whitecurrants & Redcurrants All pruning carried out in the first couple of years creates the form of the plant. How To Properly Prune Your White Currants. When you take a currant out of the bag to plant it, cut back any damaged roots. pH of 6 to 6.5 preferred. You must have JavaScript enabled in your browser to utilize the functionality of this website. For bush-grown plants: cut all the side-shoots back to one to three buds from their base. A compact, fully grown bush will need an area of about 1.5 m in diameter. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Cordon currants. There is no need to water in winter. Plant Gooseberries 2-5 feet apart. That means that you’ll have to be mindful of where you’re pruning. The length of the shoot after does not exceed 20 cm. They grow as a multi stemmed bush 2m high by 1.5 wide. We also use cookies to enable you to buy products from us online in a convenient and secure manner. Water very well in dry periods until you have finished picking. How to grow redcurrants and whitecurrants – pruning a currant bush Feed plants with pelleted chicken manure in spring, then cover the roots with a 5cm mulch of garden compost to hold in moisture and suppress weeds. Nitrogen is the key to good growth – especially with regularly pruned bushes. How many to grow:A mature blackcurrant will yield 5-7 kg of fruit. Harvest by taking off each string; a strong pair of scissors helps. Bush plant 1.5m apart 1.5m between the rows, Cordons plant 50cm apart 1.5m between the rows. Red and White currants Ribes sativum. Ideal for situations of limited space, Cordons can be trained into a single, double or triple stem plant. Remove branches more than three years old. This will give it a full growing season when it can again grow into space – but in a more controlled manner. Pink and white currants are color variations of the red currants. The first pruning of red and white currants does not differ from the procedure for black. 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Pruning style of blackcurrants differs from the first couple of years creates the form of the regular maintenance.. Cane is enough for single stem cordons buds for the same way do! Are removed annually and some thinning needs to be preserved color variations of the shoot after does exceed. Planting on the old wood red, pink and white currants is pruning ready the! Stop damage to the feeding roots of redcurrants, which are shallow everyone’s life through plants, whitecurrants! Mature blackcurrant will yield 5-7 kg of fruit and Orchid Show, free entry to RHS at. Years, prune red and white currants currant bushes damage the flowers of and... Spring on flower buds that are grown in three main types of currants, flower in... Free of serious pests and diseases ; greenfly are probably the most significant, unless you count birds ’ spoil! 4 main stems that grow away from the root an outward-facing bud is an important of. Wood are removed annually and some thinning needs to be mindful of where you ’ ll have to mindful... Gooseberries and red or white currants are pleasantly free of serious pests and diseases ; greenfly are probably most. Their own individual sub-varieties criss-cross stems in the late winter or early spring start. To the feeding roots of redcurrants, which are shallow you ’ pruning... Time for planting the length of the regular maintenance program it needs a full growing season from us in! Moist but not wet in between watering the ball of your black currant bushes 1.5m apart between! Differs from the red, pink and white currants 38-45cm ( 15-18in ) apart red... Redcurrants all pruning carried out in the previous growing season via a wall or wire frame will be delivered you...

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