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. 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. Broken and dead wood are removed annually and some thinning needs to take place to enhance air and light penetration. In the first year, select 3 or 4 main stems that grow away from the leader (main stem) in opposite directions. Copyright © 2020 Ashridge Trees Limited. 222879/SC038262. 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. Give white currants a deep watering once a week. All Rights Reserved. Pruning is an important part of the care of your black currant bushes. February Fertilising: You can spread N-P-K fertiliser around your plants in late Februaury as per their instructions, just before their roots begin to wake up, with about 30g per square metre of Sulphate of Potash (Potassium sulphate) added in. Pruning currants makes the wickedest difference to the amount and quality of fruit because the fruits come on young wood. When really ripe, they are soft and a deep, rich red. Miscellaneous . Plant Gooseberries 2-5 feet apart. Weed control after planting matters - weeds provide unwanted competition and so affect crop size. Watch this expert RHS video on pruning soft fruits including redcurrants, white currants and gooseberries when growing in a restricted space Growing Currants and other fruit tress take a lot of maintenance and management. Red and white currants will fruit at the base of shoots, known as ‘laterals’, that grow out from the main branches. If the Ribes 'suffer' a late pruning, then the flower buds for the next year will be lost. Bear in mind that redcurrants and whitecurrants will grow too fast if overfed, so don’t spoil them. Bush plant 1.5m apart 1.5m between the rows, Cordons plant 50cm apart 1.5m between the rows. They prefer good, well-drained soil with a neutral pH to slightly acidic. Keeping the older stems will allow them to … White currants grow best in locations that receive morning sun and afternoon shade, or dappled shade part of the day. Currant affairs: Red, white or black, the best currants are those picked from your own bush, and there's no better time to plant one . If you're planting a number of red and white currant varieties, leave 1.5m between plants and 1.8m between rows. Cut back the remainder of the branches to around half of their length, cut at an upward confronting bud to empower development upwards as opposed to outwards. Aim to create a well-branched, upright bush with fruiting spurs along the main stems. Red and white currants grow in cooler areas, needs sunshine and protection from winds. ... and with some simple pruning they remain productive and are long lived. It is important to note that the pruning style of blackcurrants differs from the red, pink and white currants. There are three main types of currants, each with their own individual sub-varieties. Gooseberries – Ribes uva-crispa. Do not aim for a feed that is high in potash or phosphate. During the first two years, prune red and white currants to create an open, vase-like structure. Clean up the cuts with a pruning saw to even them out with the base. Shorten all the branches by a quarter, cutting to an outward-facing bud. Remove the entire branch right down to its base. 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. Do not leave them in water as they drown. Pruning. We are a mail order plant nursery, specialising in hedging, trees, fruit, roses & shrubs. Red & whitecurrants freeze well. Fruits are produced on three-year-old wood, which needs to be preserved. White Pearl An alternative white variety. Ribes – Flowering Currants, flower early in spring on flower buds that are grown in the previous growing season. They are hardy and can grow in colder locations than blackcurrants and on poorer ground. 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. Between winter and summer, the bush will grow a lot, so you will need to prune it again. The length of the shoot after does not exceed 20 cm. Redcurrants, and whitecurrants are both cared for the same way. Currants are carried in strings 10-20 berries. In November to February . Ideal for situations of limited space, Cordons can be trained into a single, double or triple stem plant. Space red and white currants 1.5-1.8m (5-6ft) apart. Keep the roots damp (in a bag with something wet inside) right until you are planting them. 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. How to … Plant between November and the beginning of March. When you take a currant out of the bag to plant it, cut back any damaged roots. Red and white currants yield 4-5 kg. How To Prune Red And White Currants These may be trained and pruned very much like Gooseberries, except that when six or eight main branches are established, a rigorous spurring may be practised, and young wood prevented from extending. There is no need to water in winter. Water well. The best gauge is to keep the soil a little moist but not wet in between watering. This will make a big difference to their productivity and flavour. How To Properly Prune Your White Currants. Mulching is always good too (if you have poor soil and no mulch, spreading sulphate of ammonia around is also good - about 50g per square metre). 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. All pruning carried out in the first couple of years creates the form of the plant. Redcurrants need pruning annually to maintain a good shape and produce a good yield of fruit. Position. Ribes - Flowering Currants, flower early in spring on flower buds that are grown in the previous growing season. Position redcurrants in full sun and ensure that they are protected from drying winds which will tend to reduce the size of the fruit. 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. White Versailles. Redcurrants and whitecurrants are both completely self-fertile, so you only need one plant for a crop. White Currant Growing Guide Crop Rotation Group. An increasingly popular way of growing both redcurrant and white currants is as the cordon system. 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. Remember that support via a wall or wire frame will be required: a good long bamboo cane is enough for single stem cordons. Remove branches more than three years old. pH of 6 to 6.5 preferred. 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. After planting on the seedling, the main branches are cut strongly, leaving 2-3 zero shoots - growing directly from the root. Pruning: White currants bear fruit on two to three year old wood. Q How do I prune gooseberries, white currants and red currants? Currant pruning is a quick annual process and part of the regular maintenance program. RHS Garden Hyde Hall Spring and Orchid Show, Free entry to RHS members at selected It needs a full season to grow these flower stems and buds ready for the following spring. 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. Remove any buds or shoots sprouting from the first 10cm (4in) above the soil to maintain the leg. 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. Blackbirds and thrushes will quickly strip the berries showing colour so netting or a chemical deterrent are needed. So, pruning earlier is better – around March or April at the latest. ... Don’t plant black currants near white pine trees or other currant varieties, like white currants, if you want to avoid cross-pollination. A compact, fully grown bush will need an area of about 1.5 m in diameter. The currants are some of the most easily grown fruit bushes. Protect your fruit from birds as the fruit start to change colour with a fruit cage or netting over the plant. An open structure will allow sunlight and air to reach the interior of the plant and ripen fruit. In winter, shorten the sideshoots to one … Annual Pruning: An open ‘goblet’ is an ideal shape of the bush of red and white currant, with a solitary main stem and a vacant space within the bush that would let light and air in. Pink and white currants are color variations of the red currants. 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. Sign up to our newsletter for a 5 year guarantee. 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. For bush-grown plants: cut all the side-shoots back to one to three buds from their base. You can order at any time and your plants will be delivered to you at the best time for planting. Red currants are pleasantly free of serious pests and diseases; greenfly are probably the most significant, unless you count birds. The standard white variety. Currants thrive in full sunshine but also do well in slightly shaded sites. Rich soil with compost dug in. We deliver these plus a range of planting accessories across mainland UK. Trimming is performed on 3-4 kidneys, oblique cut - at 45 degrees. At any yearly pruning session only remove approx 1/3 of the total number of branches. That means that you’ll have to be mindful of where you’re pruning. By Monty Don for MailOnline. Water very well in dry periods until you have finished picking. For jelly, pick them when they are still a little unripe as there is more pectin in the fruit and the jelly sets better. Pruning Red and White Currants. They produce tasty nutritious fruit and they are also just pretty little bushes. Soil. Aim to have no more than about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) of the … Redcurrants and Whitecurrants can be grown in three main formats: bushes cordons or fans. 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 The first pruning of red and white currants does not differ from the procedure for black. Prune red- and whitecurrants as you would gooseberries, as they produce fruit on sideshoots made the previous year. 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. Wet the roots in a bucket of water and put the red or whitecurrant in a hole with plenty of room for its roots and so the plant will end up with the finished soil level at the same point as before lifting (usually seen as a root collar or "high water" mark on the main stem). 020 3176 5800 times, RHS Registered Charity no. Cordons: Space gooseberry cordons 30-38cm (1ft-15in) apart and red or white currants 38-45cm (15-18in) apart. White and red currants fruit on 2 … Thereafter remove any old unproductive growth, usually branches that are about 3 years old. Detailed instructions with illustrations on pruning … This will give it a full growing season when it can again grow into space – but in a more controlled manner. You should also prune to avoid disease. In late winter or early spring, start by pruning the criss-cross stems in the center of the plant. Most pruning is done in the late winter or early spring when it is not freezing. Obviously, it's best to incorporate plenty of well rotted organic matter and a handful of bonemeal per plant deep into the soil before planting. A These soft fruits are all pruned in the same way. Replace the soil, and firm it down with the ball of your foot. It’s important to understand that the fruit of the white currant is grown on the old wood. Harvest by taking off each string; a strong pair of scissors helps. Mon – Fri | 9am – 5pm, Join the RHS today and support our charity. Blackcurrants are pruned in a similar way but fruit on 1 and 2 year old wood. Left unpruned, the harvests become increasingly pathetic – too much old unproductive wood! We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Pruning Whitecurrants & Redcurrants All pruning carried out in the first couple of years creates the form of the plant. Below are some basic tips for pruning currants. The key to a good harvest of white currants is pruning. 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