You are essentially cutting about a third of the stem off. A good, well-established bush can produce around 8lbs (4kg) of luscious berries each summer, with the berries in trusses of up to 12 berries per raceme/truss. The space between plants is good for air circulation, which helps keeping mildew at bay. Height – 3 to 10 feet (1 to 3 m) Exposure – full sun Soil – ordinary. Gooseberries and red or white currants are pruned in the same way. Redcurrants and whitecurrants do not need the hard pruning that is recommended for Blackcurants and a framework of growth is left in place. Name – Ribes sanguineum Family – Grossulariaceae Type – shrub. Birds of course enjoy a nice meal of succulent berries, so if you live in a rural area in particular, you might like to consider a fruit cage – what a pain – or simply netting whilst in fruit. Pruning Whitecurrants & Redcurrants. Space also allows for sunlight and full ripening of all the fruits down the branches, for well grown plats will positively droop with clusters of berries. If planted in rows, allow for plenty of space between each bush, for they will grow to around 1.2m (4ft) across. After cutting the stem off, take a look at the exposed wood. Leaves grow on thin stems, so a pair of pruning shears or secateurs should be large enough to cut through them. In regions where white pines grow, currant planting has been controlled. Pruning Exochorda x Macrantha - The Bride, Pruning Cornus alba, stolonifera and sanguinea, How To Prune Cornus alba, stolonifera and sanguinea, When to Prune Hydrangea Paniculata Grandiflora, How To Prune Hydrangea Paniculata Grandiflora. The pruning can either be a general trim back to shape - but bear in mind that growth will be quite rapid after pruning, so a light prune might not be enough. Pests which Affect Redcurrant Aphids (General) Common Gooseberry Sawfly Slug Prune right back into the bush. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. You can prune redcurrants the same way you prune white currants. Branches that are produced in 2016 will produce fruit in 2017, and also in 2018! They are not simply a once-off pest, for the breed well and can have two or three batches (hatches) of the little green pests throughout spring and early summer. When pruning red currants, the upper parts of the shoots are removed to preserve the fruit buds. They are actually related to Gooseberries – another popular bush fruit, so not surprisingly, share some of the same cultural requirements. Red and white currants will fruit at the base of shoots, known as ‘laterals’, that grow out from the main branches. Pruning Red, white and albol currants and gooseberries Red, white and albol currants bear most of their fruit on spurs of 2- and 3-year-old wood. In this video you will learn the simple steps you need to take to prune a blackcurrant bush. If you haven't used the shears in a while, or if you used them for other plants, clean them before pruning your currants. This may seem like a lot of extra work, but you don't want to transfer the infection to healthy wood. Thanks.". Last Updated: July 13, 2019 Get involved The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. A These soft fruits are all pruned in the same way. Red currant bushes, although fairly easy to care for, do require pruning. Leucothoe - rarely, and if so, just to shape - in early spring. Winter! I favoured the redcurrant at home as a child, as I could more easily and secretly pick a small handful – rather than black currants. Initially the leaders [main stems] can be shortened by up to one third to any outwardly facing bud. Cut back the tip by one-third. There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. How and when to do it. Regular supply of new shoots (canes) is the desired end result, so Nitrogen is the key to good growth especially with regularly pruned bushes. A well-rotted manure will do just fine. Part of the Grossulariaceae family which include the other currants and gooseberry, the red currant originated in Northern Europe. Therefore, pruning should be aimed at maximising the fruiting wood. Apart from pruning, red, white, and black currants have the same growing and care requirements. A handful of bone-meal per plant is always a good planting idea for all shrubs. Plan on keeping about 10 or so outward growing stems. This article has been viewed 21,294 times. Fruit buds on red currant are laid mainly on the tip of the shoots. After harvesting prune the bush back to five leaves on each side shoot and remove any dead or overcrowded branches to 'open up' the plant. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Ribes rubrum - to give it its proper botanical name – also has a variant with white coloured fruits., realistically named the Whitecurrant! All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Flowering currant can be pruned after flowering in April or May. I have a bed approx 15ft x 4ft and it's full of currant bushes, a mixture of black, red and white. Currants should be also trained after planting. Best to make any pruning cuts to an outward facing bud we are after a bush which is not crowded out in the middle. Most of the problems associated with lack of fruit on red currant bushes is owing to the wrong method of pruning. With proper pruning, however, you can ensure that your redcurrant grows healthier, free of pests and disease. Redcurrants and whitecurrants fruit on old wood. Do not aim for a feed that is high in potash or phosphate. Pruning should be quite drastic First clear the center of the shrub, … Branches which are more than 3 years old, will still produce fruit, but it will be of poorer quality. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Harvest fruit when ripe, will freeze well. Prune out the oldest stems to allow space for next summer’s new stems. If you don't do this, you risk transferring the infection. References In simple terms no part of your fruit bush should ever be over 4 years old, the complete structure is constantly being renewed by annual pruning. Ribes – Flowering Currants, flower early in spring on flower buds that are grown in the previous growing season. Thanks. Red and white currants (Ribes rubrum and R. sativum): Despite their different colors, red and white currants are the same species. Soil type can be either acid or lime, though not to extreme of either – neutral being perfect. First line of action is to prune out these older branches which have borne fruit over the last 3 or 4 years. Currants make excellent jelly and are also food for songbirds. Harvested fruits are bet used immediately – or can be stored for a while in the fridge or even frozen in the freezer. White and red currants fruit on 2-3 year old wood. This will give it a full growing season when it can again grow into space – but in a more controlled manner. Until you get used to how the old wood looks, it may be easier to prune branches out immediately after harvest in summer. They can also be bought through the winter as pre-packed or bare rooted plants. Any new branches which are sagging should be removed in favour of the upright canes. By using our site, you agree to our. In late autumn or winter, after leaf fall, prune back the same side shoots to one or two buds. Leaders should be pruned to outward facing buds unless the branches are bending, in which case they then should be cut to upward facing buds. At planting, cut all the canes back to four or six buds. This will then leave you with branches which were either produced last year or maybe the year before. Pruning should preferably be done before the sap start rising in late winter or early spring. Euonymus (evergreen) - trim to shape in spring - or cut back hard if required. They flower in spring to early summer with the berries cropping from mid to late summer depending upon season. Both tools need to be sharp so that they leave behind a nice, clean cut. Winter! Rub them off by hand – not too gently! % of people told us that this article helped them. Pruning could not be more straightforward with forsythia and flowering currant. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 21,294 times. So, pruning earlier is better – around March or April at the latest. Black currants have different pruning requirements than red and white currants. Also, the bushes themselves are quite overgrown (I forgot to prune them last year) and basically the whole lot is a mess. Prune out old wood rigorously, as close to ground level as possible. "Good article, easy to follow, and plenty of pruning help. The right time to prune a red currant bush is towards the end of winter, ideally during the months of February-March. 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