View all Blackcurrants at the RHS Plants Shop. Therefore they do not form a main trunk but several stems growing from one point level with the ground. Short on space? Blackcurrants thrive in deep soil, so dig a generous planting hole and add plenty of well-rotted compost or manure and fertiliser to the soil. Shoot tips can also die back. This will encourage and make room for younger, healthy wood. Log In Track my Order 0118 903 5210 . Always buy certified stock to avoid virus problems. Log In Home Contact Us Delivery & Returns. They can be eaten fresh and will keep for several days after picking. Blackcurrant bushes are planted deep, so each year they produce new shoots from below ground. 1.5-5kg from a single bush. 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, General enquiries Dig a hole at least twice the diameter of the root ball, and spread the roots out when planting. Tiny, white maggots feed on the shoot tips of blackcurrants and prevent leaves from reaching their full size. Alternatively, they can be frozen, cooked, or made into smoothies, jam or jelly. Find out why your blackcurrant might not flower or fruit, in our Quick Tips video, with Emma Crawforth: Annually top dress with fresh compost and a general purpose feed such as Growmore. Native to the temperate parts of central and northern Europe and northern Asia, they have aromatic leaves and produce flowers in racemes up to 8cm long and containing 10-20 flowers each in June. Expect a good yield per plant, as Ben Connan has the highest fruit production of all blackcurrant bushes. Feed with a high potash fertiliser weekly during the growing season and mulch the soil around the plant with well-rotted manure, leaf mould or compost. Take cuttings as backup - blackcurrant cuttings strike quite easily. Ribes nigrum, the blackcurrant, is a medium-sized shrub, growing to 1.5 by 1.5 metres (5 by 5 ft).The leaves are alternate, simple, 3 to 5 cm (1 1 ⁄ 4 to 2 in) broad and long with five palmate lobes and a serrated margin.All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic. Bushes fruit on the young wood, mainly from one- or two-year-old stems, and it is important to bear this in mind when pruning. Is the blackcurrant doing well? The fruit of the blackcurrant bush holds a load of nutrients and stores them well in the deep purple skin of the fruit. Any two-year branches that have not borne much fruit can also be removed completely. The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. Your Basket. Plant bare-root blackcurrant bushes in autumn and pot grown plants at any time of the year. Older types of blackcurrant varieties ripen at different times, with the currants at the top of the strig ripening first. Will require supporting with a stake. Large berries grow on ‘strigs’ and are easy to pick. Discover blackcurrant recipes from our friends at Olive Magazine. The blackcurrants ‘Ben Connan’ and ‘Ben Sarek’ are resistant to blackcurrant gall midge. Set each plant at least 6cm (2.25in) deeper than it was previously. However, you should in any case prune the bush before the new shoots begin to develop. If you find pruning fruit bushes difficult you’re certainly not alone. Deep planting encourages young, vigorous shoots to develop from the base. Flowers! The small dark purple berries are packed with vitamin C and other medicinal benefits. The affected buds of lightly infested plants can be picked off during the winter and disposed of away from blackcurrant plants. Prune in autumn. Prune blackcurrants when dormant – from late autumn to late winter. The fruit should therefore be picked individually. ‘Ben Hope’ is a resistant cultivar. 020 3176 5800 They fruit best on younger wood, so when pruning aim to remove older wood, leaving the younger branches. In order to keep these small fruiting shrubs healthy, you must encourage the formation of new stems. Produces heavy yields of large, short-stalked berries, which are ready to harvest in late summer. Fungus Causing Blackberry Bush That Won’t Grow Berries. Up to and including the fourth year after planting, remove weak, wispy shoots, retaining a basic structure of 6 to 10 healthy shoots. Water blackcurrants during dry periods in the growing season. ‘Ben Sarek’ AGM:A good choice for the small garden as this is a compact, high-yielding bush growing only to about 1.2m (4ft) high. See more ideas about currant bush, currants, black currants. Birds love the berries as much as we do, so net your fruit bushes to protect them. Height – 40 to 50 inches (100 to 120 cm) Exposure – full sun Soil – ordinary. Trim back some of the roots and tease away the old soil replacing it with fresh John Innes No 3 compost. Birds, especially pigeons, can cause an array of problems including eating seedlings, buds, leaves, fruit and vegetables. 222879/SC038262. Blackcurrants grow best in a sunny, sheltered spot where fruits can ripen into fat, juicy berries. Blackcurrant bushes need constant renewal to ensure heavy crops. Grow blackcurrants in moist but well-drained soil in full sun to partial shade. You want to improve the bed in the growing season and when the start... 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