Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: amc on November 09, 2009, 09:17

Title: Pruning yr old currant bushes
Post by: amc on November 09, 2009, 09:17

Last autumn - from the fine members of this site - I got as swaps a range of currant and gooseberry cuttings. Most of these have taken. How much, if any, do I prune off them? the majority haven't bushed up and are about 12inch high.

Many thanks, amc

Title: Re: Pruning yr old currant bushes
Post by: DD. on November 09, 2009, 10:09

At that size, I wouldn't worry too much, except for maybe starting to take the middle out of the gooseberry bushes, with the ultimate aim of making them bowl shaped.

Once established, this will help with the picking of fruit without kevlar gloves.

Title: Re: Pruning yr old currant bushes
Post by: Goosegirl on November 09, 2009, 16:31

With blackcurrants, you plant then deepish to encourage new growth from the bottom which will replace any old wood in a couple of year's time (remove about a third of this each year). This also makes them bush out. Can't remember the exact pruning of the current growth (no pun intended) but I think it is by about a third of its length and can be done in winter - others will correct me if I'm wrong.

Title: Re: Pruning yr old currant bushes
Post by: amc on November 10, 2009, 08:41

Many thanks DD and goosegirl, amc