[Kleftiwallah]

Did I read somewhere that it was an idea to cut off/prune the branches carrying the blackcurrants and pick them from the branches in the kitchen?   Does this go for whites as well?

Cheers,     Tony.

[gavinjconway]

Surely you will be reducing the fruit bearing wood if you cut them off to pick at leasure in the Kitchen??

[Kleftiwallah]

I may be wrong and I hope someone corrects me if I am,  but doesn't blackurrants fruit on the current years wood?  So cutting them off will leave room for next years growth?

I'm not sure so I thought I'd ask before jiggering things up!

Cheers,    Tony.

[gavinjconway]

red and white grow on 1-4 year wood... and all I can find on black is they fruit on young wood... meaning - I don't know how old this means!!


I just found this...
http://www.ashwoodnurseries.com/index.php?id=240&option=com_content&task=view

[Ivor Backache]

red and white grow on 1-4 year wood... and all I can find on black is they fruit on young wood... meaning - I don't know how old this means!!

Pruning Blackcurrant: After the 4th year, remove about 20%, usually 2 or 3 branches.
When you harvest the fruit make a note of the worst fruit bearing branches-usually the oldest ones. ( put some marker tape on them) Prune those branches in the late autumn. Repeat each year and you should replenish the whole bush every 5 years or so.
This year I have a poor crop so I will prune what I think are the oldest branches.

[Kleftiwallah]

Thanks for all your replies.  Seems the best thing to do is colour code the branches (with electrical tape) - a different colour for each year and rotate that way!

Cheers,     Tony.

[Goosegirl]

I think the darker (and thicker?) branches are the older ones. Prune out about one-third of the older ones and aim for a "cup-shape" of branches left so the air can circulate.

[solway cropper]

I've been harvesting blackcurrants for the last few years by just cutting the whole branch and stripping off the berries at leisure. With my back it's a helluva lot easier than stooping over the bushes. Doesn't seem to make any difference to the yield.

[SG6]

Blackcurrants it seems crop on "old" wood, meaning last years growth. So cutting off to pick indoors will mean new wood in that position next year and no fruit. That assumes that the plant regrows at the place you cut it off. Advice I have is that they should be planted reasonably deep to encourage growth.

I would suggest that if there is a good crop on old wood then it is left, when the fruiting drops off then prune it out

If you can colour code and prune every 3-4 years then that should be OK, I just find that none of these great intentions work out over the years.

Equally the "very" old growth is usually pretty obvious.

[Kleftiwallah]

That's what I thought I had read somewhere Solway cropper.  I'll discover good or bad next year.

There are now 2 lbs of blackcurrants soaking in a jar with a bottle of duty free gin to be made into Cassis in a couple of months.

Cheers,     Tony.

[grendel]

we had 1 whole blackcurrant, to be fair the bush has only been in the ground a couple of years from being planted as a cutting.

Grendel

[Agatha]

I prune out a quarter to a third of the growth (the oldest) each winter.  I only have 3 bushes so want the best possible crop.  I know people with loads of bushes who cut out the fruiting branches when they harvest & they do still get a good crop, but I don't think it's great for the long-term health of the plant unless you 'review' the bushes in winter to get rid of any diseased/damaged/poorly positioned/weak growth.  Their crop is definitely reducing year on year, but they aren't bothered as they have more than they can eat anyway.