Redcurrant bush: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How do you plant redcurrant bushes?
Choose sun or partial shade, without excessive heat, and fertile, moist but well-drained soil. Remove weeds and work in mature compost if needed. For bush-grown redcurrants, allow about 1.50 m between plants, adjusting for vigour and the chosen form.
Plant bare-root bushes while dormant, from autumn to early spring, avoiding frozen or waterlogged ground. Rehydrate their roots before planting. For a container-grown plant, moisten the root ball and preferably plant in autumn or spring. Dig a hole wide enough to spread out the roots. Plant at the original depth without burying the base more deeply. If the plant is grafted, follow the nursery's instructions and keep the graft above ground. Backfill with the excavated soil and firm gently.
Water after planting, then monitor moisture while the plant establishes and during dry spells, without allowing water to stagnate. Organic mulch helps retain soil moisture; keep it away from the stem. Adjust feeding to soil fertility and the redcurrant's growth.
How do you prune a redcurrant bush?
Prune your redcurrant during dormancy, preferably in late winter or early spring before growth resumes, avoiding severe frost. First identify its form: a bush, a cordon and a standard need different approaches. Use clean, sharp secateurs.
On a bush, remove dead, damaged or weak wood, followed by branches that cross or crowd the centre. Keep well-spaced main branches to create an open framework. Redcurrants bear fruit at the base of the previous year's shoots and on short fruiting spurs carried by older wood. Established branches therefore remain useful.
Do not automatically remove a third of the old branches as though you were renewing a blackcurrant. Shorten side shoots according to the chosen form to maintain fruiting spurs, and keep the extensions needed for the framework. Gradually replace an unproductive or poorly placed branch when necessary.
Cordons and fans also need specific summer pruning to control side shoots; retain their main stems and ties. On a standard redcurrant, preserve the crown and remove shoots appearing on the clear trunk. Always adjust the amount of wood removed to the plant's age and vigour.
How to care for this plant
-
Maintain the mulch
When spring returns, remove weeds around the plant and top up thinning mulch. Leave a clear gap against the stems and avoid digging near the shallow roots.
How do you harvest redcurrants?
Harvest redcurrants in summer, usually from June to August depending on variety and climate. Wait until the berries have their ripe colour but are still firm. Gently pick whole clusters without crushing the fruit. Redcurrant bushes do not have the thorns of gooseberry bushes.
Discard damaged fruit and refrigerate the clusters for prompt use; storage life depends on their condition and storage conditions. Wash the berries just before use. To freeze them, rinse, remove the small stalks and dry thoroughly. They can later be used in jams, jellies and baking.
Maintain the mulch and monitor soil moisture after harvest. Heavy pruning immediately after picking is unnecessary: the main pruning takes place during winter dormancy. Light summer pruning can control vigorous growth or maintain a trained shape, while retaining shoots needed as replacements.
Redcurrant bush
- Type : Fruit trees
- Botanical Family : Grossulariaceae
Characteristics
- Exposure : Partial Shade
- Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
- Cultivation Difficulty : Easy
- Mature height : 120 cm
Maintenance
- Maintenance : Low
- Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
- Soil Type : Humus-rich
- Soil pH Preference : Neutral
- Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
- Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
- Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
- Pollination : Insect-pollinated
- Propagation : Cutting