Ask Gerry
Fruit : Blackcurrants
1 - 6 of 15 answer(s)
Move fruit bushes
When is the best time to move blackcurrant and raspberry bush they are too close together?
olbie, Wexford, Co Wexford Posted: 05/02/2012
These fruit bushes can be moved at any time they have the leaves off, but ideally by mid-March.
problem with fruit bushes
I have gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes which have grown out. Can I cut them both back to the stump now and will this kill them?
250820111, ramelton, Co Donegal Posted: 25/08/2011
The blackcurrants could be cut back to the ground in December and then pruned each winter as normal.
The gooseberry should have a short stem from which five or six main branches radiate. It can be cut back to these, or choose these, cutting away all other shoots. Revert to normal pruning then.
Normal pruning at: http://www.garden.ie/howtogrow.aspx?id=356
Diseases in blackcurrants
My blackcurrant bushes are looking very sick. The leaves have been discolouring and dying off for some weeks, and some fruiting shoots are now dead. The bushes cropped reasonably well, but they're under attack from something. The question is, what?
070520081, Arklow, Co Wicklow Posted: 09/08/2011
That looks like leaf spot disease, which starts low on the plant and works its way up. Collect and destroy the leaves to reduce the carryover to next year.
Out of control blackcurrant bushes
I've inherited some blackcurrant bushes which had a very poor yield this year. The branches are 5-6 feet long & very mature. How do I get control of the bushes & increase yield & still have a crop next year?
FruitMad, New Ross, Co Wexford Posted: 04/08/2011
Prune them in the normal way, taking out some old branches and leaving the new ones to fruit. Doing this on an annual basis reduces the sizes of the bushes after three years. Pruning can be done in winter when it is easier to see the branches, but can be done at any time after picking fruit.
You can cut back in winter right to ground level and miss a year's fruiiting but get them under control.
non flowering blackcurrant bushes
I have 4 Blackcurrant bushes that have yet to produce either flowers or fruit ever. They look extremly healthy!
rose49, , Co Dublin Posted: 13/05/2011
Do no pruning on them and they will flower.
Blackcurrant and other fruit Bushes
Blackcurrant bushes are in a bad state with leaves holed and bad colour almost from the start. I bought them at a farmer's market early in the year and planted them with care. Close by are raspberry bushes which are also showing signs of stress with withered greying leaves already - these are late raspberries. Also in the same patch are strawberry plants which were new this year and leaves started to curl and discolour there also. Many strawberries were mishapen. Am attaching photographs.
080920101, Oughterard, Co Galway Posted: 13/09/2010
Getting late in the season, fruit plant foliage usually looks the worse for wear. The blackcurrant bush is under pressure from grass lawn. Make the grass free area 1 metre in diameter and put on a good mulch of farmyard manure or good garden compost and it will come on well.