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Thin out fruit on a new blackcurrent?
Nick S
Posts: 5
in Fruit & veg
Hi,
I planted a bare root blackcurrent this winter and it's now covered in fruit trusses (maybe 30-40), which I'm very happy about. It's a Ben Sarek cultivar.
It's been well mulched but is in a slightly raised bed on pretty stodgy clay soil that does get quite dry in summer and my watering time is rather limited.
Do you think I should thin the fruit to aid root development and avoid stressing the plant out too much or should I just go for it and water as much as I can?
Advice gratefully received
0
Posts
Hi Nick. When I planted mine I never bothered thinning out the fruit and it has gone from strength to strength over the years since it was planted. It grows in my flower border too.
I wouldn't thin unless the plant looks like it is struggling. I would enjoy . Any surplus can be frozen easily to add to porridge on cold winter days, or make jam. You should get bigger crops each year for the first three years or so. My established bushes can yield up to 7 kg a bush. I only bought one, the others are cuttings that root easily.
Didn't think mine and now get more than I could ever imagine
Great, thanks.
Just need to get the netting up to avoid feeding the birds now
In the autumn, give blackcurrants a feed of potash. I do this for my redcurrants as well.
Do you guys prune out all the old fruiting wood when picking? I read somewhere that this gives a better crop the following year.
Thanks Verdun, I'm fine with veggies, fruit bushes are a bit new to me as I struggled for room in the past. I now grow more fruit than veggies for the first time.