Topic: Pollination of Blackcurrants

[syrahsuzie]

We started a new garden this year and planted some redcurrant bushes and one blackcurrant bush.

The blackcurrant is looking very healthy but no fruit - so I looked it up on the forums and saw that blackcurrants need other blackcurrants to pollinate.

Having seen on an earlier thread that they are very easy to propagate from cuttings, my question is ....

Can I use cuttings to provide a second bush or do I need a different variety for pollination?

The original is Noir de Bourgogne.

Is this a stupid question?

[allaboutliverpool]

Blackcurrants are easy to propagate and all my 16 plants originated from one.

[grawrc]

It is not a stupid question, however: I think most blackcurrants are self fertile, pollinated by bees and hoverflies. from a quick google en francais it appears that Noir de Bourgogne is slow to produce fruit so perhaps only patience is required?

Apparently this is the cassissier used to produce cassis. Wow!

I agree with everything AAL said too. AAL may I call you George BTW?

[jennym]

It is a bit late for any blackcurrant to produce fruit I would think. Have you seen any flowers on it? they are very insignificant and usually appear around May time on my bushes.
Maybe your plant is too young? If you started your garden this year and planted the bush, to be honest I don't think you should expect any fruit until next year at the very earliest. You don't usually need a second variety for pollination, but I'm not sure about the variety you have - some do need a second variety I think. It wouldn't hurt to get another to make sure. As for propagation, yes they are very easy, sometimes cuttings just poked into the ground take root!

[syrahsuzie]

Thank you all very much for taking the time to reply.

It sounds like I'm just being too impatient - I'm enjoying my garden so much I want all the plants to be happy !

I will probably take some cuttings as it seems quite easy, even for a beginner.

I wonder how many I need for a Kir Royale (champagne and blackcurrant liqueur)

[Kea]

This is my blackcurrant bushes third year the first i had one or two fruit, the second a couple of handfuls and now it's getting to be a sizable amount.

My husband was wanting me to take off the 'tails' last night i did about 500g worth and said "right if you can't put up with the tails i'll eat them on my own"!

[jennym]

.....My husband was wanting me to take off the 'tails' last night i did about 500g worth and said "right if you can't put up with the tails i'll eat them on my own"!

I agree with you Kea, enough to be done in life without tailing blackcurrants!
He could try rolling them about in a dry sieve to break off the tails, then he could tip them into a colander and run water through them to wash the tails away - not 100% effective but less of a palaver than you doing it!

[Kea]

Thanks for that tip jennym ;D In particular the 'He' bit of it.