Topic: blackcurrants

[suemo]

Hi everyone.Finally taken the plunge and am messaging for the first time ever!I've got 3 blackcurrant bushes now beginning to ripen on my lottie.The berries on the oldest one(3 years old) seem to have split and the seeds are bursting out  or are shrivelling up.Could this be due to not enough water?Despite recent rain i noticed the ground at its base was dry.The berries on my other 2 bushes seem to be fine-they are in a more open position.Will berry quality improve if i soak it?

[manicscousers]

hiya, suemo, welcome to the site  ;D
not sure about the question but someone will be along soon  ;D

[adrianhumph]

Hello suemo,  ;)
                         Just a guess, you may have been hit by an infestation of green fly, I had a lot on my bushes, & sprayed them with ultimate bug killer from provado, some of the bushes were very badly damaged, & have not recovered. The fruits shrivel up & do not develop into fat black berries >:( Are the leaves on your plants all curled up & stunted? Look under the leaves & you may see the little blighters in their thousands. If you do not want to spray, you may try rubbing them off with your fingers.
                                                                                     Adrian.

[shirlton]

I had the same problem with the aphids on mine. I found that they came down from the big sycamore at the top of our plot. Everything beneath them was covered in a shiny sticky stuff. The 2 blackcurrants were attacked and then I sprayed all of the others and covered them with fleece bags

[Robert_Brenchley]

Hello suemo,  ;)
                         Just a guess, you may have been hit by an infestation of green fly, I had a lot on my bushes, & sprayed them with ultimate bug killer from provado, some of the bushes were very badly damaged, & have not recovered. The fruits shrivel up & do not develop into fat black berries >:( Are the leaves on your plants all curled up & stunted? Look under the leaves & you may see the little blighters in their thousands. If you do not want to spray, you may try rubbing them off with your fingers.
                                                                                     Adrian.

If the bushes are in such a bad state I'd be looking for a deeper problem than an aphid attack. The latter is likely to be a symptom rather than the real problem.

[suemo]

L.eaves on the affected bush seemed to be fine but shall check for aphids just in case.The currants which have split seem to be normal size and just turning black.Have watered it and fed it with miraclegrow to see if it will help.

[jennym]

The blackcurrants may have split because the skins hardened up in hot weather, then when it rained hard, or you watered it, they tried to swell but the skins weren't able to grow. Just a guess, as this sometimes happens to grapes.