Topic: Training currants and goosegogs

[amphibian]

Well I have some very neglected red and black currants on my plot that have formed a six foot deep tangle of shoot as thick as my arm. The poor goosegogs are buried under this mess. They fruit heavily and the fruit is tasty but a nightmare to harvest.

I am thinking of pruning out about half of all the older growth and taking cuttings for a new re-sited bed - but for neatness and ease of harvest I am thinking of training on wires.

Thinking of producing fan trained like structures for all these fruits - anyone any experience of this?

[laurieuk]

If you are taking cuttings of the goose berries then you can best grow them as cordons on a wire rather than fans. This will depend partly on what variety they are as some are very lax in their growth and will not train well. Black currants fruit on new wood and therefore it would not be good to try and train. Cordon gooseberries are very good as you get a large crop on a small area and easy to pick. I would be happy to explain further if you need this.

[Digeroo]

Oh yes please I for one would appreciate details on how to cordon goosegogs.  I tend to have problems with dense bushes and thorns.

[antipodes]

I have not cordoned my gooseberries yet but last year I moved them and at that time I cut off all the lower branches, all the branches in the middle, and left them with just the tallest branches around the side. What a difference it made to picking ! I could get my arms under the branches to slide off the fruits and get into the middle through the top.  First time I haven't been ripped to shreds. And I got quite a good crop despite the rather radical pruning! I have planted two stakes around them though so maybe in autumn I will start to tie them in. 

[laurieuk]

You can buy cordon gooseberries sometimes but I grew mine from cuttings. When you take cuttings of gooseberries  or red currants , you remove all the buds that will be below soil level and a few above so that you have a clear leg. You can take cuttings in the autumn as the leaves drop. Once they have rooted well ( about 12 months) you can plant them about 30 - 38 cms ( 12-15 inches apart. They do best if grown at an angle of about 45 degrees tied to a cane. You need an upright rather than lax variety " Whinhams Industry is a good one. You pinch back any side shoots to 2/3 buds but let the leader  grow up. You will form fruit buds right up the stem making it easy to pick the fruit and you will get a large crop in a small space. Each year after fruiting you prune any side growths but leave the leader until it gets to the height you want.   Red currants can be grown in the same way but not black currants .