Blackcurrants

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I was just reading Jon Mundys' fruit cultivation page. It says to cut down to 2" immediatly after planting between Nov and March. I planted mine last Oct, and took some cuttings which left 6 to 8 inches of stems.

Is it too late to cut these back now? And what about the cuttings, shall I leave them as they are till planted in their final positions?

Thankee kindlee

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[dtw]

Is that 2 inches or 2 feet?
2 inches seems a bit harsh.

I bought one from Woollies, it's in a pot at the moment with some new growth spurting forth.
I don't intend to cut it back after planting out though.

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2 inches.................

[Amazin]

I never did it with mine either and I've had no probs.

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Thanks guys..........I will let them be then ;)

[Jon Munday]

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The reason why they should be cut down to 2 inches straight after planting is to encourage new growth.
Blackcurrants fruit on the second seasons wood and if not done straight after planting will carry a small crop in the Summer. This puts the bush under some stress and can affect future crops. The first season energy should go into producing a good strong root system and not producing fruit.
Regards
Jpn

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Ah, ok Jon. Thank you for that. Does that pruning also apply to the cuttings taken last year? Sorry for being thick :-[

[Jon Munday]

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If the cutting were taken last year and growing where the cutting was taken then no need to cut these down
Jon

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Thank you very much Jon :D

[jennym]

I think there's a bit if a difference in definition of what constitutes a Blackcurrant bush here.
To be honest, a lot of the plants sold in places like Wilkos and Woolies, although viable (usually), haven't yet developed into a multi stemmed plant, they are more of a rooted cutting than a bush.
When you buy fruit from a decent nursery like Blackmoor, Keepers, Deacons etc you tend to get a more mature plant that can take cutting down and respond really well.

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I cant remember where I got this one from, but it has got three good stems and was about 3 ft tall. I moved it last autumn and took cuttings. So its a sturdy plant, which has now been pruned since my last post.