I have several somewhat overgrown red and black currant bushes on my allotment. If I were to prune them right back to for example 12 inches from the floor, would they recover and produce fruit next year or will I kill them off altogether?
DD hi,
if I were you I'd leave the Black Currants alone, let them fruit and then cut them to the ground, this is the usual practice as they fruit on new growth.
Red Currants fruit on last years growth, so you need to prune out only 1/3 to 1/2 of the stems at any one time. Leave your self with some healthy, well spaced, outward pointing, not crossing, stems. Then this year new growth will appear and you can remove then rest of the old stuff in subsequent years
HTH
Have a look here:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0600/cane_bush.asp
Jerry
Reading Jerry's link, I tend to follow a similar line.
For established overgrown blackcurrants, There should be a cluster of stems emerging at ground level. I would, around mid/end March, cut about a third of the stems (the oldest ones) down to ground level. This encourages new stems to come up, and the new stems will bear fruit in 2007. In 2007, cut out another third of the stems, again the oldest ones. That way, every year there will be 2/3 or the stems that are bearing fruit, and one third which is new growth.
For redcurrants and gooseberries, these, I always think, are like a little tree. A short trunk, and then branches. I cut out any stems in the middle, this forms the wineglass shape. The main stems (what would be branches if it was a tree) carry fruiting spurs. I prune these stems in winter, cutting back by a quarter to one third. The fruiting spurs themselves, I just take about an inch off in about August, then tidy up a little more if necessary in winter. They can also be trained like a cordon, I have seen this, but must admit I have not been successful at doing this myself.
thanks for the info - its a thankless task trying to work out what takes priority between this, the million of other jobs and very little time!!