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+--- Thread: Black Currant Getting Old? (/showthread.php?tid=230)
Black Currant Getting Old? - PyreneesPlot - 13-06-2020
My ten year old black currant bush has very little fruit this year - it is normally laden.
I'm not sure how long-lived the plants are and wonder if this is the beginning of the end? It also has some branches that have died back this spring. It was pruned in winter as usual, and given a compost mulch when it first came into leaf and has had the usual grass clippings mulch since then. We had a warm winter & early spring with enough rainfall.
I have another dozen or so bushes all from cuttings which should start overwhelming us with fruit from next year
so I'm not worried. But I won't bother feeding and mulching it if it's on its way out!Cheers!
RE: Black Currant Getting Old? - Moth - 13-06-2020
I'd say that at ten years old it's probably reached the end of its useful life and maximum production. Take more cuttings and either leave it as a venerable pensioner if you have room, or dig it out.
RE: Black Currant Getting Old? - Mikey - 13-06-2020
https://www.chrisbowers.co.uk/article/the-ultimate-guide-to-growing-blackcurrants/
I guess it would depend if it was a cutting you took, I didn’t know they had a shelf life so that was interesting to read.
RE: Black Currant Getting Old? - Mark_Riga - 13-06-2020
The most serious problem with black currants is a mite that causes big buds to form and they also can give it an infection called reversion when the yield is greatly reduced. If you have good cuttings to replace it I would get rid of it after cropping. This has a bit about it.
https://www.gardenfocused.co.uk/fruitarticles/blackcurrants/blackcurrant-pest.php
If I see big buds on any black currant bush, I take a few cuttings off one of the others and then after a couple of years, get rid of my old bushes and replace with the new ones from the cuttings.
RE: Black Currant Getting Old? - PyreneesPlot - 14-06-2020
Thanks all! A couple of interesting reads, there.
I've see no sign of big bud mites (phew) but there is a lot of blister aphid.
I have 9 healthy plants from cuttings already planted out and should start cropping next year, plus another dozen or so from rooted prunings. All the while the original plant remains healthy it can stay there and enjoy a retirement surrounded by the meadow.