- Why do currants have to be cut as a standard?
- The best time for pruning standard currants
- How is the currant standard cut?
- Remove side shoots from high trunk
Currants that are grown as a standard have a number of advantages. The berries are easy to harvest while standing. The shrub does not take up so much space - and a clear stem is always decorative. In order for it to keep its shape, you need to cut it regularly. How to do it!
The red currant can easily be raised to a standard
Why do currants have to be cut as a standard?
There are several reasons why you need to prune standard currants regularly:
- topiary
- Remove old wood
- thin out
- cut off diseased shoots
- Cut shoots from the high trunk
Red currants bear fruit on two- and three-year-old wood. Older branches are therefore superfluous. They fall victim to a scissors cut back.
By pruning, you encourage the currant to form more shoots. This makes the crown of the standard tree look more compact.
The best time for pruning standard currants
It is best to cut red currants in early spring, before the bush sprout.
Some gardeners recommend pruning redcurrants immediately after harvest. This is not advisable for tall stems, as you want to keep the shrub in shape.
How is the currant standard cut?
Remove the old wood at the base, leaving only young shoots. More than eight to twelve strong young shoots should not be on the standard.
How long the shoots have to be also depends on the variety. If you don't know which standard variety you are growing in the garden, get advice from an experienced gardener.
Next to the old wood, cut off any shoots that run through the crown or point downwards. Finally, shorten all branches that disturb the overall picture of the currant standard. You can do this work again in the fall.
Remove side shoots from high trunk
Lateral shoots often grow out of the standard tree. Cut them off immediately. This is the only way for the high trunk to retain its shape.
Standard crowns are almost always grafted. The grafting point is usually just below the crown. The side shoots growing underneath are not varietal. No berries grow on it, but at most fruits from the grafting rootstock.
tips
In addition to the standard currant, shoots occasionally sprout from the ground, so-called water shoots. You should always cut these off straight away. They only develop into weak shrubs that bear little fruit.