Red currants must be cut back after harvest. By removing old shoots, you ensure that you can continue to harvest many red currants in the years to come. With the care cut in autumn you keep the currant in shape.
Cut red currants
Prune red currants twice a year. The first pruning takes place immediately after the harvest in July.
In the fall, take care of the shrubs by cutting out old and diseased shoots. This is also the best time to trim currant shoots if they have grown too tall.
Cut back in summer
Red currants bear the prettiest and sweetest fruit on the two- and three-year-old shoots. When pruning, you must therefore be careful not to remove too many one- and two-year-old branches. If you cut them, you have to expect that next year's harvest will be much smaller.
All main shoots older than three years are cut. They would hardly bear any berries in the next few years. The shoots are separated from the main stem right at the base. Don't leave butts.
By cutting back, you create space for regrowing shoots. You should not leave more than ten to a maximum of twelve main shoots on the bush. If the shoots are too dense, the berries will remain smaller and taste less sweet.
Cut back red currants
- Cut dry and diseased shoots
- Remove cross drives
- Thin out the plant
- Shorten shoot tips
- Cut off water shooters
Shorten shoot tips
By shortening the shoot tips, you encourage the branching of the small side shoots. Cut off a maximum of one third of the shoot directly above an eye.
You can remove stunted shoots inside the bush without hesitation. The berries that grow there hardly ever ripen in time. You don't get enough sun.
In addition to the main stem, currants often form undesirable side shoots, the so-called water shoots. You should remove these regularly. No fruit grows on them. They only deprive the plant of important nutrients.
tips and tricks
White currants are pruned in the same way as the red bushes. Blackcurrants, on the other hand, bear the most berries on one-year-old wood. That is why you have to cut back these bushes differently.