Redcurrant

[daffodiltulip]

I took on an allotment earlier in the year and was hopeful that the large and mature redcurrant plant would provide pounds of fruit. I've just been to collect them and there's only about a punnet's worth. Is there a way I could prune the plant in such a way that it will produce more fruit next year?

[oldjerry]

First feed it,then cut out old diseased branches,then feed again.

[boboff]

Also I think the birds go for the redcurrants before anything else, netting is a good idea on these. They Cornish Tits love a red currant.

[daffodiltulip]

That's possible, although I don't recall seeing any empty sprig stems. There's also another rather large and mature currant bush that doesn't have any fruit - I don't think it had flowers. Is there such a thing as a late fruiting currant or has it reached the end of its production?

[boboff]

If it's not fruited I would say remove 1/3 of the old stems, trying to make a "nest" shape with the bush, and give it another year.

When you chop out the wood put them all chopped into 18" lengths in a 2 litre plant pot with good compost, water and leave somewhere shadey, by next year you'll have new plants!

[silly_sammy]

Have been growing redcurrant five years now. It gives very little in the first 2 years and then it starts to fruit quite heavily. This year ive had so many I dont know what to do with it all! I give mine a light pruning but mostly leave it alone as the fruit only grows on old wood. So perhaps this is why the yeild increases year after year

[sda]

I have a mature redcurrant bush. About a couple of feet away there's a root coming up out of the soil. If this is from the redcurrant, should I bury the root or can I cut it off?