When is the best time to prune blackcurrants and how far back do I prune?
Lorraine Cowdery (01.11.07)
Val: The aim with blackcurrants is to cut out as much really dark wood (three years and older) as possible to leave younger wood with better fruiting potential. This pruning can be done any time from just after you've picked the fruit to late winter.
Some new growth comes from the base and some from grey wood (two years old). The wood that will fruit next year is smooth and mid-brown in colour. On strong bushes, you may have to remove up to a third of this grey wood to the base to prevent overcrowding, which in turn leads to increased disease and poor fruiting.
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