Page 36 - Garden News

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

on your fruit & veg plot

Blackcurrant

cuttings

Get more healthy
bushes for free with
this simple technique

lackcurrants are a very easy fruit
bush to grow. They’ll grow in most
B soil types providing it’s fertile and
moisture retentive. When established in
the garden they’ll produce a good crop of
currants from mid-summer that are
delicious and high in vitamin C. The fruits
are ideal for making jams and preserves,
for using in pies and making fruit drinks,
or mixing into fruit salad.
The productive life of a blackcurrant is
at least 10 years, but if pruned regularly,
fed and mulched, there’s no reason why it
won’t carry on growing healthily and
fruiting for up to 20 years or more.
Modern varieties such as ‘Ben Sarek’
and ‘Ben Connan’ are very good and
produce large crops on compact bushes,
making them ideal for smaller gardens.
Blackcurrants are very easy to propagate
from hardwood cuttings taken in the
dormant season. The stems on currants
have what is known as ‘pre-formed root
initials’ and when inserted into moist soil
or compost, they quickly develop roots.
Take cuttings from last season’s strong
stems now and only propagate from
healthy, vigorous plants that fruit well.
You can root the cuttings directly into
the garden or in pots of compost and come
spring they’ll burst into growth to make
a new bush. Photos: Martin Fish , unless stated
by step
Step

Trim the cuings to about If rooting in the garden, Push cuings down into the Alternatively, root in
15-20cm (6-8in) long, with a cultivate an area of ground prepared soil, about 25cm individual pots by inserting
1 straight cut at the base and a 2 with a garden fork to break 3 (10in) apart, so two thirds 4 one cuing in the centre of
sloping cut above the top bud. up lumps and hard soil. of the stem is below soil level. a small pot of compost.

36 Garden News / January 27 2018