Whether as a shrub or as a standard tree: the currants simply need pruning. It can promote growth and flower formation and ensures a high yield. We explain when and how to cut the black, white and red currants and what you need to pay attention to when caring for them afterwards.
Cutting blackcurrants: When does winter pruning make sense and when does summer pruning make sense?
Blackcurrants are cut either in spring (the so-called winter cut) or in the summer (summer cut). Prune the shrubs on a cloudy but warm day, after the end of permafrost.
In spring (March to mid-April at the latest) the plants are treated with anourishing cutrenewed. The procedure is as follows:
- Pruning is permitted until the end of February. In this case, all branches and shoots except for the main shoots are cut back to around 25 cm.
- The main shoots are renewed every 3 to 4 years. For this purpose, around 30% of the main shoots are cut off close to the ground.
- The wood is thinned out. Horizontally growing, sick and weak shoots are severely cut back.
- For young plants, the fruit bushes are thinned out one week after planting.
If you missed the right time in February and March, you may be able to cut the bush by mid-April. During this period, however, pruning is prohibited by law. However, you can thin out the bush if there are no nesting birds.
Summer pruning usually takes place after the end of the harvest season. Then the shoots that do not bear fruit will be heavily woody or very weak and will not survive the cold season.
Red and white species require training
In contrast to black currants, the red and white varieties require a caring cut at the end of summer. This involves thinning out the trees, whereby weak branches growing inwards are removed. The main shoots are renewed every 3 - 4 years, the remaining fruit-bearing shoots are cut off after the end of the summer season. Only if necessary, when the plants grow very poorly and bear very little fruit, can you shorten all plant shoots by a third. The rejuvenation cut is availablefor old berry bushes.In the end, around eight to ten healthy shoots from this year and last year should remain.
Cut the standard varieties correctly
Unlike the varieties that have a sprawling habit and several main shoots, the standard varieties look like small trees. It is important to create a “crown” through the cut.The caring topiaryis generally tolerated by the tree without any problems. Furthermore, the main shoots that form the crown are renewed every 2 – 3 years. For this purpose, the old branches above the third pair of eyes are cut off. Overhanging or inwardly growing branches are removed.
Cutting currants: Rejuvenation cutting is only necessary in exceptional cases
If the right oneTime for a cutIf you miss it in spring, you can still thin out the plant in autumn. However, if the fruit bush has not been cut for years, it will bear less and less fruit. A rejuvenation cut is recommended to improve fertility. Since it is a severe pruning, it is only legally permitted until the end of February. All shoots are shortened to 30 cm. Cut them off above the second eye (the eye should point outwards so that the new shoots can also grow outwards).
Care tips after cutting
Proper care is very important for the final result. After pruning in spring, growth and new sprouting are promoted by regular fertilization. However, after the summer cut, after the end of the harvest season, the fertilizer application is stopped. This slows down growth and allows the shrub to recover better from the cut. This is very important, otherwise the tree will freeze in autumn and winter.
Transplant the berry bushes - before or after cutting?
If you want to transplant the fruit bushes, you should first thin them out in spring. Then give the tree a week to recover and replant it the next weekend. But think carefully in advance whether this makes sense. Young plants usually recover quickly, plants over 4 years old are very sensitive to a change in location.
