Currants need special care

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 10

Currants need special care

GARDENING

by

Mike Lusty

Black and red currants, and to a very much lesser extent white currants, are commonly grown in the home garden. All are very responsive to good, deep, mois-ture-retentive soils, the incorporation of organic matter, and adequate general management.

The black currant is renowned for its high vitamin C content and is very popular as a juice, as jam, and for various conserves, although many centuries ago it was thought that the fruit fostered worms in the stomach. There is some recognition of the therepeutic qualities of the plant, not just the fruit but also the leaves and stems. Red currants contain only about one quarter of the vitamin C found in black currants, and white ones do not rate at all in this respect. Apart from their use as a dessert, the berries are widely used in a variety of jellies, preserves, syrups and currant wine. The high ascorbic and citric acid content rates the fruit highly as a refreshing medicinal essence. It is not always recognised that there is a difference in the fruiting habits between the black currants, and the red and white ones. The former bears its fruit on the wood pro-

duced the preceding year; also on spurs on the older wood. Red and white currants bear their fruit on spurs of the older wood and at the base of the previous year’s development. The annual pruning procedure differs accordingly. The aim in the pruning of black currants should be to establish and maintain a strongly thriving bush. The objective should be annual renewal and replacement of dead,

diseased, overcrowded, and short and spindly wood, leaving mainly previous season’s growth, plus some two-year-old wood to form spurs.

Red and white currants should primarily have all dead, diseased, over-crowded and trailing shoots removed, as well as any wood over four years old, laterals should be shortened to 25mm, and the strongest new wood should be tipped.