Spring currant pruning

Most of all black currant berries are formed on the branches of last year's growth, while their length is 40 centimeters. When the length decreases, the number of berries remains, but their quality deteriorates. If there are many old branches in a bush, it does not bear fruit well and grows with new branches. Therefore, old branches are usually pruned. It is recommended to do this in early spring, before sap flow has begun. Currant pruning in spring has the following goals:

• prevent excessive thickening of the bush;
• constant renewal of the bush;
• bush formation.

Different varieties of currants require pruning in accordance with their characteristics, therefore, general recommendations on which branches to remove and which to trim on an adult plant cannot be given, but pruning of currants in spring, starting with annual seedlings, is carried out approximately according to the same principle. Immediately, when planting a bush, its branches are cut so that no more than four good buds remain on each. The next spring, remove all new branches growing from the root, leaving only 3-4 pieces, the strongest and most developed, and then cut off their unripe tops.

If the plant does not branch well, then branching should be stimulated by shortening the branches growing from the root by about half. By performing a similar procedure every spring when the plant is five years old, you will completely form a bush. It will contain 2-4 branches of each age. Next, every spring you need to carry out the specified pruning of currants, remove old branches, whose age is more than 5 years, and, of course, broken and damaged branches.