Soft fruit (bush)
How to grow blackcurrants
Ribes nigrum
Plant blackcurrants as bare-root bushes between November and March, in sun or light shade, in rich soil that stays moist in summer. Set each bush about 5 cm deeper than it grew in the nursery so new shoots come from below ground. The crop is carried on young wood, so success depends on two things: cutting out a third of the oldest stems every winter, and feeding and mulching generously each spring to drive strong new growth.
- Hardiness
- Fully hardy
- Position
- Full sun to light shade
- Soil
- Rich, moisture-retentive
- Ideal pH
- 6.0 to 6.5
- Water
- High in a dry summer, especially as fruit swells
- Feeding
- Heavy feeder
Sowing and planting blackcurrants
WhenPlant Nov to Mar (deeply); harvest Jul to Aug
Starting off
Plant bare-root Nov to Mar from certified stock. Propagate by hardwood cuttings in Oct to Nov: 20 to 25 cm pencil-thick pieces with all buds left on, pushed two-thirds into the ground, rooted and ready in 12 months. Ben Sarek, Ben Connan, Ebony, Ben Hope, all self-fertile.
Spacing and planting
1.5 to 1.8 m apart in rows 2 m apart; plant 5 cm deeper than the nursery soil mark so new shoots rise from below ground, and cut every stem to 1 to 2 buds after planting. Compact Ben Sarek or Ben Connan crops in a 45 cm pot.
Varieties worth growing
- Ben Sarek
- Compact bush to about 1.2 m with heavy crops of large berries; good frost and mildew resistance and the one for a small plot.
- Ben Connan
- Early, compact, with some of the largest berries; resistant to mildew and suited to a big pot.
- Ben Hope
- Tall, vigorous and heavy cropping, with resistance to big bud mite as well as mildew and leaf spot.
- Ben Lomond
- Flowers late, so it often escapes April frost; reliable mid to late season crops in colder gardens.
- Ebony
- The sweetest blackcurrant, good enough to eat straight from the bush, ripening early in July.
Blackcurrants month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Winter prune: take a third of the oldest, darkest stems out at the base. Pick off any swollen big buds.
- February
Finish pruning. Plant bare-root bushes. Feed at the end of the month.
- March
Feed if not done, then mulch 8 cm deep with compost or well-rotted manure. Last bare-root planting.
- April
Flowering. Throw fleece over the bushes on frosty nights.
- May
Water in dry spells as the fruit sets. Weed by hand; the roots are shallow and a hoe damages them.
- June
Net as berries begin to colour. Keep watering while the fruit swells.
- July
Pick. On Ben varieties cut out whole fruited branches and strip them at the table, which does part of the pruning.
- August
Late varieties finish. Water after harvest in drought so next year's wood keeps growing.
- September
Nothing to do beyond weeding.
- October
Take hardwood cuttings 20 to 25 cm long from this year's growth.
- November
Plant bare-root bushes 5 cm deeper than the soil mark and cut every stem back hard. Start pruning established bushes.
- December
Prune and plant in open weather.
Feeding blackcurrants
The hungriest soft fruit. It needs nitrogen for new wood as well as potash for fruit, and a thick organic mulch every spring does as much as the fertiliser.
The hungriest soft fruit, it likes nitrogen and potassium plus generous organic matter.
Feeding plan
Late February to March
Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6
110 g/m², the top of the label range. A bush at 1.5 m spacing covers about 1.5 m²: 165 g per bush, scattered out to the edge of the branches.
March, after feeding
Garden compost
A mulch 8 cm deep over the whole root area, or well-rotted manure, renewed every year.
April, only if last year's new shoots were under 30 cm
Organic Nitrogen Fertiliser 13% N
The label gives rates for leafy vegetables, not fruit bushes, so use the lowest figure: 25 g/m², about 40 g per bush (25 g x 1.5 m²), once, watered in.
March, light or sandy soil
20 to 35 g/m² (the label rate for fruit): 30 to 50 g per bush.
April, only if older leaves yellowed between the veins last summer
Kieserite (magnesium sulphate)
30 g/m², about 45 g per bush, scattered and watered in.
Signs to watch
Pale leaves and new shoots under 30 cm → nitrogen short on the hungriest soft fruit → nitrogen feed plus a manure mulch. Older leaves yellow between the veins → magnesium locked out by potash → Epsom salts or kieserite. Leaf margins scorched → potassium → sulphate of potash. Fruitlets dropping after flowering (run-off) → frost or poor pollination.
Pests, diseases and problems
Buds swollen and round in winter instead of slim and pointed; they fail to open in spring
Big bud mite living inside the buds
Pick off and bin swollen buds in January and February. Dig out and burn a badly infested bush after harvest and replant certified stock elsewhere. Ben Hope is resistant.
Leaves narrower with fewer lobes and veins, flower buds hairless and magenta, crops falling year on year
Reversion virus, carried by big bud mite
No cure. Remove the bush and replant with certified virus-free plants in a new position.
White powdery coating on shoot tips and young leaves, turning brown and felted
American gooseberry mildew
Cut out affected tips in late summer, keep the bush open by pruning, water in dry spells, and grow resistant Ben varieties.
Small dark brown spots on leaves from June, leaves yellow and fall early
Currant leaf spot, worst in wet summers
Rake up and bin fallen leaves in autumn. Feed and mulch well the following spring so the bush recovers. Ben Hope has good resistance.
Leaves puckered with yellow-green or reddish blisters in late spring
Currant blister aphid feeding on the undersides
It looks worse than it is and does not reduce the crop. Leave it for ladybirds and blue tits.
Ripening fruit disappears
Birds
Net the bushes as soon as the first berries start to colour, with the net held clear of the branches.
Pruning and harvest
Pruning and care
Fruits on one-year-old wood, so winter-prune Nov to Feb by taking out a third of the oldest, darkest stems to the base each year, with weak, low and crossing growth; never shorten young shoots. Bushes become stooled clumps. Mulch 8 cm with manure in spring, fleece April flowers in frost, renew the bush after 10 to 15 years.
Harvest and storage
Pick whole strigs when the berries are black and glossy, about a week after they turn colour, Jul to Aug; on Ben types cut whole fruited branches out and strip them indoors. First crop in year 2; a mature bush gives 4 to 5 kg. Fridge for a week; freezes well; cordial, jam (high pectin).
Good to knowIt fruits on young wood, so prune out about a third of the oldest stems each winter to keep it productive.
Growing blackcurrants in pots
Compact Ben Sarek or Ben Connan will crop in a 45 cm pot holding about 40 litres, though never as heavily as in the ground. Use peat-free loam-based compost with the 4-5-6 mixed in at 5 g per litre (200 g). Plant deep, as in open soil. A blackcurrant in a pot is thirsty: water daily in summer and do not let it dry out between flowering and picking. Each March top-dress with 4 g per litre (160 g) under a layer of fresh compost, and repot every two to three years, pruning out old stems as usual.
Blackcurrants: common questions
When do you prune blackcurrants?
Prune blackcurrants between November and February while the bush is dormant. Cut about a third of the oldest, darkest stems right down to the base and leave the pale young shoots untouched, because those carry next summer's fruit.
What are the swollen buds on my blackcurrant?
Round, swollen buds in winter are caused by big bud mite. Pick them off and bin them before spring, and replace a heavily infested bush, since the mite spreads reversion virus, which permanently reduces cropping.
Why has my blackcurrant bush got no fruit?
The usual causes are frost at flowering in April, a bush full of old dark wood that has not been pruned, or birds taking the crop. Fleece the flowers on cold nights, prune out a third of the old stems each winter, feed in spring, and net the fruit.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.