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Fruit bushes...

Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267
in Fruit & veg

I've red, white and black currant bushes  along with a gooseberry bush, planted a couple of years ago, in the garden. The problem is, now they've had a couple of years to establish I've realised they are planted in an area which is too small to grow them all as bushes.

Could the red and white currant bushes be re-trained to grow as cordons even though I've allowed them to bush. has anyone tried doing this and was it successful. I read black currant and gooseberry can't be grown as cordons.

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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,998

    Gooseberries and blackcurrants can also be grown as cordons.  

    I think I'd take cuttings from your plants and then you can start them off as cordons.  That way you could get at least another year's fruit out of the bushes you already have before replacing them with the new ones.

    There's some info here about growing gooseberries as cordons http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Fruit-A-to-Z/Gooseberries

    and this site https://djfextranet.agrsci.dk/sites/climafruit/offentligt/Documents/NO-Enclosure%2041.pdf  has some very good illustrations and descriptions of establishing cordons, even if the English is a little less than perfect.


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Zoomer44Zoomer44 Posts: 3,267

    Thanks for the links.

    I think you may have posted the first link on a previous thread, seeing the size of the gooseberry bushes in the background is what got me thinking, the space my plants were in, is to small. Excellent advise on pruning though, know now why the white currant didn't fruit this year. The gooseberry didn't fruit either it was attacked by flys early on in the season so I had to cut off the fruiting branches.   

    To cut to the chase - The area's to small me thinks to leave them there for another season so close together. Taking cuttings sounds a good option though, how would I do this? ..and would the cuttings be ok in a pot over winter?

    I was thinking of moving the gooseberry to give the currant plants more room, space these out better and grow a cordon - bush -cordon if you see what I mean.

     

     

      

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 83,998

    Currant cuttings as gooseberries above

    - here's some pics

    http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/blackcurrant_page3.asp


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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