Currants: Planting, Pruning and Feeding Red, White and Black

Blackcurrants are pruned differently from red and white ones. Planting, pruning by type, chloride-free feeding, diseases and propagation by cuttings.

In short: Plant currants in October and November or early in spring in a sunny spot, bushes 1.2–1.8 m apart. Blackcurrants fruit most on last year's shoots, so every winter a third of the oldest branches is cut out at ground level. Red and white currants also fruit on older wood and are shaped into a goblet of 8–10 branches.

Types	red and white (Ribes rubrum), black (Ribes nigrum)
Planting	October–November or March, container plants also in summer
Bush spacing	red and white 1.2–1.5 m, black 1.5–1.8 m
Planting depth	black 5 cm deeper, red and white at the same level as in the nursery
Pruning	late winter (February–March), for red also summer pruning
Harvest	July, depending on variety end of June to August

Currants are a rewarding bush: they grow in almost every garden, start fruiting in the second or third year after planting and stay in full strength for fifteen years or more. Whether you collect full buckets or a few bunches is decided mainly by pruning. And that is done differently for blackcurrants than for red and white ones.

Here you will find the differences between the types, planting step by step, pruning for each type separately, feeding and the most common diseases and pests with what to do about them.

Red, White or Black Currants: How They Differ

White currant is not a separate species but a white-fruited form of the red currant. It is grown and pruned in the same way. Blackcurrant is a different species with a different growth habit, and therefore also different care.

	Red and white	Black
taste	refreshingly sharp, white milder	strongly aromatic, tart
where it fruits	at the base of last year's shoots and on short fruiting spurs of older wood	mainly on last year's shoots
bush shape	goblet with a short stem, 8–10 main branches	a clump of 6–10 shoots straight from the ground
pruning	shortening shoots, removing branches older than 4 years	every winter a third of the oldest branches at ground level
site	sun, tolerates partial shade	sun, flowers early, unsuitable for frost pockets
forms	bush, standard, cordon along a fence	bush, standard
proven varieties	red Jonkheer van Tets, Detvan, Rovada; white Primus, Blanka	Titania, Ometa, Ben Sarek (compact)

If you have room for several bushes, combine an early and a late variety. The harvest then stretches from the end of June to August. Currants are largely self-fertile, but two different varieties side by side usually set more fruit.

Planting Currants Step by Step

The best time is October and November, when the bush roots before winter and grows straight away in spring. Bare-root plants can also be planted in March, but currants bud very early, so spring planting must be really early. Container bushes can be planted all season, in summer only with regular watering.

Choose a sunny spot sheltered from wind, with permeable, humus-rich soil and a pH around 6–7. Currants do not tolerate waterlogging or standing water.
Dig a hole of roughly 40 × 40 cm and mix the excavated soil with a bucket of ripe compost.
Soak a bare-root plant in water for half an hour, water a container plant well.
Plant blackcurrants 5 cm deeper than they grew, which encourages shoots from the ground. Plant red and white at the same depth, so they keep a short stem.
Firm the soil around the roots, water generously and mulch with compost or bark 5–8 cm deep, not right up to the stem.
After planting a bare-root bush, shorten it: blackcurrant to 2 buds above the ground, red and white main shoots by roughly half above a bud pointing outwards.

Pruning after planting hurts, but in the first year the bush produces strong new shoots on which it will fruit. Anyone who skips this step has a weak bush for years ahead. The general principles of autumn planting of woody plants are described in the article It is time to plant fruit trees.

Pruning Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants bear most fruit on shoots that grew last year. The aim of pruning is therefore to provoke new strong shoots from the ground every year.

When: in late winter (February to early March) on a frost-free day, or right after harvest.
Young bush (years 1–3): remove weak, sprawling and crossing shoots, leave 6–10 strong ones.
Fruiting bush (from year 4): every year cut out up to a third of the oldest branches at ground level. You can recognise them by darker, rougher bark and thickness; for the cut you will need ratchet loppers or a saw.
Shorten low-lying branches that touch the ground above a bud pointing upwards.

The bush then has 6–10 shoots of various ages and no branch is older than 3–4 years.

Pruning Red and White Currants

Red and white currants fruit at the base of last year's shoots and on short fruiting spurs on older wood. The shape of the bush is therefore built on a permanent framework that you gradually renew.

Winter pruning (February–March): keep an open goblet with 8–10 main branches on a short stem. Thin out the centre of the bush.
Shorten this year's growth on the main branches by about half above a bud pointing outwards.
Shorten side shoots to 1–2 buds. Short fruiting spurs will grow from them.
Cut out branches older than 4 years at the stem and replace them with a strong young shoot.
Summer pruning (end of June to July): shorten side shoots to 5 leaves. The bunches ripen better and the bush does not become congested.

Standard forms are pruned in the same way, except that the crown is built on a tall stem that needs a stake all its life. Gooseberry pruning follows a similar principle, more in the article about gooseberries.

Feeding and Mulching

Currants have shallow roots and do best with a permanent layer of organic mulch, which holds moisture and suppresses weeds. Every spring renew the layer of compost or well-rotted manure around the bush, 5–8 cm thick. More about mulching in the article Why mulch a bed?

Early in spring: an organic-mineral fertiliser for soft fruit according to the instructions, do not overdo the nitrogen. An over-fed bush runs to leaf and suffers more from mildew.
Potassium: currants need a lot of it, but are sensitive to chlorides. Use potassium sulphate or fertilisers for soft fruit, not potash salt (potassium chloride).
Watering: in dry weather from flowering to harvest generously once a week, otherwise the berries become smaller and drop.

Currant Diseases and Pests

Problem	How to recognise it	What to do
blackcurrant gall mite	blackcurrant: conspicuously swollen round buds in winter	pick off the swollen buds in winter, cut out heavily affected branches, plant resistant varieties and healthy plants
aphids (currant blister aphid)	red or yellowish blisters on the leaves of red and white currants, aphids on the underside	the damage is mainly cosmetic, pinch off affected tips, encourage ladybirds
currant anthracnose	small brown spots on leaves, in summer the leaves turn yellow and drop	rake up and remove fallen leaves in autumn, thin the bush by pruning
American gooseberry mildew	a white, later brown felty coating on young shoots and berries	cut out affected shoot tips, do not over-feed with nitrogen, choose resistant varieties
gooseberry sawfly	green caterpillars strip the leaves from the centre of the bush, sometimes down to bare branches	from May inspect the centre of the bush and pick off the caterpillars
birds	ripening bunches disappear	throw a net over the bush before the fruit colours

The best prevention is an airy, thinned bush, healthy planting stock and tidiness under the bushes. A pictorial overview of symptoms can be found in the guide plant diseases and pests.

Harvesting and Propagation

Harvest red and white currants as whole bunches once all the berries have coloured. If you leave them on the bush for another week, they become sweeter. For juice and jelly fully coloured fruit is enough, for eating fresh the ripest. In older varieties of blackcurrant the berries in a bunch ripen gradually, modern varieties ripen all at once and whole bunches are picked.

Currants are easily propagated by hardwood cuttings:

In October to November cut this year's ripened shoot from a healthy bush.
Cut it into cuttings about 20 cm long, cutting just below a bud at the bottom and above a bud at the top.
On red and white currants remove the lower buds so that a bush on a stem grows. On blackcurrants leave them all.
Push the cuttings into loose soil in a sheltered spot so that 2–3 buds remain above ground.
Replant them to their permanent place in autumn a year later.

Take cuttings only from young healthy bushes. Old bushes may carry viruses that are passed on by the cutting.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should currants be pruned?

The main pruning is done in late winter, in February or at the start of March on a frost-free day. Blackcurrants can also be pruned right after harvest; in summer the side shoots of red and white currants are shortened to 5 leaves.

When should currants be planted?

Best in October and November, bare-root bushes also early in spring in March. Container bushes can be planted all season, but in summer with regular watering.

Why do currants shed their fruit and berries drop?

Most often the cause is frost at flowering, drought during fruit set, shade or an old unpruned bush. A sheltered sunny site, watering in dry weather and regular pruning help.

What should currants be fed with?

Early in spring with compost and a fertiliser for soft fruit. Currants need a lot of potassium but do not tolerate chlorides, so do not use potash salt.

How far apart should currants be planted?

Red and white currant bushes 1.2–1.5 m, more vigorous blackcurrants 1.5–1.8 m. Cordons along a fence need only be planted 30–40 cm apart.

How long does a currant bush fruit?

With regular pruning, where young branches are constantly renewed, a bush fruits for 15 years or more. An unpruned bush starts to weaken in yield after only a few years.

Sources

Updated: 27 September 2026

Author: Jana Vránová, editorial name of the Pěstík.cz team. She writes about the garden, herbs and essential oils. We take safety and dosage information from specialist literature and official sources, which we list for every article.