Blackcurrant
Also called Cassis, Black currant.
| Light | full sun |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 5 days in the growing season, every 30 in winter |
| Humidity | medium |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 150 cm (59 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats not known, dogs not known |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, no entry for Ribes nigrum.
Edible here means commonly eaten. Nothing on this site is medical or dietary advice.
Blackcurrants are planted bare root in the dormant season, from about October to March in the north and through the winter in South Africa, avoiding any week when the ground is frozen or sodden. They are planted deliberately deep, about five centimetres lower than they grew in the nursery, because the buds below soil level become new shoots from the base. That matters, since the fruit comes on wood made the previous year. Every winter, take out about a third of the oldest, darkest stems right at the base and leave the pale young wood. Feed generously, because a blackcurrant is a hungry plant, and net the bush before the fruit colours unless you are growing it for the blackbirds.
Ailments observed
| It will not flower | Big bud mite, which swells the buds over winter and carries reversion virus. Pick off and burn the fat round buds in winter. A bush that has stopped cropping and has odd narrow leaves has reversion and should be dug out. |
|---|---|
| White powder on the leaves | Mildew on crowded growth in a still, dry season. Prune out a third of the oldest wood each winter so light and air reach the middle, and water the soil deeply in dry spells. |
Filed underPlants that forgive a beginner
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