How to harvest and store blackcurrant bushes. Pest and dieases of blackcurrants.

Growing Blackcurrants

Harvesting and Storing Blackcurrants
Blackcurrants are ready for harvest when the fruits are very nearly black. Always try and pick them in dry conditions - wet blackcurrants store very badly and will quickly go mouldy.

If the intention is to store the currants for a few days, it's best to pick an entire truss which will keep for longer. Blackcurrants will keep best dry in the fridge and will last for five or six days.

Pests and Diseases
Look at the symptoms to decide which pest or disease is causing you trouble, then click on the 'Cause' for details of how to get round the problem.

CAUSE

SYMPTOMS

Rust

At first, red spots appear on the top of the leaves, followed by yellow spots on the underside of the leaves, eventually turning black.

Aphids (green/black fly)

Lots of small black or green insects especially concentrated around tender new shoots.

Sawfly

Caterpillars on the leaves. Bush is very quickly stripped of foliage.

Mildew

A light grey powdery substance appears mainly on the stems, but spreads to the leaves and possibly the fruit.

Big Bud Mite

Round and plump buds rather than the normal long and pointed ones. Leaves around affected buds are distorted.

Reversion Disease

In June or July the bush develops abnormal leaves, and the yield of fruit for the rest of the year is very low. It is most easily identified by bright magenta buds instead of the normal grey buds.

Like most fruit blackcurrants are favourite food to a range of small and often not so small mammals. Birds are a particular problem. Various make shift ways of preventing fruit damage have been concocted over the years but none works as well as a fruit cage.

Click here to see a range of excellent quality and good value walk-in, heavy duty steel fruit cages.

Other walk-in fruit cages are available by clicking on the descriptions below:
Decorative Steel Fruit Cage
Aluminium Fruit Cage, by far the best on the market in it's class!
Timber Fruit Cage, for a more rugged natural look

Smaller fruit cages are also available below:
Steel Vegetable and Strawberry Cage, stands 1.2m high above ground
Steel Freestanding Veg and Strawberry Cage, easily moved around
Aluminium Vegetable Cage - the cost effective option

END OF BLACKCURRANT ARTICLE

PREVIOUS BLACKCURRANT PAGE

BACK TO FRUIT INDEX PAGE

Name: Vannin Bloch
E-mail: Private
Date posted: August 21, 2010 - 06:13 am
Message: I have just bought a container grown blackcurrant bush that has obviously been pruned to 10cm earlier in the year. I live in NE Scotland and am wondering if the usual advice of cutting back to 2 buds on planting should apply - given the time of year and our winters. Any advice?