Moving gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes

JodyBPM

I have a couple of gooseberries and a blackcurrant that I bought from the poundshop a few years ago. They are still alive, and have given a handful of fruit, but have never really got going. This year will be their third year in the soil.

They are in an area of the garden that is inconvenient to me (and not actually particularly good soil for them), and ideally I would like to move them to the allotment. But I don't have anywhere prepped on the allotment yet. Would it be possible to dig them up and put them in containers, and then move them again either later this season, or even maybe next year? I'm wondering if a year in a container in good quality compost might actually help them along, compared to the poor soil that they are currently in.

Ultimately they are only poundshop plants, and I'm not terribly bothered if they don't survive. But a little bit of me doesn't want to move them just in case this is the year they finally get going and get productive! But then again, I really do need to move them, they look funny where they are, I have that bed earmarked for something else and they don't seem to be thriving.

superpete

hiya,
I only have a balcony, ive been growing blackcurrents in a pot for about 5 years now, (doing really well) just added strawberrys (not so well) but they where from aldi i think 8 tiny things for 2 quid.

but yeah blackcurrents in a pot, go for it.

cjb02

I have had red currants / black currants / gooseberries in pots for the last couple of years and they seem to do fine. I got a small crop last year anyway which I was happy with. they have now gone in to the lottie now that I have one (incidentally I have a two plums and an apple tree in containers too and they did great last year, just to show that all sorts can grow in pots)

charlies-aunt

I am so pleased to have spotted this thread - we have luckily inherited three blackcurrantbushes and 9 raspberry bushes in our new allotment - they were planted by previous allotment holder last year and they all look big and healthy - do I need to prune them at all and if so - when please?

Do they need feeding? with what and when?

Will I need to put nets over them when they (hopefully!) start to fruit? We are keen wine and jam makers so we want to try and get some fruit off if we can --- fingers crossed

I would be grateful for some tips on this as we've never grown these before!

Farway

I am so pleased to have spotted this thread - we have luckily inherited three blackcurrantbushes and 9 raspberry bushes in our new allotment - they were planted by previous allotment holder last year and they all look big and healthy - do I need to prune them at all and if so - when please?

As you do not know what type of raspberries they are, and the balckcurrants pruned in winter I would leave them all alone this year whilst you mug up on the requirements

Do they need feeding? with what and when?

Blackcurrants love feeding, raspberries would not mind some. Well rotted manure any time or general feed in spring. But as they are in open ground, no need to panic, see what you get first

Will I need to put nets over them when they (hopefully!) start to fruit? We are keen wine and jam makers so we want to try and get some fruit off if we can --- fingers crossed

You will certainly need to net them, especially the blackcurrants on an open allotment, the birds will have them before you are even awake

lolly5648

cjb02 wrote: »

I have had red currants / black currants / gooseberries in pots for the last couple of years and they seem to do fine. I got a small crop last year anyway which I was happy with. they have now gone in to the lottie now that I have one (incidentally I have a two plums and an apple tree in containers too and they did great last year, just to show that all sorts can grow in pots)

I have just bought a blackcurrant from Aldi and would like to keep it in a pot. What size pot would be best for when it is mature?

Also, when people talk about size of pots do you measure the top or the bottom?

charlies-aunt

Farway wrote: »

I am so pleased to have spotted this thread - we have luckily inherited three blackcurrantbushes and 9 raspberry bushes in our new allotment - they were planted by previous allotment holder last year and they all look big and healthy - do I need to prune them at all and if so - when please?

As you do not know what type of raspberries they are, and the balckcurrants pruned in winter I would leave them all alone this year whilst you mug up on the requirements

Do they need feeding? with what and when?

Blackcurrants love feeding, raspberries would not mind some. Well rotted manure any time or general feed in spring. But as they are in open ground, no need to panic, see what you get first

Will I need to put nets over them when they (hopefully!) start to fruit? We are keen wine and jam makers so we want to try and get some fruit off if we can --- fingers crossed

You will certainly need to net them, especially the blackcurrants on an open allotment, the birds will have them before you are even awake

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer all my questions - really helpful. In my ignorance I didn't realise that different varieties need different care. Luckily they still have their original labels on so will get the particulat varier=ty and do some research.

Just a further question or two please...

I have tried digging out the large clumps of grass that is growing around them. . . got all the big tufts out between the plants but most of the plants are growing within a big tuft and grass so unless I dig the bush up as well as the clump of grass, I don't know how else to shift them

Also the raspberries and starwberries are throwing out suckers like they are going out of fashion . . . . do I dig them up or leave them be??? If I dig them up - are they any good for replanting else where? They are strong healthy specimens - seems such as shame to chuck them on the compost heap!

Farway

charlies-aunt;42347878

I have tried digging out the large clumps of grass that is growing around them. . . got all the big tufts out between the plants but most of the plants are growing within a big tuft and grass so unless I dig the bush up as well as the clump of grass, I don't know how else to shift them

With difficulty is the answer, you could try spraying with weedkiller, but as you realise you will have to avoid the bushes, rasberries are the very devil for grass as the roots intermingle, see below

Also the raspberries and starwberries are throwing out suckers like they are going out of fashion . . . . do I dig them up or leave them be??? If I dig them up - are they any good for replanting else where? They are strong healthy specimens - seems such as shame to chuck them on the compost heap

They can be your means of increasing you stock, just plant them where you want them to grow, you will have to keep an eye on them for a while until they root in. In fact you could start a new raspberry bed ready for 2012 fruiting, then remove the grass choked ones

splodger_seedswapper

with the raspberries - because you do not know if they are autumn or summer fruiting it is difficult to be able to advise you properly.

but for both cane types they will send up new shoots each year
summer fruiting canes fruit on last years growth (so you need to allow new canes to grow next to last years canes - to ensure you get fruit)
autumn fruiting canes fruit on growth produced in the same season - so old canes that fruited last year should be cut down each winter / spring to make way for the new growth

if you have large tufts of grass in the patch - just lift the canes - remove the grass roots and replant the canes - the raspberry root is quite shallow compared to other fruit - so it should be easy enough to lift - and as raspberries do grow like a weed - it really won't matter if you break a bit of the root off - if there is enough root there, it will shoot again