Eur Ing John Rye wrote:

: I've had quite a good crop from my 3 blackcurrant bushes this season and
: having now picked the last of the berries I am wondering when is the
: best time to prune the bushes and how to do it!

: They are between 3-4 feet high and probably 3-4 years old and have done
: well in my alkaline soil. So that I get it right can anyone advise me
: on the best pruning technique and how far back I am supposed to cut
: back. Do they fruit on the previous year's wood and if so how much of
: the new growth do I chop off?

: My technique is ridiculously simple, although I have forgotten who told me
: about it.

: With three bushes you simply slaughter one bush each year in sequence. That
: is you cut it back so that it is practically leafless. You leave the others
: alone. I have been doing this for 7 or 8 years now. This years yield was 15
: lb off the bush pruned 3 years ago, 10 lb off the bush pruned two years ago,
: and none off the bush pruned last year.

A few years ago I saw a website describing some commercial trials on a
similar line. They planted bushes closer than usual and were hard pruned
alternate bushes, alternate years. Unfortunately I can't find the
refernece now. The 3 year cycle sounds a lot more sensible to me and you
results are interesting. For last 15 years I've pruned then as classically
recommended, take out old/fruited wood. I get about 8/10 lbs per bush -
even now at 15 years old. When I am forced to restock, I think I'll try
your method - it has the merit of simplicity.

Jim