On 22 Apr 2004 11:44:54 -0700, (Ron Wood) wrote:

I got good looking black and red currant cuttings last summer and kept
them in the pots till about a month ago. I planted them in fresh
topsoil mix in my front yard and mulched the area well. The leaves on
the red currant plants are comming out OK but the black currant leaves
come out about 1/2 inch and start wilting away. Is there any way I can
save these plants from immediate death? I'm from Latvia (now living in
Northern NJ) and miss the black currants a lot.

I've only just starting planting currants - but the advice I got on
black currants was to prune them back to 2 buds showing just above the
soil immediately after planting. Also, they prefer an acidic soil pH -
6.0 to 6.5.

The other advice is to not leave any branches to bear fruit the first
year, you are trying to get 2-3 good branches to grow well, and prune
back the weak shutes and branches.

In later years, you are trying to get 6-8 good branches per plant, and
they will produce the most fruit from 1 year old branches, so taking
out the old and developing new branches is key in later years.

Good luck