I picked up a very sickly blackcurrant plant, in rootball format. It sprouted anaemically in storage, most of the sprouts died off, but a few are still viable. There are no buds left on the stems. The leaves on the sprouts are just 2-3mm across. I'm wondering when's best to plant it, its seems very unprepared for life outdoors at the moment. What would you do, overwinter it indoors and put out in spring?


NT

On 25/09/2012 15:35, wrote:
I picked up a very sickly blackcurrant plant, in rootball format. It sprouted anaemically in storage, most of the sprouts died off, but a few are still viable. There are no buds left on the stems. The leaves on the sprouts are just 2-3mm across. I'm wondering when's best to plant it, its seems very unprepared for life outdoors at the moment. What would you do, overwinter it indoors and put out in spring?


NT

I'm afraid I'd bin it.
Get a good healthy plant and get it into the ground when you get it.

On 25/09/2012 15:35, wrote:
I picked up a very sickly blackcurrant plant, in rootball format. It sprouted anaemically in storage, most of the sprouts died off, but a few are still viable. There are no buds left on the stems. The leaves on the sprouts are just 2-3mm across. I'm wondering when's best to plant it, its seems very unprepared for life outdoors at the moment. What would you do, overwinter it indoors and put out in spring?


NT



In your position, I would stand it in a bucket of water for a few hours
in a sheltered place outside. In the meantime, prepare a large, deep
hole in the garden. Mix some bonemeal with the backfill soil. Take the
blackcurrant from its bucket and tease the roots out a little. Put it
in the hole and backfill with the soil and bonemeal. Water it in well.
If you have a dog, or foxes in the area, lay a circle of bricks or
stone around the root zone, otherwise your plant will be dug up.

--
Spider
from high ground in SE London
gardening on clay