currantgoose

St Lawrence Nurseries
325 State Hwy 345
Potsdam, NY 13676
315-265-6739

CURRANTS and GOOSEBERRIES

Members of the “Ribes” family are relatively unknown in the U.S. but have been cultivated for centuries in northern Europe. The fruit may be eaten fresh or used for pies, jams, jellies, or juice. Red currants, black currants, and gooseberries reach a mature height of 3 to 5 feet. They will live 40 to 50 years or more. The plants should be spaced 3 to 5 feet apart, with at least 6 feet between rows.

Currants and gooseberries like rich, moist soils with a pH of 6.0-7.0. The bushes thrive when there is plentiful organic matter in the soil, and should be mulched annually. They are somewhat shade tolerant, but will produce more fruit in full sun. Pruning should occur in late winter, right after the snow melts.

Black currants produce their heaviest crop on canes that have gone through one winter, i.e. in their 2nd growing season. After the 2nd year, these same canes will then produce a lesser crop for the next two seasons, and not much afterward. Therefore, on black currants, the number of 2nd-year canes should be maximized.
Red currant and gooseberry canes have the most fruit in their 3rd and 4th season. After these peak years, an older red currant or goosberry cane will bear fruit, but fruit size and crop will diminish. Thus, to maximize fruit production for red currants and gooseberries, it is best to remove a few of the older canes annually, maintaining 2 or 3 each of 1, 2 and 3-year-old canes per bush. This rejuvenates the plant, stimulating the remaining canes to grow vigorously and produce large crops of premium size fruit. Old plants which have long been fruitless may be quickly restored to healthy production by mulching and pruning.

Because Ribes species serve as an intermediate host for the White Pine Blister Rust fungus, they are still banned in several states, although the Federal ban was lifted in 1966. The black currant cultivars “Consort” and “Titania” are highly resistant to white pine blister rust. As of 2003, it is legal to grow red currants, gooseberries and immune or resistant cultivars of black currants throughout New York State.

There are a few pests that bother currants and gooseberries. Currant aphids cause the leaves to be cupped and distorted. They are mostly a cosmetic problem and can be controlled with Safer's Insecticidal Soap (See Sources.) The currant borer tunnels into and up through canes. Borer damage is minimized when canes past their 4th year are routinely removed from the plant. The currant stem girdler is a sawfly that lays her egg in the stem and then girdles the stem right below the tip, which usually wilts and falls off. It can be controlled by cutting 2-3 inches off the tips of affected canes in May or June. Our own currants seem to be bothered most by the gooseberry fruitworm, which lays her eggs on the developing fruit. The larvae enter the fruit, shrivelling and discoloring some of them, and often spins spidery webs around clusters of berries. There is no good control for this, but since the adult is a moth that is active during the time the berries are forming, some sort of sticky trap might work, perhaps with red color as an attractant.