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Currants
Hardiness of currants make then ideal to plant in cooler South
Island situations and areas in the North Island that have adequate
winter chilling.
GLORIA de VERSAILLES – RED
This variety has an excellent crop of red berries, which are great
for small gardens providing fruit for jams, jellies, pies and tarts.
Red currants bear fruit on short spurs
along older wood. These fruit spurs appear clustered closely at
the base of side shoots, therefore aim to produce a goblet shaped
bush with 8-12 main branches growing upwards and outwards bearing
these short fruit spurs. Laterals that develop on the main branches
should be shortened in winter to induce fruit spurs. Tip terminal
growth of branches .
MAGNUS – BLACK
Moderately, vigorous, hardy upright bush, large even sized berries
ripening mid Dec/Jan. Yields may reach up to 4kg per season. Black
currants are notably high in Vitamin C, and can be selectively harvested
taking the first ripe fruit and then allowing the whole truss to
mature, picking the fruit over a period of time. 1-2m.
Hard pruning at planting time results
in strong new growth from the base of the plant and this is ideal
as fruit is borne on 1 year old wood. Allow 6-10 shoots per bush,
remove the oldest canes after harvest every year to continually
renew the fruiting wood. Prune after autumn leaf fall and before
spring bud burst. Blackcurrants require lots of nitrogen such as
fresh poultry and cow manure.
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