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40% off
blackcurrant 'Ben Connan'
blackcurrant
A small to medium sized shrub that shows good resistance to mildew and is very frost tolerant, so excellent for growing...
3 litre pot
£21.99
available to order from spring
bare root plant
available to order from late autumn
2 + 1 FREE bare root plants
available to order from late autumn
1
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Plant description
A small to medium sized shrub that shows good resistance to mildew and is very frost tolerant, so excellent for growing in colder areas. It produces exceptionally large fruit that have a superb rich flavour from mid-July, and an established plant produce up to 3.6kg (8lb). A very popular variety.
Eventual height & spread
Flowering period
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Plant features
Position
Full sun
Rate of growth
Average
Soil
Moderately fertile, moist, well-drained soil
Hardiness
Fully hardy
How to care for blackcurrant Ben Connan:
Plant bare root blackcurrants between late autumn and early spring while dormant, spacing them 1.5m (5ft) apart in well-prepared, weed-free soil enriched with well-rotted compost or manure. Potted plants can be planted at any time of year, provided the soil isn't frozen or waterlogged. Set young plants slightly deeper than they were in the nursery pot to encourage new shoots from the base.
Keep plants well-watered in dry spells, especially in their first year. Mulch in spring with well-rotted organic matter to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Feed with a balanced fertiliser in early spring and again after harvest to support next year’s crop. Netting, or growing within a fruit cage, helps protect developing fruit from birds.
Once the plant has reached flowering maturity, remove about a third of the oldest stems at the base to maintain an open shape and promote new fruiting wood—do this in winter. Harvest blackcurrants once they’ve ripened fully, usually in mid to late summer, picking whole strigs when fruits are dark and glossy.
Keep plants well-watered in dry spells, especially in their first year. Mulch in spring with well-rotted organic matter to conserve moisture and suppress weeds. Feed with a balanced fertiliser in early spring and again after harvest to support next year’s crop. Netting, or growing within a fruit cage, helps protect developing fruit from birds.
Once the plant has reached flowering maturity, remove about a third of the oldest stems at the base to maintain an open shape and promote new fruiting wood—do this in winter. Harvest blackcurrants once they’ve ripened fully, usually in mid to late summer, picking whole strigs when fruits are dark and glossy.
Please note:
This plant is deciduous so it will lose all its leaves in autumn, then fresh new foliage appears again each spring.
GOES WELL WITH
Currants
Autumn is a good time to plant currants and your soil may dictate whether it's a blackcurrant, whitecurrant or a redcurrant. Blackcurrants do best in fertile soil in areas where summer rainfall is higher. They do not crop well on dry, poor ground. Perver
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