Blackcurrants in pots

I just expanded my small space growth ideas to two blackcurrant bushes I've ordered. I will plant them in not too large pots on the roof balcony, west-north facing.
They come 5l pot planted, arrival next week.

Any suggestions to what size pot these would need, and what kind of soil-gravel proportions work for them?

I've grown blackcurrants in very acidic ground before in other countries, but these UK varieties and especially pot growing them is completely new to me.

How about protecting them from birds - what kind of netting is used here and works?
We have crows, pigeons and magpies in plenty (and hawks which I suspect will be an asset)

 

Hi @Finngal
Blackcurrants will need a very large pot, about 15x 15 inches and 15inches deep, I'd use a multi purpose compost. Not sure if it's a good idea to have them on a balcony because of the weight. Usually it's only black birds that eat the fruit.
To protect to them I would use horticultural fleece.

 

Well its actually the roof and made of concrete so weight is not an issue.
I already have 7 apple trees and 2 plums in pots, producing harvests for few years now.

Ok, I'll check for the fleece

What about little creepy crawlies like weevils, are they prone to them?

 

That's ok then, i was just wandering.
Usually the vineweevils don't go for them.

 

Pests and Diseases of Blackcurrants

 

I've experienced nothing like that but they could get any of them.

 

No nor did we either , but always good to be forewarned about what to look out for.

When we moved here a third of the garden was taken up by Blackcurrants ...but we eventually found them a new home when we started renovation on the garden......good for you I know but definitely not keen on them..apart from juice!!

 

Yeah, my husband loves the juice, so I figured maybe he would eat them too

 

Hi @Finngal , welcome to the forum! Love the name btw

I had a blackcurrant in a 50cm pot for years, it did very well but grew out of the space. Now I'm growing a cutting in a 30cm pot as a standard, it will probably need to move into an at least 40cm pot this summer.

Blackcurrants are strong growers and when in leaf can get top heavy. That's one reason to have a wide bottomed big container, it will not blow over so easily.

Watering and feeding are also important and easier to do when the container is big.

I'm not sure what variant you have (mine is "Impulse Buy From Poundland" ) but unlike the ones popular in Nordics that have more relaxed habit, the UK ones seem to be more upright and tall.

 

Hi Selleri!
Lovely too see my country fellows in this forum!

Yes,the ones I bought are supposedly Scottish variety, hardy resistant variety that I thought might resemble those easy to maintain (read: no maintenance) bushes I crawled into as a kid. Of course now as I will pot them, they need more care.

I have a huge aquarium so all my outdoor trees enjoy weekly nutrient rich watering. They are loving it!

I got 40cm round cylinder type pots with trays. And mildly acidic JI3 type soil, with pebbles to ensure they don't sit in water.

Do you crop yours?
What nutritients do you use?

 

Every 2 or 3 years have to prune out some of the old fruiting stems, can tell which ones to cut out because they'll be darker in colour.
They're usually used in cooking and juice, they'll probably need sweetening if you eat them fresh. Good for jams and i use them in mixed fruit compote.

 

Hi, I use a mix of multipurpose compost and my garden soil (which is heavy clay) and some grit in my permanent containers. In the spring I mix some slow release fertiliser granules and rotted manure to the top part, sometimes also some blood&fish&bone if there's any left after the roses.

Pebbles, expanded clay or just rubble in the bottom is good. Broken bits of styrofoam works well in containers that I want to move around, but anything that is likely to topple over needs something heavier.

I don't really care for the crops as the fruit are quite acidic (perhaps due to the designer variety I have... the price might be for a reason... ), but a handful warm from the sun is a delight. I use the leaves for hot drinks and pickling and dried prunings in BBQ and as plant support.

Blackcurrant is a lovely looking plant and worth growing even if you are not into jam making. I have high hopes for my standard even though at the moment it looks like a stick in a pot

It would be great to see some photos of your aquarium in the Pets forum.