Spring care secrets to save your currant and raspberry harvests

Gardeners are being reminded of key steps to protect currant and raspberry bushes this spring. Without proper care, a missed April can cut harvests by a third. Pruning, fertilising, and pest control all play a role in keeping plants healthy and productive. Pruning should happen before buds swell or just after, when shoots are easy to spot. On currant bushes, any branches over five years old need removing—they take nutrients but yield little fruit. Shoots with dark spots or hollows must also go. For raspberries, stems with bends or cracks at the base should be cut out.

Once pruned, a mature currant bush should have no more than 15-16 shoots of different ages. Fertilising comes next: spreading 30-40 grams of urea per bush across the root zone helps recovery. Treatment for pests should start when soil near the roots hits +8°C to +10°C. Mites pose a major threat, but not all sprays work. Actara kills aphids and other insects but does nothing against mites. Instead, Fufanon-Nova or Bitoxibacillin are effective—with Bitoxibacillin being safer for bees. Three treatments over the season can wipe out 90% of common problems.

Following these steps keeps bushes strong and harvests plentiful. Skipping April care risks losing a large portion of the crop. With the right pruning, feeding, and pest control, currants and raspberries will thrive through the growing season.