Ben Sarak blackcurrant
I am after information regarding growing blackcurrants in Australia. I live in Bendigo in Victoria and buying these elusive fruits is impossible, so I am going to attempt to grow them. I have already sourced the plants but would just like some information on the best growing conditions and any hints or tips I can get.
Jennifer Dixon
Blackcurrants grown In the UK need an adequate period of winter chilling, defined as the number of hours the temperature drops below 45ºF. which varies greatly with the variety grown In fact, the relatively warmer winters we have had recently have led to crops of Scottish bred varieties giving unsatisfactory crops. This year will be no problem! They also need an adequate water supply during the growing season, which the heavy soil that they grow in best provides.
I always regard South Australia as having nice warm winters and a fairly dry climate, as the recent dreadful bush fires have demonstrated. I hope that the blackcurrant bushes that you have sourced come from an area whose climate is somewhat similar to yours, they will then be of varieties which are suitable.
Blackcurrants are very rich in antioxidants and sales of them are booming here in the UK. Purchases have gone up by 500% in the last 4 years! They have a superb flavour too both cooked and raw, provided the best varieties for flavour are chosen.
I am trying to grow blackcurrants here in Harare, Zimbabwe. Its summer now and gets hot. I brought my plants in from the UK on a recent visit, do you think it will be too hot here and how much should the plants be in the sun/ shade? Any tips please?
UK varieties of black currants are probably not suitable for growing in Harare because their winter chilling requirement will not be satisfied in these climates; they need a certain number of cold hours during the winter, otherwise crops will be very poor. Chilling requirement can be reduced by total defoliation when cropping is finished, either by pulling the leaves off by hand or through chemical treatment. This is because dormancy is induced by a substance produced in mature leaves after cropping, so in a commercial operation the aim is to remove these leaves chemically as soon as possible. After this, a spray with certain oxidising substances is applied to correct a lack of growth promoters, but the concentrations required for the promoters, times of application etc are critical and excessive concentrations are harmful. This is probably a route that amateur gardeners might not wish to go down. Some selection for black currants with a low chilling requirement has been undertaken in France and possibly also New Zealand and this is probably where you need to look for varieties that might crop in Harare.