Red Currant

Do you want to plant a Red Currant? Here you will find all the information you need on how to best plant the Red Currant, and on pruning and caring for your Red Currant.
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General characteristics of a Red Currant

The redcurrant, red berry or cluster berry is a shrub that originates from western Europe.

It is a deciduous shrub that grows to a height of 1 to 1.5 metres, sometimes 2 metres, with palmate leaves with five lobes. The flowers are inconspicuous yellow-green and the edible berries are often bright red, sometimes white or pink. The berries (diameter approximately 8–12 mm) hang in clusters that ripen around the middle or end of summer.

Characteristics


How to plant a Red Currant

Cover the roots well.

How to harvest a Red Currant

Cut cuttings of 40 to 50 centimetres just below a bud and trim off the top 10 centimetres. Place the bottom in water and allow to root. The cutting is now ready to be planted!

Caring for and pruning your Red Currant

Prune once or twice a year to keep the shrub young and healthy.

Where does a Red Currant grow

Under natural conditions, redcurrants mainly grow in wetter deciduous forests and valley forests along streams and rivers.  It is a semi-shade plant that thrives in moist to wet, nutrient-rich, moderately acidic to slightly alkaline soils. The species feels most at home in loamy or slightly clayey soils.


General

Origin
Native
Tree Type Shrub

Length and Age

Length in about 10 years 1 Up to 2 Meter
Reproductive Maturity in How Many Years 2 Up to 3 year
Maximum Age 40 Up to 50 year
Required Space 1 Up to 2m2
Growth Rate

Reproduction

Tree is Self-Pollinating Yes
Reproduction Method
Makes layers
To cut (cutting is between 5 and 50 cm)
Makes seedlings
Reproduction rate

Reproduction rate

1. Very low reproduction rate. The plant hardly spreads, has few seeds or vegetative spread (e.g., trees with heavy seeds).
2. Low reproduction rate. Spread via limited seed production or specific conditions required
3. Average reproduction rate. Regular spread, depending on wind, water, or animals, at a moderate speed (e.g., dandelion).
4. High reproduction rate. Many seeds and multiple spread strategies (wind, birds, vegetative). Quickly colonizes open spaces
5. Very high reproduction rate. Invasive species that spread explosively over large distances (e.g., Japanese knotweed).

Pruning Period

This Tree is Evergreen Yes
Summer March tot May
Winter Information not available
Leaf Shapes Hand-shaped
Easy to prune Yes

Bark Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Lenticels Yes
Colour

Bud Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)

Colour
Bud Position
Spread out
Varied
Bud Shape
Round
Egg-shaped

Other

Root
Broad root system
Bloom
Has fruits
Wind sensitivity Sensitive to (sea) wind

Diseases

Sensitive to the Following Diseases
Mildew
Greenfly

Harvest/recognition in winter

Very recognizable berry bush shape, only the leaves are missing in winter.

Light requirement of the Red Currant

The Red Currant thrives best under these light conditions.
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade

    • Suitable soil types for the Red Currant

    In this overview, you can find which soil types are best for the Red Currant to grow.
    Soil type Suitability
    light clay
    heavy clay
    sand
    peatland
    Loam
    Moerig op zand
    Lichte zavel
    Zware zavel

    Humidity

    A (ground)water level indicates how deep the groundwater usually is below the surface. The higher the Roman numeral, the deeper the groundwater.
    I
    II
    III
    IV
    V
    VI
    VII
    VIII

    Suitable acidity level for the Red Currant

    Each soil type has a certain acidity level, measured in pH values. You can plant the Red Currant in soil that falls within this range:
    0.0
    0.5
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0

    Nutritional needs of the Red Currant

    Some soil types offer more nutritional richness than others.
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0
    1. Very nutrient-poor soil
    2. Very nutrient-poor to nutrient-poor soil
    3. Nutrient-poor soil
    4. Nutrient-poor to moderately nutrient-rich soil
    5. Moderately nutrient-rich soil
    6. Moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich soil
    7. Nutrient-rich soil
    8. Extremely nutrient-rich soil
    9. Very extremely nutrient-rich soil

    Humidity

    Does Red Currant like to have its roots in extremely dry (1.0) or wet (9.0) soil?
    1.0
    1.5
    2.0
    2.5
    3.0
    3.5
    4.0
    4.5
    5.0
    5.5
    6.0
    6.5
    7.0
    7.5
    8.0
    8.5
    9.0
    1. Extremely dry soils
    2. Extremely dry to dry soils
    3. Dry soils
    4. Dry to dry/moist soils
    5. Dry/moist soils
    6. Dry/moist to moist soils
    7. Moist soils
    8. Moist to wet soils
    9. Wet soils

    To be applied in landscapes

    0 = not filled in, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
    Landscape Suitability
    Agroforestry
    Hedge
    Hedge
    Forest
    Feeding hedge
    Back yard
    Small back yard
    Solitary
    Wood wall

    Cultural-historical value

    0 = not filled in, 1 = low, 9 = high

    Insects

    How many insects typically live on this tree/plant? 11
    Which insect groups live on this tree/plant?
    Are there insects dependent on this species? No
    Which insect species are dependent on this tree/plant?

    Birds

    Average number of birds per tree/plant? 7
    Which bird groups live on this tree/plant?

    Mammals

    Average number of mammals per tree/plant?
    Which mammal groups live on this tree/plant?
    Are there mammals dependent on this species? No
    Which mammal species are dependent on this tree/plant?

    Bloom Period

    Summer April Up to May

    Tree Species

    Tree species that this tree prefers to grow with

    Suitable for mammals?

    toxic, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
    Mammal Suitability
    Goat
    Herbivorous rodents
    Chicken
    Cow
    Human
    Horse
    Sheep
    Pig
    Dog
    Mouse
    Deer
    Roe deer
    Foxes
    Wild boar
    Cat
    Squirrel
    Beavers
    Badgers
    Ferret

    Explanation

    Explanation

    Edibility

    • Toxic: This tree or shrub is toxic to mammals and absolutely unsuitable for consumption.
    1. Very unsuitable: This tree or shrub is unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can be harmful.
    2. Unsuitable: This tree or shrub is generally unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can have adverse effects.
    3. Moderately suitable: This tree or shrub is moderately suitable as food for mammals, possibly with certain risks or limitations.
    4. Suitable: This tree or shrub is generally suitable as food for mammals, with little to no risks.
    5. Very suitable: This tree or shrub is very suitable as food for mammals, safe, and of high nutritional value.


    Trunk Height

    Average Trunk Height (hg) of the basal area median tree

    from - to, in whole meters, average

    Information not available

    Trunk Diameter

    (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree.

    from - to, in whole centimeters, average

    Information not available

    Aboveground Biomass

    in whole kg

    Information not available

    Belowground Biomass

    in whole kg

    Information not available

    Substance Binder

    Which substances can be bound or absorbed?
    CO2
    Particulate matter

    Carbon Attraction (kf)

    (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree Deciduous Trees (Kf = 0,48)

    Warming Resistance

    This tree is well resistant to the warming (plus 3 degrees) of our climate and fits into the future of our climate (heat and drought resistant). No
    CO2
    Particulate matter

    CO2

    0. not filled in
    1. no storage
    2. low storage
    3. moderate storage
    4. high storage
    5. very high storage

    Fine Dust

    0. not filled in
    1. no capture capacity
    2. low capture capacity
    3. moderate capture capacity
    4. high capture capacity
    5. very high capture capacity

    This is what an adult tree Red Currant looks like

    Red current shrub
    Red currant in winter

    This is what the fruits of a Red Currant look like

    Red current fruit

    This is what the bud of a Red Currant looks like

    Buds of the red currant

    This is what the leaf of a Red Currant looks like

    Red current leaf