Blackcurrant self-fertile "Andega" 2 organic plants

Awaken your taste buds with these blackcurrant plants, which bear delicious berries with a powerful aromatic fragrance that's second to none!

The highly productive, self-fertilizing"Andega" blackcurrant - Ribes nigrum - forms a small shrub and produces an abundance of dense clusters of large blackcurrants. Their delicious, fleshy berries, renowned for their rich aroma, can be eaten fresh or dried, or made into jams, jellies or liqueurs.

Andega" blackcurrant plants, resistant to powdery mildew, can pollinate "Noir de Bourgogne" blackcurrant.

WHEN TO PLANT ANDEGA BLACKCURRANTS?

Plant blackcurrants in autumn, between November and February.

Although they thrive best in the most fertile soils, all cool, well-drained soils are suitable. Apply a generous dose of leaf compost or well-decomposed manure a month before planting.

• Dig a hole.
• Place the root ball 5 cm below ground level and close with the soil you've dug out.
• Space the plants at least 1.8 m apart in all directions.
• Prune all stems just after planting, above the second bud from the ground.
• Apply a good dose of well-decomposed manure or compost at the base of the plant.

WHEN TO PRUNE BLACKCURRANTS?

Blackcurrants naturally form a clump, as new shoots emerge from the ground every year. What's more, it bears most of its fruit on the previous year's wood.

Prune the plants in autumn each year to remove some of the old wood, encourage the growth of new shoots and keep the shrubs in balance.

Pruning 1-year-old plants: young bushes require only light pruning. In the autumn following planting, cut back only the weakest shoots above the first bud from the ground up.

Pruning 2-3 year-old plants: from the second autumn after planting, remove a quarter of the older shoots in the center of the bush. This operation sacrifices part of the one-year-old wood, but encourages the development of new shoots at ground level.

On the remaining carpenter shoots, prune the terminal tip after the fifth bud, and the lateral stems after the fourth or fifth outer bud.

Select a new, vigorous shoot and prune it 10 to 15 cm from the ground to renew the framework.

Pruning an adult plant: every year, after the blackcurrants have been picked or the leaves have fallen, remove some of the old wood and any drooping shoots.

HOW TO TAKE CUTTINGS?

Blackcurrants root easily and multiply by cuttings in autumn, inOctober:

• dig a V-shaped trench 15 to 20 cm deep ;
• spread sand at the bottom for good drainage;
• choose a variety of well-arched, beige to brown shoots of the year, fully lignified and entirely healthy;
• cut these shoots just above the second bud from the base;
• remove the non-lignified end, by pruning above a bud, so that the cutting measures 20 to 25 cm in length;
• plant the cuttings vertically, 15 cm apart, in the trench;
• fill the trench with a mixture of soil and sand, so that only two buds protrude from the ground;
• pack lightly;
• Keep moist, especially in summer.

Around November of the following year, carefully remove the cuttings with a spading fork and replant them in their final position.

Shipping and delivery of blackcurrant plants

Orders are dispatched every Wednesday.

• Shipment to mainland France only.
• Shipping cartons designed for optimal plant protection.
• Free shipping does not apply to plants.