Prune blackcurrant bushes

Check around blackcurrant bushes for any outer branches that are growing low to the ground. In summer their currants will hang down onto the soil and rot. Low branches may also root into the soil, so they are best pruned out completely.

The youngest shoots can be pruned out with secateurs, cutting each stem right back to the base.

Use long-handled pruners to cut back more mature stems that have become top heavy enough to drop to the ground. In both cases, make clean cuts at ground level.

Remove low-lying blackcurrant stems at the base – use secateurs for thin stems, loppers for older, thicker ones