Why Do Currant Berries Fall Away?

Currants are loved for a large number of nutrients in their composition, yielding capacity and for their not requiring much care. However, it sometimes happens that currant bushes show great promise of a rich harvest, but then they suddenly begin to shed their fruits. Why do currant berries fall away? What are the reasons for this?!

Watering

Currants are a moisture-loving plant. If it rarely rains in summer and the weather is hot, it can cause berries to fall away from the bush. Check the soil around it. If the soil is dry to a depth of more than 5 cm, it means that the plant needs watering.

To wet the soil at a sufficient depth (the roots of currants go 40 cm into the ground), at least 40-50 liters of water per 1 sq.m of soil are required. Make small (about 10 cm) furrows in the soil along the diameter of the crown. Due to this, the water will not flow outside the circle around the bush trunk, but will be absorbed into the ground.

Too much of moisture can also cause the berries to fall away. If it often rains, be sure to loosen the soil around the bush. This will help evaporate excess moisture as quickly as possible and provide an air access to the roots of the plant.

Age

It often happens that berries start falling away from young currant bushes. The reason is that a young plant does not have enough strength yet to “grow” a large harvest, so it sheds an extra “burden”. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do to prevent this. In a year or two, this problem will disappear. Moreover, this problem occurs with the “aged” bushes too. This is the first sign that the bush has already spent its resources and they are not enough to form a harvest. In this case, pruning will help.

Place

Another reason that can lead to the fall of berries from a currant bush is the wrong place for planting. Currants are a plant that does not require much care and can accept some mistakes in care, but they will please you with bountiful harvests only under certain conditions.

What Do Currants Like?

• Currants love the sun. In a shady place, the number of berries and their size will be small, and the taste will not be as sweet as the taste of currants growing in the sun. In addition, when planting, place the plants at a distance of at least 1 m from each other, so that the branches of neighboring bushes do not create shade when grown.
• Currants love a quiet place. In a plot with draughts or strong winds, currant berries will fall away. The same will happen if the plant is placed in a plot with constantly stagnant water.
• Currants love a sheltered from the wind and well-lit area. If currant berries fall away every year because of the wrong place, transplant the bushes in more favorable conditions in autumn.

By following simple rules, you can deal with a variety of problems and preserve a currant harvest.