Ribes rubrum 'Weiße'
White Currant
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −28 °C
- Pruning
- Jul–Aug
- Harvest
- Jul–Aug
- Spacing
- 150 cm, rows 200 cm
- Water need
- Medium
- Origin
- Native to Germany
Photo: Marie-Lan Nguyen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
The White Currant is a mild, almost honey‑sweet sister of the red variety, tasting wonderfully fresh straight from the bush. Its translucent berries are an attractive eye‑catcher and popular with children. Varieties such as 'Weiße Versailler' produce reliably and abundantly.
Care instructions
Plant the shrub in autumn (October, week 43) in a sunny spot in loose, humus‑rich soil. It fruits on perennial wood, prune in winter (February, week 7) only the oldest, worn‑out shoots and keep the center light. Mulch the root area and water evenly during dry periods.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
HarvestJul–Aug
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
loamy, humus-rich, moist, well-drained, nutrient-rich
You need a medium-heavy, humus-rich soil that holds moisture well but does not become waterlogged. Sandy loam soils with good aeration are ideal. As a shallow-rooted plant, the white currant benefits from plenty of humus in the top 20 to 30 cm; before planting, loosen the soil, work in compost and then mulch.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov
In late autumn, spread a layer of well-rotted compost around the shrub and rake it in lightly so the organic material works in over winter. In early spring, before it shoots, work in a further dose of compost with horn shavings shallowly, to cover the high nitrogen and potassium needs for shoot growth and fruit set. A mulch layer of grass clippings or straw also holds moisture and supplies nutrients continuously; as a supplement you can water on comfrey or nettle liquid feed in spring. Always work fertiliser in only shallowly, to spare the sensitive shallow roots.
Pruning
The white currant (Ribes rubrum) fruits on two- to three-year-old wood (spurs). Thin it out by removing the 3 to 4 oldest framework shoots (over 4 to 5 years old, dark wood) close to the ground each year and leaving 3 to 4 strong young shoots. The best time is straight after harvest (July/August · week 28 to 32); thinning in leafless late winter (February/March) is also possible as an alternative.
Overwintering
White currants are fully hardy and need no frost protection in the bed; a thin mulch layer of leaves or compost around the roots is enough. Place container specimens against a sheltered house wall and wrap the pot in horticultural fleece or hessian, as the roots in a container are at greater risk of frost than in the ground.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
The most reliable method is propagation by hardwood cuttings: in late autumn after leaf fall, cut one-year-old, pencil-thick shoots into pieces about 20 cm long. Each cutting needs at least two to three buds; cut straight just above a bud at the top and at an angle at the bottom, so no rainwater stands on the cut and you can clearly tell the top end. Loosen the soil deeply beforehand and insert the cuttings into loose, humus-rich soil so that only the top third with one to two buds sticks out. Keep the soil evenly moist, but avoid waterlogging. By the following autumn strong roots have formed; then plant the young shrubs in their final position. A somewhat more convenient alternative is layering: in spring, bend a long, low shoot in a shallow arc to the ground, lightly score the bark at the lowest point, fix the shoot with a hook or a stone and cover this spot a finger's width deep with soil. The shoot tip stays upright. Keep the spot moist; by autumn the layer is rooted, and you can separate it from the mother shrub and transplant it.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
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Varieties
4 varieties‘Blanka’
You have ‚Blanka’, a productive, late‑ripening white currant from a Czech breeding, known for its exceptionally long clusters.
‘Primus’
A healthy, dependable white currant from Czech breeding, valued for its mild flavour and its toughness.
‘Weiße Versailler’
The classic white currant par excellence, at home in gardens for more than 150 years.
‘Zitavia’
A modern white currant from Czech breeding that convinces with healthy foliage and an even crop.
Notes from real gardens
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