Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum "Ben Conan"
Seller: ALLIKASILM
About this product
Blackcurrant Ribes nigrum "Ben Conan" is a very early, large-fruited variety bred in Scotland and holder of the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Buy a "Ben Conan" blackcurrant plant in Estonia from the ALLIKASILM nursery.
The berries are very large, glossy and sweet, borne on medium-long strigs and easy to pick. It gives heavy crops – up to about 3.5 kg from a mature bush – and is one of the first to ripen, in Estonia usually in early July.
The bush is compact, 1–1.5 m tall, so it suits smaller gardens too. The variety is self-fertile, resistant to powdery mildew and leaf curling midge and very winter-hardy. Enjoy the berries fresh or use them for juice, jam and freezing.
Specifications
- Type: blackcurrant, fruit bush
- Botanical name: Ribes nigrum "Ben Conan"
- Height and spread: 1–1.5 m × 1–1.5 m, compact
- Fruit: very large, black, sweet; up to 3.5 kg per bush
- Ripening: very early, early July
- Light: sun to part shade
- Soil: fertile, moist, well-drained, pH 6–6.5
- Hardiness: very hardy, zone 3–4 (RHS H6)
- Pollination: self-fertile
- Use: fresh, juice, jam, freezing
- Size: plant
Advice from our agronomist
Planting. Plant in spring or September in sun or part shade. Dig a hole 40–50 cm wide and deep and add compost. Set the plant 5–8 cm deeper than it grew in the pot so the bush makes more new shoots. Leave about 1.5 m between bushes.
Watering and feeding. Blackcurrants like moisture: water in dry spells, especially during flowering and fruit swell, 10–20 l per bush. In spring give a nitrogen fertiliser for fruit bushes or compost, after harvest potassium and phosphorus. Mulch the root zone.
Care. Right after planting cut the shoots back to 2–3 buds to build a strong bush. Later, in early spring, cut out branches older than 3–4 years at ground level along with weak and diseased shoots. A good bush has 10–15 branches of different ages.
Gardener's tip. An early variety flowers early – during spring frosts cover the flowering bush with fleece at night. Pick whole strigs once all the berries have turned black.
Codes and attributes
| Warehouse code | 3139 |
|---|---|
| Category | Currants |
Delivery and timing
- Parcel locker — €2.99–3.99, free from 59,00 €
- Courier to the door — €7.99–8.99, free from 99,00 €
- Dispatched within 2 working days