Gooseberries and Red Currants: Cordon Training for Fresh Fruit Production
by Steven A. McKay

This article is based on observations made while in Europe during summer, 2002, and much appreciated discussion with Adri van Eck, DLV in Holland, and Jim Arbury, RHS Wisley Gardens in England. I have begun trials of cordon-trained plants in New York, and will report on their success in coming years.

Cordon training of Ribes plants whose fruit is intended for the fresh market is standard practice for growers in Holland. The practice has also been popular in England for hobby and display gardens, with some difference from the Dutch system. The basic idea of the system is that one to three trunks (vertical cordons) per plant are developed and trained to stakes vertically. Pruning removes old and excess wood in order to renew the fruiting structures of the plant. Plants are opened up to provide better access to fruit, and better ventilation, light, and spray penetration. Quality and size of fruit can be improved, and labor for picking is reduced.

Red Currants
In Holland, red currants are planted about ½ meter apart. Three branches are selected as cordons, and trained up bamboo stakes spaced at the center of the plant, and about fifteen centimeters on each side. The cordons are encouraged to grow to a height of five to six feet. A spare branch is left at the base of the plant each year as insurance in case any of the cordons die and need replacement. During the same year, right after fruiting, the year-old branches that bore fruit are removed. Very small branches and
misplaced or crowding branches are removed, leaving medium-sized branches that will bear fruit the next season. This way, a plant is completely renewed (except the cordon) on an annual basis.

In England, semi-permanent branches are selected evenly spaced along the cordon. In late June each year, undesirably placed and crowding branches are removed leaving five to seven bud branches for the rest of the growing season. The five bud branches are shortened to two bud fruiting spurs during dormant season pruning.

Gooseberries
Gooseberries can be very difficult to harvest if they are a thorny variety. Cordon training offers the advantage of opening up the plant and leaving fruit accessible. In Holland, a single branch is chosen and trained up a stake to a height of five to six feet. Only new, well spaced, medium-sized branches are left at the end of the growing season. Poorly spaced, small branches, and branches that bore fruit are removed. In England, cordoned gooseberries are trained the same way they train cordoned red currants.

Trellising System
I have found that the conduit used for training apples to the vertical axis system are good for a ribes trellis. Ideally, posts would be about two meters long with about thirty centimeters pounded into the ground, and a hole drilled about four centimeters from the top. The posts could be spaced six to eight feet apart, with a number fourteen or twelve wire passed through the holes at the top of the stakes. At each end of the trellis, a conduit anchor post can be driven in, and the wire attached through a hole drilled near the top of the post. Six foot bamboo posts are then spaced as needed along the wire, pushed in a couple of inches, and tied at the top.
Green horticultural tape can be used to tie trunks to the posts.

Conversion of Bushes to Cordons
Bushes can easily be converted to cordons by selecting three young to medium-aged branches (one in the case of gooseberries) to become cordons. If spacing is too wide between plants, cuttings can be taken and stuck between older plants (best done Sept.15-Oct. 15 in the Northeast US) to develop new plants. Older plants will become adapted within one growing season.

Advantages and Disadvantages Summarized
Advantages:
1. Plants are opened up for better air circulation, spray coverage, and harvesting.
2. Fruit quality is improved in terms of size, color, and lack of rubbing injury.
3. Pruning is simplified over bush systems, because one can see easier what to cut.
4. The plant's cordon or support system does not constantly need to be renewed as with the bush system. (The trunk, or cordon is relatively permanent, while branches in plants are renewed every three to five years.)

Disadvantages:
1. The system is more costly to establish.
2. Cordons can die out and need replacement.

Back to Planting Guide