Should I be ruthless in the garden?

[Stephen]

I am inclined to be so.

Situation 1: on the allotment, blackcurrant bushes which are fruiting poorly. I inherited them with the space some six years ago. I have some currant saplings which are cuttings I rooted in the garden.

Situation 2: in the garden (which is walled so inclined to remain damp whatever the weather for the colder six months of the year) I have a thornless Blackberry bought from the local nursery some 8 years ago. Vigourous but fails to fruit well, nothing as listed http://www.essentialgardenguide.com/garden-fruits-problems/29/Blackberries/ on this page but the fruits don't develop remaining grey, dry and develop mould quickly. Do I kill it off with glyphosate and replace it?
Any reccomendations for good varietals? My parents had a very productive Himalayan Giant but it would be too vigourous for my small garden (and crikey it was monstrously thorny).

[oldherbaceous]

Afternoon Stephen, if plants don't respond to a good feed and a drink through a whole year, they are unlikely to improve in the next. So i get shot of them and start a fresh, new stock and improve the soil with compost or well rotted manure.

I just think it's worth persisting with something that isn't cropping well.

[Diane]

I agree - I give poorly plants one good talking to, plus some TLC - and if they don't buck up the following year then out they go. I usually dig them up and offer them on freecycle, rather than bin them. In another situation they may improve and at least they are free to the collector.

[glallotments]

We inherited blackcurrants on our plot too which were fine for a tear or two and them failed to produce. We took cuttings and dug up the plants. The cuttings were taking a while to get going so we bought some new plants too and planted them elsewhere on the plot. The cuttings are now strong plants but not much fruit as yet but the new plants were loaded this year.

As for the blackberry - if you plants another in the same place will it be likely to suffer from the same conditions. We planted a Loch Ness thornless after a recommendation but as ut was new last year we can't judge just how good it is yet.

[Stephen]

Thanks for the comments.
Time for action (next day off)

[sally wright]

Dear Stephen,
sit one, hack back to the ground, feed and check for big-bud over the winter.
sit two, don't try to replant another blackberry for two to three years as they suffer from replant disease. (see rose sickness for details but it applies to most stuff from the rose family). try fan-training some blackcurrants on the wall perhaps; or better yet a morello cherry. Yes I know this is also a rose family member but it is not the same species or even close so it ought to do reasonably well.
Regards Sally Wright.

[Johnboy]

Hi Stephen,
Could I be so bold as to ask what regime you follow when pruning your Blackberry?
JB.

[Stephen]

Hi JB
Of course.
I cut off the canes which fruited and leave the new ones. I may trim the latter back a little.

[Johnboy]

Hi Stephen,
The reason why I asked your pruning regime is because only last year I had a person who has been gardening for years complaining about lack of fruit and she had been cutting it to the ground each year and even argued with me when I tried to explain to her that next years fruit comes on this years growth.
This may dismay you but I would not use the Blackcurrant cuttings that you have taken because they are a clone of what you already have and anything that was wrong with the parent plant will be inherited by the cuttings. Time to buy new stock maybe.
I think that I would also ditch the Blackberry and buy new stock.
I do not know how much land you have at your disposal but I would replant both in fresh areas if you have the room to do so.
JB.

[Stephen]

Fair enough JB.
The blackberry problem is not quantity of fruit but ones that mould or dry out before ripening.