By Merlej
United Kingdom 
I have a gooseberry and Blackcurrant bush in my allotment. They are 3 years old and appear to be very healthy but have never given any fruit. They are in a fruit cage and kept adquately hydrated. Please can you tell me if ther is anything I can do as other people seen to have lts of fruit already. thank you.
9 Jun, 2011
They ought to start bearing next year. Blackcurrants are gross feeders and greatly benefit from a mulch of well rotted manure in the spring. Perhaps you have pruned them wrongly - they flower on the wood that was made the previous summer, so if you winter prune you will lose all the flower buds. Pruning is done immediately after fruiting, to give the plant its best chance of sending up new wood that will fruit the following summer. The manuring will encourage this new growth, and if you haven't done it already, feed them now.
Pruning for gooseberries is quite different, and ideally done twice a year, but without seeing a picture of your bushes I would hesitate to advise you. Don't simply shorten the branches or you will get a dense thorny bush that's very difficult to pick from! To encourage flowering you should top dress both gooseberries and blackcurrants with a high potash feed in late February.
9 Jun, 2011