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Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
Reviewed by Kiersten Rankel M.S.
QUICK ANSWER
Hardwood cuttings taken in late winter root with high reliability over 10 to 14 weeks and are the standard method.
Softwood cuttings in June root in 4 to 6 weeks but only succeed about 60 percent of the time. Ground layering of a low branch roots over one season and gives a single robust shrub. Dividing a multi-stemmed clump in late winter is the fastest way to relocate a mature plant.
Softwood cuttings in June root in 4 to 6 weeks but only succeed about 60 percent of the time. Ground layering of a low branch roots over one season and gives a single robust shrub. Dividing a multi-stemmed clump in late winter is the fastest way to relocate a mature plant.
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Hardwood cuttings
Best for making many plants from a single shrub
Softwood cuttings
Best for fast cloning during the growing season
Ground layering
Best for getting one strong new shrub
Division
Best for relocating a mature multi-stemmed shrub
Hardwood cuttings
Time
10–14 weeks
Level
Beginner
Success rate
High
You'll need
Sterile pruners
Rooting hormone powder (recommended)
Deep nursery pots or a sand-filled trench outdoors
Coarse sand or perlite-soil mix
Mulch
1
Take cuttings in late winter
Cut 10-inch sections of pencil-thick wood from the previous year's growth in February or early March before bud break. Each cutting needs 4 to 5 nodes. Make the bottom cut just below a node and the top cut a half inch above one.
2
Mark the orientation
Cut the bottom flat and the top at a slight angle. Hardwood cuttings stuck upside down never root.
This matters more than it seems because by April you will not remember which end was which on a tray of look-alike sticks.
This matters more than it seems because by April you will not remember which end was which on a tray of look-alike sticks.
3
Dust with rooting hormone
Tap the bottom inch in rooting hormone powder and shake off the excess. Flowering Currant roots at about 70 percent without hormone but over 90 percent with it. The treatment is worth the minute it takes.
4
Stick deep in sand or trench
Push cuttings into a sand-filled trench or deep nursery pot so two-thirds of each is buried. Space them 4 inches apart. Firm the medium and water once.
5
Overwinter in cold conditions
Mulch with 3 inches of bark or shredded leaves and leave outdoors. Flowering Currant cuttings need cold to root well. A sheltered spot against a north wall is ideal because it stays cool through any warm spells.
6
Lift after leaves emerge
By May, rooted cuttings have leafed out and resist a gentle tug. Lift with a fork, pot up into 1-gallon containers, and grow on through summer. Plant out the following spring.
WATCH FOR
A few cuttings collapse and turn black at the base over winter. That is rot from waterlogged sand. Flowering Currant tolerates cold beautifully but sulks in soggy media. If more than half the cuttings rot, switch to a drier sand-perlite mix and elevate the trench so it drains freely. Healthy cuttings stay firm and slightly moist, never wet.
Softwood cuttings
Time
4–6 weeks
Level
Intermediate
Success rate
Moderate
You'll need
Sterile pruners
Rooting hormone powder
4-inch pots with drainage
Perlite and peat mix
Clear humidity dome
Bright indirect light
1
Cut in early summer
Take 5-inch tip cuttings in June from new shoots that bend without snapping. Avoid stems with flower remnants because flowering wood roots poorly. Each cutting needs 3 nodes.
2
Strip and trim leaves
Remove the leaves from the lower two nodes. Cut the top two leaves in half across to reduce water loss.
Flowering Currant leaves transpire heavily in summer heat. Unmodified cuttings wilt before they can root.
Flowering Currant leaves transpire heavily in summer heat. Unmodified cuttings wilt before they can root.
3
Dip in rooting hormone
Tap the bottom inch in rooting hormone powder. Softwood cuttings of Flowering Currant root unreliably without hormone. With hormone, success climbs to about 60 percent.
4
Stick in perlite-peat mix
Push each cutting 2 inches deep into damp perlite-peat mix in a 4-inch pot. Three cuttings per pot. Firm the mix around each stem and water in from below.
5
Cover and place in bright shade
Set the pot inside a clear dome and place in bright indirect light at 70 degrees. Direct sun cooks the cuttings through the plastic. Mist the inside of the dome lightly every 3 days to maintain humidity.
6
Tug-test at week 4
Give a gentle tug. Resistance means roots have anchored. Vent the dome for an hour each day for a week to acclimate, then pot up rooted cuttings into 1-quart containers and grow on indoors or in a sheltered spot through fall.
WATCH FOR
Leaves wilt and crisp within the first week. The cuttings were taken from wood that was either too soft or too hard, and the dome did not hold humidity. Take fresh cuttings from wood that bends without snapping, recut bottoms, and seal the dome more tightly. The first 7 days are the critical window. Cuttings that survive a week usually go on to root.
Ground layering
Time
12 months
Level
Beginner
Success rate
High
You'll need
Sterile knife
Landscape staple or U-shaped wire
Compost-amended soil
Mulch
Sterile pruners for severing
1
Pick a flexible low branch
In early spring before flower buds open, find a 1 to 2-year-old branch on the lower part of the shrub that bends to the ground without breaking. Strip the leaves and any flower buds from the section that will be buried.
2
Wound the underside
Make a shallow 2-inch cut along the underside of the branch where it will be buried. Slice through the bark and the green cambium but not through the woody core.
A toothpick wedged in the cut keeps it open and exposes the cambium for rooting.
A toothpick wedged in the cut keeps it open and exposes the cambium for rooting.
3
Pin the wound underground
Dig a 4-inch trench, lay the wounded section in it with the cut facing down, and pin it firmly with a landscape staple. The branch tip should curve back up out of the trench. Backfill with compost-amended soil.
4
Water and mulch
Soak the buried section to settle the soil. Cover with 2 inches of mulch. Keep the area damp through the first summer.
5
Leave it for a full year
Roots form slowly over summer and fall. Do not dig up the layer to inspect. By the following spring, the buried section will have a softball-sized root system if soil moisture stayed consistent.
6
Sever and transplant
The next spring, cut the branch between the parent plant and the rooted section with sterile pruners. Wait 2 weeks for the new plant to adjust, then dig it up with a generous rootball and move to its permanent spot.
WATCH FOR
The branch pops up from its staple after a wind event or curious dog. The wound loses contact with the soil and rooting stops. Re-pin the branch within days, top up the soil, and water it back in. Flowering Currant ground layers are forgiving as long as you fix the disturbance fast.
Division
Time
1–2 weeks
Level
Intermediate
Success rate
Moderate
You'll need
Sharp spade
Loppers or pruning saw
Sterile garden knife
Bucket of water
Compost-amended planting hole
Mulch
1
Choose a multi-stemmed shrub
Flowering Currant grows as a clump of multiple stems rising from a shared crown. Only divide shrubs with at least 5 stems so each piece keeps stems and roots. Single-stem shrubs are not candidates.
2
Dig in late winter
Wait until February when the shrub is fully dormant. Dig a wide trench around the entire crown, going down at least 12 inches. Lever the rootball out of the ground and lay it on its side.
3
Separate the stems
Look for natural seams in the crown. Use loppers or a pruning saw to sever the woody crown into halves or thirds, each piece with its own stems and roots.
Do not rip pieces apart. Clean cuts heal far better than torn tissue and reduce the chance of rot setting in.
Do not rip pieces apart. Clean cuts heal far better than torn tissue and reduce the chance of rot setting in.
4
Prune the top to match the roots
Each division has lost about half its root mass. Cut the stems back by one third to balance the loss. The pruning prevents the plant from pushing leaves on roots that cannot support them.
5
Replant immediately
Set each division at the same depth it grew before in a compost-amended hole. Backfill, firm, and water in deeply. Mulch 3 inches deep but keep mulch off the stems.
6
Water weekly through the first season
Even dormant shrubs need consistent soil moisture for new roots to form. Soak the rootball with a bucket of water once a week through the first growing season unless it rains heavily. Do not skip waterings during dry spells.
WATCH FOR
Spring leaf-out is sparse or one-sided. Part of the root system did not survive the move. Be patient and keep the soil damp. Flowering Currant often pushes a flush of new growth from dormant buds at the base by midsummer if the roots are slowly reestablishing. Avoid fertilizer because the salt damages stressed roots.
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About This Article
Kiersten Rankel M.S.
Botanical Data Lead at Greg · Plant Scientist
Editorial Process
Propagation methods verified against Ribes sanguineum growth data from Greg's botanical database, cross-referenced with USDA hardiness zone data and published horticultural research.
7+ Greg users growing this plant
USDA hardiness zones 5a–10b