You’ll be using the loppers for thicker stems, and the secateurs for thinner on pruning needs. Both tools need to be sharp so that they leave behind a nice,clean cut. If they tear through the stems, the wound won’t heal as quickly or as neatly. Unlike blackcurrants, redcurrants grow best on older stems. Once the stem hits 4 years though, it won’t produce many berries, if at all. Older stems are darker and thicker, while younger ones are thinner and paler. You can use these methods to prune white currants and gooseberries as well. Make sure that the last bud is on the outside of the plant. This way, it will develop into an outward facing stem. You are essentially cutting about a third of the stem off. Between winter and summer, the bush will grow a lot, so you will need to prune it again. Since berries like to grow on older stems, focus on pruning off the newer ones instead. Keeping the older stems will allow them to continue to grow berries. Trimming the newer stems will help encourage growth and give you a bushier plant. Try to finish on an outward-facing leaf rather than an inward-facing leaf. You can prune redcurrants the same way you prune white currants however, these methods will not work on blackcurrants which have different needs. Currants should be pruned in the early spring following the first year. For the first year of pruning, prune everything but six to eight shoots. The second year pruning, remove all but four or five healthy shoots that are one-year old and three or four healthy shoots that are two years old. Every year following, prune so that four to five shoots remain that are one year old, and three to four shoots remain that are older. Any branches older than three years old should be removed as well. Suckers are thin, vertical stems shoots that grow from the roots. They are not connected to the base of the bush. They will show up in the summer, after the growing season; this is when you should prune them. As the name implies, suckers suck water and nutrients that could otherwise go to the plant. Removing them means that your plant will get more water and nutrients. If it still looks dead or diseased, trim it further. You may have to remove it entirely in extreme cases. Remember to clean your shears after each cut that you make. This may seem like a lot of extra work, but you don’t want to transfer the infection to healthy wood. Diseases may also spread into compost and contaminate it. Burn the stems, if possible.