There are a lot of things out in the wildlife that are as tough as f*ck. Lots of weeds, trees and bushes that can survive really harsh environment: hot sun, no water, really low temperatures etc. And I think blackcurrant should be on that tough guy list.
I started my first test on blackcurrant propagation about two months ago. And what I did was, I cut down a bunch of twigs/ took them home and then cut them in necessary sizes. So I ended up with some cutoffs. Since it was cold outside, I took them inside my barn and just left them on a concrete ground. Then about a month later, when I replanted my blackcurrant plants in separate containers, I went to the barn, picked up the cutoffs, brought them inside and placed them in the dirt. And this is what they look like about a month later:
The smallest ones were just 6 cm long and they had only one bud. And it looks like that's enough. They made roots and sprout from that one bud. Usually, everyone recommends to put at least two buds under ground and then two above ground. Well - looks like you could easily go with just one bud.
There were just 3 with NO buds at all. And even then one of them made some small roots.
They were laying on a concrete ground for a month with no water, no cover in minus degrees. Some nights it was -20 C° and they're just fine. I think that makes them one of the toughest plants out there.
I replanted them to separate containers [this time I used bear glases], and hopefully, I will get 17 extra blackcurrant bushes. That's awesome.
That's it for now.