Ribes × nidigrolaria
Jostaberry
Common names: Josta
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Hardiness
- Hardy down to −28 °C
- Pruning
- Jul–Aug
- Harvest
- Jul–Aug
- Spacing
- 180 cm, rows 200 cm
- Water need
- Medium
Photo: User:Zualio · CC BY 2.5 · Source
Description
The Jostabeere is a hybrid between black currant (Ribes nigrum) and gooseberry (Ribes uva-crispa), combining the best traits of both parents: aromatic dark berries without the irritating thorns. It grows vigorously and is robust against powdery mildew and canker. A single plant yields well because it is self‑fertile.
Care instructions
Plant the vigorous shrub in autumn (October, week 43) with adequate spacing in a sunny location on humus-rich soil. Annually prune after harvest by removing some of the oldest shoots to keep the bush airy. Mulch well and water during dry summers so the branches become full of berries.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
HarvestJul–Aug
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, loamy, well-drained, nutrient-rich, moist
Give the jostaberry deep, humus-rich and evenly moist soil that is still free-draining. It does not tolerate waterlogging. A loamy, humus-rich substrate holds water and nutrients; work in plenty of ripe compost when planting.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
Mar, Apr, Oct
Feed the jostaberry twice a year: in spring, as the buds swell, when the nitrogen requirement for new growth is highest, work ripe compost and horn shavings shallowly in around the root area. In autumn after harvest, lay a layer of well-rotted manure or compost as mulch; this protects the soil and releases nutrients slowly. A good potassium supply is important for fruit formation; potassium-rich compost helps here.
Pruning
Thin the jostaberry moderately only from the third year in position, straight after harvest (July/August), and remove shoots older than five to six years close to the ground. Do not shorten the shoots, and leave 6 to 8 framework shoots of different ages, because it fruits on one-year-old and older wood.
Overwintering
The jostaberry is fully hardy and needs no winter protection in the lowlands of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Simply leave the shrub outdoors. Just choose a spot without a frost pocket, because the early blossom is sensitive to late frost; if late frost is forecast, you can briefly cover the flowering shoots with fleece to secure the fruit set.
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
The most reliable way to propagate the jostaberry is by hardwood cuttings; this is the simplest and most successful method. Between autumn and spring (roughly September to February), cut pencil-thick, one-year-old, strong shoots into pieces 15 to 20 cm long, each with several buds. Healthy shoots from the outer, light-rich part of the shrub are especially suitable. Insert them about halfway into loose soil or a pot, so that only the top two buds show, and water thoroughly. In a bright, moderately warm spot they form roots; the following autumn you can plant the young shrubs in their final position.
A second suitable method is propagation by layering: in spring, bend a long, healthy shoot close to the ground in an arc down to the soil, fix the middle with a wire, hook or stone and heap a little soil over it. The shoot tip stays free and points upwards. After about 6 to 12 months, the layer has formed its own roots and can be separated from the mother shrub and moved.
Sowing is biologically possible, but because of its hybrid nature (a cross of blackcurrant and gooseberry) it gives offspring not true to variety and is therefore not recommended in practice. Only vegetative propagation by hardwood cuttings and layering preserves the characteristics of the mother plant.
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
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Varieties
3 varieties‘Jogranda’
Jogranda stands out for its particularly large berries, which hang singly rather than in strigs on the thornless bush.
‘Josta’
The original jostaberry is a thornless cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry and thus the easygoing classic for the bed.
‘Jostine’
Jostine is a high yielding further development of the jostaberry with somewhat larger, more aromatic berries than the original 'Josta'.
Notes from real gardens
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