Are jostaberries hard to grow?

[genovise]

Hi all, I was visiting the local gardening centre and came across a jostaberry plant. I was wondering are they hard to grow? and what do they taste like?

[roitelet]

The taste is a cross between a blackcurrant and a gooseberry. I find they are easy to grow and mine have been grown from cuttings in the same way as blackcurrants. They need lots of space as they make huge floppy bushes, spacing need to be about 1 metre apart.

Give them a try.

[oldie]

I would advise 2mtrs apart, they do get large. I'm going to move my 2year old one this year as it is just to big for the place I first put it.

[Ruined]

We have them all over our site. As long as you prune them correctly you'll have a good crop.

They do grow big - I sacrificed my crop this year in favour of a hard prune. And, as always, wished I'd been more brave and taken a bit more off.

[BroadRipple]

OK jostaberry experts, I have 2 questions - 1)how DO you prune them? like blackcurrants? and 2) do you think they'd be happier in the ground than in a pot, and if so...compost? chicken poo? any other tips?
Thank you

[roitelet]

Pruning? Mine have not got to that stage yet but I have had to chop of the bits that get in the way. I think they are pruned like blackcurrants but someone else will be along with the correct advice. Deffo in the ground not pots, they are too big! I would think that lots of potash will improve the fruiting so not chicken poo, high nitrogen. Mine get manure when I think about it.

[BroadRipple]

roitelet, what do you use for potash? thanks for jostaberry info...chopping bits off sounds like my kind of pruning.

[aoife♥]

I have a jostaberry plant and i have a couple of questions 1) how much fruit should you get off a jostaberry?(mines a year old if it helps.)i have about 12 berries on it and one of the branches that had another 10 berries on it got snaped it off. 2) Roitelet, you said something about chicken poo. I used chicken poo when i planted it will that effect my amount of fruit? should i put some potash on it? and 3) when should i prune my plant? it sticks out on to the path and i don't know if i should cut it back yet. thanks.

[veggiechicken]

My Jostaberries are very tough and take all sorts of abuse. Any bits that stick out in the way, cut them off and poke them in the ground. Leave the fruiting bits though! Next year, you'll have another bush. I grow them like hedges! They'll produce more fruit as they grow larger, with more branches.

[roitelet]

I have a jostaberry plant and i have a couple of questions 1) how much fruit should you get off a jostaberry?(mines a year old if it helps.)i have about 12 berries on it and one of the branches that had another 10 berries on it got snaped it off. 2) Roitelet, you said something about chicken poo. I used chicken poo when i planted it will that effect my amount of fruit? should i put some potash on it? and 3) when should i prune my plant? it sticks out on to the path and i don't know if i should cut it back yet. thanks.

At a year old you shouldn't expect much fruit. As vegichicken says you will get more fruit as the plant gets older. I use wood ash for potash, well I have to put it somewhere. If it sticks out on the path then chop it off. The parents of my bushes are 2mtrs high and as wide and I don't think they have ever been pruned. Tough old brutes these things so keep them under control!!!!

[Feral007]

Maybe that's not a jostaberry tree I've got? It's still such a pidding little thing I was planning to buy another dozen just to fill in the space around it! I think my trouble is that we have so much shale rock around the farm and there's only one side of the houseyard that has any depth of soil. Must be a hardy little beggar then! So I should prob buy some more self sizing jostaberry trees.
I like the taste because they are a little bit tart. And there is just enough berries for me to get to them before the birds. The birds wont come down that low for just a few berries at a time.

[veggiechicken]

Mine are about head height but I'm only little!!

[aoife♥]

Do hedgehogs like jostaberries??? I have three hedgehogs in the garden and every time I check my plant the lower branches are snaped. They are not pulled off but they look like some animal reached up and pulled the branch down.

[widd]

Hi All,
First time on here thought I'd just pop up and say hi, I think Ive gone raving mad have in the last week bought a Kiwi plant, a boysenberry, a black butte blackberry, and I'm sitting here waiting for a wineberry plant to be delivered, dont know anything about any of them only what I have read on the internet, but thats me go and buy shove them in the garden with farmyard manure and well rotted horse poop, they then have two chances.