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Josta: How to Plant and Care for a Hybrid of Currant and Gooseberry
28.03.2023 16:07
Updated: 14.04.2023 22:49
Jostaberry is a relatively new crop for amateur gardeners, but it can be found more and more often in summer cottages.
There are two main advantages of jostaberry: the bush is easy to care for and its berries are healthy.
What other advantages does it have and what disadvantages does it have?
Jostaberry has bypassed currants and gooseberries in many ways. The plant quickly forms a tall bush, which yields its first harvest in the 3rd year. Jostaberry has good winter hardiness.
The bush is resistant to anthracnose, it is rarely attacked by aphids and bud mites. Powerful and hardy shoots can form a picturesque hedge.
The disadvantage is not a very high yield. However, this is a minus only for those who grow berries not only for themselves, but also for sale. The needs of an ordinary amateur gardener will easily be covered by yoshta.
How to plant jostaberry in the garden
There is no need to bother with choosing a place, because jostaberry grows both in the sun and in partial shade. However, to collect a good harvest, black currant or gooseberry should grow nearby.
Gardeners advise planting jostaberries in the fall. To begin with, the planting site is dug up and 10 kg of organic matter (compost, humus), lime (350-450 g), potassium sulfate (80-100 g) and superphosphate (100-120 g) are added per 1 sq. m.
If planting is carried out directly into the planting hole, then use 8-10 kg of organic matter, 30-45 g of viburnum salt (or 20-30 g of potassium chloride), 50-70 g of superphosphate.
Immediately after planting, the soil is abundantly moistened, and the ground around the bush is mulched with compost or peat.
How to care for jostaberries
Jostaberry likes good watering. Fertilizers are no different from those applied to currants. Thus, in early spring, the emphasis is on nitrogen fertilizers - urea (40-50 g). For adult plants that are older than 4 years, nitrogen is also needed, but the dose of urea is reduced to 25-40 g.
When the yoshta finishes fruiting, add 4-6 kg of organic matter, 10-20 g of potassium sulfate and 50 g of superphosphate.
Another advantage of the plant is that it requires almost no pruning. It is enough to remove dried shoots in the spring and shorten the side shoots by 30-40 cm if they have grown more than 2 m. This has a positive effect on the yield.
