Jostaberry (Ribes x culverwellii)
At a glance
- Lifecycle
- Perennial (hardy)
- Exposure
- Full sun
- Frost limit
- −23.3 °C
Cultivation
Easily grown in a moisture retentive but well-drained loamy soil of at least moderate quality. A group of cultivars of hybrid origin, basically a cross between blackcurrants and gooseberries. Very vigorous plants, producing prolific crops of fruit. They are being grown increasingly in gardens. In general they resist American gooseberry mildew, blackcurrant leaf spot and gall mite. Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus.
Propagation
Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a cold frame. Stored seed requires 3 months cold stratification at between 0 and 5°c and should be sown as early in the year as possible. Under normal storage conditions the seed can remain viable for 17 years or more. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter, planting them out in late spring of the following year. This plant is a cultivar and will not breed true from seed. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 10 - 15cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Cuttings of mature wood of the current year's growth, preferably with a heel of the previous year's growth, November to February in a cold frame or sheltered bed outdoors.
Edible uses
Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, jams etc.
Habitat
Not known in the wild.
Native range
A range of garden hybrids.