Photo: Simon Eugster --– Simon / ?! 11:18, 28 June 2007 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Pruning guide · Shrub

Jostaberry: when and how to prune

Ribes × nidigrolaria

Prune a jostaberry after the harvest, in August, or in winter, in November–February: every year, saw a few of the oldest stems off at the base, just as for a blackcurrant.

Jostaberry is a cross between blackcurrant and gooseberry: a vigorous, thornless bush of 1.5–2 m that bears black berries in short clusters in July. It crops best on young wood, so pruning is mostly about renewal, as with blackcurrant: every year, take out a few of the oldest stems, to make room for strong young shoots. You also need to keep it within its space, as it grows stronger and wider than its parents.

Updated on 10 October 2026

Key facts
Pruning months	August and November–February
Nesting season (15 March–15 August)	Take care in August
Flowering	April
Native to Belgium	No, planted

Jostaberry: when to prune it?

Straight after the harvest, in August, you can see clearly which stems have fruited and which are young and strong.

If you prefer to prune in winter, do it in November–February, when the bush is bare, in mild weather and not when it is freezing.

Don’t prune in spring or early summer: it flowers as early as April, and in June–July the berries hang on the stems you would be cutting off.

What else to prune in those months? January · February · August · November · December

Jostaberry: how to prune it?

A jostaberry grows as a clump of stems coming out of the ground, without a short trunk. After planting, cut the stems back by a third: it will then shoot strongly from the base.
Recognise the old stems: they are dark, thick and much branched. Young stems are light brown, smooth and straight.
Every year, saw a few of the oldest stems off as close to the ground as possible. Don’t leave stubs: only weak shoots come from them.
Keep strong young shoots from the base, and don’t shorten them all: they carry next year’s crop.
Remove weak, low-lying and crossing stems, so the bush stays open and the berries get light.
It grows strongly: keep it within its 2 m by cutting overlong stems back to a side branch, not by trimming the whole bush all over.

How much to cut, and how often?

A few of the oldest stems every year: that way no stem gets older than about four years, and the bush keeps renewing itself.
A mature bush has around ten sturdy stems of different ages. Remove surplus weak young shoots.
A young jostaberry first makes mostly wood. Prune it lightly for the first few years, and give it time, sun and little feed.

What does it mean for wildlife?

In April the jostaberry flowers with small, reddish flowers: an early source of nectar and pollen for queen bumblebees and solitary bees.
Blackbirds love the ripe berries. Put a fine, taut net over the bush as they begin to colour, and take it off again after the harvest, so no birds get tangled in it.
Pruning after the harvest in August partly still falls in the nesting season (15 March–15 August): blackbirds and whitethroats sometimes build a late nest in a dense fruit bush. Look first, as disturbing an active nest is against the law. Winter pruning falls outside it.
Ladybirds and tits deal with the aphids on the shoot tips: don’t spray poison. Pieces of one-year-old wood 20–25 cm long, pushed into the ground in autumn, root easily as hardwood cuttings.

Common mistakes

Shortening all the stems, as for a redcurrant, so the young fruiting wood is gone.
Never removing old stems, so the bush is full of old wood and gives fewer and fewer berries.
Trimming the bush all over to keep it small, instead of cutting overlong stems back to a side branch.
Planting it too close to other shrubs: it grows 2 m wide, wider than a blackcurrant.
Pruning in August without checking for nests first.

Caution: Don’t shorten all the young branches: they carry next year’s crop.

Nearby: related pruning guides

Plant profile: Jostaberry · Pruning calendar and basic rules