How to Care for a Goji Berry Plant

By Lizz Shepherd, eHow Contributor

Print this article A Goji berry plant is an unusual plant that is gaining favor with home gardeners who want to grow food-producing plants. The Goji berry is high in antioxidants, fatty acids and a number of amino acids that are beneficial to the body, but it can take years to harvest them. A young Goji berry plant will not produce Goji berries until its third year. Difficulty:

Instructions
1. o Plant your Goji Berry plant in soil that has excellent drainage. If you have clay soil or the area you have chosen to plant the Goji plant has poor drainage, it will be necessary to add a little sand or organic materials to the area. You can add potting soil, peat moss or compost to make the soil drain more efficiently. o

Moderate

Place a short fence around the plants to keep out the local wildlife. The leaves of the Goji berry plant are edible for humans as well as for animals, and rabbits, deer and other wildlife will eat the plant if it is available to them. Some people also choose to place netting over their plants to keep out birds and other animals. Garden fencing is available in any home improvement store and can be snapped together to keep small animals away from the plant.
o

Plant the Goji berry plant after the last frost of the winter or spring is over. Plant it in an area that receives full sun. It is drought-tolerant and does not need to be watered often, but watering may help it grow faster. If your area receives regular rainfall, this will be enough to sustain the Goji berry plant. If your area receives rain less than once a week, the plant will need to be watered.
o

Prune the plant to keep it at the size you desire. If the plant is left to grow wild without any pruning, it will produce more berries, but it can reach heights of 8 feet. Many gardeners prune it to remain as a bush.

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Goji Berry Planting Instructions

By Alyson Paige, eHow Contributor

Print this article Planting your own goji berries (lycium barbarum) is a rewarding way to provide yourself with healthful goji juice from your garden. With goji berry seeds, a place to plant them and benign attention, you can harvest these exotic natives of Tibet.

1. Seeds
o

Use seeds to get directly from the fruit or purchase goji berry seeds. To pick goji seeds from dried goji berries, slice a berry in half and remove the sturdy seeds. Plant seeds immediately and directly about 1/2 inch deep in aerated soil in the ground or in pots. Keep soil moist until seedlings sprout.

Location
o

Goji berry plants will grow in most spaces. Plant them where you have free space. You may want to plant goji berries in the front yard for their spring show of beautiful purple flowers. Gojiberries.net recommends planting goji seeds in a location with a southern exposure with access to full sunlight. If growing indoors, provide full-spectrum fluorescent light for at least eight hours a day. Constant exposure to artificial light is preferable. Avoid contamination from pesticides and pollution. Goji plants can withstand temperatures of -15 degrees Fahrenheit.

Conditions
o

Plant goji berries after the last frost. Maintain moisture until seeds germinate. Gojiberries.net warns not to use chemical fertilizers. Fertilize with organic manure instead. Add mulch to the soil keeping it well-aerated. Allow the soil to mostly dry between watering after seedlings sprout. Do not saturate when watering. Keep water from leaves to avoid fungal diseases.

Harvest
o

Goji berry plants yield berries after two years The plants are fully mature in four to five years. Ripe goji berries are bright red. Harvest goji berries in October for nutrient-rich juice. Once the plants yield mature berries, extract seeds to continue planting goji berries. Give seeds or seedlings as gifts.

Read more: Goji Berry Planting Instructions | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/way_5553806_goji-berry-plantinginstructions.html#ixzz1U8kRCThO

How to Cultivate Goji Berry Plants

By Caryn Anderson, eHow Contributor updated January 12, 2011

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Goji berries contain vitamin C, iron and beta carotene.

Harvest a nutritional powerhouse from your own back yard. Goji berries are filled with diseasefighting antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Buying Goji berries in the grocery store can be costly, so save money while adding beauty to your garden by growing your own Goji berries. Goji berry plants, also called Lycium barbarum, bloom with showy, purple and white flowers during spring, and juicy orangish-red berries from summer through fall. Goji berry plants are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 5 to 9 (average minimum temperatures of minus 20 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit) and must be properly cultivated to ensure maximum results.
Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions
Things You'll Need
Shovel Sand Mulch 1. o

Select a planting location that receives full sun exposure and is large enough to accommodate the Goji berry plant upon maturity. Shrubs can grow as tall as 12 feet with a spread of 6 feet. Planting in an appropriately sized location will minimize the need to prune the shrub later. Goji berries adapt to various types of soil but require good drainage. Enhance drainage by adding sand or organic materials to the soil -- add one part sand or compost to two parts soil.

2 3 4

Dig a hole slightly wider and approximately as deep as the container in which you purchased your bare-root Goji shrub. Place the Goji plant in the hole and fill with your soil mixture. Water thoroughly after planting.
o

Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch. Mulch regulates soil temperature, discourages weed growth and aids the soil's moisture retention.
o

Water throughout the growing season with a frequency that depends on your location. Gardeners in warmer regions or dry areas may need to water Goji plants more frequently than gardeners in cooler, wetter climates. Goji plants require at least 1 inch of water per week. Check the soil every three to four days -- when the soil feels dry, it is time to water.

Read more: How to Cultivate Goji Berry Plants | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7762374_cultivate-goji-berryplants.html#ixzz1U8kWV7y6

How to Prune Goji Plants

By Kimberly Johnson, eHow Contributor updated June 04, 2011

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Prune Goji Plants

Goji plants ( Lycium barbarum) are native to China. They are small to medium-sized shrubs that develop bright red, oval berries in the fall that are called goji berries. The fruit tastes like licorice

and has high levels of antioxidants. If you are growing your own goji plant, it will require annual pruning to keep it from growing out of control and to encourage branching and fruiting. Wait until the spring to prune the goji plant -- just before the plant starts to produce new growth.
Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions
Things You'll Need
1. Loppers Tape measure Pruning shears Hedge shears (optional) o

1 2 3 4

Look for any branches that are broken or that are brown or yellow. Cut these stems off near the ground using loppers.
o

Measure the height of the plant. If it is taller than 10 feet, prune the top of the bush to be no more than 10 feet by using pruning shears and cutting straight across the top of the plant.
o

Measure the width of the plant. If the plant is wider than 12 feet, cut off equal amounts from each side using pruning shears to decrease the width to no more than 12 feet.
o

Prune 1/2 to 1 inch off of the tips of the remaining branches to create a desirable shape. You can make the plant slightly rounded or cut it in a square or rectangle as desired.

Read more: How to Prune Goji Plants | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_7567472_prune-goji-plants.html#ixzz1U8ka8Xu8

Boabe Goji (Lycium chinense)

30.70 RON/buc.

Mrire

Acest arbust provine din muntele Himalaia avnd cretere foarte rapid i robust. Are ramuri subiri cu spini, care la maturitate ajung chiar la 2 m nlime. Este total rezistent la ger pn la -25 grade C. Nu este pretenios, vegeteaz pe orice tip de sol, nu are nevoie de fertilizri, acestea chiar trebuie evitate pentru c duneaz calitii fructelor. Exemplare n vrst au nevoie a se aplica tieri de rrire, pentru a stimula creterea. Rezistent la ger. Prefer expoziiile nsorite sau semiumbroase. Fructele se coc ncepnd din luna august pn n octombrie. Se recomand a fii consumate mai ales sub from uscat. Cel mai benefic este a fii consumat dimineaa i seara 15 bobie. Boabele roii sunt utilizate de sute de ani n medicina chinezeasc pentru meninerea sntii. Conine foarte multe vitamine i antioxidani. Ajut n dezvoltarea imunitii respectiv ajut n tratamentele de raze i chemoterapie, normalizeaz tensiunea, etc. Din precauie nu este indicat consumarea a mai mult de

8-10 gr/zi de fructe. (Codul: 40003)

Pot cultiva plantele mele Goji n Romnia?

Da, plantele Goji se adapteaz cu succes la clima din Romnia, la mai multe tipuri de soluri i condiii zonale de clim. Plantele Goji rezist la temperaturile joase specifice iernilor din Romnia. Plantele Goji rezist la condiiile de temperatur specifice unelor zone din Romnia: ierni friguroase i veri caniculare. Plantele Goji au trecut testele noastre cu succes, rezistnd iarna la -23C i vara la 38C. Avem experien de 6 ani n creterea plantelor Goji n Romnia. V stm la dispoziie pentru cultivarea plantei Goji.