Goji Berry Plant

[mojito99]

Hiya

I've just received a Goji Berry Plant (on special offer with the Kitchen Garden) and I just wondered whether anybody has grown these before?

I know I will not get a harvest from them this year as they dont produce until year 2 but thought this would be a nice addition to my garden alongside my strawberries (which are coming on fab btw!).

Thanks

[Newtothis]

I have two that are two years old, and one I grew from seed last year too, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for good things happening this Summer I did get a few berries last year though, before the weather turned so you may well see a handful of fruit if you're lucky. I got mine from QD's for £1.99 and the seeds off Ebay. QD has them again this year along with other fruit bushes for the same price, they mostly go unsold, I guess because most people haven't heard of them and then they reduce them to 50p. I don't know that much about them there isn't an awful lot of info I can find. I do know you need to feed them with seaweed fertiliser at the beginning of growing season but not too much as they thrive in poor soil. It's a very strange plant, I've taken some pictures but can't figure out how to attach them at the mo, just on my way out. Will stick them here when I come back later.

[DavidT]

Is this any help?


Goji Berry Health Properties - Debunking the Myths

[Newtothis]

017.jpg

016.jpg

018.jpg

Here are my plants

[mojito99]

Thanks for the feedback!

I will keep you's posted on how I get on. I have a spot in mind where I am going to put it but need to wait for my new fence to be put in the garden first.

It says on the leaflet that comes with it that the bush can grown upto 10ft and it recommends you keep it pruned to about 5ft, be interesting to see how it grows!

[Newtothis]

I'm wondering how long it would take to get to that size as it seems relatively slow growing. I almost binned mine actually, I think I was expecting an evergreen or something, thinking if it can withstand the cold of Tibet it must just keep on growing. When the weather turned all the leaves fell off and just the thin wood was left. I thought this was surely dead but my hubby took them out of the pots and planted them in the ground. Then all of a sudden the beginning of spring, I'm telling hubby I'm going to pull it up and he said it's alive there are signs of new growth. I didn't believe him until I inspected it a while later and there was indeed new foliage, so I let it be and it has just kept on sending out branches and leaves. I think I remember reading somewhere that it requires little watering, so I haven't been watering so much. I haven't figured out how it should grow really, and if I should be helping with staking. The main stem of one has just curled over and become a horizontal branch which is sending up verticals as you can see from one of the pics. Being a complete novice the plant is a bit of a mystery to me really.

[Newtothis]

These were the same two plants last year

2nd July 2009
see thumbnail

1st August 2009

[kcleworth]

http://i1014.photobucket.com/albums/...h/0665f026.jpg

This is my specimen, bought him a few days ago for 2 English pounds...

Not quite sure how to re-pot him for growing on my balcony (6th floor is quite window) or in my small greenhouse.

Any tips?

[Newtothis]

That looks like a nice specimen, nice and bushy! The first pots I put mine into were the ones that you can see in the pictures, then into the ground after that season was over. Not sure what is the best way with this plant, you will probably understand my vagueness as yours grows. At the moment both mine seem to be on their way out due to powdery mildew I think. The plants are really long and gangly so I have tied them up to canes and now that's done one is around four and half feet tall now. They have lost most of the healthy leaves through this powdery mildew unfortunately.

[Pacey]

How are these doing now? Thinking about getting myself one

[mojito99]

Hey Pacey

How's it going? I think my goji berry may be dead! Its looking rather pathetic so I think the bad winter that we have had up here has killed it.

If it makes a remarkable recovery I will let you know. Perhaps this was my fault for putting it straight out in the back garden rather than trying to cultivate it in the greenhouse for a while - who knows?

This years project (apart from everything else!) is a blueberry plant that I have ordered!

[Pacey]

Thanks :/ Hope mine dont die lol
Good luck with the blueberry plant i have one in my garden put it into the ground and it pretty much died dug it up put in a pot with just compost and it came back fine and is doing pretty well so careful lol

[hussybeen]

Black Walnut will affect MANY plants that you plant near it. Walnut trees, leaves, roots, all contain a toxin called Juglone. Juglone prevents other trees from growing around the Walnuts. There are plants that are not affected by Juglone, but you have to search SPECIFICALLY for them. I doubt a Goji would be one.

[Little tom]

Hi,
I got 3 plants last year on special offer. I didn't know very well how to care for them at first, but fortunately they have been quite tolerant to my mistakes so far... Based on my experience and on what I've now read on the internet:
- they should be in a pot at first, but shouldn't be overpotted, otherwise their roots may rot and their leaves be covered with a white powdery mildew...This happened to my plants last year. I threw them away with a little guilt. Fortunately, I hadn't dug very deep and 2 stubborn plants regrew healthily from left over roots! Since then, I take care of them the best I can. I repotted them in smaller containers with 2/3 compost, 1/3 sand for good drainage.
- they are not winter hardy the first year...But again even if a young plant stays outside in its first winter, all is not lost: I left one of my plants out - with no cover - and put another under cover. Both are still alive, although the covered one is growing much more healthily now.
- apparently they only start flowering and fruiting after a 3 years, so patience is key! In the meantime, the leaves are edible...

You may find this page helpful too:
Goji Berry Plant (Lycium barbarum)

Hope this helps! Good luck