Recently, goji berries have been widely spoken about, recommending them not only as a way to lose weight, but also to treat various diseases. How to grow this natural Tibetan healer in the country, how to collect fruits, how useful they are, you will learn right now.
For the first time shrub-type trees, called goji berries, appeared in Tibet. Gradually, the plant spread far beyond its homeland. It can be grown in our country in many areas, with the exception of the northern ones. In the southern regions, and having the same temperatures as in the middle latitudes, the shrub will grow well, so it tolerates frosts up to 30 ° C well. The plant is resistant to weather vagaries, as it comes from mountainous regions, where there are droughts and frosts, storm winds, and prolonged downpours.
A fruit plant belonging to the Solanaceae family, to the genus Dereza. Culturally grows in Tibet, the Himalayas, in China - in the Ningxia region. Sometimes found in Australia, Asia, America, North Africa. The goji berry bush bears fruit, depending on the region, in July - October or May - September. The most valuable harvest is considered to be August.
Why grow goji berries?
The plant is quite unpretentious, not demanding on the soil composition and decorative. It blooms for a long time with purple-pink bell-shaped flowers, decorating gardens.
Its ripened fruits resemble an enlarged copy of sea buckthorn berries, but they are oblong, 1.2 cm long and Orange color more saturated. The branches of the goji bush, like those of the sea buckthorn, are covered with thin thorns.
An unformed shrub grows up to 3.5 meters. It can be planted along the fence and used as a hedge not only here, but also to divide the summer cottage into zones. Goji tolerates shearing well, so you can give the plant the desired shape.
Apart from decorative qualities, this representative of the Tibetan flora is a natural healer. No wonder it is called a cure for 1000 diseases. Here are just some of the ailments in which the fruits of goji berries are taken, with:
- anemia;
- back pain;
- violation of potency;
- diabetes mellitus;
- high cholesterol;
- visual impairment;
- insomnia;
- adenoids, diseases of the nasopharynx;
- obesity.
Attention! Do not eat fresh goji berries, as they contain toxic substances. They must be dried first. How to do this and how to collect berries will be described below.
Video about the benefits of goji berries:
You can propagate a plant in order to plant it in your backyard farm, not only with cuttings, but also with seeds. The second method is suitable for those who do not have seedlings, but have berries.
A plant grown in this way will bloom in the second year, and you will begin to harvest mass crops in 4-5 years. Seeds are located directly in the berry in an amount of up to 30 pieces.
If the berry was dried at a temperature not higher than + 50 ° C, then its seeds are viable. If you have fresh berries in front of you, use gloves to work with them, as the juice can burn your hands.
They are easier to extract if you put the fruit of the plant for an hour in warm water. The removed seeds are placed on a moistened cloth overnight. For better germination, it is better to soak them for 4 hours in one of the growth stimulants.
Then they are sown in well-drained soil of medium looseness, preferably neutral reaction. A mixture of loam and peat in a ratio of 2: 1 is suitable.
Goji berry seeds should be sown on the surface, deepening into moist soil by only 2-3 mm, so that thin sprouts make their way out unhindered.
Goji seeds germinate at +20 - +25°C. It is important that the soil is moist, so the container is covered with a film or glass. Under such conditions, evaporation is slower.
When the seeds germinate, slightly open the film from the side of the room. If the soil is dry, spray it with water from a spray bottle, making a scattered stream so as not to damage the seedlings. Remove the entire film after a week.
Goji seedlings dive when the second or third pair of leaves appears on them. Then plant each in a separate pot. It should be at least 7 cm deep. If you germinate seeds in January-March, then in mid-May you can plant plants in the garden. If you want to grow further in room conditions, then you need to provide the goji bush with enough light, plant it in a large container, and keep it cool in winter - at a temperature of + 10 ° C degrees. feed home plant humus, a weak solution of mineral fertilizers.
Planting seedlings
If you want to grow goji berries with seedlings, then you need to prepare pits with a diameter of 40 and a width and depth of 50 cm 2 weeks before planting. In these, you can plant purchased goji seedlings or those that you have grown from seeds. In the southern regions, it is better to do this in the fall, and in cooler regions - in the spring, so that the plant is strong enough and tolerates frost well.
Coarse-grained sand is poured into the bottom of the landing pit, then it is half filled fertile soil and humus (8 kg each), add: 150 g of double superphosphate, 30 g of potassium sulfate or a glass wood ash, mix thoroughly with a shovel. After that, they put a seedling, raising the root collar to ground level, sprinkle it with fertile soil and water it. trunk circle mulch with peat or humus. Seedlings should be placed at least 2 meters apart.
How to propagate goji berry cuttings
In July-August or at the end of April, carefully cut goji cuttings 10 cm long so that 1–2 cm of old wood remains on them. Moisten the bottom of the cuttings in water and dip their cut in Kornevin and plant them in the greenhouse. Plant rooted seedlings on permanent place, covering them for the winter with spruce branches.
In the first months, the plant develops slowly and resembles tomato bush small size. Then goji grows more intensively, its branches are covered long leaves, for 2-3 years of its life, the bush blooms.
How to care for goji berries
Pay special attention to care in the first year of the plant's life. It needs to be watered infrequently, if there is no rain, periodically fertilize, weed out, loosen the soil around the trunk.
It is easier to pick berries from a low bush. But on this goji fruit will be larger. Therefore, trim the branches so that the plant is not too tall.
This question interests many. The fact is that the juice of fresh fruits can cause skin irritation, like pineapple juice. Therefore, goji berries must be collected in this way: spread a cloth under a bush and knock down the berries. In this case, it is better to wear gloves on your hands.
It is important to let goji berries ripen well on the bush, they should turn bright red, as eating unripe fresh berries can cause poisoning.
The collected berries are dried in the shade, without using an oven, and then they are separated from the stalk. In order for them to acquire medicinal properties, the fruits must be dried well. This process is complete when the skin of the goji berries begins to peel off.
Video about growing goji berries at home and care:
There are few people who have never heard of goji berries. For the past few years, attractive advertisements for this “miracle from the East” have been flooding the Internet sites. Goji is often offered as a "magic" natural remedy for weight loss, but it is also known for the content of many invaluable micronutrients in this plant, beneficial to the body person.
But is it really necessary to constantly buy goji berries for decent money in order to consume goji berries? After all, the conditions for growing this miracle plant can be created in Russia. Anyone who wants to try goji as a means for losing weight, is looking for a source of trace elements and vitamins, or simply wants to diversify their summer cottage with some unusual plant, of course, it will be interesting to know what a goji berry is, planting, growing and caring for which is quite possible on Russian soil.
Eastern miracle
Tibet is considered the birthplace of miracle berries and the area where they first learned about its usefulness. In China, the history of goji eating goes back tens of thousands of years. Since the last century, goji have gained incredible popularity in many countries of the world. Per healing properties goji berry is rightfully recognized as one of the most useful natural herbal remedies. A shrub with oblong bright red fruits has many names: Tibetan (or Chinese) barberry, wolfberry, Chinese dereza ...
The benefits of goji berries for humans
The goji berry, planting and caring for which in the Chinese provinces has already acquired an industrial scale, is incredibly valued in traditional medicine China and Tibet.
The properties of these "magic" berries are difficult to overestimate. Goji is an invaluable source of more than twenty minerals, a set of natural vegetable fats and carbohydrates, 18 rare amino acids, linoleic acid, proteins, fatty acids, fiber, essential vitamins C, E and group B.
Of course, the goji berry, which is planted and cared for in Russia, is noticeably inferior in terms of the amount of minerals and vitamins to similar fruits grown in the mountains of Tibet or in China. But even "goji from the dacha" are able to provide human body daily allowance of all of the above substances.
In addition to the use of these berries for the most publicized goal - weight loss, the use of goji solves many medical and physiological problems: they improve metabolism and skin condition, reduce blood sugar levels, regulate melatonin levels, help with depression and sleep disorders, improve immunity and promote rejuvenation. organism. There is an opinion that it is the use of goji that is the secret of the success of athletes from the Middle Kingdom, the reason for their incredible endurance.
Climatic conditions and soil for growing goji
Outwardly, common dereza is a tall shrub with small leaves and thin flexible, rather prickly branches. flowering bush covered with delicate lilac flowers, and the wolfberries, known as goji berries, are oblong, medium-sized, bright red. The ability of wolfberry to grow and bear fruit in the harsh mountain climate of the Himalayas suggests that the plant is highly viable and can withstand frosts down to -15 degrees.
"Berry of happiness and longevity" feels great in the Russian temperate climate, in a place where there are many sunlight and average humidity. The soil on which dereza is grown can be any, so the plant is very unpretentious. The goji berry, the planting and care of which is discussed in the article, can be successfully grown in the Moscow region on suburban area.
Goji seedlings from cuttings
How to grow goji berries on the site own dacha? You can grow a seedling of dereza from seeds or from cuttings.
Cuttings can be obtained using layering. To do this, in the middle of summer, on an already existing bush no younger than three years old, bend down to the ground and dig in strong branches. Before the first frost, the branch is cut off and seated.
The cuttings can be cut separately. From the mother bush, cuttings about 10 cm long are carefully cut, while it is imperative to cut so that at least 1 cm is “old” wood. The edge is processed with a root, and the cuttings are planted in a greenhouse. AT winter period suitable for this and insulated balcony.
How to grow seedlings from seeds
If it is not possible to get cuttings, then you can grow a wolfberry seedling from seeds extracted from a ripe goji berry. Planting and leaving seeds is somewhat different from the "cutting".
Seeds are extracted from a fully ripe goji berry. They do not need to be germinated before planting, it is recommended to simply soak them in a stimulant for a couple of hours. immune system- zircon or epine. Seeds are placed in a medium loose drained neutral soil mixture containing compost and sand. Seeds are planted close to each other in a greenhouse or other fairly bright place with a consistently warm temperature and covered with a film. Watering is carried out using a spray gun.
After the appearance of two leaves on the bush, the plants are seated in deep containers, and the tops are pinched. In greenhouse conditions, dereza is not aged less than a year and then planted in the ground.
Landing in open ground
The next important step in growing goji is planting and caring for seedlings. It is best to plant dereza in the ground in the spring. Since this is a cross-pollinating plant, it is necessary to plant at least two shrubs nearby.
A wolfberry seedling is planted in a hole about 40 cm deep and about 50 cm wide. The distance between each goji berry bush should be at least 1.5 meters. The earth intended for backfilling the plant is mixed with large quantity compost, about 8-10 kg (peat or humus is suitable) with the addition of 200 g of superphosphate and 40 grams of wood ash or potassium sulfate. The seedling should be buried a little, densely sprinkled with prepared soil, watered well. Cover the ground around the seedling protective film or straw.
And valuable information for those who do not have a dacha, but want to have their own goji berry. Planting and caring for this plant is possible at home. To grow healthy berries at home, you will need a voluminous pot so that powerful goji roots can grow freely. To create favorable conditions, you will need to provide the goji berry bush with plenty of light. The place where the goji berry will grow, planting and caring for which is planned at home, should be located where the plant will not be exposed to cold running air from windows or doors and excessively high temperatures, for example, from a heating radiator or stove. The rules for regular care of such an indoor bush are simple: do not apply mineral supplements simultaneously with organic top dressing, ensure constant, but not too strong, watering. And it will be comfortable to "winter" a bush of goji berries at a cool temperature. Of the minuses of the "home" goji - useful substances they will contain a minimum, much less than in the "country" copy.
shrub care
The main plus that the goji berry has is that planting and caring for this plant is quite simple. dereza after planting is as follows:
- Water as needed, twice a week during dry periods.
- You can fertilize the plant, but only during the growing season.
- Optionally, to give aesthetic appearance, you can cut the plant and trim the branches.
- For the winter, goji either carefully cover with branches or transplanted into a deep container and sent to “winter” in the basement.
As you can see, it's easy to grow goji. The berry, planting and caring for which is described in the article in the Moscow region, is becoming more and more popular among gardeners.
We harvest: features
Not less than important information than growing goji berries, planting, care - how to pick ripe bright berries correctly. There is a peculiarity here. A shrub grown from seeds yields goji berries only in the third or even fourth year after planting.
You need to collect only a ripe berry when it has acquired the prescribed bright red hue! Berries that are not ripe on a branch should not be eaten, as they can cause poisoning.
In addition, contact of fresh goji with exposed skin should be avoided. If you pick berries with your bare hands, the juice, getting on the skin, can cause irritation and stain when the hands are oxidized in dark color. Most traditional way harvest - shake berries from branches onto a spread cloth. If it is necessary to further process fresh berries, it is better to protect your hands with gloves.
How to store and consume ripe berries
For preservation in a ripe berry useful elements drying should only be done naturally without separating the stalk, spreading the berries in the shade. Both the use of preservatives and the effect of oven drying or direct sunlight will negatively affect the quality of dried fruits.
A sign that the berry is dried to the desired state is peeling of the skin. After that, the goji must be separated from the stalk and placed in storage containers, and then kept in a dark, dry place.
It is important to remember that it is not safe to immediately consume a large amount of goji berries - the body still needs to get used to them. "Overdose" can result in dehydration and kidney problems. The safe daily dose of this herbal remedy is one tablespoon for an adult.
You can use goji berries in any form. The easiest way is to brew berries in the proportion of 1 tablespoon per 150 ml of boiling water. After 30 minutes, the drink is ready to drink, you need to take it along with brewed berries.
Also, goji will be an excellent addition to any dishes: soups, desserts, cereals, salads, sauces ... In addition to berries, dried root bark of common dereza and dried leaves this shrub. Despite the miraculous properties of goji, you should remember to take precautions, and before you start using the berries of this plant, consult a doctor and familiarize yourself with the existing contraindications.
Probably everyone has heard about the miraculous remedy for weight loss - goji berries. However, not everyone knows that these berries are not at all exotic for Russia, and many domestic gardeners successfully grow them on their plots.
And when proper care everyone can get real goji, no worse than in advertising!
A little about Goji culture
The scientific name of goji is common dereza (nightshade family), and in a simple way - wolfberry, or Tibetan barberry. Just do not confuse with real barberry, as it is completely different plants! And do not be afraid of the name wolfberry - many shrubs are popularly called them. The fruits of some of them are poisonous, but goji berries are quite edible. Dereza grows in Central Asia, Southern Europe, in Ukraine and in Russia (mainly in the Caucasus, Primorye and Kuban). But for some reason, the berries are mainly exported by the Chinese, who call them goji. Under this name they are advertised with us.
Features of growing goji
The culture is propagated by seeds. They are sown in autumn or spring in open ground under film cover. Bred dereza and cuttings. To do this, in July or August, cut lignified twigs 10 cm each, dip the cuts in a nutrient solution, and then stick the cuttings into moist soil. Leave up to 2 m between the bushes. Pour compost mixed with 30 g of potassium sulfate and 150 g of superphosphate into a planting hole measuring 50x60x40 cm. After planting, mulch the ground under the seedlings with humus. By autumn, the branches should take root. The easiest way to grow goji is from root shoots, which are always in abundance in adult bushes.
Young plants begin to bear fruit in 2-3 years. Seedlings a year later. To keep young plants warm, dig them up in the fall and store them in a cool place. Plant them back in the ground in the spring. The culture is able to tolerate frosts down to -25 °, but requires good winter shelter with spruce branches or nonwoven fabric. Light freezing for bushes is not dangerous, they are quickly restored due to young growths.
What are goji berries?
Dereza is a perennial deciduous shrub. It grows up to 3 m in height, and spreads up to 6 m in width. The twigs are prickly, drooping, with small leaves. The culture blooms from June to October. The aroma of the plant is not strong, but pleasant. Throughout the season, oblong orange-red berries up to 2 cm in size ripen. They taste sweet with a slight sourness, there are many small seeds inside. When harvesting, they are knocked down with a stick on a cloth spread under a bush, and then dried. It is not recommended to pick wolfberry fruits with your hands because of the caustic juice, which can cause skin irritation.
Goji: care
Water the goji sparingly. Feed only during the growing season. When the fruits begin to ripen, stop feeding. Pinch off the tops of young seedlings so that the plant bushes better. Subsequently, regularly carry out shaping and sanitary pruning. It is advisable to leave the bushes low, so that it is easier to cover them for the winter. Wintering wolfberry is perhaps the only difficulty in growing it in the middle and northern latitudes: Russia. But the heat-loving culture also requires little care.
Goji: useful properties
In folk Chinese medicine, a decoction of the bark of a shrub is used as a laxative and diuretic, to relieve fever, with bronchitis, to remove cholesterol. The leaves are brewed and drunk as a tonic. However, in domestic medicine, the benefits of dereza are still controversial. So before using goji for treatment, be sure to consult a specialist.
About growing goji - personal experience
Let's start with appearance. Goji is evergreen shrub up to 3 m high, in which branches hang down under the weight of fruits. Therefore, at the "youthful" age, they need to be tied to pegs so that they do not creep along the ground. Goji have thorns, but they are small and not scary at all. I think that many confuse this plant with barberry, that's who has thorns so thorns. Over time, goji grows as violently as raspberries. Well, we will not give up raspberries because of this, will we?
Now about the most important thing - about the poison. It is a myth. For example, the Chinese use not only goji berries, but also its leaves, bark and roots (they are dried and added to herbal preparations and tea). There, this plant is considered, so to speak, waste-free. Yes, you can't eat green goji berries. And what other unripe fruits are possible? The same unripe blackcurrant can also be poisoned for a sweet soul. Then what's with the goji?
And harvesting from the bushes is quite simple - lay some material under the plant so that the berries do not fall to the ground and do not get dirty, and you will be happy. Many summer residents even spread a film under the gooseberry for this purpose. And the fact that the hands turn black during the collection of goji is so unseen: from the same blackcurrant or mushrooms, the skin on the palms also darkens. And what, from poison it? No, from organic acids
And what is difficult in drying goji fruits? He brought it home, laid it out on a mat, and let it lie, dry out. Of course, accelerated way do the same - in an electric dryer or oven - but this is already an amateur. By the way, slightly dried goji berries can already be eaten, and they are even much tastier in this form. And dry berries have their own advantages: a long shelf life, their volume and weight are reduced, which is convenient for transportation. Of these, you can, if desired, cook jam or jam, but doctors do not recommend doing this, because during heat treatment, useful substances in the fruits are destroyed.
In one of the rooms, I remember reading how one summer resident complained that she took only three kilos of fruit from one goji bush. But is this really not enough? One would like to ask: how much do you collect from a currant bush? It’s just that they plant it sra-jy in several bushes, so it seems that its yield is huge.
And I want one more thing important point remember, goji is medicinal plant. And where is it seen that drugs are used without the slightest idea of the dosage? After all, even infusions medicinal herbs you can't drink as much as you like. And no one does it - everyone is afraid of poisoning. And why is there a different attitude towards goji then? Where is the logic? Therefore, I want to write about how to properly use these berries. Well, first of all, you need to know that children under three years old should not be given them (if a child picks one or two ripe berries, then there will be nothing to worry about).
But for children from three to seven years old, the norm is 1 tsp. per day in the morning.
Adults can also use 1 tbsp. l. in a day. But who definitely shouldn’t eat goji in any case, it’s hypotensive (berries reduce blood pressure) and those who suffer from food allergies.
A few years ago, almost no one heard about goji berries, which in appearance resemble the fruits of barberry and gumi, when the news about the supposedly amazing healing power of these berries suddenly spread ...
Another panacea that was not found in flora, probably since the time of ... sea buckthorn. But if the latter has an amazing ability to heal burns 
(sea buckthorn oil), then goji is actually nothing special and not remarkable. Yes, berries contain vitamins, minerals, amino acids and many other useful things, but no more than irga, viburnum, bird cherry, chokeberry and mountain ash ...
goji lazami botanist
If you look at the goji through the eyes of a botanist, we will see a sprawling shrub reaching 3 m in height, the branches of which have small thorns.
The leaves on the shrub are alternate, they have short petioles and an elliptical shape. Flowers, like tiny bells, lilac, usually hardly noticeable. The first fruits on goji plants appear in summer and until autumn. The fruits are very juicy, bright scarlet, slightly oblong, not very pleasant in taste, bitter or sour. If dried, they will look like dried barberry fruits or small raisins.
How to grow goji
Let's talk about how you can grow a couple of bushes or a whole garden on your site, and on 
yourself to try the miraculousness of an ordinary berry.
The simplest is sowing seeds. Goji fruits can now be found in our miracle shops. If they are not overdried or frozen, then feel free to extract seeds from them - they will definitely sprout, and due to the low self-fertility of plants, the seeds retain well the cultural characteristics characteristic of their parents, such as irga or mountain ash.
Goji sprout care
Goji grows best in medium-loose, well-drained soil. In order not to rack your brains, you can take two parts of ordinary loam and part of well-ground peat, as long as it is not acidic. The components are well mixed with each other and moistened, after which the seeds are scattered over the surface, without embedding.
As soon as the sprouts appear, the film can be removed and try to ensure that the temperature in the room does not fluctuate by more than 6-8 degrees, the shoots do not fall under the drafts and do not stand on the windowsill, under which the heater is located. Usually, the first shoots appear 12-14 days after sowing, if the temperature in the room is 23-24 degrees and the soil is always slightly moist.
goji pick
To pick a pot, you need to pick up a depth of 10 cm, again due to the characteristics of the root. In such a pot, goji can live until flowering, and it usually blooms in the second year. After that, it can be planted in open ground, where even after a couple of years the plant will give its first fruits.
Reproduction of goji cuttings
To cut full-fledged cuttings at least 12 cm long, you need to wait until the tree reaches a height of two meters and begins to throw out shoots of forty centimeters. Shoots can be cut in early June and, cut into cuttings, planted each in a separate pot with loose and nutritious soil (suitable for sowing seeds). It is necessary to deepen the cutting by about a third, so that at least one kidney is underground.
After that, it remains to water and prevent the soil from drying out by placing the pots on the windowsill. After 30 days, a callus forms on the cuttings, followed by roots. Fresh leaves on the handle will mean that a miracle has happened and the handle magical plant got accustomed. Further, the pot - if it is spring - can be transferred to open ground and planted, trying not to destroy the earthen clod. Goji grows quickly and when planted in the spring, after 5-6 weeks, it will stretch by half a meter or even more.
Features of care
For planting in the garden, it is better to choose light, loose soil with a neutral reaction - not sand or clay, without stagnant water and cold masses. From the north, it is desirable to have protection in the form warm wall house or fence.
Most important question How does goji hibernate?
Let's face it - not really, shoots often freeze to the level of snow cover or shelter, therefore, looking ahead, let's say: you need to cover, at least fill it with sawdust, sketch spruce paws and throw snow as soon as it appears.
AT recent times goji berries are incredibly popular, it is believed that this is one of the most effective means for weight loss and a source of numerous trace elements and minerals. Another name for goji is Chinese dereza, a shrub no more than 3 meters high, growing mainly in northwestern China. The plant prefers a warm climate, but thanks to the work of breeders, some varieties can be successfully grown in a summer cottage in middle lane Russia. Experienced gardeners will tell you how to grow goji and care for shrubs.
The choice of goji berry varieties for cultivation in central Russia
Outwardly, goji berries are similar to barberries: oblong in shape, no more than 2 cm long, orange-red in color. The shrub is quite attractive in appearance and will serve as a wonderful decoration for a summer cottage. Its branches are light, with a yellowish tinge, have small spines, light green leaves, elongated, flowers of a delicate purple. To date, varieties have been bred that are able to withstand frosts from -15 ° C to -25 ° C. The most popular ones are listed below.
- "New Big" (NEW BIG)- the result of the work of Polish breeders, the fruits are rounded, with a pleasant sweet taste. It tolerates drought, wind, urban smog.
- "Goji Lhasa"- the variety is early ripe, fruiting occurs already in the 3rd or 4th year after planting the seedling.
- "Chinese Goji"- the variety guarantees a high yield, medium ripening terms.
- "NR1 Lifeberry"- differs in good frost resistance and unpretentiousness, has immunity to a number of diseases.
Goji berries have a strong diuretic effect, eating them in unlimited quantities can be dangerous to health!
Choosing a place on the site for growing goji
How to grow goji in central Russia? For successful growth and development, the shrub needs good lighting. However, on open areas under the scorching sun can feel uncomfortable. It is better to provide dereza with light shading, for example, by planting trees or shrubs with openwork, finely dissected leaves (mountain ash, sea buckthorn) on the south side.
The shrub does not impose special requirements on the composition of the soil, but in wild nature grows in rocky areas. In order for the growing conditions in the garden to be as close to natural as possible, the substrate must be alkaline in composition, but the dereza will also grow quite successfully on neutral soils. Waterlogging of the earth should not be allowed; in swampy and often flooded areas, the plant may die. To prevent stagnation of moisture in the roots, drainage is placed in the pit before planting the seedling.
Growing goji from seeds
How to grow goji from seeds? This question is asked by many summer residents, because seedlings of this popular plant are quite expensive. In order to grow seedlings on your own, you need to order seed material online or purchase it in a nursery. Some people prefer to buy a handful of dry goji berries on the market and take the seed from them, but in this case it is impossible to predict how the seedling will grow and whether it will be able to grow in a warm temperate climate.
Planting is very easy. It is necessary to prepare a box and fill it with a light nutrient substrate (mixture for growing seedlings). Further, the surface of the earth is slightly moistened and the seeds are laid out, pre-treatment they don't require. Seeds are sprinkled with a layer of soil, it should be no more than 3 mm. How to grow goji (seedlings) after planting? The box with the substrate is transferred to a well-lit room, the surface of the earth is sprayed daily with a spray bottle and the sprouts are waiting. At favorable conditions young seedlings will appear after 15 days.
As soon as the cotyledons open, professionals advise treating the plants with phytosporin, which will prevent the development of fungal infections. As the goji grows, they are fed with a complex mineral fertilizer and potassium humate, which stimulates the growth of seedlings. As soon as the plants reach a height of 7 cm, you can start planting them in the garden.
Planting goji seedlings
Knowing how to grow goji from seeds, it is necessary to study the technology of planting seedlings on the site. Planting is carried out exclusively in the spring, so that over the summer the plant can grow root system and get stronger before the onset of frost.
If several shrubs will be grown, then it is better to plant them in rows, keeping a distance of at least one and a half meters. Row spacing is done at a distance of 2.5 m. landing pit dig out with a size of 50x50x50 cm. The dug soil is mixed with fertilizers:
- compost - 1 bucket,
- wood ash - 1 liter jar.
All components are thoroughly mixed and laid in a pit, after placing drainage from crushed brick, expanded clay or river pebbles on the bottom. If the seedling was purchased from a nursery and is in a shipping container, then planting is carried out together with an earthen clod. Next to the seedling, it is recommended to drive in a strong support, it should rise two meters above the ground. You can use wood or metal carcass. Support is necessary so that the shoots growing down do not bend down to the ground.
Features of goji care
How to grow goji personal plot? Dereza is cared for in the same way as for others. fruit crops: watering, fertilizing, pruning, organization of winter shelter.
Watering and fertilizing
The shrub can withstand drought well, so frequent soil moisture can even be detrimental to it. Watering is necessary only in the first year after planting, its frequency should not exceed twice a week. If rainy weather has settled outside, then there is no need to moisten the soil. In subsequent years, dereza is recommended to be watered only in especially dry months.
You don't need to apply a lot of fertilizer. If the soil was enriched with organic matter for digging, then in current year plants do not need to be fed. Starting from the second year of life, in the spring, in the phase of active growth of foliage, complex mineral fertilizer can be applied.
Goji pruning and shelter for the winter
Knowing how to grow goji in a summer cottage, it remains to learn how to properly cut the plant. In the first years of life, it is necessary to select 3-6 strong skeletal branches and carry out further work, focusing on them. Subsequently, numerous fruit-bearing shoots will appear on the skeletal branches. Sometimes dereza is grown exclusively as ornamental plant and form into a small tree. In this case, not supports are driven in next to the seedling, but a strong peg 3 m high, pruning is carried out so that one main shoot remains. As soon as the seedling reaches a height of 1.2 m, they begin to form a trunk and crown.
To prevent the freezing of the root system and the aerial part, the shrub is spudded, the soil is insulated with a layer of mulch (thickness 10–15 cm), and the branches are covered with burlap or non-woven material folded in 3–4 layers (lutrasil, agrofiber). Additionally, landings can be showered with spruce branches, and as soon as snow falls, snowdrifts can be formed.
Video how to grow goji