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. Does this Spark an idea?
Seeds
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
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
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
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.
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