Goji Berry - The Super Fruit

By Dennis Ting - Gardenworld Nursery 

The Goji Berry (Lycium barbarium) plant is a recent addition to the range of plants we have in the garden centre.   

It is widely known as being a "Super Fruit" packed with vitamins, anti-oxidants, amino acids and polysaccarides.  You have to believe its properties given the price currently charged for Goji juice, dried berries and similar products!! 

We have had these plants in the nursery for just over a year now and there is still some amazement expressed by customers when they see the plants and wonder whether it is possible to grow these in Melbourne. 

I have been growing these plants here for several years now and harvest my fruit in December each year so let me tell you a bit about them. 

The plant itself looks fairly ordinary with thin canes and long dull green leaves.  It is actually a member of the Solanaceae family (tomatoes and chillies).  The plant has several growth flushes during the season and in between tends to rest with no active growth.

It is at the ends of the new growth that clusters of flowers may form especially in late spring.  The white to purple flowers (like a potato flower) open and then long thin green berries form (like Thai chillies).  These mature in December to an orange colour and can be picked and eaten raw.  The flavour is sweet and like a common cranberry.  They are quite delicious in fact.  

In autumn the leaves turn yellow before dropping and you are left with a clump of wiry looking canes as the plant enters its rest period until growth starts again in spring with new shoots. 

So how do you go about growing a Goji Berry? 

I would find a suitable site with good exposure to the summer sun as they need sufficient heat to mature the fruit and new canes. 

Plant out in a compost enriched soil as this will aid rapid establishment of the plant which is desirable.  During active growth in summer keep the moisture up to the plant and do not let it dry out for the first two to three years. 

Firstly it is best to think of this plant as a trailing plant rather than a shrub or tree.  In the home garden it can be grown like berry fruit (bramble) against a fence or on wires or frame.  This will help control its sprawling nature and habit.  Tying the canes will also prevent damage from wind and the berries touching the ground etc. 

Each winter the long whippy growths can be tied back to the wire and shortened a bit.  This will result in lots of new laterals forming in spring each bearing clusters of delicious Goji berries. 

With each year the plant will increase in size and cropping potential so you will be able to harvest a quite sizeable crop over a long period.

Comments

[cozy]

If they flower/fruit on new growth, can they not be grown like raspberries? ie. can't you prune off last year's growth and let new canes sprout from the trunk to flower/fruit this year?

[Dennis Ting]

My comments based on my limited growing experience are as follows:

The new canes from the base grow and only have a cluster of flowers at the end (10-20 flowers).

In the second year the buds along the length of this cane produce shorter flowering spurs and unlike rsapberries that only last one season go on producing for some years.

If you cut off all the last years growth then you will not develop the recurring fruiting structures.

I hope this helps

[Janine Doran]

Where does the bush you sell originate from as I have heard that some variaties are more tasty than others?

[GOJI]

Dear Purchase Manager,
We are goji grower from China, have goji garden in Ningxia and Tibeten Area, accompany with another harvest time arrive, send this letter may you kindly consider to purchase from our gardens, who is good in quality and price.
Further more information kindly visit http://www.gojiberry.cn, we also have years exporting experience, so any questions or ideas feel free to ask us please, wish we could do business together one day, news from you always be highly appreciated!
PS. we also have a little wild goji berry, if you are interested in, kindly let us know at your earlist time please, as its really limited.

Best Regards

Yours
Linna
YOUCHAIN GROUP
LINNA_LEE@VIP.163.COM
HTTP://WWW.GOJIBERRY.CN

[James]

The ones we get at Gardenworld are from a grower in the Toolangi region in Victoria.

[Lachlan Finch]

Can you advise me if there are any suppliers in the Brisbane area or can you send them to me. Hope to hear from you soon as we are now going into the cooler part of the year. Regards Lachlan