Goji Berries / RHS Gardening

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BackGoji berriesGoji berries

This hardy, deciduous shrub has increased in popularity in recent years. It yields a plentiful supply of nutritious red berries, which can be eaten fresh, cooked or dried.

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© Shutterstock Goji berries ripening on a branch

Quick facts

Common name Goji berries, Duke of Argyll's tea-tree Botanical name Lycium barbarum Group Deciduous, fruiting shrub Flowering time Summer Planting time Late summer to autumn Height and Spread 3m (10ft) x 4m (13ft) or more Aspect Full sun Hardiness Fully hardy Difficulty Moderate

Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

compost or manure. Space plants at least 2m (6½ft) apart. Feed in spring with a general purpose fertiliser such as Growmore at 70g per sq m (2oz per sq yd).

Container growing

Choose a container with good drainage holes, and use a John Innes No 2 potting compost with added grit or sharp sand. Apply a liquid fertiliser (such as tomato feed) fortnightly during the growing season.

Harvesting

Plants begin to fruit after two-to-three years. Harvest berries from late summer until the first frosts. Only fully ripe fruit are edible. Fruit can turn black when handled so consider harvesting by shaking the berries gently from the plant onto a sheet placed beneath.

Pruning and training

For maximum fruiting, it is best to train plants against a wall or fence, tying the lax stems onto wires. Wear gloves for protection against spines.

Flowers and fruit are formed on the stems that grew in the previous year, so pruning aims to encourage the production of this wood.

Prune lightly in early spring, removing dead and badly-placed shoots. If necessary, cut overlong stems back to a well-placed branch and remove some of the oldest wood
Renovate shrubs in early spring, reducing the plant to a low framework of branches or cutting close to the base. This will cause vigorous re-growth, but initially reduces the fruiting
To restrict growth on plants in containers, cut new growth back by up to half in summer (however, this will reduce the yield)

Propagation

Sow seeds indoors in spring, covering with a very fine layer of compost; germination is best at 18-20°C. Take softwood or semi-ripe cuttings in summer, hardwood cuttings in winter; layer plants in autumn or lift and replant suckers in late winter.

Give seedlings and rooted cuttings protection in their first winter and plant out the following spring.

Cultivar Selection

There is only one form of this plant and it is now widely available. To find a supplier, use the RHS Plant Finder.

Problems

Aphids can be a problem and netting may be necessary to protect fruit from birds.

Suckers are produced freely and may need to be controlled.

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The RHS is the UK’s gardening charity, helping people and plants to grow - nurturing a healthier, happier world, one person and one plant at a time.

Tag » How To Grow Goji Berry

Goji Berries / RHS Gardening

Quick facts

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Cultivation notes

Container growing

Harvesting

Pruning and training

Propagation

Cultivar Selection

Problems

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