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Aug 25, 2011 10:48 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
Lycium barbarum (Chinese Boxthorn). I am getting ready to plant my well rooted cuttings. Does anyone else grow this? Any pertinent advice? Big Grin


I garden for the pollinators.
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Aug 26, 2011 11:41 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
bump...
I garden for the pollinators.
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Aug 26, 2011 1:37 PM CST
Name: Horseshoe Griffin
Efland, NC (Zone 7a)
And in the end...a happy beginning!
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle I sent a postcard to Randy! I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
For our friend, Shoe. Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Enjoys or suffers cold winters Birds Permaculture Container Gardener
Hi, Tee...

I first saw this when you posted but I'm afraid I haven't grown any so couldn't offer any advice. I've read about them several times though, even contemplated buying some at one point. On the Edible Landscaping site I've read a few tips in the past but now see they don't offer gojiberries any more so the growing tips are also gone.

Hopefully someone will come along with some more info for you.

Did you find your plants locally? Have you ever eaten a goji berry? Just curious about what they taste like.

Shoe
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Aug 27, 2011 3:54 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
Thanks, Shoe. I have not eaten the berries ... only drink their juice. Very good. Gojiberries are extremely high in antioxidants as I'm sure you already know. Someone sent me some small cuttings and they are growing very well in a pot. Now time to move them to a more permanent location. I hope they do well here. I'll keep you posted as I know you are interested in these things. Smiling
I garden for the pollinators.
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Aug 28, 2011 10:13 PM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Last winter I bought some gojiberry candy and swore I was going to find that plant. Forgot all about it until I saw your post. Are they hardy to zone 6? Or are you growing them indoors? If anyone finds out where to buy them, please post!
Cindi
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
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Aug 29, 2011 5:22 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
Cindi, they are beautiful, aren't they? Hardy in zones 5-9 is what I'm reading in most places. So go for it. If mine were larger, I'd send you some cuttings. These I received rooted extremely easily from very small pieces. I'm quite hopeful for a great crop of gojiberries one of these days. Smiling
I garden for the pollinators.
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Sep 10, 2011 12:12 AM CST
Name: Matthew William
Sydney (Zone 1)
We provide Sydney landscape design
Goji Berries are also known as Lycium Barb arum or Chinese Wolfberry. The plants are deciduous, woody perennials and are very adaptable.  They like lots of sun, preferring climates that are hot and dry in the summer There are several species and as many as 88 varieties.  The most sought after species is Lycium Barb arum because it is the most nutritious. Goji Berry plants have rather exotic origins, they are not tropical and can survive the winter even in cold climate regions.. The plants are ornamental, producing attractive purple and white tropical looking flowers that are followed by bright red, tear-drop shaped berries. He plant is reported to grow to heights of twelve feet tall and as wide as eight feet, but it can be pruned and trained to smaller dimensions, or even raised as an indoor house plant. The planting process was pretty routine, no special treatment was required and Timpanogos supplied a very detailed cultivation manual that described every aspect of growing Goji Berries including planting, pruning techniques, harvesting, and even recipes for using the freshly picked berries. The seed kits also include thorough instructions and a DVD outlining the germination and care of the seedlings I agree Hurray! Smiling Smiling Smiling
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Sep 10, 2011 2:30 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
Good info. Smiling
I garden for the pollinators.
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Sep 10, 2011 10:38 AM CST
Name: Horseshoe Griffin
Efland, NC (Zone 7a)
And in the end...a happy beginning!
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle I sent a postcard to Randy! I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
For our friend, Shoe. Lover of wildlife (Black bear badge) Enjoys or suffers cold winters Birds Permaculture Container Gardener
MatthewWilliam, Welcome to ATP.

Thanks for the info. Have you grown them yourself? I see you have listed yourself as a landscape company so am curious how you've used them.

I'm not sure who the "Timpanogos" are....have more info on that?
Thanks.

Shoe
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Sep 11, 2011 11:18 AM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
I ordered Gojiberry Barbarum on ebay last week and got some nice plants for very little money.
Since our summers are hot and dry, I have great hopes that these plants will thrive here.
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Avatar for twitcher
Sep 12, 2011 10:29 PM CST

Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
I've been growing them for several years. I originally purchased mine from One Green World and have been very disappointed. They are very easy to grow and very easy to propagate, in fact, highly invasive in zone 5. My plants are all derived from the initial seedling, but produce very little fruit, only a few a year. I have been trying to figure out if it is a problem with it not being as self-fertile as most, if it is an issue with not the right pollinators in my area or just a poor seedling. OGW said they were self-fertile.

I would be interested in trading cuttings with someone to help me investigate what the issue is. I've read that they like to be kept cut back strongly to encourage fruit. I've been digging out and destroying much of my plants the past two years. They start very easy from cutting, even in water, but I get the best results with cuttings in soil in a pot.

Regarding fruit, the berries turn red long before the fruit fully ripens. Red fruit, before fully ripened, reminds me of a poor tomato in taste. However, left on the plant until they start to soften greatly improves the taste and also adds significant sweetness. Takes about a month or so after they turn red. For some reason, the birds don't bother them much here. Plants flower all summer long for me, but only set fruit as the weather starts to cool into fall. I pick my few fruits just before first frost.

Vines get big and are very unruly. They also have thorns. I mostly just buy the dried fruits, when I can find them with good quality and not too expensive. There have been some reports that imported dried fruits may have been contaminated with lead or other chemicals, so I'm pretty careful where I get them and don't buy too many lately.
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Sep 13, 2011 5:12 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
Twitcher, thanks. I stuck my cuttings in a shallow pot and they rooted and grew very easily. I am assuming these are self-fertile but time will tell. I will be happy to send you some cuttings next year once these take off. I have a chain link fence I would like to cover or perhaps an arbor.

I know young roots and young plants are susceptible to cold so I may carry them over the winter and plant next Spring.
I garden for the pollinators.
Avatar for twitcher
Sep 13, 2011 5:42 AM CST

Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Tee, Were your cuttings all from the same plant? If so, you might find it valuable to get a couple from a different source for cross-pollination. If so, I will send you some from mine.

Regarding location, a fence is good and a trellis will also work. However, I would plan on trimming them regularly. The stems shoot upward then arch over and tip root as much as 10 ft away. I swear that they can grow an inch a day. If you trim them, they seem to grow even faster, but if you don't trim them they will overgrow just about anything I've seen. They don't make a bush so much as a tangled clump of longer stems. If I can't get a decent fruit crop of mine in the next year or so, I will get rid of them all.

Regarding overwinter, I don't think you will have any problems with them outside in your zone, as I am a zone colder and have had no issues with winter survival. However I understand your caution.
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Sep 13, 2011 6:47 AM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
Thanks for all the info. I will be very selective where I plant my new plants.
i may let them duke it out with the raspberries. Glad I own gauntlets and leather chaps!
Crying
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
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Sep 13, 2011 6:48 AM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carole
Clarksville, TN (Zone 6b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages Plant Identifier I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! I helped plan and beta test the plant database. Avid Green Pages Reviewer
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Garden Ideas: Master Level Cat Lover Birds Region: Tennessee Echinacea
I think the cautions regarding cold that I've read are for first year plants only. I don't expect any problems once established. We have maybe six more weeks until the usual time for a killing frost and then on into November (usually) before freezing weather.

The cuttings were given to me so I have no idea about their source but I am guessing they from are the same vines.

I don't mind big and a bit unruly (just a bit) as I have a large expanse of Bermuda grass that I'd like to shade out. Grumbling But I'll keep an eye on them once they get growing.

Question: do the leaves of the different varieties look significantly different to tell if the cuttings are from the same plant?

Thanks, I'd love to have some of your cuttings in the Spring.
I garden for the pollinators.
Avatar for twitcher
Sep 13, 2011 11:38 AM CST

Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Goji will beat the raspberries in no time and once established will ignore any efforts from Bermuda crabgrass to disrupt them - that should scare you Smiling They must be related to triffids in some way Whistling

Since my plants all came (via cuttings) from the same single seedling, they are genetically identical. Does your source get good fruit production from them? I'll start a couple of cuttings for you now.
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Jul 2, 2013 3:03 PM CST
Name: Cinda
Indiana Zone 5b
Dances with Dirt
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Jul 2, 2013 5:47 PM CST
Garden.org Admin
Name: Dave Whitinger
Southlake, Texas (Zone 8a)
Region: Texas Seed Starter Vegetable Grower Tomato Heads Vermiculture Garden Research Contributor
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Garden Ideas: Master Level Region: Ukraine Garden Sages
Trish gave me two Gojiberry plants last year and I planted them and they grew to about 3 feet tall in the first year. I moved them this past spring and that set them back.

Interestingly, when I moved them, I trimmed them and took cuttings from the trimmings. Of 36 cuttings stuck, 100% of them rooted. They are now in 1 gallon cans and doing very well. I have to think of a place to plant these extra ones. They are definitely easy to grow, hardy plants. One of mine is blooming right now but just two or three blooms. I doubt I'll get fruit this year. Maybe next.
Last edited by dave Jul 2, 2013 5:48 PM Icon for preview
Avatar for twitcher
Jul 2, 2013 11:11 PM CST

Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
I'm in the process of weeding out all of my plants. They never produced much fruit, just an occasional berry in the fall. Agree with Dave that they are easy to root and will tip root all by themselves. Not a pleasant plant to work with, unless you keep them well trimmed and never let them get really big.
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Jul 4, 2013 12:12 PM CST
Name: Cindi
Wichita, Kansas (Zone 7a)
Charter ATP Member Beekeeper Garden Ideas: Master Level Roses Ponds Permaculture
Peonies Lilies Irises Dog Lover Daylilies Celebrating Gardening: 2015
This year I purchased new goji plants from a nearby nursery. They already have fruit on them! Mine have no thorns whatsoever. I will try starting cuttings and let you all know how they do.
The fruit is tiny, but tastes deliciously tart, similar to cranberry. Hurray!
Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get.
H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

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