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Gardening Tips for Growers of the Goji Berry Plant
Ways to Acquire a Green Thumb
If you have ever considered growing goji berries, you should start off with some basic information such as the fact that the plant's scientific name is Lycium barburum. More commonly known as the goji berry plant, it has an extensive root system that was undoubtedly developed while adapting to the rugged terrain in Mongolia, the plant's native habitat.
Nurseries in Utah have found that the goji berry plant also grows well in that region. Once the plant has been well-established, it thrives in the near-drought conditions that exist in and around parts of Utah. The nurseries assure local gardeners that a lack of shade should not create problems for a grower of the goji berry plant. The plant prefers full sun.
The same nurseries have tried to provide the grower of the goji berry plant with information about the primary features of the plant. Yet the information from those Utah nurseries fails to define the exact manner in which the plant develops. The information from the nurseries suggests that the goji berry plant could qualify as either a bush or a vine. It seems to be a bush-like plant with trailing vines that reach out from a bushy center.
A grower of the goji berry plant should plan to prune the plant when the bush exceeds 8-10 feet, or when the vine reaches out more than 12 feet from the center. Such pruning will increase the flavor of the goji berries. The grower can expect the arrival of those berries following the blossoming of the plant's flowers. Although all of the goji berries are a red color, the flowers on the plant come in two colors purple and white.
The goji berry plant survives in both hot and cold weather. It can withstand temperatures as low as -15 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 100 degrees. While the plant grows well outside, some people prefer to grow it indoors. Anyone who seeks to keep the plant indoors might need to be content with a single, small plant. Such an individual would need to use self-pollination in order to produce the formation of newer plants.
Interestingly, the Utah nurseries do not indicate what sort of insect pollinates the outdoor plants in Utah, nor do they mention what insect pollinates the plants that grow in Mongolia and Tibet. Perhaps it is the wind that is the primary means for pollination outside.
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