How to grow a goji berry plant
Advice on growing and caring for a goji berry plant, in our guide.
Goji berries (Lycium barbarum) are a popular ‘superfood’ to eat fresh or dried. Native to China, they're packed with vitamins and antioxidants and have been used in Chinese medicine for over a thousand years. They're easy to grow at home in the UK and bear fruit after just one or two years. The best thing about growing your own goji berries is that you can eat them straight from the bush – most commercially available goji berries are dried.
Other names for the goji plant are Chinese box thorn, wolfberry, and the Duke of Argyll’s tea plant. The third Duke of Argyll was a keen collector of exotic plants and received a specimen of goji berry from China in 1727. The berries can indeed be used for making tea, as well as having many other uses – here in the UK we tend to add them to porridge or muesli, where they add a sweet but slightly tart flavour.
Goji berry bush is deciduous and grows to between 1.5 and 3.5m high, often with a wider spread, depending on the variety. Funnel-shaped purple flowers are borne in summer in the leaf axils of arching, spiny stems. These are followed by elongated, orange fruits from late summer to autumn.
How to grow a goji berry plant
Grow goji berry plant in full sun or partial shade, in reasonably fertile soil. Keep watered during dry spells for the first year, until well established. Harvest fruit in late summer and autumn as soon as it is ripe. Prune annually in early spring and, if grown on a support, train in the thorny stems regularly.
Where to grow goji berry
Unusually for a fruit bush, goji berry plant stands up to windy sites and exposed coastal locations, as well as thriving in more favourable sites. While goji berry plant is suitable to grow as a free-standing bush or as a hedge, it's most manageable when trained in a loose fan shape on a wall, fence, or other support. Site in full sun or partial shade, and grow in reasonably fertile soil.
How to plant goji berry
As goji berry plant is hardy, autumn is the ideal season to plant, so the bush becomes established well before the growing season. If planting during the growing season, watering until it's established is essential. Enrich poor soil with compost or manure in advance of planting.
To grow goji berry plant in a pot, choose a large container with a minimum size of 20 litres, and plant using a soil-based potting compost such as John Innes Number 2, mixed with a quarter by volume of coarse grit or perlite.
How to care for goji berry
During the first full growing season, keep your goji berry plant watered during dry spells, watering thoroughly every few days to encourage deep roots to develop. Keep the ground around the base clear of grass and weeds to avoid competition for water and nutrients. Mulch the soil above the roots with compost or chipped bark, to retain moisture.
How to prune goji berry plant
Young goji berry plants need little pruning apart from cutting out dead, damaged, or crossing branches. Do this in spring, just as the leaf buds are starting to open, which makes it easier to see what is dead. Bear in mind that goji berries are borne on the previous year’s growth, so keep pruning to a minimum to maximise your crop. Once the plant is older and well established, you can prune out around a quarter of the oldest stems each year.
How to propagate goji berries
The easiest and fastest way to propagate goji berries is to look for suckers (rooted shoots) that are often produced by mature plants, appearing near the base of the bush. Simply detach the rooted piece, ideally in late winter or early spring, and replant or pot up into fresh compost.
How to take goji berry cuttings
Take hardwood cuttings from goji berry bush in late winter.
- Select healthy younger growth that is around pencil thickness and use sharp secateurs to remove pieces 23-30cm long
- Make a slanting cut on the upper part to identify the right way round to plant
- Dip the base of the cutting into hormone rooting powder, then push it into well-prepared ground outside or a deep pot filled with moist, peat-free potting compost, so the bottom third of the stem is below ground
- Keep the cuttings watered during dry spells. In autumn, transplant to their final growing position or pot up into individual containers, ready to plant out later
Pests and diseases of goji berry plant
This plant is not susceptible to pests and diseases.
Advice on buying goji berry plant
- Until recently, the species Lycium barbarum was the only type of goji berry available. Now, there are several named varieties, including compact-growing and high-producing types
- Ultimate size refers to the unpruned size of the plant – those trained on supports can be kept smaller
- Always check plants for signs of damage or disease before buying
Where to buy goji berry plants online
Goji berry varieties to grow
Goji berry (Lycium barbarum) – the original species. Height x Spread: 3m x 3m
Lycium ‘Big Lifeberry’ – vigorous and free fruiting, producing large berries. H x S: 3.5m x 5m
Lycium ‘Lubera Instant Success’ – the most compact-growing type, and one which produces fruit from a young plant. H x S: 1.5 m x 1.5m
Lycium ‘No 1 Lifeberry’ – a variety bred for commercial fruit production in China, with large, sweet-tasting fruits. H x S: 2m x 2m
Lycium ‘Sweet Lifeberry’ – large-growing, producing sweet-tasting fruit. H x S: 3.5m x 5m
Lycium ‘Synthia’ – sweeter-tasting berries due to the higher sugar content. More compact growth than some. H x S: 2m x 2m
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