Detailed Explanation of the Key Points of Shaping and Pruning Techniques for Goji Berry Cultivation

For goji berries to yield abundantly, they must first be trained into a good tree form. Goji berries have strong branching ability and vigorous growth, and have the characteristic of flowering and fruiting twice each year. If management is poor and shaping and pruning are improper, not only will the yield of the current year be affected, but the tree vigor will also decline prematurely. Therefore, proper shaping and pruning is an important measure for high and stable yields of goji berries.

1. Shaping

The goji berry tree form should be pruned and retained into an umbrella-shaped round form that is large at the top and small at the bottom, with 3 layers of fruiting branch groups. In the first year, after the goji berry survives planting, cut the top to set the trunk in early spring at about 60 cm above the ground. From the new lateral branches that emerge within 10-20 cm below the cut, select 3-5 evenly distributed branches as the main branches of the fifth layer of the canopy.

In the second year after planting, select and retain one upright branch growing from the upper part of the main trunk as the extending main trunk, cut the top at 120 cm above the ground, and from the lateral branches growing at the top, select and retain 3-5 as the second layer of the branch canopy.

In the third year after planting, from the upright water sprouts growing from the top center of the second layer of the canopy, select and retain 1 as the main trunk, cut the top at 160 cm above the ground, and from the lateral branches growing at the top, select and retain 4-5 as the main branches of the third layer of the canopy.

2. Pruning

Goji berries are generally pruned 2 times. Spring pruning is carried out before bud break. First remove the suckers sprouting from the base of the main branches, then cut off the dead branches, crossing branches, water sprouts, old and weak branches, horizontally growing branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, and thorny branches of the branch groups, then select and retain healthy fruiting branch groups and cut them back. Summer pruning in central Hebei is generally in mid-to-late July, cutting away those excessively dense branches, slender weak branches, and water sprouts on the main trunk or main lateral branches, and gradually renewing the fruiting branch groups. Especially in empty or bare areas within the canopy, water sprouts should be used and cut back to cultivate new fruiting branch groups.

Goji berries generally enter the full fruiting period in 3-5 years, after 30 years the tree vigor gradually weakens, and after 40-50 years the tree vigor declines with age. If shaping and pruning are improper, decline begins at around 20 years. Therefore, proper shaping and pruning is an important measure for stable and high yields of goji berries year after year.