How to Grow Organic Black Goji Berries? A Detailed Guide to Cultivation Techniques

Organic black goji berry, also known as organic black wolfberry, is a thorny shrub of the genus Lycium. Its place of origin is the area around the Qaidam Basin in Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai, mainly distributed on the gobi desert flats of Xiangride and Nuomuhong in Dulan County, as well as Delingha, Golmud and other areas, at latitudes of 35° to 38°N, an altitude of 2600 to 3300 m, annual rainfall of 30 to 80 mm, and an average annual temperature of 4.6 to 4.8°C. Winters are cold, summers are hot, sunlight is intense, the temperature difference between day and night is relatively large, and natural habitat conditions are generally rather harsh. This unique environment has shaped the organic black goji berry's life characteristics of loving sunlight, tolerating cold, drought, alkali and poor soil, as well as its extremely high nutritional value. It is best planted in fertile, slightly alkaline sandy loam on high, dry ground with good drainage, and its natural lifespan is 40-60 years. A large amount of native organic black goji berry forest still grows in the Haixi area today, and it is a precious wild health product resource. According to surveys, the annual income per mu of red goji berries ranges from 3000 to 8000 yuan depending on the region, and the returns from black goji berries are expected to be more than 10 times higher than those of red goji berries. According to analysis and comparison by researchers in recent years, during the full-bearing period an organic black goji berry plant can produce 1.5-3.5 kg of fresh fruit per year, or about 0.3 to 0.8 kg of dried fruit. At a reasonable density of 550 plants per mu, the fresh fruit yield of organic black goji berries per mu can reach 800-1100 kg, the dried fruit yield is around 200 kg, and the net income per mu per year is more than 50,000-80,000 yuan.

According to publicly available materials at home and abroad, organic black goji berries contain anthocyanins and large amounts of beneficial trace elements. They can prevent and treat hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, cerebral thrombosis and many other diseases, and have effects such as cancer prevention and prolonging life. Their health value is extremely high, and they are known as “soft gold.” To effectively develop and utilize this rare resource, researchers in Qinghai, Gansu and other provinces began work around 2002 on the artificial domestication, purification research and promotion of wild black goji berries. Today, apart from Qinghai, the small amounts of artificially planted black goji berries in Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang and other provinces are the result of research and promotion of Qinghai black goji berries in recent years. Because of the unique life characteristics of black goji berries, apart from their place of origin in Qinghai, the quality of black goji berry seeds and seedlings from other places cannot be guaranteed. On April 16, 2011, Xinhua News Agency released information proving that black goji berry extract is widely used in medicines for improving immunity, treating cardiovascular system diseases, lowering blood lipids, resisting arteriosclerosis and fighting tumors. In recent years, CCTV and many other authoritative media have reported many times on the development and promotion of black goji berries, and some specialty products using black goji berries as a key raw material have shown good market prospects. At present, a boom in research, development and promotion of black wolfberry products is rising in China, a dried fruit consumer market is taking shape, and the market price reaches 1000-5000 yuan per kg. It can be said that the market prospects for organic black goji berries are broad. To form a planting scale and sales market nationwide like that of red goji berries will require decades of effort, and in the coming years there is great potential for the promotion of organic black goji berry cultivation. 1. Seed collection and storage: In the Qinghai region, the mature fruit harvest period for organic black goji berries is August-September. When the fruit turns deep purple and the berries are plump, they can be picked. If not picked in time, the fruit will not fall off on its own and will naturally dry on the branch. After picking, the berries should be dried promptly in a cool place. Fruit after September has not grown long enough, and the seeds are not fully developed, so it is not suitable for use as seed fruit. When collecting seeds, place the berries in clean water, soak them, then break the berries with a pulping machine, wash away the pulp adhering to the seeds, remove impurities and filter out the seeds, then dry them, select the best ones and store them in breathable woven bags. Organic black goji berry seeds are relatively small, with a thousand-grain weight of about 0.9 grams, and about 1.1 million seeds per kg. It is best to sow the seeds in the same year; the germination rate of seeds from the same year is 80-95%, while the germination rate of seeds more than two years old decreases significantly, so pay attention to this when planting. 2. Raising seedlings: There are three methods of raising seedlings: seed propagation, cuttings and root suckers. Seedlings can be raised in spring and autumn. The nursery site should be chosen as flat ground with good drainage, irrigation conditions, convenient transportation and deep sandy loam soil. Clear miscellaneous items and grass roots from the nursery site, apply 2000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure per mu, sheep manure being best, along with 20-30 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer. After fertilizing, plow deeply in time and rake the ground level. Choose a low seedbed, with a bed width of 1.2 m and a bed height of 15 cm, leaving a 40 cm wide working path between two beds for access and management. Before sowing, irrigate the seedbed thoroughly; sowing can be done 2 to 3 days after irrigation. Before sowing, disinfect the seeds with potassium permanganate water, then evenly broadcast the seeds over the bed at a rate of 0.8-1.5 kg per mu, covering them with 1-1.5 cm of fine sand. Spray clean water on the sand surface about every two days until the seedlings emerge. In addition, drilling and dibbling can also be used. Seedlings can also be raised in containers in a greenhouse, and after the seedlings reach about 20 cm in height they can be moved out of the greenhouse and planted in the field. Cuttings can also be taken before bud break in spring and in autumn. Select 1-year-old vigorous shoots or thick branches with plump buds from superior individual plants, cut them into 18-20 cm long cuttings, insert the cuttings obliquely into the prepared bed and press them firm and solid. Note that they should be watered frequently to keep the soil moist; the survival rate is generally about 85%. In addition, organic black goji berries have well-developed root systems and strong root sprouting ability. By cutting off the main root, many new seedlings can sprout around the main root, and new seedlings can be cultivated after tillering. 3. Planting density: After our research, the recommended reasonable planting density for organic black goji berries is 440-700 plants per mu. They can be planted reasonably at a row spacing of 1.5 (or 1.2) m and a plant spacing of 1 (or 0.8) m, which neither affects the growth of organic black goji berries and the picking of fruit, nor wastes land resources. 4. Field management: Throughout the year, combine hoeing with timely loosening of the soil, and water appropriately according to soil conditions. Apply sufficient basal fertilizer in March each year, and carry out scientific topdressing at the end of June and August. In the early stage, mainly use nitrogen fertilizer, and in the later stage apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. 5. Shaping and pruning: Organic black goji berries bear fruit in three years and enter the full-bearing period in five years, and their shaping must be completed in the first three years after planting. In the year of planting, cut back all branches at a height of about 30-40 cm, leaving 4-5 well-developed main branches as the first layer, then leave one layer about every 30-40 cm, with 3-5 main branches per layer, ultimately pruning the entire tree shape into a three- to four-layer umbrella form, and on this basis carry out appropriate pruning and shaping each year. Through such pruning and shaping, each organic black goji berry plant can have dozens of fruit-bearing skeletal branches, which can relatively maintain the yield. Pruning is very important for increasing yield and cultivating large fruit clusters of goji berries. 6. Harvesting and processing: The harvest of organic black goji berries should take place between Grain in Ear and the Autumn Equinox. Pick ripe fruit in time, dry them in the shade or in the sun; do not expose them to strong sunlight, to avoid excessive drying, and be careful not to rub them with your hands, as this affects quality. During the dog days of summer, when there is a lot of rain, they can be dried over a warm fire.