A detailed guide to goji berry seedling cultivation: teaching you to scientifically grow goji berry seedlings
1. Site selection and land preparation: Choose sandy loam soil that is fertile and easy to drain and irrigate for the seedling field. Before raising seedlings, plow the soil 25-30 cm deep, apply sufficient base fertilizer, and make beds 1.0-1.5 cm wide, then wait for sowing.
2. Seedling raising and transplanting: Goji berries can be propagated by seed, cuttings, division, layering, and other methods. In field production, seed and cutting propagation are the main methods.
1. Seed propagation: before sowing, soak dried goji berries in water for 1-2 days, rub off the fruit skin and flesh, and rinse the seeds out in clean water. After removing the seeds, dry them, then mix them evenly with 3 parts fine sand and germinate them indoors at 20°C. Sow again when 30% of the seeds have sprouted. Spring sowing is preferable, and they can be transplanted and established in the same year. Seed-grown seedlings are mostly sown in drills. Before sowing, first select a fertile seedbed. On the prepared seedbed, open furrows at a row spacing of 30-40 cm, scatter the pre-germinated seeds mixed with fine soil or fine sand into the furrows, and cover with about 1 cm of soil. After sowing, press lightly and cover with grass to preserve moisture. Generally, seedlings emerge 7-10 days after sowing; remove the covering grass promptly when they emerge. When the goji seedlings are 3 cm-6 cm tall, thin them. When the seedlings are 20-30 cm tall, thin to a plant spacing of 15 cm. Weed and loosen the soil along with thinning and final thinning. Keep the seedbed moist before July to promote seedling growth. After August, reduce soil moisture to help the seedlings become woody. During the seedling stage, topdress 2 times, each time applying 5 kg-10 kg urea per mu, and phosphate and potassium fertilizer can also be applied together, depending on the condition of the seedlings.
2. Cutting propagation: in early spring before sap flow begins, select 1-year-old vigorous shoots and cut 15-20 cm cuttings, with the lower end cut at a slant. Insert the cuttings diagonally into the seedbed at a row spacing of 30 x 15 cm and keep the soil moist. The survival rate can reach more than 80%, and the effect is even better if treated with rooting powder. Seedling-stage management is the same as for seed propagation. Alternatively, select lignified branches more than 0.3 cm thick from superior mother plants, cut them into small bundles of about 20 cm, tie them into small bundles, stand the lower ends upright in a basin, then pour in ABT rooting powder solution (concentration 5-10 ppm) and soak for 30 minutes. Before cutting, first open furrows in the seedbed at a row spacing of 40 cm and a furrow depth of 15 cm, then place the cuttings diagonally in the furrows at a plant spacing of 6-10 cm and cover with soil and press firm. Leave 2 nodes of the cuttings exposed above the ground. When the new plant grows to 3-5 cm, keep only one strong bud.
3. Transplanting is another method of goji berry seedling cultivation. It is divided into two types. One is to dig large holes at a hole spacing of 230 cm, plant 3 plants per hole, with 35 cm between plants within the hole in a triangular arrangement. The other is to dig holes at a spacing of 170 cm, with 1 plant per hole. The first planting method is suitable for areas with strong wind and sand; after the plants grow larger, remove 1 to 2 plants. The second is suitable for areas with little wind and sand, with single-plant planting, which is good for branch extension. Transplanting can be done in spring or autumn; in spring in early April, and in autumn in mid-to-late October. When planting, do not plant too deep; open large holes, keep them shallow and level, place the roots horizontally in the hole, cover with 10 cm-15 cm of soil, then press firm and irrigate.
4. Cutting layering is to select robust branches from the shrub, press a section into the soil, and after it grows roots, cut it from the mother plant at the buried point, and cultivate the layer so that it grows into a small seedling.
3. Planting season:
1. Autumn-winter solar greenhouse: raise seedlings in August-September, plant in early September-mid October, and begin harvesting in November until June of the following year.
2. Open field: raise seedlings in a solar greenhouse in February-March, plant in early to mid April, or take cuttings directly in mid April; harvest begins from late May to early June, and if they do not flower and fruit in autumn, harvesting can continue.
4. Field planting: Goji berries like light and have well-developed root systems. To achieve high yield, choose a site with good light conditions, flat terrain, irrigation access, and fertile sandy loam or loam, or lightly saline-alkali soil for planting. Along with plowing, apply more than 4000 kg of high-quality organic fertilizer per mu, then rake level and make long beds 1.5-2 m wide, with length depending on the terrain. This is mostly done from late March to early April. During the harvest period, apply sufficient base fertilizer, more than 3000 kg of decomposed, finely crushed organic fertilizer per mu, mix it evenly with the soil, level it, and make beds 1.3 m wide (for low-lying, flood-prone plots, make 90 cm wide ridged high beds), and plant at a row spacing of 20-30 cm and a plant spacing of 12-20 cm, with 8000-15000 plants per mu; greenhouse planting should be denser, and open-field planting should be sparser. Place the seedlings into the planting holes, fill with soil and press firm, and water once. The root crown of the seedlings should be level with the ground.
5. Field management: after the seedlings recover, control growth for about 15 days, and cultivate and weed 2-3 times; water once every 7-10 days, keeping the soil moist at all times. In open fields, drain promptly after rain. After the first harvest, topdress, applying 150 kg of "Yite brand" active organic fertilizer per mu in holes, combined with watering, and thereafter topdress once every 20-30 days.