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Clever Cultivation of Goji Shoots for Easy, High-Quality, High-Yield Harvests

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Goji shoots (gouqi tou) refers to the tender shoot tips of the goji berry (Lycium barbarum), a woody sprout vegetable. Goji tender shoots are not only rich in nutrients but also have the effect of tonifying the kidneys and nourishing the liver, making them a valuable medicinal vegetable that is well received by consumers. The production and cultivation techniques are as follows: 1. Varieties of culinary goji. There are two types of goji used as a leafy vegetable, namely fine-leaf goji and large-leaf goji. Neither of these two types flowers or fruits, so they can only be propagated from cuttings each year. 2. Raising seedlings. Select robustly growing fine-leaf or large-leaf culinary goji plants (also called mother plants), take their thick stout branches, and cut them into 15

Goji shoots (gouqi tou) refers to the tender shoot tips of the goji berry (Lycium barbarum), a woody sprout vegetable. Goji tender shoots are not only rich in nutrients but also have the effect of tonifying the kidneys and nourishing the liver, making them a valuable medicinal vegetable that is well received by consumers. The production and cultivation techniques are as follows:

1. Varieties of culinary goji. There are two types of goji used as a leafy vegetable, namely fine-leaf goji and large-leaf goji. Neither of these two types flowers or fruits, so they can only be propagated from cuttings each year.

2. Raising seedlings. Select robustly growing fine-leaf or large-leaf culinary goji plants (also called mother plants), take their thick stout branches, and cut them into 15-20 cm sections as cuttings. Each cutting should have 3-5 axillary buds. Store them under moisture-retaining conditions at around 15°C with shading, ready for rooting.

When inserting the cuttings, insert the thick end (lower end) of the cutting at a 45-degree angle into the seedbed, with the top end facing south, leaving only 1-2 nodes above the soil surface. The row and plant spacing of the cuttings is 15 cm. After inserting the cuttings, cover with soil, press firm, and water thoroughly, then set up a small arched shed to retain moisture and promote rooting and sprouting.

3. Seedling stage management. Generally, about 10 days after inserting the cuttings, roots form, leaves grow, and new shoots emerge. At this point, select and keep 3-5 shoots per plant, thin out the rest, and then carry out intertillage and loosening of the soil to promote branch and bud growth. 3-5 days after intertillage, water and fertilizer management should be strengthened. Apply 15 kg of urea per mu along with irrigation, and apply fertilizer again after 15 days. Harvesting can begin 40-50 days after inserting the cuttings, and thereafter harvesting can be done about once every 20 days. After each harvest, fertilizer and water must be applied to promote faster growth of the next batch of tender shoots.

4. Harvesting. When the seedlings reach a plant height of more than 40 cm or the branches grow to 30-40 cm, harvest promptly while the basal leaves have not yet aged. Use a sharp knife to cut from the young tender part of the stem. These tender stems, leaves, and shoot tips are the goji shoots, which are then graded and tied into bundles for market. Generally, harvest once every 20 days.

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