Detailed Guide to Goji Berry Cultivation: Planting Methods and Management Essentials

Goji berry has long been widely known as a traditional anti-aging tonic. Modern medical research has found that its leaves, fruits, and fruit stems all have anti-cancer effects. According to an article in Rural Baishitong, tender goji leaves and stem tips have already been marketed as ready-to-cook vegetables, generating an income of 5000-6000 yuan per mu. In Harbin, making longevity porridge with goji berries and rice has become popular. Its use as a seasoning and side dish at banquets is becoming increasingly widespread.

Through observation, in Qitaihe and Boli, the Handafeng goji cultivated in open fields for 16 years showed no frost damage to mature branches during overwintering, and bore fruit in the same year of planting.

I. Site Selection: Goji berry is a strongly heliophilous shrub of the Solanaceae family, tolerant of cold, drought, alkalinity, and poor soil. Planting on fertile, elevated, well-drained sandy loam is best; it fears waterlogging but benefits from irrigation availability. Apply 5000 kg of organic fertilizer and 15 kg of diammonium phosphate per mu, preferably with deep loosening to 30 cm and thorough mixing with the fertilizer.

II. Propagation: 1. Sowing: Use 200-300 g of seed per mu. Before sowing, treat seeds with carbendazim or similar pesticides to prevent damping-off. For seedbed sowing, open furrows at 20-25 cm row spacing with a depth of 2-3 cm, cover with 1.5 cm of soil after sowing, and keep the seedbed soil moist. 2. Cuttings: In spring, select mature disease-free branches, cut them into 10 cm lengths, and soak in clean water for later use. After preparing the land, water thoroughly and cover with plastic film. At a spacing of 20 cm x 8 cm, first poke holes with a bamboo stick, then insert the cuttings two-thirds deep under the film, leaving 2 nodes above ground. After sprouting, keep only 1 strong bud.

III. Transplanting: If harvesting ready-to-cook vegetables (selling tender leaves) for market, use a spacing of 2 m x 0.5 m; if producing goji berries as the goal, with shaping and early yields desired, plant at 2 m x 2.5 m; 2-3 plants per hole is also possible. For multiple plants per hill without shaping, early-stage support is needed.

The planting hole should be 30-40 cm deep and 30-40 cm in diameter. Spread the seedling roots in all directions and position the plant in the center. First backfill topsoil mixed with organic fertilizer, then backfill subsoil mixed with organic fertilizer. Water thoroughly and cover with plastic film.

IV. Management and Pruning: When young trees have a large amount of branches and leaves, they often lean or lodge. You can mound soil around the trunk for support, or tie them to wooden stakes.

After planting, shape the young tree by keeping 4-5 strong branches at 40-50 cm above ground and pruning the rest. When new branches grow to 30 cm, cut back to 20 cm. When side branches grow to 30 cm, cut back to 20 cm again. This way, the basic framework is formed.

Pruning of mature trees: Regularly remove ground-sweeping branches, diseased and weak branches, and crossing branches. For water sprouts in areas with too many branches, remove them from the base; for water sprouts in areas lacking branches, pinch the tips and let them grow to form fruiting branches, or cut back by 1/2 to promote side branches to fill gaps. The general principle is uniform and reasonable density, ventilation and light penetration, and combining heavy and light pruning, so as to both bear many fruits and grow the tree.

V. Pest and Disease Control: Black fruit disease occurs during the rainy season, causing affected fruits, flowers, and buds to turn black. Control: Remove diseased flowers and fruits, and spray with mancozeb or tuzet. Aphids mainly damage leaves and tender branches. Control: Spray with 40% dimethoate at 1000 times dilution.

VI. Harvesting and Processing: Fruits mature successively from July to October and can be picked as they ripen, handled gently during harvest and placement. Alternatively, spread plastic sheeting under the tree and shake the branches to make ripe fruits fall for collection. The thickness of fruits for drying should not exceed 3 cm, and they must not be turned by hand, otherwise they will turn black. Freshly harvested fruits should not be exposed to direct sunlight; only after the skin wrinkles can they be sun-dried. When moisture content drops to 12%, collect and seal for storage. If conditions permit, drying by machine gives better results. The fresh-to-dry ratio of fresh fruits is 3:1-4:1, with a dry fruit yield of about 300 kg per mu.