Author Topic: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?  (Read 1730 times)

PersephonesChild

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Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« on: June 14, 2020, 03:06:33 PM »
I've grown goji in the past, but had to leave them behind in a move several years ago, and recently decided to obtain new plants. Turns out I could get 20+ cuttings for less than a single rooted one, so I decided to give it a go. Ordered a bundle of 25 cuttings, shipped with no leaves. Have never done goji cuttings before, but I've rooted other things, so I figured I could manage, and the price was low enough to be willing to risk failure.

It's been 3 weeks since I started my batch of goji cuttings. They're in clear cups filled with a mix of mulch, peat and vermiculite in a humidity box, and now about half are budding and flowering. All have rooted, a few even growing roots out the drain holes in the cups. The ones with flowers have also pushed a good 5 inches of new stems as well.

Should I let them flower, or should I pinch the buds off to try and force more root growth at this point? Will it matter?

If they were slower rooting or just barely growing, I wouldn't even think to let them fruit so soon, but they are growing probably 4x as fast as the grapes I started a week before, and 2x or 3x as fast as the figs. I'm honestly impressed with how rapid the rooting and growth has been by comparison to other shrubs and trees I've worked with.

Also, at the rate these are going, why are commercial nurseries not churning out mounds of cheaply priced goji plants for all the big box stores? I feel there could be a lot of cash made very quickly by growers here. I mean, I coughed up $25 each for my 1g goji plants before...just saying...
Cheers-
Cris

Pokeweed

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2020, 08:13:47 AM »
Chris, Who did you get the cuttings from? I'd like to try some as well. Thanks, Dan

PersephonesChild

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #2 on: June 18, 2020, 10:23:54 PM »
Chris, Who did you get the cuttings from? I'd like to try some as well. Thanks, Dan

I got them from "sparkeberry nursery" via ebay. He sells in sets of 25 cuttings. Fair warning: he mixes two varieties of goji in the bag unlabeled, but thankfully they are really easy to tell apart once they leaf out.

I actually ordered a second batch because the first ones went so well, and several family members asked if they could have one too.
Cheers-
Cris

Pokeweed

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #3 on: June 19, 2020, 07:53:33 AM »
Thank you. I'll contact him. Dan.

Lovetoplant

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2020, 12:45:18 PM »
I have whole bunches of them growing all over my yard.  Pm me if interested

brian

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #5 on: August 09, 2020, 01:35:23 PM »
I ordered some cuttings from this ebay seller you mentioned and they look great.  Most of them have already started leafing out, a few already had some tiny roots.  Thanks for the suggestion

Francis_Eric

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #6 on: August 09, 2020, 07:29:52 PM »
Pokeweed
I went to a store, and bought freeze dried goji berry
they all sprouted I do not have them available.,

but May have seeds
the kind I have now are from Fruit (dried from the Himalaians  looks like a good brand.)

I like the tea of them too do not know how to explain it
A strong berry flavor with a hint, (but obvious) of oxidized red wine flavor (but not in a bad way)

Do not know if those will grow , but I have many , and can see in a few days if they sprout.
Setting them up now (I do my plastic bag humidifier , but right now using a pot inside instead.)

Francis_Eric

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #7 on: August 09, 2020, 07:49:53 PM »
Everyone always says to remove flowers, but I really do not know for that plant.

Did you know there are also native Goji berries in the SW USA (and Carolina )
(lyceum) I found this out a long while back on pfaf, but Greene Deene Explains it well on eat the weeds.

Pfaf
https://pfaf.org/user/DatabaseSearhResult.aspx

http://www.eattheweeds.com/christmas-wolf-goji-theyre-all-berries-2/

Greene deenes site above

Francis_Eric

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #8 on: August 09, 2020, 08:11:24 PM »
I've grown goji in the past, but had to leave them behind in a move several years ago, and recently decided to obtain new plants. Turns out I could get 20+ cuttings for less than a single rooted one, so I decided to give it a go. Ordered a bundle of 25 cuttings, shipped with no leaves. Have never done goji cuttings before, but I've rooted other things, so I figured I could manage, and the price was low enough to be willing to risk failure.

It's been 3 weeks since I started my batch of goji cuttings. They're in clear cups filled with a mix of mulch, peat and vermiculite in a humidity box, and now about half are budding and flowering. All have rooted, a few even growing roots out the drain holes in the cups. The ones with flowers have also pushed a good 5 inches of new stems as well.

Should I let them flower, or should I pinch the buds off to try and force more root growth at this point? Will it matter?

If they were slower rooting or just barely growing, I wouldn't even think to let them fruit so soon, but they are growing probably 4x as fast as the grapes I started a week before, and 2x or 3x as fast as the figs. I'm honestly impressed with how rapid the rooting and growth has been by comparison to other shrubs and trees I've worked with.

thinking about it
I know with cuttings you want the least Nitrogen to prevent top growth , and encourage root growth
so in that matter I would remove the flowers.

I guess Greene Dean didn't explain where each on was from sorry about that.
Sorry if I had more time i'd explain but these are by you.

I wonder if Goji would graft onto a native one (you also have L. californicum)
Also In the comments they talk more about where some are native as well if your interested
(other then original poster  skim through one is by Colorado I believe)

(Lycium pallidum (is SO cal Arizona New Mexico, and boarder of TX)
Lycium fremontii (same)

Quote
In North America among the edibles species, besides L. carolinianum, L. andeersonii, L. fremontii, L. pallidum, and L. torrei. The leaves of the L. halimifolium are cooked and eaten in Eurasia as is the L. chinense. Best known, perhaps, is a Lycium closely related to the L. chinense, and that is the L. barbarum, also called the Goji (GO-gee) berry which oddly is naturalized in England. Also listed as edible is Lycium ferocissimum, which is a pest in Australia. Its native L. australe was eaten by the Aboriginals.
Also called the Wolfberry, L. barbarum is known as a powerful antioxidant

Francis_Eric

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #9 on: August 11, 2020, 01:17:21 AM »
test post picture
Poke weed got them planted will let you know if they sprout
posting just to test I I can up load a photo (for another post)




Pokeweed

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Re: Should I Let Goji Cuttings Flower?
« Reply #10 on: August 11, 2020, 08:08:52 AM »
Good luck with them! D