Goji, or common wolfberry

Goji ( Tibetan barberry)

Not so long ago, the name of a new culture for Russia - goji - appeared on everyone's lips. They say that its fruits are literally miraculous and help against all diseases. In Russia, however, goji was known before, called the common wolfberry, but in the end they completely forgot and now call it nothing other than Tibetan barberry, drilling nurseries and calling institutes in search of seedlings.

In appearance, Tibetan barberry is an unremarkable plant - a small bush with prickly, barberry-like and weeping shoots, lanceolate gray-green leaves and five-lobed purple flowers. The berries are oval, like those of barberry, scarlet-red, and are usually about 1.5 centimeters long.

Goji is native to China, although plants are found in the wild in Asia, Australia, northern Africa and America. Goji is also grown in our country for decorative purposes. This plant is unusual and looks good on the site. Gojdi tolerates pruning, so it can be used to create hedges, among other things, but in fact such use is blasphemous, if we take into account the rich biochemical composition of the fruits of this plant.

It is thanks to the composition of the fruit that the popularity of goji is growing literally by leaps and bounds, and interest in the propagation of Tibetan barberry and the technology of its cultivation has increased. The composition of the fruits is truly impressive, there are more than two dozen mineral compounds, among which the leaders are zinc, iodine, iron, the fruits contain amino acids, the amount of which exceeds that in the famous royal pollen of bees. There are already eighteen amino acids, and eight of them are essential, that is, those that are not synthesized by the human body. The fruit contains a lot of vitamins with a predominance of B, and the content of vitamin C is hundreds of times higher than that in an orange. The fruits also contain polysaccharides, the presence of which is excluded in ordinary food products.

Goji berries taste like a mixture of barberries, raisins and dried cherries. At the same time, goji can grow and produce good harvests even in the northern regions, but in Siberian conditions Where it is very cold, goji can be grown at home by installing additional lighting lamps.

The easiest option is to get goji at home by sowing seeds. The seedling will bloom in just a couple of years, and after another couple it will be possible to harvest the first small harvest of valuable fruits. A plant that does well in mountainous areas, climbing to heights of up to 1000 meters above sea level, will cope with any vagaries of the weather. Goji is not afraid of either frost or drought, and the bush is not afraid of gusts of wind and excessive moisture.

To get seedlings, you need to acquire fresh fruits, after which they should be soaked in water for a quarter of an hour, only then can the seeds be removed. They are not large and there can be up to one and a half dozen of them in a berry, of which about a third will sprout. To maximum amount If the seeds sprout, you should place the pot with the seeds in a warm place (23-25°C) and keep the soil moist. Light is not needed for seed germination, but for good growth seedlings simply need it. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the pot with seeds must be placed on the south side of the window on the windowsill, or provided with additional light by installing a backlight lamp.

It’s great if you build a small greenhouse for the seedlings; to do this, you can take a fairly deep container and cover it on top with film or a glass jar. This way, you will avoid the need for too frequent watering, because the moisture will evaporate much more slowly.

If you have extracted seeds from berries that have been stored for several days, then before sowing you should soak them in a solution of a growth stimulator - IMC, zircon, epin. The ideal soil for sowing goji seeds will be well-drained and permeable, loose, with a neutral composition. Sometimes a mixture of loamy soil with non-acidic peat is used in a two to one ratio.

The seeds are directly sown on the soil surface in small grooves made with the head of a match, after which they are sprinkled with a layer of non-acidic peat no more than half a centimeter thick. This will allow the sprouts to freely break through to the surface of the soil. During this period, it is very important to monitor the soil moisture; if it dries out, the seedlings may die. You also need to monitor the temperature, avoiding its sharp fluctuations. You should not place bowls with seeds on a windowsill, under which there is a heating radiator breathing heat, or where a draft can form, or a stream of cold air can blow over the seeds, for example, from a slightly open window; all this will be detrimental to the seedlings.

As soon as the seeds germinate and the first shoots appear, the film can be removed during the daytime and the seedlings can be covered at night. It is important to ensure that the film is located at a sufficient height and does not interfere with the seedlings. For watering at this important time, you should use a spray bottle; it will prevent the formation of large drops, but will effectively maintain soil moisture. Only after the plants have formed a second pair of true leaves can they be transplanted into separate containers.

Pots for replanting should be taken deep, at least ten centimeters, because the root system of goji grows more actively in depth rather than in breadth. The same must be taken into account when transplanting seedlings, try to pick up the roots along with a lump of earth, which can be done with a teaspoon.

Goji should be planted on the site as soon as the danger of return frosts disappears. In the southern regions this is mid-May, but in the center it is early June. It is better to transplant together with a lump of earth, so when replanting, make sure that the pot can be removed without damaging the roots or destroying the lump of earth.

Tibetan barberry is not demanding in terms of care and soil composition, but it may not tolerate frosts below 33°C. Therefore, in the fall, plants should be covered with covering material and ensure that there is always a lot of snow on top. Goji has not yet accumulated any diseases or pests, but sometimes aphids taste the tips of young leaves, and in especially wet years they attack powdery mildew, but they don’t do much harm.

N. Khromov , Candidate of Biological Sciences

Source: http://www.gazetasadovod.ru

Goji, or common wolfberry

My craving for plants began in childhood. For as long as I can remember, I always, if possible, brought various flower shoots from everywhere into the house. I took it from relatives, friends, and brought it from school. I liked watching the process itself, how a beautiful thing grew from a tiny shoot. flowering plant or simply decorative deciduous. This passion, or rather one might say my life, without which I cannot imagine myself, has not left me to this day. True, this hobby has long gone beyond the apartment into my favorite garden, in which I plant various flowers and plants.

I love to grow not only some beautiful flowers, without which, of course, it is impossible, because... they are always pleasing to the eye, from early spring to late autumn, but I also like to plant various useful plants. One of these plants, which is both decorative and useful, appeared on my garden plot 4 years ago, this is Lycium, wolfberry, or the well-known name of goji. The name goji is a Russian transliteration of the English goji, or a commercial name that was invented by the Chinese, which has nothing to do with the true name of the plant.

There are about 100 species of lycium (wolfberry), which grow in tropical, subtropical, and partly in temperate zones of both hemispheres, mainly in South America. In nature, you can find lycium in the steppes, lowland and mountain deserts and semi-deserts, along desert river valleys, in southeastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, in China.

Several types of wolfberry are grown in Russia, these are Chinese wolfberry and common wolfberry. The latter is considered the most unpretentious species.

Dereza vulgaris is perennial shrub, nightshade family. It can reach a height of up to 3.5 meters. The branches are covered with thin spines. Leaves are oblong, up to 7 cm. Flowers are lilac or purple, very small. Fruits in different regions, from May to September or from July to October. The fruit is a small coral-red berry, 1-2 cm in size. Each berry contains 10-60 tiny yellow seeds.

This is exactly the type, i.e. Dereza vulgare, I purchased by mail as a small seedling. After examining the roots, which were in good condition, I began planting. Since the plant is unpretentious, I did not make any special soil; I planted it in the soil that predominates on my site, which is loamy chernozem. I watered it a little and tied the stem to a support, because... branches tend to bend. My seedling grew very quickly, as evidenced by the appearance of new young shoots.

Caring for wolfberry is minimal and very simple. It doesn’t require much watering; I water it only in dry summers; I also don’t add any special fertilizers. There is also no need to cover it for the winter; even if the branches freeze, they quickly grow back over the summer. The main thing to do is to shape the bush by pruning. If this is not done, then a bush that is too dense will produce few berries.

As for the propagation of common wolfberry, everything is simple here too. It can be propagated in several ways. This is seed propagation, layering, cuttings or root suckers. When propagating from seeds, I do the following. First I soak it in warm water dried berries. When they soften, I take out the seeds and sow them on the surface of the moistened soil, lightly sprinkling them with soil. During germination, you need to monitor soil moisture. It is better to sow several seeds in one container, because... small seedlings will support each other better and their root system will be stronger and more developed. Then the seedlings need to be planted in separate cups. Dereza can also be propagated by layering; to do this, you just need to dig a twig from a large bush and tie the top to a peg so that the shoot is vertical. After the roots appear, the plant is separated and planted. There is also a method of cuttings, but I have not propagated wolfberry this way, so I can’t say anything. My common wolfberry reproduces very well by root suckers. They sometimes grow at a distance of 30-50 cm from an adult bush.

As you can see, this plant is unpretentious, easy to propagate, and also very decorative, especially when in the fall it is strewn with red-orange berries, which undoubtedly decorate autumn garden. On my site, wolfberry (goji) berries reach full maturity around mid-September - early October.

I pick berries directly from the bush, although many fly around on their own and fall to the ground. They taste sweet-salty or sour. After picking the berries, I dry them in a dry and dark place, and then put them in storage. It is better to store in a dry place. They can be consumed as dried fruits, but not more than 20-30 g per day for an adult. Many berries are brewed into tea, added to porridges and soups.

Also, wolfberry (goji) berries have a number of beneficial properties. They improve metabolism and blood circulation, increase immunity, stabilize blood pressure, reduce the risk of developing cancer, enrich the intestinal microflora, stabilize the psychological state, promote the process of losing weight, etc.

From everything we can conclude that the common wolfberry is an unpretentious, decorative and useful plant. I advise everyone to have such a plant on their site.

Pavel Konstantinovich Zimin , Sarov

Tibetan goji barberry cultivation

Now we'll talk about modern way restoration of metabolism. What is needed to renew your worldview. Take measures to limit yourself from a breakdown, since a breakdown can undermine even the most powerful health.
Increase your attention to cleansing the liver of parasites. The cardiac system must endure everything in reserve. Have a healthy weight. It is important to prepare the motor so that it can bear the load if necessary. Old age will not be present if the organs do not refuse to fulfill vital functions as nature intended.

Goji (Tibetan barberry). Experience of growing from seeds.

Goji – amazing plant. Its berries have a unique composition. But all this information can be read on the Internet. I was interested in growing such a beauty from seeds. And as it turned out, everything is quite simple. Fill the pot with any loose substrate (regular store-bought), spread the seeds over the surface, lightly sprinkle with soil, water and place in a sunny place. Goji shoots appeared very quickly (literally within a week). If the seeds are fresh, then the germination rate is 100%. As soon as the first leaves unfurled, I sprinkled it with phytosporin. As it grew, I fed it with humate and fertilizer for flower plants. Having reached 5-10 centimeters in size, the freedom-loving “Tibetan” flatly refused to grow on the windowsill. And I didn’t do anything with it: I poured it into separate cups, fed it, everything was useless. The leaves withered, then dried out and the plants died one after another. The surviving seedlings were urgently planted in open ground. And then a miracle happened. Little gojiks, having felt contact with the ground with their roots, began to grow rapidly. Now my babies are only in their second year. They are already the size of a man and are actively trying to bloom. The plant itself is a bit like a willow: thin drooping branches, elongated leaves. They were planted one in a sunny place, the other in partial shade.

How to grow Tibetan barberry in your garden?

If you want to grow an interesting shrub in your garden or dacha that will be beautiful landscape decoration, then you should pay attention to a plant with the mystical name Shambhala or Tibetan barberry. Botanists call it common or barbary wolfberry (Lycium barbarum). This shrub is usually 3-4 meters high and has arched, drooping branches that grow to a length of about 2 meters. Lilac wolfberry flowers, which are pleasing to the eye in the summer, and from September and closer to winter are replaced by orange or coral-colored berries. Barberry, the cultivation of which is very popular in modern gardening, is loved because this shrub can decorate any corner of the garden, in the country, it is easy to care for, and will also provide fragrant and healthy berries.

Growing barberry

It is interesting that such a variety of barberry as Chinese wolfberry (Lycium chinense) is not a shrub plant. This is a vine with climbing stems, reaching up to four meters in height. This particular type of goji is called a “female aphrodisiac”, thanks to the tonic effect of its berries on female libido.

Barberry is cultivated everywhere, despite its eastern roots, as it is a hardy, unpretentious foliage plant with a rich color scheme grown not only for its healing properties. but also widely used to decorate garden plots, dachas and urban landscape compositions Moreover, it also does not require special care.

Types of barberry

There are more than 400 species of barberry. Most of them have thorns, but there are also varieties without thorns. This feature should definitely be taken into account when choosing a wolfberry variety to grow in your garden, especially if there are small children in the family. Also, when choosing a variety of this plant, you should take into account the natural conditions of your region. We present to your attention the most popular varieties of barberry:

Japanese barberry or Thunberga - the most popular landscape view. Its bright green leaves turn reddish-orange in the fall and produce small coral berries in the winter. Reaches from 3 to 6 meters in height.
Barberry Juliana is evergreen shrub with very thorny branches, reaching 10 meters in height. The green leaves turn bronze in winter and turn yellow in spring. Its winter berries are oval shaped and blue, almost black in color. Growing this type of goji is often justified where it is necessary to create a living green fence or barrier.
Barberry Mentor - This type of barberry in cool climates loses its leaves in winter. Its spring flowers are very small and it does not produce fruit in winter.

Care, planting and growing barberry

It is not difficult to grow Tibetan and other types of barberry, including from cuttings, and caring for them is completely simple - after planting, you are unlikely to have to worry about the bush at all. But, nevertheless, it is necessary to know some features of reproduction, planting and care.

Barberry grows in almost all types of soil, even clayey ones. At the same time, it prefers sandy soils; care consists of timely watering.
The shrub is also unpretentious in terms of soil composition, but does not really favor soils with an acidic reaction.
If you want to get large goji fruits. then it should be planted in well-drained soil.
The plant requires a moderate amount of water and grows well both in sunny areas (can withstand temperatures up to 30 C) and shaded areas - the care is the same.
As a rule, there is no need to fertilize barberry during the year, but the bush will gratefully respond to application. landing hole(40x40x40 cm) organic and mineral fertilizers.
When planting, it is necessary to take into account the ability of goji to grow quickly, displacing other plants and occupying an increasingly larger area.
The use of chemicals can negatively affect the beneficial and nutritional properties of barberry berries, so if you want to get healing fruits, you should not use chemical fertilizers.
If you plan to use barberry as an element landscape design, then, of course, basic care must be supplemented with pruning, which should be carried out at least twice a year. By the way, pruning has a beneficial effect on growth and appearance bush.
It is imperative to remove dry leaves and berries (especially on goji bushes) in the summer and winter months.
Since Tibetan barberry is resistant to various kinds of diseases and pests, it develops quite quickly, therefore it is quite easy to grow.

Barberry propagation

The shrub can be propagated in the following ways:

Seeds. The seeds collected in the fall (one wolfberry contains about 10 pieces) are sown in early spring in small containers for seedlings - 5-6 per one. The soil in pots must be well drained and always moist before seeds grow. Approximately 2-3 weeks after germination of the sprouts, watering can be reduced. You should not keep future seedlings in a well-lit place - sunlight can inhibit its growth. The sprouts should be picked after two leaves appear. With this method of propagation, wolfberry blooms for the first time in the second year, and produces the first goji berries only after 3-4 years, if it receives appropriate care.
Cuttings. To quickly get the long-awaited berries, it is better to grow from cuttings. To do this, it is necessary to plant one- or two-year-old shoots (cuttings) with 3 to 5 buds at least 10 cm long in a sand-peat (1:1) mixture in the summer. And by autumn there will already be the first large shoots from the cuttings.
Vegetative. Since wolfberry produces very abundant root shoots, dividing the bush is the easiest and most effective way to propagate this shrub, which avoids artificial propagation.

How to grow Tibetan barberry indoors?

By the way, Shambhala successfully propagates from seeds and cuttings, grows and bears fruit indoors. To do this you will need: a planting pot, seeds or seedlings, soil and drainage mixtures and organic fertilizers. The shrubs should receive enough water and you should provide them with at least 8 hours sunlight(or special lighting) per day.

One thing to consider when growing goji indoors is important nuance– pollination. In an enclosed space, flowers will not be able to pollinate on their own - this means that you must help them do this.

It's not as difficult as it seems: just point the flowers one at another and gently press them. That is: regular watering, sufficient light and pollination - that’s all you need to care for barberry growing on your windowsill at home.

Why is it worth growing goji at your dacha?

Even in Ancient Babylon, barberry was used as a medicine to “purify the blood,” as evidenced by clay tablets of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. Medicinal use Such berberine-containing plants in China date back more than 3 thousand years.

Beneficial properties of barberry berries and shoots

Antibacterial and antifungal properties. Many studies have shown that barberry kills microorganisms of various origins: staphylococci and streptococci, salmonella and shigella, Entamoeba histolytica - the causative agent of dysentery, giardia, vaginal yeast infections such as Candida.
Immunostimulating properties. Because berberine is able to inhibit the growth of bacteria in test tubes and stimulate the growth of macrophages (white blood cells that destroy microorganisms), barberry is an excellent human immune system booster.
Anti-inflammatory properties for infections of the urinary, biliary tract, and gastrointestinal tract.
Antipyretic properties.
General strengthening properties. Berberine is used in China to treat blood cell depression caused by chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Sedative properties.
Choleretic properties are perhaps the fundamental property of barberry, which has a cleansing effect on the liver.
Hypotensive property (lowering blood pressure).

In addition to the above beneficial properties of barberry, its use is justified:

for skin infections and even, as a study by German scientists shows, for the treatment of acne and psoriasis;
berberine is able to destroy and promote the dispersion of mucous accumulations, which is effective in the treatment of bronchial infections;
is able to improve blood circulation, therefore useful for people suffering from ventricular heart defects;
as part of an eye ointment it is effective in the fight against conjunctivitis.

It is known that the Chinese Li Kin Yen lived to be two hundred and fifty-two years old, thanks to the fact that he ate this berry three times a day.

Growing goji from seeds: Tibetan barberry

Answering the question of how to grow Goji from seeds, it should be noted that, in principle, growing Goji from seeds is not such a difficult process, since the plant is not considered very capricious.

Goji is such an amazing Tibetan plant that prefers good lighting, although there is a slight darkening and various kinds It can withstand the vagaries of the weather without problems.

In principle, due to the fact that the Goji berry comes from Tibet, where there are often long rains, strong winds or frosts, such a bush plant can withstand such conditions. At the same time, the berry can feel great even in city conditions and responds well to such a procedure as a haircut.

That is why Goji can be grown from seeds even in our climatic conditions. A plant that was grown from seeds may bloom in the second year, although there may not be a harvest. Since most often such a young plant is capable of producing a harvest only in the third or even fourth year of its existence.

When answering the question of how to grow Goji from seeds, it is worth clarifying what the amazing plant that was grown in a similar way, is in no way capable of competing in taste qualities and aroma with Goji berries brought from Tibet.

The seeds of this Tibetan berry are quite small and it is precisely due to the presence of a thin shell that they do not need such a procedure as scarification in order to obtain fairly fast and friendly shoots. After extracting the seeds from fresh Goji berries, it is recommended to soak them for several hours in a solution such as epin or zircon. As a result of these steps, seeds can be sown in moist and slightly loose soil.

It is preferable to use neutral soil mixtures in this situation. Due to the fact that plants of this type from seeds need constant moisture during germination, the container with seeds must be covered with film.

Moreover, light in this case is a very important indicator for the rapid and effective growth of Tibetan barberry. Sudden changes in temperature are not allowed here. And the period of seed germination can reach approximately two weeks.

Thus, from all of the above we can conclude that Tibetan barberry today can be grown from seeds even at home. of course, if certain rules are followed.

More information

In botany, this plant is known as common wolfberry or another name barbaric (Lycium barbarum). The adjective Chinese or Tibetan indicates the area where this particular type of barberry grows. Common wolfberry grows in China, Tibet, and the Himalayas as a shrub up to 3.5 meters high. In Eastern China, Japan and Korea, the liana-like form predominates - Chinese wolfberry. The unique composition of the soil and climatic conditions of the Chinese region of Ningxia contribute to the most pronounced healing and nutritional properties goji. The plant is unpretentious and takes root well in different climatic conditions.

Properties and uses of goji

Barberry is a fairly common plant, but only Tibetan barberry has unique nutritional and medicinal properties. The composition of goji berries is truly amazing. Juicy fruits contain minerals, vitamins, amino acids, polysaccharides in a composition and proportions that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the entire human body. A general strengthening and tonic effect on the body of women has been noted, which is why it is also called “female ginseng.”

Rarely do any oriental dishes do without such a seasoning as the fruits of Chinese barberry. Not only berries, but also leaves are used for food.

Eastern medicine has long known the properties of the fruits, bark and roots of the plant. The first mentions are found in ancient treatises from the Tang Dynasty (1000 AD). The range of applications is very wide: restoration of vision, prevention and treatment of the lungs, intestines, liver, kidneys, circulatory system, diabetes. Relieves headaches, eliminates dizziness, fatigue of the lower back and legs. Strengthens the immune system, promotes rejuvenation of the body.

Dried goji fruits from China are supplied to world markets. In order not to buy a fake, you need to take a close look at the color of the dried fruits and the inscription on the packaging. Chinese barberry berries have a richer red color than common barberry berries. The inscriptions on the original packaging should only be on Chinese or English in elite varieties.

Ways to grow goji

Characteristic

The plant is unpretentious. Frost-resistant. It takes root and is grown in many regions of the planet. In the south of Russia there are wild shrubs. Lilac wolfberry flowers are funnel-shaped. The branches are covered with sharp thorns. Begins to bear fruit in May-July. Until September-October, about 13 harvests can be collected. But the most valuable berries are those collected in summer, especially in August.

Goji planting

It is advisable to plant several on your site different varieties barberry.
It is advisable to plant on the sunny side. The soil should be well drained, fertilized with organic and mineral fertilizers. It is necessary to take into account that the plant occupies a large area due to the abundant root growth.

Reproduction

Three methods of propagation are practiced: seeds, vegetative and summer cuttings.

Germinating goji seeds

Seeds are harvested in the fall. The fruit of the wolfberry is a berry with up to ten grains. Wash the berries and dry them. In spring they are planted in containers of 4-5 pieces. The seedlings grow quickly. In a maximum of two weeks, shoots will appear, which must be kept in a warm place. Do not water abundantly. It is desirable for sprouts to create the so-called “greenhouse” effect. If these conditions are met, the black leg will not appear. When two true leaves grow, it is advisable to prick the seedlings. The plant adapts well to climatic conditions and is resistant to diseases and pests. It will bloom in the second year, and after 3-4 years you can collect the fruits.

Propagation by cuttings

This type of cultivation makes it possible to get fruits faster. In summer, one- or two-year-old shoots with 3-4 buds are cut 10-15 cm long. The lower end is oblique, and the upper end is at a distance of 0.5 cm from the upper bud with a slight slope and is planted in a greenhouse. It is excellent if the soil is well drained, consists of sand and peat in equal proportions with the addition of humus or fertilizer, and should not be damp or wet. If the mother bush is flowering, then the rooted cuttings will bloom quickly.

Goji or goji shamballa is quite unpretentious plant which has long been used in recipes traditional medicine. It is also called Turkish barberry and wolfberry, less common names are bulldugrun and dereza. This shrub not only has therapeutic properties, but is also a beautiful ornamental plant, capable of decorating any garden plot. We have already talked about its beneficial properties, and we will talk about it someday. Today I would like to supplement the information about goji shambhala - Tibetan barberry, and consider its cultivation in more detail.

This culture has about ninety varieties. Literally all parts of this plant are used for medicinal purposes - leaves, bark, and fruits. In the wild, goji grows near roads and inside rocky crevices, so it can be found on the slopes of the foothills or high in the mountains. There is evidence that Tibetan barberry grows successfully at an altitude of up to three kilometers above sea level.

Choosing a landing site

When thinking about planting wolfberry on your site, keep in mind that it is easy to grow, but then getting rid of it is not at all easy. Dereza is distinguished by its unpretentiousness; it grows very quickly in breadth, eagerly spreading over an ever-larger area.

It can even displace other, less resistant plants. Therefore, planting this crop makes sense near apiaries and gardens, as well as on top of shafts, near a road or near a ditch. Goji also grows well in wastelands; it tolerates semi-saline and poorly moistened soils.

Turkish barberry prefers drained areas of fairly low fertility. It may have varying degrees of frost resistance depending on the variety, but without exception, all types of this crop love the sun. Therefore, it is best to plant goji in open sunny areas.

Variety selection

The common goji is a fairly low shrub with many thorns, as well as twig-like drooping branches and long leaves. This variety begins to bloom in July, and in autumn it produces spherical fruits, sometimes slightly oblong, colored red or Orange color.

Chinese shamballa is a creeping shrub with characteristic climbing stems of a flexible structure. They have short spines. The leaves of this variety of plants have an epileptic shape. Chinese goji blooms in early autumn, and its bright multi-seeded fruits ripen only in November.

Russian dereza looks like a low branched shrub with thorns. It bears narrow leaves that are cylindrical or ovoid in shape. This species blooms from mid-spring to mid-summer, and by autumn it pleases owners with red fruits.

Growing

Goji reproduces in several ways, both vegetatively and seed. You can easily grow this shrub by extracting the seeds from the fruit. Planting material you just need to wash the ripe berries and sow them in moist soil. The seeds are scattered over the surface of the ground and sprinkled with a little soil. Humidification in the first stages is carried out using a spray bottle.

If you got the seeds from someone you know, or you purchased them, you should soak them in fairly warm water and treat them with a solution of potassium permanganate. The soil in the planting container must be constantly maintained at a sufficient level of moisture, while avoiding excessive watering. In order to ensure good soil drainage, place a layer of broken shards and a little river sand on the bottom of the pot or box.

The container with the planted seeds should be covered with polyethylene or glass, this will create a greenhouse effect and speed up germination. After the first sprouts appear, the shelter must be removed, the sprouts must be provided with sufficient lighting and temperature regime ranging from plus twenty to twenty-five degrees Celsius.

After a couple of weeks, individual leaves will form on the seedlings; when their number reaches two or three, pick the plants into separate containers.

Those shrubs that were grown from seeds produce color already in the second year of life. The first fruits appear three to four years after planting.

Vegetative propagation

For cuttings, shoots of one to two years of life, whose length ranges from ten to fifteen centimeters, are used. Each of these segments should have three or four buds. The cuttings are cut from the bush at an angle, using pruners or a particularly sharp knife. The workpieces are planted in a greenhouse, mixing peat and sand as a substrate.

The section needs to be buried in the ground by about three to five centimeters, so that the lower bud sinks into the ground.

Reproduction by root suckers is also possible, but it usually occurs by itself, because the plant very quickly increases its growing area.

Care

At the beginning of spring, you need to cut out about a third of the shoots, cutting them right at the root. Goji strongly suppresses all plants located nearby, so it does not need weeding. This culture can tolerate long absence moisture, in addition, she does not like excessive moisture. Accordingly, watering wolfberry should only be done in particularly dry weather.

More recently, Turkish barberry was perceived only as a weedy shrub, but now it is actively cultivated in garden plots due to its unpretentiousness and good decorative properties.

Tibetan goji barberry cultivation

Now we will talk about a modern method of restoring metabolism. What is needed to renew your worldview. Take measures to limit yourself from a breakdown, since a breakdown can undermine even the most powerful health.
Increase your attention to cleansing the liver of parasites. The cardiac system must endure everything in reserve. Have a healthy weight. It is important to prepare the motor so that it can bear the load if necessary. Old age will not be present if the organs do not refuse to fulfill vital functions as nature intended.

Goji (Tibetan barberry). Experience of growing from seeds.

Goji is an amazing plant. Its berries have a unique composition. But all this information can be read on the Internet. I was interested in growing such a beauty from seeds. And as it turned out, everything is quite simple. Fill the pot with any loose substrate (regular store-bought), spread the seeds over the surface, lightly sprinkle with soil, water and place in a sunny place. Goji shoots appeared very quickly (literally within a week). If the seeds are fresh, then the germination rate is 100%. As soon as the first leaves unfurled, I sprinkled it with phytosporin. As it grew, I fed it with humate and fertilizer for flower plants. Having reached 5-10 centimeters in size, the freedom-loving “Tibetan” flatly refused to grow on the windowsill. And I didn’t do anything with it: I poured it into separate cups, fed it, everything was useless. The leaves withered, then dried out and the plants died one after another. The surviving seedlings were urgently planted in open ground. And then a miracle happened. Little gojiks, having felt contact with the ground with their roots, began to grow rapidly. Now my babies are only in their second year. They are already the size of a man and are actively trying to bloom. The plant itself is a bit like a willow: thin drooping branches, elongated leaves. They were planted one in a sunny place, the other in partial shade.

How to grow Tibetan barberry in your garden?

If you want to grow an interesting shrub in your garden or dacha that will be a wonderful landscape decoration, then you should pay attention to a plant with the mystical name shambhala or Tibetan barberry. Botanists call it common or barbary wolfberry (Lycium barbarum). This shrub is usually 3-4 meters high and has arched, drooping branches that grow to a length of about 2 meters. Lilac wolfberry flowers, which are pleasing to the eye in the summer, and from September and closer to winter are replaced by orange or coral-colored berries. Barberry, the cultivation of which is very popular in modern gardening, is loved because this shrub can decorate any corner of the garden, in the country, it is easy to care for, and will also provide fragrant and healthy berries.

Growing barberry

Barberry is cultivated everywhere, despite its Eastern roots, as this hardy, unpretentious foliage plant with a rich range of colors is grown not only for its medicinal properties. but it is also widely used to decorate garden plots, dachas and urban landscape compositions; moreover, it does not require special care.

Types of barberry

Japanese barberry or Thunberga is the most popular landscape species. Its bright green leaves turn reddish-orange in the fall and produce small coral berries in the winter. Reaches from 3 to 6 meters in height.
Barberry Juliana is an evergreen shrub with very thorny branches, reaching 10 meters in height. The green leaves turn bronze in winter and turn yellow in spring. Its winter berries are oval shaped and blue, almost black in color. Growing this type of goji is often justified where it is necessary to create a living green fence or barrier.
Barberry Mentor - This type of barberry in cool climates loses its leaves in winter. Its spring flowers are very small and it does not produce fruit in winter.

Care, planting and growing barberry

Barberry grows in almost all types of soil, even clayey ones. At the same time, it prefers sandy soils; care consists of timely watering.
The shrub is also unpretentious in terms of soil composition, but does not really favor soils with an acidic reaction.
If you want to get large goji fruits. then it should be planted in well-drained soil.
The plant requires a moderate amount of water and grows well both in sunny areas (can withstand temperatures up to 30 C) and shaded areas - the care is the same.
As a rule, there is no need to fertilize barberry throughout the year, but the bush will gratefully respond to the addition of organic and mineral fertilizers to the planting hole (40x40x40 cm).
When planting, it is necessary to take into account the ability of goji to grow quickly, displacing other plants and occupying an increasingly larger area.
The use of chemicals can negatively affect the beneficial and nutritional properties of barberry berries, so if you want to get healing fruits, you should not use chemical fertilizers.
If you plan to use barberry as an element of landscape design, then, of course, basic care must be supplemented with pruning, which should be done at least twice a year. By the way, pruning has a beneficial effect on the growth and appearance of the bush.
It is imperative to remove dry leaves and berries (especially on goji bushes) in the summer and winter months.
Since Tibetan barberry is resistant to various kinds of diseases and pests, it develops quite quickly, therefore it is quite easy to grow.

Barberry propagation

The shrub can be propagated in the following ways:

Seeds. The seeds collected in the fall (one wolfberry contains about 10 pieces) are sown in early spring in small containers for seedlings - 5-6 per seed. The soil in pots must be well drained and always moist before seeds grow. Approximately 2-3 weeks after germination of the sprouts, watering can be reduced. You should not keep future seedlings in a well-lit place - sunlight can inhibit its growth. The sprouts should be picked after two leaves appear. With this method of propagation, wolfberry blooms for the first time in the second year, and produces the first goji berries only after 3-4 years, if it receives appropriate care.
Cuttings. To quickly get the long-awaited berries, it is better to grow from cuttings. To do this, it is necessary to plant one- or two-year-old shoots (cuttings) with 3 to 5 buds at least 10 cm long in a sand-peat (1:1) mixture in the summer. And by autumn there will already be the first large shoots from the cuttings.
Vegetative. Since wolfberry produces very abundant root shoots, dividing the bush is the easiest and most effective way to propagate this shrub, which avoids artificial propagation.

How to grow Tibetan barberry indoors?

By the way, Shambhala successfully propagates from seeds and cuttings, grows and bears fruit indoors. To do this you will need: a planting pot, seeds or seedlings, soil and drainage mixtures and organic fertilizers. Shrubs should receive enough water, and you should provide them with at least 8 hours of sunlight (or special lighting) per day.

When growing goji indoors, one important nuance must be taken into account - pollination. In an enclosed space, flowers will not be able to pollinate on their own - this means that you must help them do this.

Why is it worth growing goji at your dacha?

Even in Ancient Babylon, barberry was used as a medicine to “purify the blood,” as evidenced by clay tablets of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. The medicinal use of such berberine-containing plants in China dates back more than 3 thousand years.

Beneficial properties of barberry berries and shoots

Antibacterial and antifungal properties. Many studies have shown that barberry kills microorganisms of various origins: staphylococci and streptococci, salmonella and shigella, Entamoeba histolytica - the causative agent of dysentery, giardia, vaginal yeast infections such as Candida.
Immunostimulating properties. Because berberine is able to inhibit the growth of bacteria in test tubes and stimulate the growth of macrophages (white blood cells that destroy microorganisms), barberry is an excellent human immune system booster.
Anti-inflammatory properties for infections of the urinary, biliary tract, and gastrointestinal tract.
Antipyretic properties.
General strengthening properties. Berberine is used in China to treat blood cell depression caused by chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
Sedative properties.
Choleretic properties are perhaps the fundamental property of barberry, which has a cleansing effect on the liver.
Hypotensive property (lowering blood pressure).

In addition to the above beneficial properties of barberry, its use is justified:

for skin infections and even, as a study by German scientists shows, for the treatment of acne and psoriasis;
berberine is able to destroy and promote the dispersion of mucous accumulations, which is effective in the treatment of bronchial infections;
is able to improve blood circulation, therefore useful for people suffering from ventricular heart defects;
as part of an eye ointment it is effective in the fight against conjunctivitis.

It is known that the Chinese Li Kin Yen lived to be two hundred and fifty-two years old, thanks to the fact that he ate this berry three times a day.

Growing goji from seeds: Tibetan barberry

Goji is such an amazing Tibetan plant that prefers good lighting, although it can tolerate slight darkening and various vagaries of the weather without problems.

When answering the question of how to grow Goji from seeds, it is worth clarifying that such an amazing plant, which was grown in a similar way, is in no way able to compete in taste and aroma with Goji berries brought from Tibet.

Thus, from all of the above we can conclude that Tibetan barberry today can be grown from seeds even at home. of course, if certain rules are followed.

More information

Goji (Tibetan barberry)

Goji berries taste like a mixture of barberries, raisins and dried cherries. At the same time, goji can grow and produce good yields even in the northern regions, but in Siberian conditions, where it is very cold, goji can be grown at home by installing additional lighting lamps.

To get seedlings, you need to acquire fresh fruits, after which they should be soaked in water for a quarter of an hour, only then can the seeds be removed. They are not large and there can be up to one and a half dozen of them in a berry, of which about a third will sprout. In order for the maximum number of seeds to sprout, you should place the pot with the seeds in a warm place (23-25°C) and keep the soil moist. Light is not needed for seed germination, but for good growth of seedlings it is simply necessary. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the pot with seeds must be placed on the south side of the window on the windowsill, or provided with additional light by installing a backlight lamp.

Tibetan barberry is not demanding in terms of care and soil composition, but it may not tolerate frosts below 33°C. Therefore, in the fall, plants should be covered with covering material and ensure that there is always a lot of snow on top. Goji has not yet accumulated any diseases or pests, but sometimes aphids taste the tips of young leaves, and in particularly wet years powdery mildew attacks, but they do not cause much harm.

N. Khromov , Candidate of Biological Sciences

Source:http://www.gazetasadovod.ru

Goji, or common wolfberry

My craving for plants began in childhood. For as long as I can remember, I always, if possible, brought various flower shoots from everywhere into the house. I took it from relatives, friends, and brought it from school. I liked to watch the process itself, how a beautiful flowering plant or simply a decorative foliage plant grew from a tiny shoot. This passion, or rather one might say my life, without which I cannot imagine myself, has not left me to this day. True, this hobby has long gone beyond the apartment into my favorite garden, in which I plant various flowers and plants.

I love to grow not only some beautiful flowers, without which, of course, it is impossible, because... they are always pleasing to the eye, from early spring to late autumn, but I also like to plant various useful plants. One of these plants, which is both decorative and useful, appeared in my garden 4 years ago; it is Lycium, wolfberry, or the well-known name goji. The name goji is a Russian transliteration of the English goji, or a commercial name that was invented by the Chinese, which has nothing to do with the true name of the plant.

Several types of wolfberry are grown in Russia, these are Chinese wolfberry and common wolfberry. The latter is considered the most unpretentious species.

Common wolfberry is a perennial shrub of the Solanaceae family. It can reach a height of up to 3.5 meters. The branches are covered with thin spines. The leaves are oblong, up to 7 cm. The flowers are lilac or violet, very small. It bears fruit in different regions, from May to September or from July to October. The fruit is a small coral-red berry, 1-2 cm in size. Each berry contains 10-60 tiny yellow seeds.

As for the propagation of common wolfberry, everything is simple here too. It can be propagated in several ways. This is seed propagation, layering, cuttings or root suckers. When propagating from seeds, I do the following. First, I soak the dried berries in warm water. When they soften, I take out the seeds and sow them on the surface of the moistened soil, lightly sprinkling them with soil. During germination, you need to monitor soil moisture. It is better to sow several seeds in one container, because... small seedlings will support each other better and their root system will be stronger and more developed. Then the seedlings need to be planted in separate cups. Dereza can also be propagated by layering; to do this, you just need to dig a twig from a large bush and tie the top to a peg so that the shoot is vertical. After the roots appear, the plant is separated and planted. There is also a method of cuttings, but I have not propagated wolfberry this way, so I can’t say anything. My common wolfberry reproduces very well by root suckers. They sometimes grow at a distance of 30-50 cm from an adult bush.

As you can see, this plant is unpretentious, easy to propagate, and also very decorative, especially when in the fall it is strewn with red-orange berries, which undoubtedly decorate the autumn garden. On my site, wolfberry (goji) berries reach full maturity around mid-September - early October.

From all this we can conclude that the common wolfberry is an unpretentious, ornamental and useful plant. I advise everyone to have such a plant on their site.

Pavel Konstantinovich Zimin , Sarov

The popularity of goji berries is growing. Many materials have appeared telling about their healing effects. Along with them, there is information that goji berries are barberries. But actually it is not. In terms of its properties, barberry is inferior to berries from China.

These berries are really similar to each other with bright red oblong fruits. Both plants grow as shrubs with thorns. But the shape and color of their leaves are different. In addition, they belong to different families. Goji is a Solanaceae (nightshade) and barberry is a Berberidaceae (barberry).

Barberry is easier to care for and is grown in many countries around the world. Goji berries, on the contrary, require compliance special conditions. Their habitat is limited to Tibet, China and the Himalayas.

The main difference between barberry and goji is taste. Goji berry is sweetish, with a slight sourness and salty flavor. When chewing, you can feel the fibrous structure of the berries. Barberry has a bright sweet-sour taste with a spicy tint and no salty tones. Hard fibers are not felt. A decoction of goji berries is similar to brewed rose hips. The aroma of barberry infusion is reminiscent of the Duchess drink.

Another way to distinguish between goji berries and barberries is to bite them. The barberry will have a seed inside, and the goji will have several small seeds.

Barberry is most often used for culinary purposes rather than for medicinal purposes. The main properties of barberry berries: choleretic, bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic. Barberry is also used as decoration personal plot– bright red fruits delight the eye throughout the summer.

What is goji

The popularity of goji berries is due to their benefits to the body. Despite the popular name “Tibetan barberry”, they have nothing to do with ordinary barberry. All more people They regularly eat goji berries. Properties of miraculous fruits:

. Protects skin from free radicals and prevents aging.
They normalize blood pressure and are suitable for both hypo- and hypertensive patients.
Improves the functioning of the liver, cardiovascular system and gastrointestinal tract.
Help improve your sex life.

Despite beneficial features barberry berries, . Therefore, buy goji berries from trusted manufacturers.

Visually, barberry and goji are similar - oblong in shape, reddish in color, approximately the same size. However, these fruits are different from each other, and barberry is sometimes sold under the guise of goji in order to profit from gullible buyers. Therefore, you need to know what fruits look like and be able to distinguish goji berries from barberries in order to avoid deception.

Goji berries and barberries - differences

Unfortunately, it is easy to confuse these fruits for those who do not understand them. The question of whether goji berries are barberries or not is a relatively easy one. Yes, goji is called Chinese and Tibetan barberry, but these berries have little in common with ordinary barberry fruits. For example, both grow on thorny bushes, have the same color and shape, and are used in the confectionery industry, cooking, and the production of teas and seasonings. This is where the similarities end. Let's talk about the differences.

Are barberries and goji berries the same thing? No, the first grows almost everywhere, the second only in China. Goji blooms purple, the shape of the fruit is pear-shaped, barberry is yellow, the fruits are elongated. The color of the fruit itself differs from each other - barberry is crimson, yellow or bright red, goji is red and has a citrus flavor. Therefore, if in a store you are trying to understand what is in front of you, goji berries, barberries or dogwoods, ask the seller to let you try a little of the product on offer. You definitely won’t make a mistake, and at the same time you’ll test your honesty. It is better to buy fruits from trusted places, not to go to dubious retail outlets and markets, and not to order from unknown online stores.

These shrubs belong to different types. Goji has small seeds inside, barberry has one seed. The first fruits are considered a dietary product, the second ones are not. Even the beneficial properties of these species differ. Barberry fruits help relieve pain, inflammation, and have a choleretic and laxative effect. Goji are rich in vitamin C, protein, and are antioxidants, which is why athletes love them.

When you go to the store, remember the differences between dry goji fruits and barberry fruits. After drying, the former retain a bright red color and are oblong in shape, while the latter darken, become smaller, and become rounder.

And, you can read in our other articles.

It would seem that almost all fruits, vegetables and berries have a range of useful substances, so why is there such great attention to the unsightly Goji Shambhala? We can say with full confidence that the Chinese goji barberry is a truly unique berry, which has no analogues in the whole world, so the hype around it is completely justified. First of all, it is striking that the amount of useful substances contained in it is not found in any other product. Goji barberry contains more than twenty minerals, most of which are simply necessary for the body to function normally, while others have a beneficial effect on the functioning of one or another of the vital systems.

They are present in large quantities in the berry, but what is more interesting is the fact that some of them do not find an analogue in the human body. It is not even the quantity of substances that is important, but rather their concentration in such an unsightly berry. Everyone knows about the high content of vitamins in orange, lemon and spinach, but the berries of Tibetan barberry contain many times more of each of them. According to scientists, goji shamballa (Tibetan barberry) contains essential polysaccharides that cannot be found in any other product. After its discovery, theories emerged that the goji berry was the barberry, which was the secret of the longevity of the famous Tibetan sages and centenarians. In addition to being used as a complement to tea, it is included in many dishes, complementing them with its taste.

Goji barberry is one of the most commonly used remedies in alternative and traditional oriental medicine. It helps with a fairly large list of diseases, including even diabetes and anemia, impotence. It helps to cope with problems in the field of otolaryngology and normalizes hormone production. There are descriptions of cases in which he helped women with infertility and the inability to bear a child to create a strong, full-fledged family. IN Lately it is also included in a large number of means aimed at comprehensive rejuvenation of the body. It helps not only restore the skin to its former freshness, but also removes even deep wrinkles, simultaneously affecting the condition of joints and tendons, preventing the possibility of age-related changes.

Goji has a positive effect on the functions of the brain and spinal cord. Oriental barberry berries are often used by nutritionists when creating weight loss programs. They help not only control weight, while reducing appetite and increasing the rate of burning fat deposits, but also remove harmful substances from the whole body, without stopping at toxins and waste. They are also important for the cardiovascular system. They help improve the composition of the blood, promote its saturation with oxygen, strengthen blood vessels, normalize blood pressure and regulate the functioning of the heart muscles. It is also worth knowing that in fact it is called barberry only in Russian-speaking countries due to incorrect translation. In English speaking it is named after the Scottish Duke of Argyll.

Japanese scientists several years ago came to a sensational discovery in the field of genetics. It turns out that some elements of goji berries have the ability to restore damage that has occurred in the DNA structure. Perhaps in the future this will affect many areas of life, from increasing life span to correcting errors embedded in the genetic code before birth. Goji berries can be consumed either dry or brewed. And so and so they will benefit the body. Among other things, it also helps improve vision. It also helps solve sleep problems. Many people who have used berries as a remedy for insomnia note a significant increase in the amount of sleep, even in the case of age-related changes.

The plant is a rather voluminous thorny shrub that blooms with small purple flowers. The fruits ripen from late May to early September, depending on the region. Sometimes it is possible to collect more than twelve harvests a year. Interestingly, goji can grow in almost any conditions, as it is resistant, unpretentious, and immune to almost all types of small pests. Despite this, a shrub grown outside its traditional environment will not have its miraculous properties. You shouldn’t, however, consider goji a panacea, perhaps the best solution There will be a consultation with your doctor before your appointment. At least he will be able to accurately calculate the required dosage and give some useful advice.