How to take care of a 6-Inch Goji Plant That's Sprouted

Noted for its antioxidant-rich red fruits, the goji berry (Lycium barbarum) is just a sprawling Chinese shrub that reaches heights up to 12 feet. Its delicious oblong berries, which step from 1/2 into 1 inch long, could be eaten raw, dried or juiced. A 6-inch seedling will need some alterations prior to being planted outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 10.

Understanding a Goji Seedling

The vine-like and sometimes thorny canes of this goji plant create narrow gray-green leaves in spring and star-shaped, self-pollinating white or purple flowers in late spring to early summer. Those blossoms are followed by berries from mid-summer via fall, though the plant might continue to bloom the whole time it’s fruiting. It sheds its leaves and wrapped into dormancy once daytime temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Goji seedlings grow rapidly, sometimes up to 7 feet within their first season, and thrive in alkaline soil in full sun. Some can begin producing berries within their second year, though some may wait until their third party.

Transplanting a Goji Seedling

In case the 6-inch goji seedling is still in a sowing container, transplant it into a 4-inch-diameter tree pot with drainage holes to adapt its long tap root, as the seedling must be at least 1 foot tall until you set it at the ground. After filling this pot with a mix of 2 parts garden loam to a part sand, dig a hole at its center and place the goji plant so that it sits at precisely the same depth as in its previous container. Put the pot on a sunny windowsill or under a grow light, and keep its soil gently moist until the cylinder is well-established, after which you are able to allow the soil to dry to 2 inches under the surface before watering the cylinder again.

Moving a Goji Seedling

If you began the goji seedling inside, bring its grass outdoors in the spring after danger of frost is past. Place the pot in a mostly shady site where it will get just two hours of sunlight its first day. Slowly move that, enough to enable it one additional hour of sun each day, until it’s in full sun all day.

Raising a Goji Seedling

Goji plants don’t require fertilizer and may, in reality, be hurt by too much of it. Since they belong to the same family as tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum, USDA zones 9 through 12), goji plants are susceptible to a few of the same blights. They can also develop powdery mildew if subjected to bad air movement or overly arid soil. To help prevent such problems even though you are waiting to plant the seedling, keep it at an airy, open spot from the vegetable garden, never to allow its soil to dry out completely, and spray it thoroughly with an organic biofungicide containing Bacillus subtilis at the first sign of dark or wax leaf stains. You can purchase a ready-to-use version of the biofungicide or mix 2 tablespoons of this concentrate with 1 quart of water. Continue to spray the plant once weekly provided that the issue persists.

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