2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Nowadays, small red goji berries are gaining immense popularity in the fields of health food and medicine. Possessing a unique set of vitamins, amino acids, minerals, this berry is superior to other food products in phytochemical properties. The complex of useful substances contained in goji helps with many diseases
Originally, goji berries grew in an area from Southeast Europe to China. But nevertheless, it is Tibet that is considered to be the homeland of goji, where since ancient times it has been used for medicinal purposes. In Russia, Chinese Dereza (the second name for goji berries) became widespread only in the 20th century. You can buy berries or seeds through online stores, or you can try to grow these small berries in your backyard.
Goji berry looks like a barberry, therefore it is sometimes also called the Tibetan barberry. The plant belongs to the Solanaceae family and is a creeping shrub.
Growing goji berries
There are two ways to grow goji berries: planting with seedlings or seeds. The shrub begins to bear fruit only in the third year, therefore, cuttings are usually sold in stores at the age of two years.
The seeds of the Chinese wolfberry are small, covered with a thin shell. Seeds for planting can be obtained from dried goji berries that have been soaked in water for a couple of hours. Seeds are planted in a prepared moist substrate of medium friability to a depth of no more than 2 - 3 mm; to preserve moisture, the container is covered with cellophane film. Make sure the lighting is good and the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees Celsius. When the first shoots appear, the film is removed. After 3 weeks, a couple of leaves will form and the plants can be planted in separate pots.
Features of growing goji berries in the garden
- Good lighting, as this culture is very sensitive to lack of sunlight;
- pH of the soil is neutral, an ideal option for planting goji seedlings is a mixture of peat + loam in a ratio of 1: 2;
- A large area, the distance between the shrubs should be at least 1.5 - 2 m. The goji berry grows very quickly, in a year the plant can grow up to 150 cm. After planting, the soil is tamped, watered and mulched;
- In the first years of plant growth, the branches are thin, it is advisable to install a support;
- The culture needs constant pruning, the length of the branches should not exceed 60 cm, by the third year of life there should be six main branches;
- Watering is carried out once a week, in dry weather additional watering is required;
- The berry is cross-pollinated, you must have at least two plants on the site;
- The shrub is frost-resistant, plants of the second year of life perfectly tolerate frosts up to minus 30 degrees;
- Tibetan barberry blooms from June to August with beautiful purple flowers. From August to September, oblong, no more than 1 cm, goji fruits are formed.
Uses of goji berries
Goji berries are an amazing medicine of a natural pharmacy, combining a large amount of vitamins and microelements. There are almost no contraindications to the use of berries, only high fever and individual intolerance.
Store-bought dried goji berries are often used in food, which can be added to cereals, yoghurts, and muesli. The berries collected in their personal plot should be dried in the sun or in a special apparatus. Fresh berries are less commonly eaten.
Berries are easily absorbed by the human body; the most popular way to use berries is to brew them in tea. It is recommended to drink this tea without sugar, adding honey, lemon or lime. It is useful to consume goji in the form of juice. These methods are used to treat and prevent diseases of the stomach, intestines and other digestive organs.
The main advantage of these berries is to rid the body of excess weight. Goji fruits reduce the desire to eat, thanks to a number of natural amino acids, promote fat burning and increase the energy level of the body as a whole. For weight loss, you need to brew a tablespoon of dry berries in half a liter of hot water, insist in a thermos for 30 minutes. The infusion should be consumed with berries twice a day, following the recommended diet.
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