To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] starting Tibetan Goji/Wolfberry plants from seed
Date: Thu, 3 Dec 2009 23:12:37 -0600
"I bought organically grown Goji in bulk at Whole Foods. I rehydrated the
fruit, separated out the seeds, and grew them out as I would tomatoes. They
germinated well. I planted out 6 of them this past spring.
But..... they struggled and died before the summer was out. I have neutral
pH clay loam soil, 40" annual rainfall, and humidity. My guess is that they
like faster draining soil and lower humidity."
Michele in SW Ohio
This has been my experience as well, except that I seldom get the plants big
enough to plant out. they have died in potting soil, in sand mixed with
potting soil, in sand, and in our clayey garden. On the other hand, the one
plant that I ordered and stuck down in the woods near the creek neither died
nor grew for 2-3 years till I dug it up and moved it, then it died. I did
buy a couple of plants from a local nursery, but never got around to
planting them. They were reasonably happy in the potting soil in their pots
(same brand of potting soil I use) in the shade of a pine tree until they
died in their pots in a winter that never got below about -2 F. If they
like it way up in Z5 and further north I don't know why they died. There
was a China rose sitting there with them, supposedly hardy only to Z6 (ie,
here) and it came through just fine. I have the same kind of problem with
curry leaf plants, they don't like it in the sun, but they don't seem to
like shade either. I gave one to a friend who kept it in her back yard all
summer, then indoors all winter, all summer and now it's back inside again
and 3 ft tall. I have bought and killed several more since giving her that
one. I seem to do fine with normal garden stuff so it's not a congenital
brown thumb. Donna