Heirloom seeds from Tibet were procured for this journal. We wanted to be certain these plants started from the uncultivated wild variety as possible for our study.
As the plants grew, I found them to be entirely unsuitable for apartments’ corridor gardens or anywhere on commonly shared grounds because of these thorns on long weak stems.
Each thorn measured about 8mm and there are many along the stem. This wild (uncultivated) variety has a lot of thorns.
The plant will grow into a shrub type with long unruly long stems. When a strong wind blows, passerby’s could be injured.
GROWING NOTES
Our journal began on September 11, 2019. These seeds were sowed on September 8, 2019, at 3 pm, thus about 3 days to germinate.
The germination success rate was not great, less than 40 percent.
On our second attempt, more seeds germinated and were transplanted into hydroponic collars for liquid-based observation.
However, most of these seedlings did not survive, and a likely cause was due to “damping off”.
Seed leaves were slow to open. They took about 10 days to peek.
From the third month, both soil and liquid-based plants grew faster.
Thorns showed in the fourth month for soil-based plants first.
SOIL-BASED GROWING NOTES
Seedlings must be planted in plugs as they don’t transplant well.
Our soil based plants did not survive upon transplant and had also stopped growing once the roots have outgrown its container.
In hindsight, we shouldn’t plant them in cups like these.
At first, they grew very well.
However, once the roots had not enough room to stretch, the plant began to wane, as indicated by yellowing leaves. The decline was very fast.
We decided to move this plant outdoors in our 150 Litre pot in late January 2020.
The roots were shorter than our liquid-based plants but still healthy at the point of planting outdoor.
But it did not grow much over the next couple of months and eventually died.
LIQUID – BASED PLANTS NOTES
Plants in liquid-based started off slow but they soon won the growth rate, in terms of height and width.
Roots wise, more mass and longer in the fouth month compared to soil-based plants.
They outgrow normal containers and new ways to grow had to be prototyped quickly.
The prototypes and hypothesis tested out well and we moved to the flowering stage within one year instead of 2 to 3 years as documented in most articles.
Flowers buds showed on April 5 at seven months old.
They appeared like this, slim hard green nubs on the stem.
We did not believe that the above buds were flower pods until we saw them bloom. At first, we assumed they were leaves buds.
In quick succession over the days, we saw more flowers blossom.
FLOWERS Stages
During Singapore COVID19 containment measures which we coined as “circuit breaker” (CB) began on April 4 to June 1, 2020, and we took the opportunity to study our plants’ development closely.
How flowers formed and grew was one of these observations.
Stage 1 – From green hard bud to soft light pink peek
Stage 2 – Blossom within 24 hours, deep pink to purple petals
Stage 3 – Purple to white petals, then dried and dropped
On the plant, these flowers will progress like this –
The purple flowers turned white the next morning.
Once the petals shed, the berries journey begins.
These are prolific producers. Whilst one part is producing berries, the other parts continue to show flowers.
FRUITS Stages
We think berries form immediately after the last stage of the flower when white petals dropped off.
This is the point where fruits begin their journey to become black goji berries.
Flowers are self-pollinating. the white petals will dry and dropped off on their own.
Stage 1 – The berries started out green
Stage 2 – Berries are growing rounder
Stage 3 – From green to slight darkening tint
Stage 4 – Full Black the next day
THIRD HARVEST ON MAY 31 2020
The fruiting window is quite long, as we observed that in July 2020, the plants continued to bear berries on plants.
FRUITS NOTES
Each berry is about 1.5 cm.
We harvested our first berries on May 18, 2020.
They are sweet and juicy.
The juice starts pink then deepens to purple.
The juice deepens in color as it oxidizes in water.
Our own seeds to begin the next generation of Singapore born Black Gojiberries plants.
THE PURPLE TINT IS REAL!
We harvested the first black goji on May 18 at 1.55 pm!
Last but not least, as we are growing these plants for a farm project, neither seeds nor plants are for sale.
We share the pleasure of the learning journey of how they begin and grew towards the fruiting stage.
NOTES & OBSERVATION
- Well draining soil is preferred, not fussy about PH
- Unruly shrub nature
- Potential height is 12 feet
- Potential Width 4 to 6 feet
- Thorny Stem
- Young plants like moisture
- Mature plants are drought tolerant
- Flowers are self-pollinating
- Tolerates heat and sun well
The full Journal ( with pictures) on the red wolfberry variety was completed in 2016. Read about it here.