Goji Berry Root Crown Cutting - Phoenix Tears (Each)

• Latin Name: Lycium barbarum
• Zones: 3-10
• Harvest: Mid-Summer through first frost.
• Bush Habit: Unpruned it grows to between 10 and 13 feet tall with a spread of 4 feet. It has upright sprouts with long lateral branches with a weeping habit.
• Fruit: Red to red-orange berries
• Facts of note: This is sold as a root crown cutting. It may just look like a stick, do not be alarmed, this is normal and once planted growth will soon start on the root crown. Goji berries are easy to grow, container adaptable and drought tolerant. They do require alkaline soil with a pH between 6.8 and 8.1. Do not apply any nitrogen and they really don't need any fertilizer. The Phoenix Tears variety was discovered in 2004 on a ranch in western Utah near the historic site of a transcontinental railroad camp where primarily Chinese workers resided. The mother plant is thought to be a chance seedling planted by accident back in the days of the transcontinental railroad construction. Phoenix Tears is a productive, almost thornless variety of goji berry.

For centuries the Chinese have used parts of the entire goji plant for food or medicine. Use of stems and leaves is little known in the United States, but the highest concentrations of healthful antioxidants can be found in the leaves. Fruit in the health food market in the form of dried berries and juice is more familiar.

For successful growth, is critical that the soil pH remain at 6.8 or higher. High nitrogen is not recommended for these plants. One year old root crown cuttings.