21 Mar 2010
Growing Gojis..the Incans..or anything else!
This post has been a year in the making! One year ago…Anthony Anderson…did a post on growing Goji and Incan Berries....check it out..here. He challenged people to seek out Goji and Incan Berries and to GROW them..not just buy them online. Thanks for ALWAYS inspiring us here in Utah..Anthony!!
Taking him up on the challenge was fun…and proved to be a great learning lesson that is now being applied to most of the things we’re growing from seed.
Here’s the photo journey that started about a year ago now. These little ladies just want to GROW…but…we stacked the cards in our favor by providing them some HUGE minerals and lots of LOVE!!
There are many different ways to germinate seeds, like all things. Here’s the method we’re using. The goal was to get the plants to uptake as many minerals as they possibly could…creating VIBRANT, STRONG, and HEALTHY plants!!
- From left, two different sources of goji berries, Incan Berry, Blue Hopi Corn(the corn was part of another experiment..it grew really well last summer!)
- Tibetan Gojis (Lycium Barbarum)
- Incan Berries (Physalis peruviana)
- Collected some fresh spring water…then vortexed it…into another 5 gallon container.
- Then added ocean water(Thalassa Mix) to the spring water…bringing the solution to 2000p.p.m, with a T.D.S. meter.
- Add enough ocean water..to cover the berries…and extra for expansion.
- Let them soak..overnight. I covered mine loosely with a tray, in a dark place.
- Next…paper towels are needed and few plastic bags. Do your best to use non chlorinated paper towels. Then, fill your sprayer with the ocean water solution.
- Lay the little cuties out..evenly..on the paper towel.
- Spray them down..with the ocean water solution..not soaking wet..just very moist.
- Fold up the paper towel carefully…keeping all berries or seeds of whatever you’re growing… from touching.
- Place it in the plastic bag.
- Then…I placed the berry baggies…back into the tray…and covered, to create a dark, humid environment.
- **Keep the tray in a dark place for a few days…checking on the moisture levels every so often. Just do a quick spray with the ocean water into the baggy..as needed. Not soaking!!
- …a few days later…two or so…take the berries out of the bag and…unfold.
- Here’s the Goji berry after a few days of moisture. The soaked and sprouted berries will be plump..the seeds will almost be bursting out of them. With seeds from other plants, you’ll see the tails of the sprout…coming out by this point. The best part..is they are fully plump from sea minerals..and have been AWAKENED and CHARGED for their journey ahead. Stacking the cards in our favor…haha…and praying for growth!!
- Place them in their new home…hopfully a great starter soil. Make your own..or buy a soil germinating mixture. My soil germination mix was Pro-Mix, by Sun Gro. Great stuff for germinating!!!! Coconut Coir works great too!!
- Added a dash of Mycorhizzal Fungi spores..into the planting hole. Applying this stuff to the root zone of EVERYTHING we plant! Amazing stuff! Check out fungi.com, for more info.
- Cover the berry and moisten the soil with ocean water solution.
- Put them under some lights or in a window sill. My goal was to create the most ideal conditions I possibly could, so I placed them in my sprouting/fish room, under compact fluorescents. Constant temps of 75F. and 50 percent humidity help a lot!! But these little plants just want to grow…and WILL DO…just that in most conditions…very adaptogenic!!
- Then comes the waiting game…it took about two full weeks before anything showed.
- Just when I thought they had died…this popped up…little goji seedlings!
- Kept them under the light for another week or two. **Monitored the soil moisture levels, every day, spraying it down with the ocean water solution, as needed.
- A few weeks later I moved the plants outside, where they’ve spent the last many months..and cold winter..strengthening up!! Transplanted to one gallon pots..with a different soil mix(my own mix)…last October. The only other things I gave them were, rock dust(azomite). Watered them occasionally with regular water. Mulched them with pine needles from the trees around my house, hoping this would also buffer the P.H. a bit…keeping it around 7-7.5 or so. From what I’ve read, they naturally grow in alkaline soil…SO…amend the soil accordingly. They did just fine through the cold months. Wondered for a while..if they would leaf out again after winter. Happily..they did!!
One of the gojis, this morning, March 21st 2010
- Happy little goji, stretching out…catching some morning sunshine.
Have FUN…growing your own Gojis…or whatever you choose to grow. The ocean water, in my opinion, is the secret sauce, in the whole process. It gives them exactly what they need from the get go. The rest of the process..is just a whole lotta fun…seeing what you can do to help the little guys GROW!! They enjoy your company just about more than anything!!
Then again…you can probably just stick the little guys in the ground and they’ll grow just as well…hahaha. Seriously!
Now..just two more years or so..and we might get some berries!!
Absolutely amazing! Those look so healthy! I remember that post from Antonio, I had been wondering about it myself for some time. I did a different approach, thanks for the blog post idea. Mine did well but struggled a bit. You really have a green thumb!
Yardsnacker
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:31 pmpermalink
yardsnacker..my east coast gardening brutha!! The community garden look to be ROCKIN this year!!! You too have thumbs..green in color…haha…these little friends just wanna GROW..don't they!!! Much love my friend…this is going to be the best year for growing plants the planet has EVER seen!!!!!
Jake
March 23rd, 2010 at 4:40 pmpermalink
HOLY WOW!! Berries!!
Courtney_Pool
March 23rd, 2010 at 11:12 pmpermalink
Gotta LOVE…berries!!!
Jake
March 24th, 2010 at 8:36 ampermalink
Thanks Jake! And I gotta represent, I'm West Coast BABY! lol..Seattle area!
Yardsnacker
March 25th, 2010 at 1:42 ampermalink
hey Sam…haha..that is funny!! For some reason, I remember zooming in on the bing map you posted, and my mind placed it this morning, in the Potomic Bay Area..wrong bay all together! LOL Still my gardening brutha… either way! Nice job on the upgrade to the bigger light, I'm noticing the same thing with my grow light area, much lost on the outer edges. You're going to have mean microgreens year round with that. LOVING your posts!!
Jake
March 25th, 2010 at 2:17 ampermalink
that is REALLY cool. I wonder if those would do well up here in Cedar, or if it nedds somewhere more warm. So Jake, I think it was you who said you wanted a chicken or something. Well one of Heather's friends has a couple here, and said that it IS legal in utah to have chickens in residential areas. I'm sure you have done more research than me though. Just thought I'd let ya know. Hope you make those Aloe plants happy.
Ben Murie
March 26th, 2010 at 4:41 pmpermalink
Gotta LOVE those berries!
Jake
March 27th, 2010 at 12:03 pmpermalink
Hi Ben! Thanks for those Aloes..they're hanging out in the dome now..running with the pack! The gojis could totally handle Cedar…they're very adaptogenic….people are growing them in almost all climate zones…as far north as Canada…and as far south as AZ and HAWAII….and of course Northern China and Tibet. I was surprised to find out that these little guys grow all around our southwest desert…near saguaros!! Yah..it's totally legal..to have a chicken in Utah..just depends on which residential neighborhood. Mine has HOA laws, and CC&R Restrictions on top of local law. Which can call local law in to enforce their restrictions. Bummer, but only if people complain…I may still go for it…if the neighbors complain…off with the chickens head…just kiddning…I'd have to trade it away or something. It's funny, cause the neighborhood, right to the South, has no restrictions…county or community….maybe just time for me to move…haha! For now…I'm trading greens for my chicken poop..and eggs! Hope to see you both..next time you're around…..bring a basket! Hey..I know you like cranberries..think I may grow those next…..yah!
Jake
March 27th, 2010 at 12:16 pmpermalink
…I think I know who wanted those chickens…I'll give you a call. Lemme know if you have space for a goji! If not, we could try one at your dad's farm. I think they'd do really well cruising up the side of the plateau. Just run a little drip feeder up to them.
Jake
March 27th, 2010 at 2:44 pmpermalink
Courtney..just curious if you've ever seen any gojis…in your desert hikes down there….? Ever since moving from AZ, I've been eager to get back…near the Saguaros…to seek out the GOJI!! Hope all is gorgeous in Patagonia this week..!
Jake
April 5th, 2010 at 2:20 pmpermalink
Yes, I've seen some! There's not a huge amount in Patagonia because of the elevation, but there are some indeed! And oh my gosh, the saguaro cactus fruit… Thanks, yes, it's been an awesome week!!
Courtney_Pool
April 11th, 2010 at 11:19 pmpermalink
Cool…very cool. It’s must be like seeing a Sasquatch in the wild…..I dream of the day! Saguaro..WOW..I really need to make a journey South…back to those Mana filled lands!!
Jake
April 13th, 2010 at 8:01 ampermalink
Cool..very cool! It must be like seeing Sasquatch in the wild…I dream of the day! Saguaro fruit…my goodness..I really need to make a journey back south to those mana filled lands!
Jake
April 13th, 2010 at 3:04 pmpermalink
Hah… EXACTLY like that
I had homemade Saguaro cactus fruit ice cream this summer and I must say it may have been the most amazing thing I've ever had.
Courtney_Pool
April 22nd, 2010 at 3:30 ampermalink