The perennial goji berry (Lycium barbarum) shrub produces an abundance of tiny, sweet ovoid red berries. The shrubs grows between 3 and almost 20 feet tall depending on the variety. The plant is widely coveted for the health benefits of its ripe berries, but unripe berries can be toxic. The berries are consumed raw, cooked, made into tea or dried. The shrub is easy to care for and makes a popular landscape specimen or hedge. The vast root system of the shrub makes it difficult to transplant once established, so choose the planting location carefully.
Select a planting site that offers full sunlight. Goji berry shrubs tolerate partial shade, but blossoming and berry production will be greatly reduced.
Till the soil using a shovel to a depth of 24 to 36 inches. Dig up the soil and remove any roots or weeds. Work peat moss into the soil until it has a crumbling consistency.
Dig a hole twice the size of the shrub's root system. Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was at the nursery. Tamp the soil down firmly around the goji plant's root system.
Apply 2 to 3 inches of mulch around the shrubs base to keep the soil moist and reduce weed growth. Use peat moss or bark chips.
Water the goji plant thoroughly. Keep the plant moist but not overly wet. The goji shrub does not tolerate an overly wet root system.
Fertilize the goji plant using a general-purpose 10-10-10 fertilizer. Apply according to directions on the label. Feed the goji once per month during the spring and summer.
Shake the goji plant lightly until its ripe berries fall to the ground. Ripe berries will appear a brilliant orange-red in color.