The best goji berry varieties

Lycium barbarum or Lycium chinense?

You always hear questions about the real Goji varieties. But which variety is the real one?
Lycium chinense has its origins in the Hebei Province near Beijing. The fruits of the Lycium chinense varieties taste sour and are not particularly suitable for processing. The tasty varieties are further developments and breedings from the original plant Lycium barbarum, known as the common boxthorn.
The common boxthorn is the wild form of the goji plant and is not suitable for cultivation and processing into goji products.

The top Goji varieties are Big Lifeberry, Sweet Lifeberry und Nr. 1 Lifeberry . These varieties are planted worldwide to grow goji in plantations. These plants produce very high yields and large, tasty fruits. The varieties differ in their juice content. The new Goji varieties are of course Chinese or Tibetan selections, which are bred for ingredients and other fruit-growing properties.

The goji bush is winter-hardy down to around -25 degrees and grows almost everywhere, but sunny locations are preferred.
The flowering period of goji plants is from June to August, depending on the climate and local conditions. The inflorescence contains one or more five-fold, hermaphrodite flowers, each sitting on a 1 to 2 cm long stalk. The calyx is 4 to 5 mm in diameter, bell-shaped and two-lobed.
The corolla is purple and funnel-shaped, with 5 to 6 mm long spreading petals that are almost hairless at the edge. The calyx is 8 to 10 millimeters long, the stamens and styles protrude slightly from it. Pollination occurs by insects (bees) or self-pollination. The bright red or orange-yellow, elongated to egg-shaped, up to 2 mm wide and up to 20 mm long goji fruits ripen from August to November. In southern countries the harvest begins as early as June.

Goji plants are also suitable for the private garden or balcony. The plants do not require a second plant for pollination. But it is said that the more plants there are together, the higher the yield. The plants can be kept in pots and are hardy.
Due to the lively demand and the interest of some fruit growers in cultivating this type of fruit with us, we have included the best varieties in our range:

No.1 Lifeberry

High-performance variety, selected for taste, ingredients and yield. – Cultivated millions of times in Chinese commercial plantations, mainly in the 'Ningxia' region.

Big Lifeberry

Like the species, but stronger growth with larger leaves and fruits - a Chinese selection.

Sweet Lifeberry

Like the species; Grows more compact, finer shoots; leaves smaller; Fruits very numerous and sweet - a Chinese selection for yield cultivation.