Berries grow on shrubs of 3-5 ft height. Berries spring from bright purple, funnel-shaped flowers that later in the season will turn orange. Goji plants are well adaptable to grow in a large range of soil types a preferred pH of 6.5 to 7.0.
 
Information:
Growing gooji berry plants is easy, plants need a well-drained soil.
Early in the spring is the best time to plant. When plant is in dormant is the best time to plant since it tolerates more disturbances.
 
Spacing:
Plants should be spaced 4 to 8 feet apart between the plants and at least 6 to 8 feet between rows.
 
Planting:
Dormant plants should be planted in the spring once danger of frost has past. Dig a hole approximately 12” wide and 6” deep. Remove the plant from the container by turning it over and tapping the bottom. Place the plant in the whole fill with soil and water thoroughly. The top of the potted portion of the plant should be slightly lower than the top of the hole. Be sure that the potted plant is completed covered with your native soil or it may act like a wick and cause the roots to dry out. Keep the soil moderately moist for the first few months or until you new growth starts sprouting. Irrigation is highly recommended especially since during the first year of establishment. Spread mulch around the base of the plant to reduce weeds and conserve moisture. Thereafter, allow the soil to dry out in the top few inches before watering again. However, overwatering should be avoided

Harvest
Plants first bloom in late spring to early summer, and fruit will begin to ripen in mid-summer. Currently harvesting is completed by hand, as the berries leak juice and turns black if they are bruised, or squashed. Berries can be eaten as dried or in can turn into juice. 

Pruning
Fruit are borne on the current year's cane, mainly from the cane that has grown in the spring and fall. The goals of pruning are to limit plant height, improve ease of harvest, encourage light penetration into the plant, improve foliage drying, and encourage formation of lateral branches to maximize fruit production. Canes that are untipped will continue to grow and produce few lateral branches while canes that are headed back will produce more laterals and higher yields.
Little research has been conducted to determine the best pruning methods for our region. However, in other production areas, plants usually are limited to one single main stem. Pruning is done during the dormant season to remove spindly canes, remove dead and damaged wood, improve plant shape, and shorten laterals. During the summer, pruning is done to head back growth, encourage lateral formation, and remove new shoots. One of the most important goals of pruning is to produce an open canopy structure that allows plenty of sunlight infiltration.

Pruning Goji Berries
Nearly all fruit develops on new growth.
 

• 1^st Year – Conflicting information.  Some say prune, some say don’t.  Pruning causes lateral branching which requires a lot of “energy”.  We would rather see the “energy” of the plant going into good root formation the first year as opposed to trying to promote lateral branching.  Therefore our recommendation is to NOT prune the first year.
• 2^nd Year – Select the largest, healthiest stem for a main trunk.  If you just have one stem, then that’s your main trunk.  When this main stem reaches about 16”, trim off the tip to promote the lateral branching.  During the growing season, remove any new lateral branches that are growing at more than a 45-degree angle from the stem. Leave 3-5 lateral branches that are growing at less than a 45-degree angle from the stem to promote upward growth.  These lateral branches will produce fruit.  Select a large, upward growing shoot near where the tip of the main stem was trimmed off to become the third year main stem.
• 3^rd Year – Follow the greater than, less than, 45-degree angle rule for the entire plant.  The long term goal is to have a nicely shaped plant about six feet tall with a 3’ diameter canopy.  Remove branches above the height that you want your plant to be. Continue to remove any branches that grow very fast, straight and smooth as these will not be very productive.   Trim canopy stems to keep a foot or more clearance between the canopy and the ground.  Remove any suckers growing up from the ground.  These can be transplanted, given to a friend or thrown away.  Your goji plant will quickly become overgrown if these root sprouts are not removed.

Penn State University - Goji Berry Culture 

Prune any branches that touch the ground. If you don't they will put down roots and spread all over your garden.

Maximum fruit production occurs in the 4-5th years.