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It is very important that you up-pot your plant to a larger container as soon as possible when it arrives. Your plant's new container should have a couple of drainage holes, and should be at least a couple gallons larger than the nursery pot. Check out our up-potting video for detailed instructions on how to ensure a happy healthy new home for your plant.
While goumi berries are self-fertile, they will produce a more pleantiful harvest if they have a friend blooming around the same time.
Goumi berries need a minimum of 6 hours direct sunlight per day. This is important throughout spring, summer, and autumn, as the sun and it's heat help the fruit ripen and develop it's flavor.
Extremely high temperatures above 90°F, goumi bushes may become stressed. In such conditions, it's important to make sure that the plants are receiving sufficient water, and they may benefit from a bit of shade, especially during the hottest times of day.
Goumi berries should be watered deeply twice a week. Water until the soil is saturated and water comes out of the drainage holes. Let the container dry until the soil is dry to the touch 1 inche down. During particularly hot temperatures, your plant may need water every other day, but be sure not to overwater.
Goumi berries and typically benefit from fertilization every other month during the growing season (early spring through the end of the summer). Your plant should have come with a soluable fast-acting plant food, which can be mixed into the water you give your plant.
While goumi trees usually don't require heavy pruning, some occasional pruning can promote healthy fruit production. Always prune only in late winter or early spring, and emove dead, diseased, or damaged branches and to thin out the canopy to allow for better air circulation and sunlight.
Goumi plants can withstand temperatures down to freezing outdoors. If your temperatures are close to freezing, but quite windy, consider covering your plant with bags of leaves to insulate them from the cold.
Below freezing temperatures, your plant should be brought into an unheaded shed or garage for the duration of the winter. As your plant will be in dormancy, keeping it somewhere cool, dark and dry will ensure it doesn't wake up prematurely.
Goumi berries ripen on the tree, and should be ready for harvest early to mid-summer. You can tell when they are ready because they will have a rich red color, and will be slightly soft, like a grape.
Your fruit isn't just delicious for you, lots of other critters would be happy to get their hands on your hard work. Pests and diseases vary greatly depending on region, so we suggest you take advantage of your local resources. If you can't determine what is ailing your plant by googling the symptoms, give a call to your local county agricultural extension office.
