This is my first attempt actually I also plan on growing the Lycium Chinense also, it is in the same family. I was doing some reading and some suggest the best time to plant the seeds is in autumn. So with that said I am going to sow the seeds and hope for the best!!

"acai" is the fruit of a palm tree, the cabbage palm. Goji berry is "Goji berry". It loves England, soi it's ghances for Phoenix are slim. It's a high-humidity plant.

I grew about 50 Lycium plants 2 years ago from seed. I soaked the berries and germinated them in damp paper towel. The biggest ones are now about 3 feet tall and flowered for the first time this spring. From what I have heard about goji they like well-drained mineral rich soil and may 'drown' easily. Many of my seedlings survived unprotected outside in pots over the winter, (-25 f) proving them to be very cold tolerant... and also tolerate of the extreme hot and dry summer conditions here with minimal irrigation. I have collected about 5 other 'varieties' of berries from various sources and have them growing in the nursery this spring. I am curious about schisandra and its growing requirements as I bought some seeds this spring but have not started to grow them yet. I'm also trying a plant called yellow-horn which is supposed to be quite drought and heat tolerant and bears edible nuts. -Aaron

The only thing with taking seeds from dried berries from places like Bulb Barn is the berries are not always naturally dried. If they were dried in an oven, that would reduce the seed viability to the point you might not get viable seed. Not saying it doesn't work, but it's no guarantee you will get anything growing. Another thing to consider is the berries might not have been grown in a similar climate so the seedlings may not be hardy. It wouldn't hurt to mulch them just in case. I buy bunches of the stems from the supermarket in the early summer. I use the leaves and shoots for soup, then root the remaining stems. At a few dollars a pound you can get tons of cuttings. Within three weeks they are well rooted and sell relatively well. I usually transplant them, wait another week for new growth, then sell them in bulk to someone who retails potted plants. The plus to my method is I know the grower and know that the plants where the stems are harvested from are hardy to Ontario.