Looks like I could have some Goumi fruit this year. I have about 20 bushes. These are wild bushes so it’s hard to say how big the fruit will be. Does anyone else grow them?
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The fruit is about a big pea size with soft seed in side, a little tart taste but can be eaten fresh. It can grow a lot of fruits in a tree. birds love it.
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They do not seem to require spray, they fix nitrogen in the soil, cold tolerant in Kansas, drought tolerant, water tolerant, best of all produce fruit. If there is a down side I’m not seeing it. I realize their cousin plants are invasive species but Goumi is not invasive anywhere to my knowledge. Why doesn’t everyone grow them?
yeah, all above. It grows here in Chicago, no special care is needed. But the fruits is so small, tart. I don’t think the fruit will be popular
Are the improved varieties that small? What I’ve been reading has said they are closer to small cherry size than pea size. But I’ve found that you have to dig for a while with uncommon fruits before you learn just why they’re uncommon.
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Fruit is about twice as big as autumn olives, so good in that regard, when my sweet scarlet bears, it has fruit ripe in late June, birds gobble them up, so if they germinate easily, then would be somewhat invasive, autumn and russian had a headstart with the millions planted.
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These wound up being autumn olives sold by Lawyer Nursery as goumi.
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can goumis be kept to a small 3’ x 3’ bush? thinking about adding a few as support species.
I wouldn’t see why not but you would be doing a lot of pruning. This is a description of the bush http://uncommonfruit.cias.wisc.edu/goumi-gumi/. The trees I ordered wound up being autumn olives and not goumi. Here is a few goumi for sale http://www.burntridgenursery.com/CARMINE-GOUMI-Eleagnus-multiflora/productinfo/NSGMWHI/ & http://www.raintreenursery.com/Goumi.html & http://www.justfruitsandexotics.com/JFE/product-category/berry-plants/goumi/ & Sweet Scarlet Goumi - Edible Landscaping
I have a big gumi but birds love it! I don’t eat a single fruit! 
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Tried my first goumi today. It was a Carmine. It was soft so I decided to pick it but I think my timing was off because it was very astringent.
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Yes, goumi has little astringent taste. When fully ripe, the sweetness will add to the flavor
That looks very tasty. I might be in the minority but I appreciate the astringency. It adds to the flavor in my opinion.
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My Goumi’s have reached the stage where I can reduce them for manageability. Combined with my automatic sprinkler I have plenty of fruit this year. The Raintree Cultivar should be on everyone’s list if your interested in goumi’s. 3 times the size of Sweet Scarlet it certainly more rewarding to eat. Sweet Scarlets have been disappointing this year. The Seeds are larger then I remember I suspect I should have given them extra water during the heatwave. The Sweet Scarlets have one advantage of all most all being ripe at the same time. I do not yet have a Carmine or Reg Gem Goumi so if anyone wants to help me out with a cutting to root that would be great.
Raintrees latest catalog list there ‘Select’ cultivar as unavailable. Dont know if thats a perminate issue but I should probley share some to make sure backups are available to share in the future.
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We started eating goumi this week. My son loves them and eats them by the handful when we are hanging out in the yard. Bush is not loaded like yours @lordkiwi but we have a good amount. Wife and daughters don’t like them because of the astringency.
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I’m rooting a few Carmine branches right now. So reach out later in the summer and I can probably help.
What kind do you have, Holly?
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Mine is Sweet Scarlet.
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That is an impressive size. My sweet scarlet only had a few but they were small. I grafted in Red Gem and Sweet Scarlet and they are growing. If you only need a small amount to root I can send some Red Gem. Are they easily rooted?
@hollygates Do you only have the one cultivar. Raintree cultivar was selected as a pollinator. I think we need to get you a second plant.
@auburn Rooting is supposed to be easy. Soft wood cuttings from the first 2.5-4 inches in July/August under mist with hormones or Hardwood 4-5" in November in from in a frame in ground for 12 months.
https://greatescapefarms.com/propagating-sweet-scarlet-goumi/
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