Red Gem
My two goumi grafts from 2019
9 Likes
Looks like there are about five Red Gem berries. I wasn’t expecting them to ripen this early. Sure hope they taste good because goumi appears to be easy to grow. These are about blueberry size.
5 Likes
looks ripe to me. mine froze to the snow line 3 winters ago but is now about 5ft. again and should fruit this summer.
1 Like
Mine ripen in early june a month or less after our “average” last frost, I assume these would be ripe for you if that sounds about right on your timeline, that being said i let them get to more of a overripe stage to remove astringency
2 Likes
What rootstocks did you grafted them onto?
2 Likes
Sorry but it was only listed as elaeagnus.
1 Like
The berry was soft so I gave it a try out. Mostly sweet with a hint of tart. Nothing like anything I have tasted before. I rate it as promising but I need a bigger sample size.
6 Likes
it is pretty different to other berries. has a little taste of cherry tomato from the lycopene. let them stay on until a little soft and the astringency will be nearly gone. that is if the birds don’t get them 1st!!
3 Likes
I didn’t detect astringency. It was soft so I guess it was ready. I think my grands would enjoy eating these from the bush.
4 Likes
I really like them also and enjoy your description moose, I always had a hard time describing them but now im going to say they are a cross between a nanking cherry and a cherry tomato with a blast of thimbleberry
6 Likes
This is slightly off topic but I would like to root a few goumi but I want the method to be simple. Any ideas will be appreciated. I don’t have a place to mist the cutting for weeks so simple and easy is what I’m looking for. Pretty sure I can air layer. Has anyone tried rooting them in water?
1 Like
I also had a ripe one from my goumi berries and it was also a little soft with bright red color and it was sweet and tart just like it is supposed to taste. It is ripening earlier than last year.
2 Likes
They air layer easily. Mine also send up root suckers. I haven’t tried rooting cuttings yet – I was going to over this past winter before running out of space inside – but everything I’ve read says they’re easy to propigate that way.
2 Likes
I air layered some last year , as per this post.
And using @ediblelandscaping.sc recommendations .
The ones I scored the bark rooted, ones without scoring did not.
No luck with cuttings yet.
Added more air layers this year , fairly easy
4 Likes
I was going to root them in coir or bark as they seem to want a decent amount of air and i do not want to water them enough to put them in perlite. I think if you do water you need to put a air stone or a pump in it.
@Hillbillyhort did you use any rooting hormone? Yeah its my understanding if your going to try rooting cuttings green with leaves works best
1 Like
No hormone , just scared ( scraped ) the bark , put small tree pots with soil over them ,
Easzyest to do before leafs come on.
2 Likes
Thanks for mentioning it sends out root suckers. I have a small plants about couple of feet away from the mother plant and thought it grew from the seeds.
3 Likes
So glad I tasted one that was ripe and one under ripe before the birds finished my small crop. I’m going to air layer a few as the bush gets bigger.
2 Likes
related to autumn olive so id think it would be fairly easy to stick a cutting in ground and get it to root.
1 Like
Sticking shoot in the ground would be the easiest method for me.
1 Like