I like to grow unusual plants. My Black Peppercorn vine is an example. So far the plant has not fruited beyond a few corns. It grew gangbusters this summer. Now I have to bring it in! I hope it can produce soon? My pepper grinder is empty! I thought I would post photo just to show us all what the plant looks like that produces pepper. Other forms of pepper exist, but this is the common plant. I think the origin is India? Everybody has tasted the fruit of this plant.
Info on the different colors
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That is a nice looking plant. It looks like it will make a pretty house plant for the winter. The leaves are so glossy.
Nice plant. How hardy are these? I only grow things I can keep outside year round (9a).
Also, this may be a stupid question, but what do peppercorns look like on the plant? Do you need to dry or process them somehow or can you throw then straight into a grinder?
Yes you can use corns right to the grinder. Or process them too.
Here is a good video on them. I should have tonās of fruit, but do not. Mostly because I neglect it, I suspect it will eventually fruit. Iām not sure how hardy it is? it is a tropical plant.
Anyway check this out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOoBqQmz8jc
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I looked back at my notes and my plant comes from a seedling. i was told it would take 2-3 years before fruiting. I think from cuttings they fruit sooner. My plants is not from Logeeās.
culture is practicall the same as when growing most orchids-- giving it as much light it could handle(without scorching the leaves, that is). And some humidity.
filtered light in greenhouse conditions is probably the best way to go, as indirect light by a window sill might not be enough to encourage it to fruit.
foliar or root fertilization with trace elements, especially zinc, may also help(peppercorns have a considerable amount of zinc, Mn, chromium, etc, which probably contribute to the spicy metallic taste). Zinc is often a limiting factor in blac pepper culture, even in tropical asia where it originated. The typical soil mixes we get from home depot might not have enough trace elements.
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Thanks Juju, I will dose it with trace elements although the mix has azomite in it. I can use Foliage Pro with all the trace elements. I keep it outside in the summer, and my thought I gave it too much light. The foliage looks great, I should probably watch the amount of nitrogen. I may have given it too much? I usually use organic but have Foliage Pro and Dynamite time release with micros. The video states itās a low to medium feeder plant, so I could have given it too much this summer. I have around 60 potted plants, so itās hard to keep track of all.Why I like organic I cannot prep water with chemical fertilizers every time I water. Using organics once a month is a lot easier! Also when watering some need it some donāt so the only way to use chemicals is too use the lowest dose with every watering. this is too impractical for me.
I brought it in today and it is in a south window, the video suggests east or west. So light or lack of seems not to be a problem. The soil mix is my own btw. I have way too many plants to buy pre-mixed stuff. If I do I buy Fafard 52 professional mix. I have not bought any in 2 years. The mix this plant is in is a 3-1-1 with compost, azomite, rock phosphate, lime and humic acids.
good luc on your tropical venture. And yes, those micronutrient supplements should help. Fresh-ground peppercorns do taste better when oneās growing them!
btw, have grown them in the tropics, and as with other shade-loving plants, i have noticed that big and healthy-looking foliage may be mistaken for excellent health, as sometimes, it is a response by the plant in its attempts to catch more sunlight. Another way of telling if your pepper is a bit light-starved is if vines are a bit herbaceous/soft for prolonged periods. Plenty of light would stiffen them a bit, helping speed up maturity.
am no expert, but from my experience, more light(as long as it doesnāt cause sunburn) equates to tinier leaves-- but more flowers and fruits, even among āshade-lovingā plants.
They are freeze sensitive. They are grown in Phoenix, AZ 9b, but are not common. I do not know if they freeze to the ground if they grow back or not. They should be covered in winter and likely mulched (at least in arid areas) to improve chances of coming back in spring.
I do not know if they require some summer shade in our environment. Or a more humid/wind protected spot to thrive.
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I think my notes are key, it is a young plant. Besides not fruiting everything seems fine. I just tied the vines up. Canes are strong. I noticed they were trying to hide behind my Clematis vine. They were seeking shade, not light.
Itās so cold here, it has to come in the house. It did well inside last year, it should be fine. Iām going to try more shade next summer.
Thank you very much for this thread! I will start to grow black pepper and pandan soon so i have to learn about it. I will post about it and how it will grow. 
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I just received my black pepper plant! 
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Piper Nigrum? The standard for āpepper cornsā
But P.Longum , P. interruptum, p. auritum, p. marginatum, and p. peepuloides all have there interesting uses.
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Hi! I have piper nigrum and will have betel plant (Piper betle).
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Betel scares me.
My with list includes Piper guineense The leaves are used as much as the berries.
Why betel scares you?
First of all there are two Betelās Piper Betel and Areca nut Areca catechu And despite all of there ātraditional usesā science preaty much determined that Areca Batel is a cancer causing mutagenic. Piper Betel might or might not be getting a bad rap by association but there are plenty of papers claiming its is cancer causing and its also has anti cancer properties. I am personally just going to stay away from that one all together.
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I never see it anywereā¦ and itās used for thousands of years in Asiaā¦
As where Tobaco and Opium.
But like I said there are two Betelās I must remember to never rely on Wiki Pedia as the first source. This article supports that Piper Betel is getting a bad rap by association.
From the same paper:
"Preclinical
experiments have shown that betel leaf possess antibacterial, anti-cariogenic, anti-fungal, anti- larval, antiprotozal, anti-filarial, anti-allergic, anti-diabetic, antiinflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-ulcer, anti-fertility,
cardioprotective, anti-hyperlipidaemic, anti- platelet,
vasorelaxation and immunomodulatory effects (Kumar
et al., 2010).
ā¦
Conclusion
Scientific studies in the past have demonstrated
unequivocally that betel leaf and some of its compounds
possess chemopreventive effects against cancers of
different histological origins. Several mechanisms are
likely to account for the observed pharmacological effects,
the most important being the free radical scavenging,
antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and
possible induction of selective apoptosis in the neoplastic
cells are the most important. Further studies should be
aimed at understanding the efficacy and the mechanism
of action of the standardized extracts of the betel leaves
and the important phytochemicals like hydroxychavicol.
Due to its abundance, low cost and safety in consumption,
Betel leaf remains a species with tremendous potential and
countless possibilities for further investigation. "