I am looking for information and anyone who can share experience on the growth habit of the Eastern Prince Magnolia vine (Schisandra chinensis).
I received a plant last year from Burnt Ridge nursery and it stayed fairly small. It is starting to grow vigorously this year and I am trying to decide on the best method to help it climb. I have it planted near a post of an 8’ tall pergola, but based on some photos I have seen at nursery sites, it looks like most plants are grown on lower garden fences.
I have mine growing on a 4-foot trellis. Last year it jumped from that trellis to the nearby apple tree and pushed growth to over 6 feet. Mine has not yet fruited, though.
Another member here @Drew51 has one at his house that is bearing age.
Thank you very much! Glad to hear it was able to exceed the 4-foot trellis. That gives me hope it can at least get up to the top of the post after a few years. Are you training it to just a few vines at the base or letting it get a large number of shoots?
Hey i think it takes a while to get established, mine has been very slow growing and it does not have common tendrils to help it climb. I used a tomato cage around mine to keep my dogs away from it and will give it a bamboo and it will climb, its just not like a squash grape or passionfruit that has tendrils she needs to wrap slowly.
I think it will easily get over 8’ tall just not as fast as some vines
Andrew - sorry to hear you lost your magnolia vine to an early freeze. I found your previous posts regarding making tea from the berries. I have purchased dried berries and enjoyed a tea from them, too.
I still have some berries! Yeah I lost 2 mulberries, 3 peach seedlings. And 2 figs. The vine held on a bit, but never recovered. I will put another in next year.
Mine has about 8 shoots coming up from the base now. I didn’t know what its hardiness would be like, so I encouraged multiple shoots.
It is an early awakening plant. I have had little leaves unfolding for over a week now.
@Drew51 Sorry to hear about your loss. I’ve actually been jealous how thick I remember the main stem of yours being. Didn’t you have it in a terra-cotta style pot?
It was in a mini raised bed. Next time though right in the ground. It grew fairly quickly into a decent plant. I should have added this year, my budget is shot! Next year.
I think mine has 3 shoots from last year and it is sprouting like mad from the base this year. I will thin them down in the next couple weeks once we get past the main risk of freeze/frost.
I’m encouraged now to see if I can get it most of the way up the post this year. The lack of tendrils is a good point for me to keep in mind, thank you.
A cage is a must in my area due to deer coming in at night. I have grapes and hardy kiwis along the pergola posts, too. The deer will find them all tasty, I’m sure!
Anyone have any experience with deer + Schisandra chinensis. From the limited info I was able to find online it seems that deer don’t bother this too much. Armed with that info I planted it outside my deer fence because I didn’t have an ideal location inside. It looks like a deer nibbled off the top half. I’m wondering if this was more curiosity browsing or if I should consider moving it?
I have two Schisandras. What does one actually do with the fruit? I’ve heard you should only consume small amounts. I’m not much of a tea drinker. What else are they good for? Are they safe raw added to smoothies, etc.?
I’ve got one in a large pot, right at deer-grazing height and they never touch it. A deer testing something out would be just a couple leaves missing, though, so it seems they might come back for more in the future.
I had a few flowers this year so I’m hoping to discover next year what they taste like fresh and how I will use them. What varieties do you have? I have the Eastern Prince but would also like to try the Sadova #1 for comparison.
I have some Schisandra tea bags which is basicly ground berries. I use 1 schisandra and 1 Lipton is very tasty. I have also has it as sweetened juice with some extra citric acid also very tasty.