Anyone successfully growing this? I know Luis grows it but he’s no longer here, it’s been mentioned a few times but very little responses. I would love a evergreen vine which fruits to grow along my deck.
I’ve eaten it. It is insipid but fun to eat.
3 Likes
I’ve heard that about Che also, but some say it tastes great. I’m not so concerned how great the fruit is, I can’t even find a plant for sale haha.
Where did you get the fruits at?
China on taobao
1 Like
I’ve tried seeds twice now with no luck. It is a very cool looking fruit, but isn’t being sold anywhere as a plant. I found this website. https://kadsura.com/ There distributor might have containerized ones starting Sept. 15th. Looks like bareroot stopped April when 1st. Would definitely need to shoot them an email or call to see if thats info is up to date, since I can’t find a year time stamp anywhere.
There are some folks on this forum from China who may be able to sell you seeds. Does it not propogate well from seed?
I was unsuccessful, but I don’t see any real reports about it being hard to germinate. Maybe it needs scarification because they have hard shells? Not sure what I did the first time, but I know I didn’t the second time.
I ordered seeds, but it was one of my late night “oh, I gotta have that and it’s cheap” purchases, so we’ll see if I actually get them into a pot to grow. I suspect it is not a year round outdoors thing here in 6B/7A.
2 Likes
I have a couple of Kadsura coccinea (Black Tiger Vine) plants I’ve been growing in-ground here in southern Alabama (Zone 8b).
If you’ve ever tried tracking this species down, you know the struggle—viable seeds are incredibly rare due to how fast they lose viability, and import lines are tough. I finally lucked out and scored two plants from Wildlands Farm and Nursery a couple of seasons ago, though I haven’t seen them listed there since.
Current Progress (Year 3)
We are just kicking off their third year in the ground, and they are officially taking off. Last year they put on solid growth, reaching about 6 feet. Now that the root systems are fully established, they are throwing up several aggressive new runners and shifting into major vegetative growth.
Since they climb by twining, I’m working on training these new runners up onto the trellis framework immediately to keep them off the ground and away from our humid summer soil. They are currently growing in sandy, high-organic matter soil, and I’m keeping them happy with a surface layer of biochar-charged compost to mimic that rich forest-understory environment they native to.
The Pollination & Sex Expression Puzzle
Because these are seed-grown plants, the next big milestone is figuring out their sex expression. Kadsura coccinea can be monoecious.
They usually start blooming between years 3 and 5, so I’m watching the older wood closely for any unique flower buds this season.
Securing the Genetics: Mid-Spring Cutting Protocol
Given how scarce these vines are in the trade right now, I’m starting some tip layers from the new runners to secure the genetics and expand the planting.
I’m out of state right now, but when I get back, I could throw up some pictures. I’ll keep the forum updated as they progress through the summer. If anyone else is successfully fruiting these in the Southeast, I’d love to hear about your experiences with local pollinators or if you’ve had to resort to hand-pollination!
7 Likes
