Growing Jiaogulan (Immortality Herb) in containers in NC (zone 7b/8a)
There's so little info on the web (in English) about growing Jiaogulan (Gynostemma Pentaphyllum) in my area of the world that I thought I would share my experience growing it to help others. Jiaogulan is also called the immortality herb and makes a delicious tea that is said to be very healthy. Here's what it looks like.
I'm growing it in NC zone 7b/8a in containers outside using a local bagged mix called Daddy Petes Potting mix. It seems to like the mix. The herb grows as a vine and grows up to 20 feet long per season. On the ground it would spread through the brush like a weed. Last year I trellised it. This year put it on my on my deck and let the vines hang down. This will make it easier to harvest I think. A couple vines are almost touching the ground.
Here in NC, the vines will die back to the roots in the winter, but will regrow again in the spring. I left the 2 bigger containers outside last winter where it got down to 5 degrees one night. I was afraid they died because there was no sign of the herbs left in the containers, but when spring came, little 5 petal stems popped out, and as you see the vines have grown back well. So in my area jiaogulan is a perennial.
I keep the plants watered regularly. They don't seem to mind moist soil, so I keep them on the moist side. I have let them get too dry a few times and they wilted badly, but after watering they perked back up right away. I don't them get too dry anymore.
I have found that in my area during summer the plant grows best when given some shade. Full sun all day long in my summer heat makes the plant wilt in the daytime, so I put them in a spot where they get some break from the sun.
You can propagate jiaogulan by letting the vines grow on the ground and cut the vine in sections. The sections should start growing roots and the plant can duplicate that way - so I'm told. I haven't done this way yet. I have successfully propagated my Jiaogulan by taking cuttings. Last year I put some cuttings in glasses of water in the window. They grew little white roots and I then potted those up. In the first picture the smaller container of Jiaogulan are those cuttings, which I kept inside all winter. You can also germinate jiaogulan seeds, which I haven't done yet, but will try if I get any seed this season. Speaking of seeds, the next picture (out of focus) shows the flowering stalk which should produce flowers soon and hopefully seeds. Last year they made some little berries, but I didn't save any because I don't think they became seeds (they didn't look like seed to me at least).
I have read that the best time to harvest Jiaogulan is right before it flowers, so this one is about ready to harvest. I will hang the vines up to dry and use the leaves only for tea. You can use the stems for tea too I've read, but most of the benefiting compounds are in the leaves according to my research.
Are you growing Jiaogulan too? If so please share your experience so we can learn from it.
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