how do i grow withania somnifera?

[Jamison Schuetz]

Hi,

I just got some nice sortof fresh but a little dry withania somnifera berries. How do I grow these? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Jamison

[solomon]

You will probably want to separate them from the fruit.

I germinated mine by sowing in a warm/humid box in full sun. Have used potting soil and seedling mix.

I covered them with only a tiny bit of soil.

Would be interested to hear how others do it though.

[DrJohnBWatson]

You will probably want to separate them from the fruit.

I germinated mine by sowing in a warm/humid box in full sun. Have used potting soil and seedling mix.

I covered them with only a tiny bit of soil.

Would be interested to hear how others do it though.

 

Also, they need temperatures over 20 degr C / 70 degr F to germinate.

The first weeks when they germinate they should be kept moist (like in a mini greenhouse). After a month or so they need tho have lower humidity to not rot.

/Niklas

[weedRampage]

A good way to separate the berries from the seeds is to squash the berries in a bowl of

water and make like you are panning gold. The good seeds sink and the fruit floats out.

I have grown withania in perth WA, and lismore NSW.

The plants grow vigorously on the alkaline soils of perth.

In the higher rainfall and acid soils of lismore the plants looked unhappy

over the summer wet but picked up in autumn.

Where ever you are give them plenty of sun and mulch and grow them in the ground.

[DrJohnBWatson]

Where ever you are give them plenty of sun and mulch and grow them in the ground.

 

If you live in a cold climate, as Jamison Schuez do, with just 2-3 months of summer, then he will have to grow them indoor and take the pots outside in the summer. Ashwaghandha do not tolerate periods of frost.

/ John

[planthelper]

i have seen huge withania somnifera's growing in very cold climates in central europe, and to achive this you have to plant them into the ground.

it basicly grows excactly like a tomatoe, if you keep a tomatoe in a pot, you are unlikely to manage to grow a big plant.

whilst, if you plant them out into deep vegetable soil, even a short 2 to 3 months summmer will grow you ~2m tall/long plants.

i think to remeber that they are legging it a bit, so some people might prefere to stake them.

whithania's like to be fertilized well otherwise growth rate is very slow.

growing them in pot's, unless they are very big, will more likely give you bad results.

and just on a side note, big pot's are not easy to care for at times, they often, get either too wet or dry, and the potting mix often compacts a lot.

[gerbil]

i've got mine in the ground, probably a 4-5 year old plant, we receive frosts which differ in severity over the years, strong frosts but not ridiculous. I like to cut mine back to a bit above ground level once or twice a year after fruiting or if leggy, and they reshoot to a good bushy 2ft in no time. Very easy plants to grow.