Growing B. caapi in pots

[3lliot]

I have some B. caapi which I've grown to about 2 feet tall in an indoor growbox. I've decided (what with the new legislation) that I'd like to move them outdoors onto the balcony (Sydney Eastern suburbs), just to attract less curiosity from visitors like estate agents, cleaners etc.

What I plan to do is pot them in some decent-sized pots, and give each one some vertical trellis to climb up. I have a big (6 x 6 foot) trellis which I'll chop up vertically into 5 or 6 strips, and fix each strip to a pot, which will make the plants more portable if I decide to move (rather than having them all grow up one big trellis).

My question is though, what's the best way to keep them nice & compact? I don't want them growing long & stringy up the trellis, because they'll run out of climbing space pretty quick. Should I just prune the top buds off? or would it be better to train them to grow around the trellis in a spiral?

Also, the balcony is right on the ocean & gets very salty at times. will this be an issue? I have some tropical chillis (trindad scorpions) on the balcony already, they're fine. They did go fully dormant & lost all their leaves over winter, but they're growing back nicely now.

Also also, I'm thinking about moving my P. viridis out onto the balcony - I assume they'll be ok as long as it doesn't freeze, but should I make sure they don't get full sun? has anyone grown viridis in full sun outdoors?

cheers

-E

[cactuscarl]

Ime caapi doesn't like to be grown in pots they out grow them way to fast and drink way to much water. I was watering mine daily even in winter. They also stunt very quick when root bound. Caapi will grow well in full sun I think viridus will to but I haven't been game enough to find out.

[planthelper]

it's a skill to grow, vigorous plants in small pot's but it is possible.

I had a 3m caapi in a small pot...

small pot's dry out fast, that's the main issue, but if you fertilize (mix up indoor strength, than add 10 or more times water) with almost every watering, and you can water twice a day (or even more), when needed, it's possible.

morning sun or dappled light is enough, otherwise evaporation is too big.

[3lliot]

would that be evaporation mainly from the soil, or the plant?

if it's the mainly soil - which I suspect it might be - I could cover it with those white rocks to keep the sun off it, or just keep the pots in shade somehow.

I'm also thinking about an automatic drip-feed watering system, so I don't have to water them all the time. I go away on long weekends quite a lot & there often isn't someone else there to water stuff.

[AnthromorphicGerbil]

Can someone recommend a good organic liquid fertilizer for the caapi in a potted environment. Particularly a fertilizer that also has good instruction relating to pot size verses serving size ;-)

[gtarman]

I use fish emulsion and seasol alternating weekly for all my plants now more or less. I think as long as you don't use too much fertilizer in the solution generally a good way is to just water the pot with it til it just starts dripping out the drainage holes. If you do that once a fortnight with fish emulsion and once with seasol during growing season you should be sweet. So give it the fish one week then the seaweed the next I mean.

I usually just use them at half-strength to avoid problems with overfeeding.

[AnthromorphicGerbil]

Cool. Thanks man.

[rahli]

Might want to trim the caapi roots every now and again. I'm sure you can figure out how to dispose of them.........in 70 gram lots......so I've heard.

[shonman]

Will Caapi grow ok from seed?

I am looking at micro propagating some, and kind of don't want to cut my small plant.

People looking after my plants when I was gone, have killed a lot of my older ones.

One B Caapi I had, went all around a sunroom and up an eight foot tree, before it was killed by the guy watching the house.

Seriously, I did not realize watering plants was a skill that needed to be taught, but apparently, it is!

[gtarman]

^^ they can be grown from seed, yes. But the seed loses viability incredibly quickly and is generally not worth the hassle IMO. Especially when they propagate so easily vegetatively.

If you have to leave the plant with somebody who isn't a gardener, put it in a self-watering pot - problem solved. As long as they fill it up properly, there's no chance of under or over-watering really. It might not be ideal, but these are generally pretty tough plants.

[shonman]

I chopped my vine, and am attempting to micro propagate for maxillary buds

Split the stem on a lot of them....1 bud each test tube......hope some make it.

I also did sinuichi, although, it is exceedingly simply to propagate from new growth.

[planthelper]

I guess, he wants to grow by seed, so he can get, something sterile, regards tissue culture.

a seed is much easier to start of in vitro, because it's sterile inside.

a plant meristem is hard to clean and get sterile...