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Banisteriopsis Caapi

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A question for anyone familiar with growing B. Caapi:

Does it prefer a gentle fans breeze like cannabis does to strengthen it's root system,
or does it prefer a more stable atmosphere?
 
I only have a caapi seedling so that's not much experience but when I had it exposed to normal breezy room air the leaves all dried and fell off. I put it under a humidity tent and new leaves grew so it's staying like that for now.
 
I have 5 that I sprouted from seed and they are doing fine without any tent or fan and now have the second set of leaves..so far thats 50% germination rate..I have 5 more that I think will germinate very soon.

I had one cutting that I ordered as well..but it did not take. I think if you germinate your own from seed they adapt much better.
 
Hey Fractal.

The ones you grew from seed how far along are they? Curious if they have been through a winter yet as I am trying to grow several different caapi's right now from either rooted cuttings or normal cuttings. I maybe have to pick up some seeds if they don't make it! (a few seem like they might, but no new leaves yet) But I'm really curious as to how your plants have handled being inside since I'm also pretty far north.

Also curious if you have found a spot that they like best (like south facing vs north, and how much light) etc. Would love to piggy back of your experience since this is the first time around :)
 
fractal enchantment said:
I have 5 that I sprouted from seed and they are doing fine without any tent or fan and now have the second set of leaves..so far thats 50% germination rate..I have 5 more that I think will germinate very soon.

I had one cutting that I ordered as well..but it did not take. I think if you germinate your own from seed they adapt much better.
Click to expand...

Fractal do you mind if I inquire as to were you purchased your seeds? You can reply by PM if you'd like.

I ordered a live plant a while back, but it couldn't survive the winter here...I never put it in a humidity doom.

Cheers
 
I got my seeds from botanical spirit..they are probabily seasonal though. I read that they are only viable for a short ammount of time..but I had mine in the freezer for many months until I germinated them 3-4 weeks ago. They have not gone through a winter yet since they are only a few weeks old, but they are doing great and I have no doubt of them thriving through the winter indoors here. I grow lots of plants all winter long..
 
my 3 ft. vine has been growing pretty fast, I think it definitely seems to enjoy the circulation and root stimulation of the fan blowing.
It also seems to really like being misted with warm water a few times a day.
It seems to have no problems with a natural pesticide spray of thyme, clove, and canola oil diluted sprayed on the underside of the leaves, as well as the pot itself, once a week.
I will feed it at half strength with organic fertilizer about once a month I think.
 
Wow - a 3 ft vine! :) And she's being treated like a princess (as she deserves) :)

I managed to grow a caapi from seed (the others didn't make due to mould/accidental drying out/low viability of seed) which is now a couple of yesrs old and about 15cm tall with seven sets of leaves...I'm very happy that she's growing cos I don't live in anything remotely resembling a rainforest environment (although humidity is usually relatively high in my living room), and she seems to be well adapted - .

She even came through the spider mite infestation of last summer without any trouble from the little blighters. :)
 
All right here's what I've learned so far...

The 3 ft. vine shot up and is now at least 7 ft. long. It grew up to the high ceiling window and is loving it. I attached some wire to it and gently coaxed the vine to climb it. I did notice some minor burn marks from sunlight exposure, but I observed the vine quickly adapt to this new influx of light. This happens when you move from shade to direct sun.

It dropped the lower leaves as it grew taller. They got yellow and fell off. It looked like the plant was maybe using them as an energy source, depleting them before dropping them. I crushed them up and put them in the soil.

Every 2 waters I give it a little bit of humic acid extract to mimic the decaying plant material that is abundant in the acidic amazonian soil. I also purchased DynaGro Protekt which is a concentrated blast of potash. I feed this in small amounts every water to strengthen the leaves and the plants ability to deal with stress. (This can also be used as a foliar feed/spray but make sure not to use too much!) I also put unsulphured blackstrap molasses in the mix sometimes to adjust the texture of the soil. I probably won't fertilize it until next month.

I've been making the pH of the mix 5.0 - 5.5 and checking the pH of the runoff water to make sure it's around there as well. Advanced nutrients pH down is a highly concentrated solution of hydrochloric acid and I use a few drops of that to bring it down.

The caapi is haapi and I hope yours is too ;]
 
Thanks for the info - the soil acidity hadn't really occurred to me and I'm definitely goig to do some gentle experimentation :)
 
DMTripper said:
They grow naturally in the jungle where there is usually no or not much breeze.
Click to expand...

This is true.

People who grow caapi in a pot need to be more careful than people who grow caapi in the ground.
Considering the much smaller root space of pots, it is easier to hurt them via overfeeding, or nutrient lock out.
This caapi that I'm growing at an amazing rate is indoors, in the corner of a second story ceiling, near a closed window. I keep a fan circulating the room but not direct, so no stress on the root system from excessive movement. Following my gut here. I think this will only increase it's gas exchange. (like what would be found outdoors, even without wind) <3
 
۩ said:
DMTripper said:
They grow naturally in the jungle where there is usually no or not much breeze.
Click to expand...

This is true.

People who grow caapi in a pot need to be more careful than people who grow caapi in the ground.
Considering the much smaller root space of pots, it is easier to hurt them via overfeeding, or nutrient lock out.
This caapi that I'm growing at an amazing rate is indoors, in the corner of a second story ceiling, near a closed window. I keep a fan circulating the room but not direct, so no stress on the root system from excessive movement. Following my gut here. I think this will only increase it's gas exchange. (like what would be found outdoors, even without wind) <3
Click to expand...

I have two very small plants that have been struggling a bit. They grow very slowly but the top leaves look healthy. Maybe a bit too light colored.
But I'm definitely going to water with lower pH. I know my water source has a very high pH.
I'll flush them with a lot of fresh water and then do the molasses pH trick. Curious to see how they'll do. I have them in a window facing north and there's never direct sunlight but it's bright. But the air is very dry here. I'm actually surprised how well they are doing coming from the Amazonas :)
Thank you for the info :)
 
I've read you should slowly lower pH. So bring the runoff down to about 5.5 over a week or two. 5.0 - 5.5 is what I've been shooting for.

Does your soil have proper nutrients? If so, it probably doesn't need to be fertilized. I've heard people have good luck adding a bit of chicken manure to the soil every few months and watering normally.

You can check for nutrient deficiencies here:

And if you have the extra funds for Protekt and Humic acid extract, they definitely help.
 
۩ said:
I've read you should slowly lower pH. So bring the runoff down to about 5.5 over a week or two. 5.0 - 5.5 is what I've been shooting for.

Does your soil have proper nutrients? If so, it probably doesn't need to be fertilized. I've heard people have good luck adding a bit of chicken manure to the soil every few months and watering normally.

You can check for nutrient deficiencies here:

And if you have the extra funds for Protekt and Humic acid extract, they definitely help.
Click to expand...

Well soil is a tricky thing :) I think my soil is quite good. At least works good for plants that prefer a bit higher pH.

I'll probably just water with the correct pH and add just a little molasses.
 
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