Vine of the Soul

Anybody grow Banisteriopsis caapi? I need cultivation requirements and have done an extensive search but found no information. Thanks

This message was edited Nov 27, 2004 12:15 PM

Well Shadow...
I don't particularly have any particular information for you.. but successful cultivation can be assumed by it's habatat and structure.. it would require ample moisture in the ground as well as humidity to florish.. and the light requirements are as full sun as can be given.. perhaps in your location that would necessitate additional lights.. as the item is a jungle liani ..a vine living in the junglles upper canopy.. and seems to be distinguished by diffrences in it's matureity. .. it might never reach the final item you're looking for there in TN..
I'd say a rich porous well drained soil is necessary.. nutrient rich.. perhaps shaded in it's youth ..as it most likely is.. in it habatat.. although the TN sun is probually in full sun like a shaded natural enviornment.. watch the little sprouts to see it's reaction to the sun .. there but it should do well in the TN full sun.. and winter will be a challenge for you.. definately a greenhouse item with supplemental lighting..
Best of luck with it..... Gordon

Shadow.. well Hawaiian cultivation is recomended.. somme are able to be grown in the continenntal US I assume they are looking for a year round warm place .. southern CA or lower FL .. you'll surely love the pinkish flowers if yours get that big there.. just simulate the Hawaiian enviornment as best you can.. that should get them growing.. Gordon

Shadow - I haven't found any information on it either. Do you know where it is from, originally? Hawaii has lots of climates but generally the humidity is always there.

Gordons' advice is spot on, I would think. I grow a lot of Hoyas, many of which grow to the upper canopy to bloom. When we first moved here we were told that we had to think of gardening as almost hydroponic!- FAST draining soil and lots of water. We fertilize less amounts but more often. We get between 130 - 160" of rain a year...and everything thrives in cinder soil (black cinder with a bit of organic matter) The water never stays about the roots. Many of the other tropicals grow rather shallow roots...except for some of the palms and ornamental trees.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

It is native to the Amazon Jungle in Columbia and Ecuador. Can be found in the West Indies also. This winter since it is small I will overwinter inside and move outside next summer. Next fall we are building a permanent greenhouse and it will live in there year-round so it can get large. I have been thinking about setting up an area in the greenhouse that is hydroponic and might try the vine in that. I grow brugmansia, which are from the smae habitat and my thinking is that the best way to overwinter them is in water. This year I am doing an experiment to test my theory.

Here is a picture of my Vine of the Soul.

Well in soil in the greenhouse would probually be best.. I don't think a hydroponic life would be as easy to maintain over say four years of contineous growth as being in rich volcanic soils.. [which you can try and put together in a planter ] is your little vine sprouted from the live cuttings available or did you start with a seed or buy a plant.. Gordon

You're probably right about soil. Since we don't have a lot of volcanos around Memphis, at least in the last 10 million years or so, I will have to blend something up. This plant came from a cutting last spring. It roots best from hard and semi hard wood, not so great from green ones. When it gets bigger you can have cuttings if you want them.
This plant and a few others I have need to stay above 70F in the greenhouse, maybe warmer. Have you ever heard of people having a greenhouse with two zones of temperature? In my climate there are many days in the winter where additional heat is not necessary.to keep it at 50F which is adequate.

http://www.bouncingbearbotanicals.com/product_info.php?cPath=21_70&products_id=286....this name was just so fascinating, so I had to find the info................Elaine

Elaine...cool link...I would think that stuff would be illegal?!LOL.

It was with tongue in cheek I mentioned growing things hydroponically...but if you think about it, with all the rain running thru the cinders, it is sort of the method :~). Black cinder isn't easy to find on the mainland...but they use big chunks of it in gas BBQs and they can be smashed. But I would think just lots of bark, pot shards, large perlite etc. would be good...just so long as it drains well. Being from the Amazon basin humidity and water would be key, too. You would probably do well to collect rain water for it instead of using city water, too.

Good luck...can't wait to see it big!!

Carol

Banisteriopsis caapi, Ayahausca:Warm tropical vine, 45-90 degrees Fahrenheit, prefers filtered sunlight, likes lots of water. Hardy vine grows up trees, edges of clearings, trellis, greenhouse or indoors, elevation: sea level to 7000.Grow one or two primary vines. Trim offshoots.



The drink this vine produces is ILLEGAL here in the USA. you can not sell this stuff or even produce it. its okay to own the plant and grow it but anything else is a big no no.

for this reason its hard to find info on it because the Usa doesnt want to promote this plant for this reason.

Elaine, I've never seen seeds for sale before. All of the information I found was it's cultural uses too. Nothing on how to grow it.
I have an interest in ethnobotanical plants not for purposes of ingestion though. I am an anthropologist and in college one of my professor's was an expert on the Olmecs and Toltecs of Mexico and Central America. He got me interested in shamanism and I studied with him for a few semesters. The common name of the Banisteriopsis is intriguing as are the customs associated with it. Thanks for your efforts, I appreciate it.

Loretta

This message was edited Nov 28, 2004 12:09 PM

That's nothing as bizarre as one site I clicked onto......there were head-hunters, and voodoo involved...!@#$%^& E