Jiao-gu-lan, Sweet Tea Vine

Seeds are easily damaged and must be handled with care. Germination can be slow and erratic. Seedlings appreciate morning sun (or grow li...Read Moreghts) and ample moisture. Mature plants grow vigorously in moist (but not soggy) medium, with dappled sun to full shade, and do equally well in both warm and cool conditions so long as ample humidity is maintained. Will happily grow upward, spread along the ground, or grow downward from an elevated position. Leaves have a slightly sweet flavor. This plant is dioecious. Mature plants exhibit good cold hardiness, and simply go dormant overwinter in temperate climates or if the summer air is too dry, only to reawaken in the spring, seeking warmth, humidity, and water as they sprawl.

Great plant and great taste as well - A Liquorice like taste.

as a indoor plant it does great, it seems to do better indo...Read Moreors than outdoors and it doesn't mind dry air as long it's in shade or bright light without direct sunlight.

i never had any problem with pests but scales seem to only attack this plant when it's grown in direct sunlight ( weakens the plant ) . Thrips will only infect this plant if another plant is infected. this plant itself doesn't cause thrips infestations but once another nearby plant does have a infestation this vine will be a thrips magnet. maybe hanging baskets are a better option because this way most insects can't reach it.

you need support because it grows really fast especially when it's warm and it needs a large pot. i really recommend this one indoors because even tho it's hardy around -15 C or -20 C it recovers poorly from winter, even in summer my sweet tea vine had excruciating slow growth rates once i took it inside it woke up and started growing really fast.

it likes moist soil but it doesn't like wet soil - keep the soil moist at all times and give it high quality soil.

Actually when grown indoors it has a bitter taste in most seasons, in late summer and autumn the taste is at it's best.

i really don't know why this isn't a more popular indoor plant, it's really reliable as long you keep it out of direct sunlight. it can grow in shade or light shade and is more attractive than hedera species.

7-2015

I've had small plants indoor against a window for almost 2 years and they were completely fine , unlike outside , indoors near a window it grows more slowly probably because of the dry air. i moved my container to a spot in the corner of my living room where there wasn't much ventilation going - after a while mealy bug attacked this plant and i couldn't get rid of them.

when you plant them indoors give them ventilation and dont keep them too wet , also don't overfeed them. this will keep meaybug at bay. if you follow these guidelines they are perfectly fine indoors ( remember to use indoor plants from seed or cuttings , containers that you bring from outside often contains all kinds of pests in the soil).

anyway once i brought it outside on my balcony it did completely fine and itself got rid of the mealybug. i also got one in the corner of my garden in a container and one on another balcony and in spring after 3 weeks it grew 2 meters.

Terrific success growing Gynostemma as a houseplant, indirect sun, around 70 degrees, moist & NO chemical fertilizers, really dislikes th...Read Moreose! Extremely fast growers. Plants go somewhat dormant in the winter but still green and perky.
I pick 4 or 5 leaves daily & put it in my coffee. It has a lot of impressive credentials in the health dept., well documented, safe, so eat it, brew it, I shall.
I love plants, even better I love plants I can eat & enjoy inside my home when it's bitterly cold outside here in Canada.

I am going to grow this plant out, and when it's done, I am going to snack on it daily, along with japanese knotweed shoots, and try my b...Read Moreest to live forever.

As a side note: It has interesting leaves that resemble a much more famous "immortality herb". Grow it up a pole and enjoy hearing the whispers from your neighbors every time they walk by it.