Money doesn’t grow on trees, but cultivating a peppercorn plant was almost an equivalent thing many years ago. During the center Ages, spices like pepper were more valuable than gold, as these rare plants were coveted both for his or her value as a condiment (often to disguise the flavour of spoiled meat) and for medicinal purposes.

Although peppercorns have lost much of their price , the exotic appeal of the plant still holds today. Furthermore, spices like pepper are riding the wave of the healthy eating trend, as scientists learn more about the disease-fighting properties of those little wonder plants. In fact, a study published within the journal Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition explores the “antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, gastro-protective, and antidepressant activities of black pepper.”

Peppercorn may be a slow-growing plant that takes about four years to succeed in blooming and fruiting size. Plants reach their peak at seven years and may remain productive in fruiting for up to twenty years.

Grow the peppercorn plant reception , and you’ll capture the culinary and health benefits of pepper you raised yourself.

How to Grow Peppercorn Plant

Peppercorn plants grow in tropical jungles, and intrinsically, grow best in hot, humid environments with filtered light. The closer you’ll mimic its native habitat, the more likely it’s you’ll be ready to get your peppercorn plant to fruit. These tropical plants may attract pests like weevils or flea beetles if stressed by the cold.

Light

When growing a peppercorn plant as an inside houseplant, provides it the brightest light you’ll. The vines need the sun’s energy to supply flowers and fruit. during a greenhouse or outdoors, partial sunlight is adequate for healthy growth.

Soil

Peppercorn plants need an upscale, humusy soil that retains moisture. However, the soil must have good drainage, and heavy clay soils can cause plant disease. Use a light-weight potting mix amended with compost or leaf mold.

Water

Peppercorn vines don’t wish to dry out. Water the plants when the surface of the soil feels dry.

Temperature and Humidity

Peppercorn plants are classified as zone 12 plants, which suggests that they have very warm temperatures to take care of health. Plants will stop growing when temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Peppercorn plants sort of a humid environment, and appreciate regular misting. If you’ll provide enough light during a humid bathroom or kitchen, these are good places to grow the peppercorn vine.

Fertilizer

Peppercorn plants are light feeders. within the spring, when growth begins to extend, you’ll give them fertilizer for blooming plants with a 7-9-5 balance of nutrients. Fertilize every fortnight throughout the summer, and discontinue feeding within the fall and winter months.

Potting and Repotting

Peppercorn vines are slow-growing perennial vines, and rarely need repotting. When plants begin to point out signs of being root bound, gently tease the rootball from the container and report employing a loamy bagged potting mix.

Propagating Peppercorn Plants

You can form peppercorn plant clones of the parent plant easily by burying a part of a low-lying stem under the soil—a technique referred to as layering. In one season, the buried part of the stem will produce roots, and you’ll then sever this new plant from the parent plant.

In a more advanced technique called air-layering, usually reserved for woody stems, you’ll slice away the surface of the stem and pack it with moist sphagnum . Enclose the moss with plastic food wrap, and secure ends with electrical tape. Allow three months for sufficient roots to develop before removing this new plant from the parent.

Varieties of Peppercorn Plant

Within the species, there’s one variegated cultivar of peppercorn plant worth growing for the weird and exotic plant hobbyist. pepper albo variegated features large creamy white splashes on its heart-shaped leaves and produces equivalent peppercorn fruits because of the standard variety. Like many variegated plants, peppercorn albo vines are less vigorous than the quality cultivar.

Pruning

Pruning peppercorn vines isn’t necessary for plant health. you’ll prune plants to get rid of any dead or dying foliage, or to stay plants in bounds when growing during a small space.

Harvesting

You can use the fruits of the peppercorn in 3 ways as they progress through the ripening stages.

• Take the earliest green fruits and pickle them, which renders them soft and not very spicy.
• If you harvest the peppercorns even as they’re starting to turn red and permit them to dry for a couple of days, the result’s the common black peppercorn.
• White pepper comes from the foremost mature stage of the ripening fruits. When the berries are completely red, you’ll pick them and take away the outer red husk, leaving you with a white kernel which you’ll grind like regular black peppercorns.

Growing in Containers

As a young plant, the peppercorn vine makes a handsome specimen for hanging baskets. you’ll usually maintain them for a minimum of two seasons this manner, but if you plan to cultivate fruit-producing plants, you’ll get to move the vines to a bigger container during a greenhouse or conservatory environment. once you transition your plants to an upright growing position, you want to provide a trellis for the vines to hold close. A healthy vine during a tropical greenhouse setting can grow 8 to 10 feet long.

Growing From Seeds

It takes patience to grow peppercorn plants from seed, but this method is effective if you would like to start out many plants to sell or to offer to friends. Take a mature (red) peppercorn berry from your vine. Soak the berry overnight to hydrate it, and plant just beneath the soil surface. confine a warm room between 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit; use a heated germination mat for best results. Germination will occur in about 30 days.

Peppercorn Plant vs. Piper Lolot

Not all plants within the Piper genus produce peppercorns. Another Piper vine, the Piper sarmentosum, is valued not for its fruits, except for its edible leaves. Immature Piper sarmentosum plants look the equivalent as peppercorn plants, with heart-shaped green foliage, so buy labeled plants from a reputable supplier to make sure you get the right species.