Hyacinth Bean Vine Question...

I read this:

"Propagation:

Hyacinth Bean Vine are grown from seeds. Sow seeds directly into your flower garden after all danger of frost has past. Plant seeds 1 1/2" deep. Final plant spacing should be six inches apart.


Seeds germination period requires two to three weeks. For indoor starts, try a seedling germination mat.


Do not plant seeds until after the last frost date your area. Plants are susceptible to frost.




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How to Grow Hyacinth Bean Vine:

Hyacinth Bean Vine is easy to grow. Grow in full sun. Plants prefer a rich, well draining soils to fuel their fast, season long growth. Mix a healthy dose of compost into the soil prior to planting.


Plants like a lot of water and nutrients. While they like lots of water, they do not like wet soil. Keep soil moist, not wet. Add fertilizer when planting and every month during the season. Use a high phosphorous formula just before the first blooming period.


Plants will begin to bloom in summer, and continue to do so into the fall. After the flowers bloom, purple pods will begin to form. They grow up to three inches. Raw beans inside are poisonous. Keep away from children and pets. Boiling beans for a long period cooks out the poison, and makes beans edible.


Plants are annuals that are very susceptible to frost. They may still be in bloom when frost arrives. Unfortunately, covering this long vine, may prove impractical.

Hyacinth Bean Vine are good "re-seeders". If the pods are allowed to open and pour out their beans, you will find many new plants next year. Do not disturb the soil until seedlings have begun to grow. Thinning will almost certainly be needed.


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Question.... if they are not good with front, then how can they drop their seed and "re-seed" themselves? Unless they only do this in a warm climate and not in snow zones?

Thanks

Nancy.

Nancy,
The vine and flowers are susceptible to frost. After the seeds dry and drop, apparently they lie dormant and do fine, producing new plants the following spring. Many annuals do this (reseed themselves) ... zinnias, marigolds, petunias, etc.

Just in case, you could always harvest a little baggie full of seeds to keep inside through the winter. I've got a huge bag full of seeds from several years ago and they're still viable.

Hi. I realized how stupid the question was after the fact. I guess I must have read it incorrectly. It sounds like this plant can be sown in October in the ground if you collect the seeds, and it will come up early in the Spring.

The problem I had with the information, is I knew this plant came from Africa, and did not think the seed would make it thru a snow winter. I got that it would reseed itself, but was confused with the frost comment.

I guess I am just getting old, and confused. Thank God the plants make allowences for me... LOL.... most of the time.

Thanks

Nancy.

I have this plant growing on a trellis to screen my AC.. I started it indoors and put it out when it was safe from any degree of frost. It grows so fast that I have no doubt it will be with me for a very long time. I am told that it reseeds itself and requires little care. The only care I have given is when we have a dry spell, I water..and cutting it back because I don't want to allow it to get out of hand.

I'm zone 5, and have never had hyacinth vine come up in my soil the next spring. I always keep a few pods after they are all of the way dry, just in case. I have had a few come up in some of my deeper pots.

What is the best way to cut this plant back to keep it in bounds? Just cut off the "offensive" shoots? Will it continue to put out new shoots along the main stems or just it just grow from the ends of them? Hope this makes sense.

Bonnie

bobyrd,

I just cut mine anywhere, no special way. I cut where ever it is getting outta hand, and it just keeps growing, and growing, and growing.......

and growing. :D I agree, cut wherever you need.

I just received 20+ pods and wanted to try it both ways. I thought I might drop seeds along a section of yard as well as keep some for pot planting come spring and see which ones do best. I wondered what it would be like to allow to wander across an area and be like a ground cover or allowed to cover across an 50' row of azaeleas. Anyone ever tried that? I live in Zone 7, NoVirginia and only get, at max, 5 hours sun in part of the yard. Too many oak trees.

My only concern about covering azaleas would be the weight of the vines, they get pretty heavy.

In hotter areas like Alabama, they are fast heavy growers, higher moisture, heat help, in areas of lower sun, less humidity, less heat, the beans grow slower, may not need trimmed...