Snail Vine, Corkscrew Vine (Vigna caracalla)

Buds! We'll have blooms soon. (July 14th, 2002, East TN).

Thank you for posting this picture, now I can see that the little nodes will turn into flowers. I read in the PDB that you had to cut them back in order to get them to bloom, sure glad I only pinched them a little.
I have learned one thing with these plants,and that is the one's I planted in containers are not doing as well as the one's planted in the ground.So I will be transplanting the containter plants to the ground soon.

One question please, do they only bloom on the tips or do they bloom all over the vine?

wind: They bloom all over! Our last year were literally covered from head to toe with blooms! I don't know where you read about pinching them - I never did any pinching with it. It just branches on its own.

Regarding container vs. ground, the corkscrew vine has an enormous root system - almost tuberous, and it will definitely fail in a container. It --needs-- to be in the ground.

Because it's not hardy, one's initial reaction is to put it in a container. Rather than that, put it in the ground and then, come fall, take cuttings to overwinter indoors, or harvest seeds. They germinate quite easily.

best,
dave

Thank you Dave now I can see this photo clear and will go check on mine. =)

Dave if you will read go_vols response at the bottom of the page here you will see where I go the idea that they had to be pruned back.http://plantsdatabase.com/go/1884/
Thank you so much for the info, I really was starting to panic thinking I wouldn't have any blooms this year.
I do have two more questions if you don't mind.
1)Are the seeds from this plant easy to find?
2)How in the world do you nick those thick seeds without cutting yourself or hurting the enter seed?
I receive some seeds in trade and everyone I tried to nick I ended up damaging them.

I see. I read vols' message. Well, I didn't trim mine at all last year, and they flowered profusely! I am not planning to trim this year, either. I want those guys to climb as high as they can.

Answer to 1) The seeds are easy. V. Caracalla is a bean, you know, and leaves behind bean pods that are filled with about a dozen seeds per pod. The pods take a long time to ripen (about 3 months after flowering) so you may not get any before frost. Inthat case, ensure you take cuttings.

Answer to 2) I don't nick the seeds. I soak them in warm water for about 24-36 hours and then sow them. Hope this helps!

dave

God bless your little heart! Now I know why my poor seeds didn't make it, thanks a lot :}.
I did take the one I had in a container and plant it in the ground today, so I now have two at the entrance of my yard and two in the middle of my garden. I am just waiting for the blooms and all that lovely frangrance. I think that I am going to try and find a way to bottle it and I will sell it to you durning the winter months to bring back sweet memories (trying hard to keep a straight face lol)

We have blooms!! http://davesgarden.com/showthread/306914.html

Your bloom is pretty, and I am still waiting on mine to bloom, it has a lot of little nodes on it, so shouldn't it be blooming soon or is there anything else that I have to do?

Just wait. At this point, it shouldn't need anything from you except something to climb and patience. :)

Thanks, well I am doing my best to act like I'm not watching it but...well you know how it is :}. I can't wait to post a picture, I think the whole garden club will hear me scream with joy lol.

I can't wait Dave, will mine bloom this year? The vine is getting quite large, but no blossoms yet. I started it from a 1" pot in the spring. Just tell me yes and I'll be happy. Oh, I hope it looks just like yours, can't wait!

Yes. :)

Funny, I know I asked for it., now really do you think it will?

Well, I dunno. How big is the vine? How many shoots are there? How thick is it at the base? How long are the shoots (approximately?)

How long has the vine been in the ground? How quickly is it growing at the moment?

Answer those and I'll give you a really good idea of when it will begin to bloom, based on my own experiences this year and last.

dave

It is growing in a pot. I got it early spring and it was just 1"high with 3 leaves. It is probably 4-6' long now and has 10-12 shoots from the main shoot. The base is only about as thick as a toothpick. The shoots have good looking healthy leaves about 3" apart.
It seems to be growing fast maybe 1-2" a day as I am forever retwining them in my chosen direction. The shoots from the main vine vary in length 6-12". I'll get a close-up shot and post this evening.
Come to think of it there is a pick of it in the PDB taken back in April I believe.

This message was edited Friday, Jul 26th 3:37 PM

Hmmm. In a container. Is it a big container? I've never grown them in containers - I always move them to the ground as soon as the frost threat is past.

I really don't know if and when it will bloom. These guys really want to be very established before they even begin to think about blooms. That feels like it takes an eternity. When they get established, they start climbing like rampant twine all over the place. Then they start creating buds at the leaf-nodes.

I wish I had more details for you. When is your last frost? If you have at least 3 months left, you might consider going ahead and moving it to the garden, if that's an option for you. Forget overwintering the entire plant, just take and root cuttings right before the frost comes.

dave

Thanks for the info Dave, I was under the impression they were strictly a house plant. I am a bit afraid to take it out as one I had started before, couldn't stand the heat outside. Our first frost could come as early as end of Sept. or further in Oct. so I take things like the Jasmine in about mid-Sept.
The vigna is in a large pot, check out the pic in the database. From the looks of yours, although mine is growing in leaps and bounds, the stems aren't very mature yet.
Do you root the cuttings in water or with a heat mat?

I root them in water. I take cuttings with 3 nodes, strip the lower two nodes and sit in water, making sure the water covers at least the bottom node at ALL times. Roots will form, and when they are about an inch long, I pot it up and keep it moist until new growth begins.

dave

I got some very good information here, and will be making my own cuts this fall, thanks again.

thanks dave, will post a pic of mine tomorrow! Perhaps you can tell if it will bloom this year. i have been trying these for 2 years and this is as far as I have gotten.

Dave, I finally have buds on my vine. However, the birds are fascinated with them and they never make it to bloom. Am hoping they miss one or two at least. It has sure taken a long time to get these to bud. Think I'll start taking some cuttings right now just to be sure I get some rooted for next year. Thanks for the info on rooting. Maybe now would be the best time. Sure didn't work for me during the winter months when I was wanting to increase the number of plants.

Just wanted you to know that a couple of buds opened up this morning and that fragrance is to die for. Just wonderful.

This message was edited Saturday, Jul 27th 1:58 PM

I just bought seeds of this great vine from " Onalee's Home-Grown Seeds & Plants " I can't wait for mine to be flowering and it's pretty smell :))