Snail vine germinated! Now what??!?

I am hoping to accomplish the same thing along the fence lines on both sides of my house where cattle stay all the time (LOL)

Good luck :)

Chrissy, what are those gorgeous flowers?

Well you'd think it would thrive here. I am in west central Fl, 15 min from the beach and I have not had a frost/freeze in years. Regardless, the corkscrew fine (which is actually different from snail vine) goes dormant year in the winter regardless of temperature. The 2 vines I have in the ground are in their 2nd years and did produce some blooms but stayed contained at about 8-10 ft. Also, I thought I would have been able to get some seeds as I have a longer growing season and plenty of ants for pollinators but alas no seeds either. This spring, I will amend the soil (mostly sand) with compost and see if it improves the growth. I also have the true snail vine (formerly phaseolus caracalla) and it's growth habit is totally opposite the vigna. It will take over the world if allowed, grows and blooms 12 months of the year and is not picky about soil conditions. I just cut it completely back to the base to get a better handle on it. It had taken over my rangoon creeper and I was afraid it would choke it out. I also have a passiflora 'alba' that tries to go to town and needs to be massacred several times a year. The more I cut it back the more it blooms and fruits. It has a wonderful smell that easily outdoes the vigna and requires no care.
Jan

Chrissy,

You should think about collecting seeds from those and sending us up a box of 50 of those seeds. They are very dear here. You could probably send them to one person as a clearing house and have a return parcel of seeds from us. Like a big trade, but easier, as you only have to send one thing up.

What are the Aussie import restrictions on cleaned seed from hobbyists?

Suzy

I have never sent anything overseas before but I will see if any of the gardeners on the Australian forum do it ...if so I will let you know Have a look at this now

The fragrance is outstanding

Oh, my I bet that smells heavenly!!!! I live in a climate similar to mid or even southern Tasmania and didn't even know the Vigna could get so large!

I'm sure someone on the Aus forum has some experience importing and I can help with the small lot paperwork for importing into the US. There are probably others.

Suzy

I think I know who can do it ...if she agrees I will send the seed to her and she can foward it to you ...the seed will ripen in the Autumn (fall)
Where would I send it ?
chrissy

Whooo-ooo! You can send it to me...I'm in the address exchange. How will you remember my user name, though. Or find this thread again?

I guess it would be appropriate for me to offer the seeds to the members who have posted above first. 10 people 5 seeds each. Ya'll gotta help me out with some seeds that Chrissy would like, and be willing to pay 1/10 th the postage to AUS and the postage to your house from Indiana (87c) give or take.
This was edited. I'm not sure how it will shake out on whether we send some seeds downunder. Just keep the thread on thread watch status and when they arrive I'llpost and we'll hash it out.

Chrissy, can you find out about AUS imports of seed for hobbyists and what is allowed and what is not allowed?

Suzy





This message was edited Jan 10, 2008 11:30 PM

Suzy there is someone in our Australian forum who imports and exports seed I will contact her today and set it up send me a Dmail with the address ...I reqire no money if you look at our forum you will see we don't trade we give and that includes the post it would give me pleasure to know that I could make some of you happy ...I have given a huge quantity of those seeds away in the last Spring season.
chrissy :)

Well thank you, that's awfully nice of you! REALLY nice!!

I did run into your mate, Ian, from Sydney -- he dmalied me with some native seeds he had that he was willing to share and send to a swap I'm having. I had to look up every single seed he offered in Plant Files; I didn't even regocnise the genus es! LOL! You grow some unusual things down there besides kangaroos!

I'll send you a dmail, but know I am always in the address exchange, too.

Suzy

Chrissy, thank you so much! Wow!

Suzy, how about 5 seeds each for 10 people? I think that's how big the commercial packets often are. And the seeds often go for nearly $1 apiece.

I'll be germinating my few remaining seeds (from a trade last year) so I have a few seedlings to share at the spring swap. I'm hoping my dormant plants in the basement sprout up this spring! I get flowers by fall, but not in time for seeds to mature, so I would love some seeds for next year if there are enough to go around. If not, I'd rather have the seeds go to somebody who hasn't had a chance to try this plant yet. :-)

Yes, That what I meant 5 seeds for 10 people LOL!
Thanks for that advice, Crit - I didn't know how many seeds were in a commercial packet.

Suzy

The seeds I have found so far sell for 2.50 each seed for this vine. Yes, 12.50 for 5 of them.
gail

Gail,
Park Seeds sells them every year for 3.95 for 5 seeds.

Thanks........I have looked everywhere and they are 2.00 to 2.50 each..........I will go there right now and thanks again.

Gail, watch out for the shipping from Park's... I think their minimum might be high, so unless you're ordering supplies...

For anyone who has a dormant plant ...they usually have a tuber
type of thing going on under the ground ...so they should come back as soon as it gets warm.Mine have grown this big after an unusual freeze this year ...they do go dormant here too as we have a few frosts in Winter ...snow I can't talk about as I have no experience with that.Good luck with that and no I won't forget.:)
chrissy

Thanks for the reminder Critter.......yes......their shipping is very high.........going to wait until I need supplies.

Gail, I can't make promises until I have those remaining seeds in my hands because I've been known to misplace packets... but I will put a note in my trade tracker... hopefully I'll have something to send you this spring! If those plants (yes, they were tubers, but the young ones were pretty small) overwinter well, I may have an extra one from last year... again, I can't make promises until I get a couple of them to leaf out, and then I'll know!

You are sweet as they are hard to find. I am hitting up RJ from Houston and he said he might have some.

I have one vine in a big pot outside and I did cover the pot well when it froze a couple or three times this year, but I think it will come out again.

If i get my hands on some seeds, I will be sure and holler to people.

I just wrote a huge long thing and I lost it, but I am willing to share the entire booty with everybody who has already posted...no problem.

They should be harvested April-May, which might be late for some, but is about right for a lot of us.

Suzy

YOu are sooooooo nice!
gail

LOL! The Aussies are the nice ones!

I just happen to have the import paperwork handy, and not everybody does, or wants to mess with it.

Can you imagine how many seeds that humongous thing would yield? I wonder if the cockatiels eat them :)

This link below is an edited version of what I originally wrote, edited only to change the number of participants and seed count, since I didn't know how many seeds the commercial packs contained. It should be enough for every person posting above to have a pack if they want.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=4384228

Suzy

My friend has not checked in tonight ...can someone look and see if it is allowed? (on the lists) if so no worries ...no the critters don't eat them ...I should have hundreds. It is not that far until autumn (or your Spring).
chrissy

Chrissy, If what is allowed on the lists?

Suzy

I think she is referring to the Dept of Ag Import lists. Some plants/seeds are a no-no.

Oh, of course. Have we determined if it is indeed a Vigna caracalla? I have a list of links here I can check.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/weeds

http://www.aphis.usda.gov.ppq/Q37/smalllotsseed.html

Suzy

I couldn't get those sites to open...............oh well......I will wait for someone else to open. They have a wonderful fragrance and look good is all I know.

I typed them exactly as they were written on my sheet of paper. The first one opened and it's not on the list.

The second one did not open for me, so I rechecked it, and then typed it very carefully, but it's not a valid page. (THis is the Federal Government website), but I am out of edits for the day and couldn't warn people. Then I lost the whole thread because I thought we were in seed trading, not propagation. It's been sort of amusing, if not totally frustating.

I'd say it's a go, because it is not on the invasive list.

Suzy

From her photos, I'd say it's definitely Vigna caracalla. There's often some confusion between V. caracalla and Phaseolus caracalla because the two common names of "corkscrew vine" and "snail vine" are used for both plants, pretty much interchangeably. You can look them up in PF. V. caracalla is fragrant (deliciously so!) and has larger, lighter colored seeds.

Suzy, under "my info" you can check "posts you've made" to find threads you've recently been active on. Also, thanks to the new DG "tags" feature (which Dave is in the process of installing in place of the "favorites" button... see the thread on the DG forum!), it'll be easier to find threads like this in the future! :-)

Thank, Crit! I found this "tag" thing out right after I posted....LOL! I now have a new and hip vocabulary....Tags, Clouds...I feel so "with it"!

Suzy

Suzy you have a real calling to open SUZY'S SEEDS!

Chrissy, your photos are just breathtaking to look at. The vine truely loves the environment and soil conditions there. You will be much loved here if you are able to share you seeds! Suzy has alot of seeds and is a great trader. She probably has things you may want to try too. Good luck with all the government paperwork etc. to you both :)

I had one lonely little spring that only offered up ONE bloom and I didn't find any seeds but I did dig up the root tube to try over wintering it.

Here is a close up of my one and only bloom of Vigna caracalla

May I suggest that perhaps too much fertilizer and/or pest spray may be to blame.I guess too much rain as well may cause lack of flowers ...if you have warmth and sunshine they should flower.
My friend gets back next week and I am sure we can arrange something if the seeds aren't banned, it would be a thrill to know that some of my stuff will be growing in the USA I will also have an abundance of the wonderful perfumed Mandavilla laxa (the old fashioned white) if it is not on the banned list.
chrissy

Ah, Chrissy, it may well be what you say, but imagine our climate as being closer to southern Tasmania than to Sydney and I think you have a clearer picture. (If I were to install a little brick wall, just a little one, say 36" tall, the frost line here is 18", and we need block 18" deep in the ground for the birckto sit on before that little wall can even go up, other wise if heaves and cracks and falls down.)

Our season is much shorter than yours, too. I think Vigna c. just needs time to get going and we keep having freezing weather interrupting it right when it is ready to take off! Once you have the tuber or root in hand, it goes much faster, it's just getting it going in the first place.

Suzy

Awe gee I am in awe of you folk and all you go through in the gardening sense ...I bet you can grow beautiful cool climate stuff though. The only thing I can think of is growing the seeds up in polystyrene boxes in a warm place inside (under grow lights perhaps and then planting them as soon as the soil outside is "warm enough to sit on bare bottom" as one of our garden gurus says. then plant into an area that receives radiated warmth from a wall (perhaps the home). We gardeners always try to push the envelope don't we.I have been known to put ice blocks on a Pink Lady apple in a warm Winter ... I think my climate sounds like California/ Texas depending on the rain ...er this year floods.:)
chrissy

Hmmm, I have a plant that grows similar to that, but it's a vine. I thought it was called the seashell vine. Are they similar/related?

LA,
Yours is related. Phaseolus caracalla (snail vine)

Thanks budgielover! I really like the looks of the other one though ... it looks like it has a "bunching" of flowers. Very neato!