This is a plant grown in parts of S America, Africa and a few other places. The natives chew the leaves for a lift similar to coffee. The leaves contain various alkaloids plus some protein, vitamins and minerals so they are healthful. My bushes are producing berries so I tried sprouting them. Here are a few of the sprouts
(//http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg77/Stonehenge1/enovo3.jpg)
The large seedling is only about a month older than the next biggest which is only about a week older than the smallest. They grow fairly fast. I'll do updates on their progress if anyone is interested.
Legality
E. novo is legal in the USA and most parts of the world. It is in a slightly gray area in much the same way as some other plants like san pedro, for example. It's legal to possess s pedro but if you do an extraction, you could get into trouble. Likewise with e novo. Just enjoy it for it's beauty and to preserve the species and no problem.
I'd very much like one if I had the money, but alas, I can't!!!
PM sent
Very nice Stoney!! Have you seen any critters at work pollinating them?
I see an occasional bee on them and the usual wasps which have almost taken the place of bees. I use to hand pollenate them but nature seems to have taken over. E novo is easier to take care of than e coca, from what I've heard.
What sort of climate do you have it in? How is it best care for? Soil conditions???
It likes warm temps, take it in when it gets below about 55f. Standard loose soil will work. It does not like full sun and you should gradually acclimate it to any change. Sun in a window through glass and a screen is OK but don't put it there right away if it's used to dim light. Give it an hour or two of sun the first day, three or four the second day and more the third day. Fert them every so often but don't try to make them dark green. They are naturally lime green.
Awesome!
So it sounds like it makes a pretty decent house plant?
I seriously just love growing plants!
This reminds me of the type of plant some 1800s business man botanist smokin' a wooden pipe would look at...
Here is a photo of one of my larger plants. You can see flowers on it. This one is a little over a year old. I try to water mine with rainwater since they don't like a lot of calcium which is found in abundance in city water systems. City water is also kind of high in ph and novo likes a ph around 6 or even a little lower.
(//http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg77/Stonehenge1/enovo002.jpg)
That's really awesome!
How long did it take to get that size?
I believe it was a little under 2 years when the pic was taken. It's not as big as it looks, the flowers are less than 1/2" long, maybe a cm.
Wow two years! Nice!
Those flowers are small, whoa...
Does it make a pretty good house-plant? If I ever got one I'd have to keep it inside during the winter.
Is there anyway to make cuttings of these guys?
Let's say I chopped the top off one of those, what the best way to get it to grow roots and continue growing? Any ideas?
I've never been able to root a cutting. I've heard that thick cuttings, over 1/8", will root but never had any that that thick I wanted to try. If the bottom has any leaves it may grow back.
What would be the best way to root the top?
And what will happen if the bottom has no leafs?
Well it's still alive, the bottom part (a stem with no leafs, but has roots) is planted but doing nothing.
The top part (with leafs but no roots) has been in water for maybe 10-15 days now. It was doing nothing, so I dipped it in rooting compound and planted it in some good soil. I hope it lives!!!
Any tips???
I would have kept it in the water but if it's in soil now, keep a clear dome over it to raise humidity. The bottom part may end up doing something. I never saw one break in two like you describe. The stems are flexible. It would almost have to be cut to be in two like that. Maybe a squirrel or something got to it?
Dude I have no clue how it could have happened! It was snapped right off!!!
Sometimes when I trim plants back, it makes the plant send out 'root shoot plants', and once those establish their own root systems, they can safely be cut from the motherplant. That works well for khat
Yes, hopefully Teo's plant will recover. I still have some seedlings and a few berries if anyone is looking for them. It's getting near time when it will be too cold to send to northern states.
I'd love seeds if I can plant them next Spring.
Teo I am not sure but it seems to me that this species and its subspecies arn't usually grown from cuttings.
Im not sure if its impossible but it is alot easier to propagate from seeds.
E. coca var. ipadu ive heard is a subspecies of E. coca that is grown from cuttings. It seems to me it was developed in Ipadu, Peru.
As far as I know it can only be grown from cuttings so its probably easy to grow from cuttings im assuming?
It seems to me that it is usually true that plants that have been grown by people for a long time by means of cuttings/ division or other a sexual reproduction have become dependant on vegetative propagation and then don't produce seeds. Kava kava, Taro..etc are some examples. My saying is if you know how the plant normally reproduces you will have alot of success.
I heard onetime heard about some guy that was thinking of trying to make kava cuttings. To me that sounded difficult and probably impossible. If it was up to me i would just divide the plant from the roots. What i say is to be sucessful at plant propagation: look and see what happens in nature.
If a plant like say in Ohio fully develops its seed in the late summer/ early fall and then germinates in the spring: it probably requires a warm, cold, warm cycle.
Id love some seeds or a seedling...
Himdumb, PM sent.
Dogbane, you are correct, cuttings are hard to root. It's better to start with seeds or seedlings already established.
Teo, the seeds/berries don't keep very long, just a few weeks. Check back when you are ready.
Good luck Himdumb!
I'll check back in March - April.
:tea:
Berries are back in stock. I'm open for various trades. I'd like miracle fruit seedlings, might be interested in nigella sativa seedlings, t ibog@, mulungu seedlings and a few other things or what have you got.
How long do the plants take from seed before you get the berries?
I don't need any seeds of that plant, but do you ever have fresh Voacanga africana seeds?
Let me know what else you have to trade other than E. novo seeds.
How do they do in your climate? Do you usually cover them or bring them indoors when it gets to 40 F?
I have american ginseng plants but I think it may be too hot for your climate. They need a definate dormancy period.
They can produce berries in a year from seed but the plant won't be that big yet. Anyone else out there growing it? It's a nice looking plant, i could see people growing it indoors just as a pretty houseplant.
I have a couple voacangas and they flowered last year but did not set any seed. They don't like the cold at all. I may try some air layering later. I take my novos in when it gets cold. I have b caapi seedlings, a few goji berry plants, and lots of different cactus seed.
Irie,
This is my lonely little girl....4 wks old....Thanks to Dog..
[attachment=0:h3d3p6wn]DSCI0329.JPG[/attachment:h3d3p6wn]
Trying to keep her on the drier side.
Respect
Z
It looks good. I have 5 plants right now. Im thinking of fertilizing every 4 waterings. I will water when it needs it 3 times and then the 4th time im going to fertilize with bat guano which is good organic nitrogen fertilizer.
I might also buy this one product that has alot of the micronutrients like iron and magnesium since ive heard iron deficiencies tend to be a problem.
My plants are all indoors and near a south facing window next to my two Tabernaemontana orientalis and I have 7 Psychotria ipecacuanha plants.
Does anyone think I should grow them using grow lights in the winter time when light duration and intensity tends to be low where i live?
The Tabernaemontana orientalis did fine last winter but were seedlings then so im not sure but they also might need more light.
I think a neon light is the best for the winter period...
Neon light is that a joke?
why would it be ?
if you put it under hps, you'll certainly burn it and the t° will be too hot, so, neon or envirolite type would be the best...
I often keep some plants under neon for winter period !
Well it depends on the wattage how close you can put the light to the plants. Obviously a 1,000 watt they need to be at least a foot away.
It all depends on the plant how many footcandles they need. Cast Iron is said to be one of the easiest houseplants to grow. It can take less light than almost anything.
Ive noticed some plants stretch while others dont.
Ive grown Solanum quitoense which seems to not need much light and is somewhat tolerant of some shade and it didnt stretch. I grew Cestrum nocturnum under the same light and it stretched alot ( long distances between internodes)
150 watt they can be alot closer than 1 foot. The lights dont burn plants. HPS and MH Lights are good for tropical plants that need alot of sun. They probably burn plants( make the leaves brown) that dont like alot of light.
I think maybe you meant the temperature would be too hot and they prefer to be below 90 F and above 60 F is ideal.
Here is a photo of 3 small seedlings. It's hard to make out but the center one and one on the right have shown the seed leaves and the first set of true leaves. The one on the left still has the seedcoat on. We don't want to force it off, just wait for nature to do it's thing. I still have berries, make an offer.
(//http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg77/Stonehenge1/stuff001.jpg)
Here is an updated photo of some of the seedlings.
(//http://i245.photobucket.com/albums/gg77/Stonehenge1/5inchers.jpg)
Those plants are looking good, any idea why the leaves are yellowing??
Also, if anyone has seeds or cuttings of E. Novo, I am very interested in adding another friend to the household! :wink: