Germinating Gynostemma Pentaphyllum

Botanical names can be a mouthful, and Gynostemma pentaphyllum is no exception. Thankfully, its common name is sweet tea vine. Native to the forests and thickets of east Asian mountain slopes, this flowering vine grows to 26 feet in length. A tea made from G. pentaphyllum’s leaves is used frequently in traditional Chinese herbal medicine as a treatment to reduce blood sugar and cholesterol levels, to strengthen the immune system and to improve circulation. In cultivation, G. pentaphyllum requires lots of sunshine and moist soil at all times. Start the sweet tea vine’s seeds indoors in late winter.

Things You'll Need

• Shallow bowl
• Seed starting mix
• 3-inch or 4-inch planting pots

Instructions

1. Place the G. pentaphyllums seeds in a shallow bowl and pour room-temperature water over them. Allow them to soak in the water for 24 hours.

2. Pour the seed-sowing mix into the pots. The mix should not contain any soil and be peat-based, to avoid rotting the seeds. Run water over the mix, stirring, to ensure that it is evenly moist.

3. Plant 2 Gynostemma pentaphyllum seeds, 1/8-inch deep, in each pot.

4. Place the pots in a shaded area indoors where the temperature remains 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Don't allow the planting mix to dry out. Gynostemma pentaphyllum seeds typically germinate within one month.

Tips & Warnings

• When the seedlings grow their third set of leaves, remove the weaker of the two and discard. Plant the seedlings in the garden after the danger of frost has passed.

References

• Harvard University: Flora of China
• Plants for a Future: Gynostemma Pentaphyllum – (Thunb.)Makino
• B&T World Seeds: Printer Ready Information for Gynostemma Pentaphyllum