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edymnion

Growing Wasabi Indoors

Edymnion
12 years ago

I have some wasabi plants coming in in the next week or two. Since I'm getting two plants in, I plan on trying out both of the traditional growing methods (replicated indoors).

I have a heavily organic fast draining soil that I will keep moist with regular watering, and I have a fired clay chip gravel medium I normally use for bonsai along with a small desk fountain water pump to get a cycling waterfall going in a pot to try and replicate that method.

Has anyone tried growing wasabi indoors before that could give me a few tips/warnings/etc?

Comments (21)

  • yukkuri_kame
    11 years ago

    Wasabi likes cold mountain water. I am not so sure your indoor temps will be suitable, but would be delighted if you proved otherwise.

  • trianglejohn
    11 years ago

    I grew some for years and years in a pot without a running stream. I believe the cold mountain water/stream environment affects the flavor but the plants don't care.

    They like low light and damp rich soil. Mine were outside and I would move them into the crawl space under the house to cool off overnight. They start to go downhill when the daytime highs are over 80. You could grow them indoors as a houseplant easily but they will need to be kept in cool humid air. I kept mine indoors over the winter and never had a problem.

    If you want the flavor but don't want to sacrifice your roots you can just use the leaves. The flavor is very fragile, you have about 15 minutes to clean and grate the root to get the correct flavor, after that it just tastes like a hot radish. Virtually all of the wasabi you buy at the store is actually horseradish. Wasabi is sweeter.

    After a few years the roots will develop side shoots "pups" which are easy to break off and plant in their own pots.

  • Edymnion
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Yeah, I figure that as long as I keep the soil well moistened in the soil one, and the fountain going in the other one, moisture shouldn't be a problem.

    And if one starts to look substantially better than the other, I'll move the other into the same conditions.

    Only thing I'll have to get that I don't have now is a heavy sulfur fertilizer.

  • Edymnion
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Welp, my wasabi plants came in today.

    For the record, Horizen Herbs is *LOUSY* at packing live plants. I would say don't order from them, but they're almost the only people on this continent that sell the things, so beggers can't be choosers.

  • breezeaire
    11 years ago

    How did your plants do? I had 20 seeds and one germinated. Same supplier. Not sure how I plan to grow mine out, thinking of some sort of indoor aquaculture.

  • chilliwin
    11 years ago

    Where can I buy wasabi seeds? Please help me to find some reputable sellers.

  • chilliwin
    11 years ago

    I have bought few wasabi seeds from eBay. Only one is germinated, expecting more germination. The first leaves are not so healthy so thinking to give super thrive 50 in 1.

  • breezeaire
    11 years ago

    Any one have pictures of wasabi growing from seed? Think I am growing a weed and my cat keeps eating it. Also as for suppliers of plants, please post links if allowed.

  • hopfendood
    10 years ago

    Hi everyone,

    I feel like now I've read everything available in English on the Internet about growing wasabi, indoors and outdoors. Took me all of 20 minutes. :-)

    One thing that seems indisputable is that these plants like low light with cool-but-not-freezing humid air. I live in a medieval building in Germany, and immediately thought of growing indoors in our medieval basement... It's got classic beer cellar conditions, so the temperature should never get below 5ðC in winter or above 15ðC in summer and of course the air is rather damp.

    And, it has air vents up to street level that also let in some fresh air, a small amount of light, and never direct sunlight (see photo). I don't want to set up artificial lights... so the question is whether the natural light might actually not be *enough* in this case.

    An alternative would be a closet off of our unheated stairwell that has a window onto an alley, so it lets in more of the German gray light but never direct sunlight, should the clouds part. It wouldn't be so humid, however.

    Anybody have a take on which would be preferable? In the absence of further info, I was thinking of experimenting with a container in each location to see which does better.

    @Edymnion, how are your own plants doing?

  • PrayForWales
    9 years ago

    I'm just about to give it a go - would be good to know what insights anyone has had since last posting if any? thanks guys :-)

  • jujumtl
    9 years ago

    I am attempting to grow wasabi in the run-off well of a fountain.

    I live in an old house on the mountain in downtown Montreal.

    The fountain is in a very protected south-facing courtyard which is surrounded by heated parking garages well beneath grade.

    The run-off well itself is a good 4' below grade. Rather tender potted plants have survived winters in this hole.

    So I got the wasabi from Fraser's Nursery on Salt Spring Island. And planted it in the wet mud this August past. It has been thriving ever since. The light seems ideal: it has a full sky overhead, but never any sun.

    The fountain is an old design and a trickle of water constantly overflows into the run off well. Not a Japanese mountain stream but pretty close.

    Winter is coming. And ours are long and hard. So I have built a cold frame-like plexiglass cover for the well. When the days fall consistently below zero, I will cover the wasabi in hay and hope for the best.

    I know this situation isn't quite appropriate for the indoor wasabi thread. But it might nonetheless be useful to those who intend to grow this beautiful creature in various unusual fashions.

  • njcharles
    9 years ago

    growing unusual things in unusual fashion is one of the more interesting things to do in gardening!

    for adding sulphur, epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) can work

  • njcharles
    9 years ago

    i'm trying to think of how I can cover sections of ny state adirondack park or nearby streams or divert water to a hoop so that it can be heated enough in winter to prevent plant freezing

  • Stacey Breckel
    9 years ago

    I love wasabi and it sounds like something I could grow here indoors. My finished basement/bedroom stays cool and humid, and I even have a cool running stream that I can get water from for it :) Now just to get ahold of some plants....

  • Margery Hillenbrand
    8 years ago

    My husband mail ordered three plants to tend over 15 years ago. One out of three survived. I have since divided the plant a couple of times and currently have three, one of which is ready to divide again. We have moved once. Both houses were dry. They've survived. All of your comments make sense. The most important factor for me is to keep them where I see them everyday so that I water them before they wilt. They are in low light. Our Japanese friend said not to harvest the root until they blossom. I have (for the most part) kept them alive with frequent watering, breaking off dry leaves and using them back in the pot, but they have never blossomed. I have not used bonsai soil. After reading all of your comments, I'm wondering if they would be good plants for a terrarium or open fish bowl? Are your pots deep pots or shallow pots?

  • Jenny Bodwell
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I bought a daruma wasabi plant last spring, I think from Michigan Bulb. It was pretty small, but I got a nice ceramic pot for it, and put it in the basement under my usual fluorescent grow lights, where its cool. It's winter now in New Hampshire, and about 40 degrees F in the basement. It has some good babies now, but what I was most startled to notice was that it now has a flower stalk coming! What do I do about that? I'm curious what the flowers look like, but not sure the plant should be putting energy into seeds instead of itself. I don't remember what kind of soil I planted it in now, but from what I've read, I should repot to a bigger pot when it's about a year old this spring. Any ideas out there?

  • Laurie Barr
    8 years ago

    Congratulations Jenny! One of my Daruma Wasabi plants just grew the first flower (2) stalks also! Does anyone know if the flowers need to be cross pollinated with another plant or can they be pollinated by flowers on the same plant?


  • themaninthemoon
    7 years ago

    Sounds like a lot of great ideas, and you can increase the sulfur content by putting a couple of nails/screws into the soil to heat up flavor of the wasabi, ... it works for hot peppers, so I'm pretty certain it will also work for wasabi, ...

  • mehiss hola
    6 years ago

    Hi Kevin Borromeo Suboc, congratulations for your seedlings ! At which stage did you sow your seeds ? Dried stage, still wet ?

  • kinei
    6 years ago

    I've been growing it now for almost two years outdoors. Started with 5 plants from Frog Eyes Wasabi and now have over 40. Harvested two plants.

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