Hi
Was hoping someone more knowledgeable than me would jump in lol I would plant it in the ground though it's very cold sensitive but will take below 40 for extended periods. Pot is a bad choice as it needs to grow very large to flower well.
The place where it can climb trees would be good . If you can keep it warm soil doesn't seem to matter too much.
Good luck with it. One of the worlds most spectacular vines for sure. Have you also tried the Green jade vine?? Another winner because of the bluegreen flowers. If you havce the heat and the room gary

I have (I should say HAD) 2 Red Jades growing in my greenhouse. This winter has been very brutal, and for the first time in 8 years, I had damage to plants INSIDE the greenhouse, that were planted against the walls. One of my red jades bit it. The other is still okay. But then we had 13 nights below freezing, in a row (unprecidented in weather history here) The lowest we got was 17F.

When you say "cool" winter nights, how cool????

Bihai I was in So. FL for part of the cold snap and thought about your greenhouse. Hopefully most of your damaged plants will recover. It was the coldest I've ever experienced in West Palm. I've been thru plenty of cold snaps in Central FL but none have lasted so long. What a mess and I heard you had another cold snap last week. I hope it warms up soon. I'm taking the kids to Disney in a couple weeks.

It was so cold statewide for so long that they were talking about rationing propane deliveries. I was down to the last 20% of gas in my tank and delivery day was still 2 days away, so I turned the thermostat down to 45F from 55F, thinking it would be okay for two nights and just keep everything from freezing. But those were two of the coldest nights, 20F and then 17F, not just for a couple-few hours, but for over 12 hours! I got cold damage on some palms that were planted well into the interior of the GH so I know it got chilly in there, they did NOT like the 40's.

A few things like phalaenopsis orchids, one of the red jades and a couple climbing philos on the walls got damaged or outright killed. I was really surprised at the damage, and at the specific things that were the most damaged.

It was valuable though, it pointed out to me where the 'colder areas' of the GH are.

We just can;t seem to warm up this spring. Usually this time of year we are mostly 65-75F in the day with 40-50F at night, and only the occasional night dipping below 40 if a frost moves through. But looking at accuweather, we are slated for several consecutive nights in the mid 30's over the next 7 or so days. Very unusual very cold Spring...my daughter's birthday is March 4 and we are usually in shorts and outside by the pool by then! Probably not this year!

Hi
Certainly has been a tough winter, The reason is because my heating system broke down in Nov.lol Had it been working would have had record heat lol.
Though a lot of my plants are damaged ,think I'll save most of them . Did lose my fish in all 3 ponds!!
Escaped with only one hard freeze in my area but had 4 consecutive days below 42!!! A record.
Guess I'll see if it answers the ?? "can you grow orchids attached to the trees????"lol
gary

I also had damage to things on the inside of the greenhouse even though I ran a propane heater in there, some stuff against the walls (and they weren't pushed right against the walls either)recieved damage. I think I might have lost my green jade vine...will have to wait until spring to see if it comes back from the roots. Darn that thing was getting huge too!
Bihai, your dd and I have the same bday lol. Pisces rule :P

Thanks for the feedback, though a lot of people were just moaning about how cold it had been in USA...:-(

In the end I managed to get it planted at the base of a tallish, rather spindly-looking fruit tree (pitanga I think) in the main part of the garden, a bit risky as the tree roots were very thick and well-established but it is pretty vigorous so hope it will cope. At least it won't have any problems with support.

ifraser25, this vine needs a strong support, if the tree is spindly the weight of the vine might pull the tree down. It is a quick grower that will go up until it finds the sun all day long. it takes drought and blooms in the dry season.

chris

It will grow better down in the moist ravine . I have seen massive plants of these , the best were near a water source with large trees to climb .

On my return to Sri Lanka I planted a Mucuna Bennetti about 4 years ago and it is on a trellis and growing vigourously. However, it is showing no signs of flowering!
Many years ago, on this same site, with probably a little more sunlight then than now, I had a Mucuna vine growing on a similar trellis and it used to be loaded with flowers and it began to flower within about 2 or 3 years of planting.
What is the explanation for this state of affairs? The light that the vine now receives is less than its predecessor did many years ago but it is not in shade, per se.
Help!

Sorry this story has a sad ending. This winter has been very cold by Brazilian standards with several nights below 50F 10C. The Red Jade Vine has died. Don't try it unless you have a full tropical climate! - Ian.

Sorry to hear that. It's a beautiful plant. I've been wanting to get both the red and the green jade vine for a while. A lot depends on how long the low temperatures last and how warm it gets during the day. It takes a while for the cold to penetrate.

steiconi

I have been intensively searching for Mucuna bennettii for awhile now and have still not found a source. Could you sell me a young plant, seeds, or propagules of it?

I will pay whatever is needed. I am located in South Florida.

Thanks,

Christian

Zone9tropicals used to carry them. Maybe you could email them. They are a online nursery. Otherwise Top Tropicals may have them.