Best Tips For Growing Cypress Vine ( Ganesh Bel ) at Home

Cypress vine (Ipomoea quamoclit) is included in one of best annual vines a gardener can have. It has feather like fine leaves bearing lots of star shaped tiny flowers. Flowers close in afternoon. But even without the blooms, it’s feathery, finely cut foliage looks great. Hummingbirds and butterflies is attracted to this vine. Cypress vine climbs to 15 feet or more.  It is called ‘Ganesh bel’ in Hindi.

Propagation

Cypress vine is propagated from seeds.  Soak seeds in warm water for around two hours. It speeds up germination process. Sprinkle seeds on prepared soil beds and cover them with some soil. Germination will occur in two-three weeks.  Remember the soil beds should get good sun exposure.

If you want to start seeds indoors, sow seeds in small pots with drainage holes. Poke seeds and cover them with a fine layer of soil. Spray some water to keep it moist or place the pot in a sink with 1 inch of water for two to three hours. This will help soil in absorbing moisture through drainage holes.

You can sow seeds in spring , May is good.

Container

Use container with adequate number of drainage holes as Cypress vine doesn’t like wet feet.

Soil

Cypress vine likes rich, well draining soil. Go for loamy soil.  Enrich soil with organic matter like peat moss, dried leaves, compost, bark in case of using clay or sandy soil. Bacteria convert these to humus. Enriched clay soil drains more rapidly and sandy soil will retain more water and nutrients. 

Sun / Temperature

Cypress vine flourishes in sunny location so place your container where it gets maximum sun exposure.

Watering

It loves humidity. Provided consistent moisture Cypress vine will bloom vigorously. So mist the plant every other day. Water regularly , keep soil moist but not soggy.

Fertilizer

Use water diluted half strength liquid fertilizer once a month. You can use slow releasing granular fertilizer too.

-Shared by Tanushree Mishra , Patna

Tanushree Mishra is a software engineer by profession. Gardening is happened to be her favorite pastime. She likes to grow seasonal vegetables at her home.