ABOUT THIS FRUITING TROPICAL Real Black Pepper Plant (piper nigrum) – An aromatic flowering vine cultivated for its fruit known as a peppercorn. Peppercorns and the powder made from grinding them is broken down into black, cooked and dried unripe fruit, green, dried unripe fruit, and white, dried ripe seeds. Peppercorns are actually the fruit of the small white flower produced by the leathery leaved vine. These showy vines can grow up to 20 feet and the leaves and have a distinct citrus aroma when crushed. Piper is easy to grow in a moist well drained soil and requires little attention once it establishes. A single established stem will bear 20 to 30 fruiting spikes. The harvest begins as soon as one or two fruits at the base of the spikes begin to turn red, and before the fruit is fully mature, and still hard; if allowed to ripen completely, the fruit lose pungency. The growth rate of Real Black Pepper will vary greatly depending on soil type, sunlight, temperature and other factors. A few leaves are often trimmed prior to shipping to reduce transpiration and travel stress. QUICK SPECS OUTDOOR Zone 10a-11 PATIO Zone 4a-11 SOIL TYPE Rich Moist % SUN 80-100% POT SIZE 2x2x3″ Deep INCLUDES One Vine TROPICAL VINE CARE Tropical vines grow happily while flowering and fruiting in a pot or in-ground. They will add an edible accent to your outdoor space, garden or patio. In cooler zones a containerized vine can be relocated indoors for the winter months. When you receive your new vine, there is no need to worry about planting right away. Your new plant can be stored for a while by simply placing it in a bucket with about a half inch of water and moving it to a shady location, simply keep moist. This will give you plenty of time to select the ideal location for your new tropical vine. CONTAINER SIZE All tropical fruiting varieties grow very well in containers, indoors or on the patio. Smaller varieties grow best in 12″ to 16″ diameter pots while larger varieties need enough room for growth, generally a 16″ to 30″ diameter, 14 ” deep container will suffice. Remember the looser the roots, the taller and healthier your vine will be. When the vine becomes root bound its growth will slow, at that point it is time for a larger pot. SOIL Real Black Pepper Vines enjoy a well drained, general potting mix easily found at your local box store. Remember try to stay away from arid or wet, mucky soils. FERTILIZER To help establish your new Real Black Pepper Vine, fertilize sparingly ten inches away from the base, tri-annually with a slow time released product. Unfertilized they will tend to grow at a slower pace. Note: The heavy salts in cheaper fertilizers will damage the roots and possibly kill the plant. Its best to use a brand you know and trust. GROW ZONE & LIGHT Best outdoors if grown in zone 10a-11, find your zone here. This vine requires 80-100% sunlight. Depending on your location full sun is often best. In the northern end of their grow zone Real Black Pepper Vines should be brought indoors or protected during the winter months. The patio zone is 4b-11 which means the potted vine will flourish over the summer months in colder zones but must be brought inside before winter. BEFORE YOU PLANT OUTDOORS At the nursery these vines are grown under 20-40% shade cloth. If you plant this vine in a brightly lit area you may experience leaf burn. It is best to acclimate this plant to its environment by keeping it outside and slowly moving it into a sunny area over a week or two to avoid stress before planting. WHAT IS THE SHIPPING SIZE All Real Black Pepper Vines for sale will vary in size. In the spring, vines are often smaller than vines shipped in the fall. Plants designated with a sku ending in -4, -6 or -8 will arrive in a standard 4 inch, 6 inch or 8 inch round growers pot respectively. Our new, reusable, recyclable deep plugs are 7 or 9 inches deep and 2 or 2.5 inches in width. Products growing in these pots are easy to transplant and allow for deeper roots and faster growth, they are designated with a sku ending in -7 or -9. (Note: The item sku number can be found just below the buy button.) The color and style of these pots may vary. If we are out of a particular size item, we may ship a larger size at no additional charge. For more information, click the “best packaging” link at the bottom of this page. Note: Before leaving, plants are inspected, watered, and pruned. Larger plants, generally those that ship in 8″ pots, will be topped to 36″ or 48″ overall, depending on the variety, if necessary, to facilitate shipping. Your new plants’ pot is then bagged to ensure that the soil stays in the pot and not loose in the box. Plants are tissue or kraft paper wrapped and generally secured in place with natural biodegradable peanuts. You may want to order your Real Black Pepper Plant (piper nigrum) online now while they are in stock, supplies are limited. Zone.10a Zone.10b Zone.11a Zone.11b
