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The Akebia Plant: The Complete Guide and Care Tips
Gardening is not only a hobby, but it’s also therapeutic.
For most gardeners, planting something new and watching it grow is an exciting experience.
However, as plants come in different shapes and sizes, some may require particular attention to grow correctly.
One such plant is the Akebia.
What Is an Akebia Plant?
Akebia (Akebia quinata) or the Chocolate Vine plant native to Japan and China is a woody perennial vine that typically grows around 30 feet long.
It’s a fast-growing vine with twining stems that can climb onto anything they touch without support.
The leaves are semi-evergreen with five leaflets that resemble hands, while the flowers are purplish-brown and have a pleasant scent of vanilla-chocolate fragrance.
The fruit looks like sausage-shaped pods filled with edible pulp used in making juice or even consumed raw as part of traditional medicine.
Care Tips for Your Akebia Plant
- Light: The ideal location for your Akebia plant would be partial shade since too much sunlight can cause leaf scorching.
You could use trellises or arbors to provide shade if necessary.
- Water: Your Chocolate Vine requires moderate watering during dry seasons; however, you shouldn’t let water stand around its roots since this could lead to root rotting.
- Fertilizer: During the growing season (spring), fertilize your Akebia regularly using any balanced organic fertilizer recommended by your local nursery shop (about twice monthly).
Avoid fertilizing during winter since this will stimulate growth when dormant.
- Pruning: Prune your Akebia plant during the dormant season (winter), removing any dead or diseased branches, and thinning out any overgrown or old stems.
This enhances its shape and improves airflow within the plant.
- Propagation: Propagating your Akebia Vine is quite easy using either seeds or stem cuttings.
However, seed propagation may result in hybridization; therefore, it’s best to use cuttings from a healthy parent plant.
The Benefits of Growing an Akebia Plant
Growing Chocolate Vines not only adds beauty to your garden but also has numerous benefits:
- A Natural Air-Purifier: The leaves of an Akebia vine can absorb pollutants from the air and convert CO2 into oxygen making it an excellent natural air purifier.
- Covers Unsightly Structures: Due to their fast-growing nature, they are ideal for covering unsightly structures such as fences, walls or even a shed in your garden.
- Makes Delicious Juice and Tea:The fruit of this vine tastes sweet with a hint of strawberry flavor when ripe making it ideal for making juice or tea at home.
- Aids Digestion:The fruit also has medicinal properties that help improve digestion by enhancing gut motility and reducing constipation
In Conclusion
An Akebia Plant is an excellent addition to any garden due to its numerous benefits alongside its stunning appearance.
By following our care tips above, you’re sure to enjoy watching yours grow healthily while reaping the fruits – both literally and figuratively – of your labor.
