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Malabar Spinach

Malabar Spinach

Malabar spinach is a member of the Basellaceae family. This plant isn’t a true spinach, but its foliage does indeed resemble that green leafy vegetable. Also known as Ceylon spinach, climbing spinach, gui, acelga trapadora, bratana, libato, vine spinach, and Malabar nightshade. Basella alba is a green leaf variety while the red leaf variety belongs to the B. rubra species, which has purplish stems. The leaves of Malabar are in dark green and have a shape of the heart. The appearance of the leaves is slightly glossy.
Introduction
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Description

Optimal Time/Temperature for Germination:
This is a vine type of plant that thrives in hot temps, even exceeding 90 F. (32 C.) Cool temperatures cause Malabar spinach to creep. It is grown as an annual, but grows like a perennial in regions that are frost free. Malabar spinach is planted in the spring and harvested through the fall. Scarify the seed with a file, sandpaper or even a knife to speed germination, which will take three weeks or longer at temperatures between 65-75 F. (18-24 C.). Direct sow Malabar spinach seeds in grow zone 7 or warmer, two to three weeks after the last frost date. If you live in a chillier zone, start the seeds indoors at about six weeks before the last frost. Wait to transplant until the soil has warmed and there is no chance of frost. Transplant the seedlings spaced about a foot apart.
Optimal Soil Conditions:
Malabar spinach will grow well in a variety of soil conditions but prefers a moist fertile soil with plenty of organic matter and a soil pH of between 6.5 and 6.8. Malabar spinach plants can be grown in part shade, which increases the leaf size, but it much prefers hot, humid and full sun exposures. Malabar spinach also needs constant moisture to prevent the blossoming, which will turn the leaves bitter ideally an area with a warm, rainy climate for optimal Malabar spinach care and growth.
Seed Planting Depth, Spacing and Procedure:
To grow from seed, plant 1⁄4” deep and 12” apart when soil temperatures reach 65°F – 85°F. Be sure to keep the area well-watered to allow roots to form. Cuttings call also be rooted in water and then planted. To grow from cuttings, trim the cutting to about 6” and cut it just below a node. Pot the vine in a growing medium or potting soil, and allow it to root. Alternatively, plant directly in the desired area where it will re-root.
Best Companion Plants and Plants that Hinder:
Reduce the risk of fungal problems by growing cherry and currant tomato varieties over the summer months. Try combining the vine spinach with dark-leaved basil or beets, Swiss chard with pink or red petioles, and blue-leaved kale for a dramatic edible planting. The red-stemmed type is complemented by annuals with red or pink flowers or foliage, such as coleus, zinnias, or cosmos.

Growing Instructions

Crop Maintenance

Malabar spinach can be treated as a ground cover or vine trellised. Two plants are sufficient for most families through the summer and fall growing season. It can even be grown up the same trellis as peas, truly utilizing the garden space. Grown as an ornamental edible, the vines can be trained to climb over doorways, archways, or a ladder. In warm areas, vines often reach 10 to 20 feet or longer. To prune Malabar spinach, simply cut the thick, fleshy leaves while retaining some stem.
Moisture Requirements & Solutions:
Malabar spinach is a tropical plant and needs consistent moisture throughout the growing season. It would benefit from drip irrigation. For best flavor keep soil evenly moist. In the warmest areas of the low desert, it may need water every day. Malabar spinach will go to flower and set seed (which can make it bitter) if it doesn’t receive enough moisture.
Weeding Needs & Solutions:
Give enough amount of compost and aged manure to the plant so that it receives proper nutrition and weeds to stay pulled near plant bases.
Feeding Needs/Optimal Natural Fertilizers:
Fertilizers that are high in nitrogen help the leaves to grow healthy. Try fertilizing your plants with neem seed meal, oyster shell flour or crab meal which will strengthen their resistance to nematodes.
Pests, Diseases & Solutions:
When watering Malabar spinach plants, remember to water from below and not from above. Watering from above will keep the leaves wet and encourage the spread of fungal diseases. Malabar spinach is usually resistant to most garden pests, which is why it’s regarded as a very low maintenance plant. However, one common pests that tends to attack it is the root-knot nematode. Root-knot nematodes can stunt the plant’s growth and vigor, also causing leaf chlorosis, which is the yellowing of leaves and stem. If you notice your plant suffering from these symptoms, check the soil to see if the roots are swelling since the problem could most likely be nematodes. There are many different types of organic nematicides that can kill the harmful nematodes attacking your plant, but they can also kill the beneficial nematodes. A common disease that attacks Malabar spinach is fungal leaf spots found on spinach, beets or Swiss chard. If you notice oval or circular grey spots with darkish brown or purple rings appearing on the leaves, it could be due to this pathogen. Remove the leaves immediately and don’t cook or eat any leaves with the spots. Do not compost the leaves as well since the pathogen will survive in the soil and can do so for up to two years. To get rid of it, you might want to use an organic fungicide.
When to Harvest/Number of days to maturity:
Harvest the leaves at any point during the growing season once the vines have at least 8-10 leaves. Cut leaves from the outside first, being sure to leave at least 6 leaves to allow the plant to grow. For longer vines, allow individual Malabar spinach vines to get longer before harvesting. To encourage branching and a bushier plant, cut back stems earlier. It could take 40 to 50 days to your harvest. Always clip the leaves as per your kitchen requirements. Continuously harvest the plant as per your kitchen needs.
How to Harvest:
Optimal Storage temperature and conditions:
Malabar spinach is best enjoyed soon after harvesting, and does not store well. Once you have a good crop to harvest, using Malabar spinach is just like using regular spinach greens. Delicious cooked, Malabar spinach is not as slimy as some other greens. Found frequently in soups, stir-fries and curries, Malabar spinach holds up better than regular spinach and doesn’t wilt as rapidly. Although when cooked it tastes much like spinach, Malabar spinach raw is a revelation of juicy, crisp flavors of citrus and pepper. It is delicious mixed in with other greens in tossed salads. However, you use Malabar spinach, this discovery is a boon for those of us that love our greens, but find the warm days of summer a bit too hot for their taste. Malabar spinach has its place in the kitchen garden, providing cool, crisp greens for the long, hot summer days.
Optimal Preserving Procedures:
Seed Saving:
At the end of the season, Malabar spinach sets flowers, and those flowers turn into deep purple berries (drupes) with seeds inside. Dry the berries whole and plant the seeds the following year. Malabar spinach often reseeds itself from dropped berries as well. Allow volunteer seedlings to sprout, and then transplant them where you want the seedlings to grow in your garden.

Harvest and Storage

Notes

The purple flesh of the ‘Basella rubra’ berry has a vibrant color and can be used to make a rich-colored dye. Leaves of crushed Malabar spinach are applied locally for treating pimples, boils, snakebites, scalds, wounds, bruised, inflammation, and burning sensation. Some people have found it to be invasive as it can self sow and grow from stems laying on the ground in warm moist climates with no winter.

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