Indigenous Vegetables


Spider Plant

Cleome gynandra

Introduction

Spider plant, also called cleome and mwangani, is commonly found throughout East and Southern Africa during the rainy season. The crop grows well during the warm season under irrigation. It is sensitive to cold and does not grow well when temperatures drop below 15 °C. It thrives on sandy loam soils but does not perform well on wet, marshy and heavy clay soils. It requires exposure to sunlight and does not do well in the shade.

Seeds and sowing

Seeds can be extracted when the pods are fully ripe (yellow or black), before they open naturally. Seeds should be kept in a dry, closed container for at least three months to reduce the effects of dormancy. Some farmers prefer to mix the seeds with sand and broadcast them. Farmers who grow the crop under irrigation prefer to sow them in rows of 50 cm wide and thin the plants to about 15 cm within the row. Other commercial growers produce the crop in a mixture with African nightshades (mnavu) or amaranths (mchicha). These farmers first harvest the fast growing spider plants and later continue their harvest of mnavu or amaranths.


Crop management

Spider plants respond well to well-decomposed manure. Flowering is delayed when adequate manure is available, allowing more, larger leaves to be harvested. Optimum yields could be obtained with an application of 20–30 tons manure per hectare. When manure is not available, one could apply up to 120 kg nitrogen per hectare.

This crop grows rapidly and requires weeding only in the open space between the rows. Plants require water two or three times a week. Periods of drought will hasten development of flowers and lower the yields. Pests and diseases are not usually serious and spraying with insecticides is not recommended even when aphids appear to become problematic.


Harvesting and postharvest

The first few harvests usually consist of thinned plants. These plants should be brought to the marketplace with their roots attached and the roots should be removed only just before selling so that plants retain their freshness. Where possible, roots should be placed in water during the night to absorb moisture. In case of a mixed cultivation with amaranths or nightshades, harvesting will always be by uprooting the plants to make more space for the companion crop.

In case of monocropping, which is more common, the tops should be removed 10 cm from the ground. This will allow the development of new side shoots. The harvest can be repeated two to four times and even more, depending on the soil fertility and moisture conditions. The harvested shoots should be kept in a bag without water in the night. Next morning, the shoots should be dipped in water for about 30 minutes. If these are kept in water for more than 1 hour, they will rot. Sprinkle some water on heaps of produce sparingly.