Planting callaloo from cuttings
“Callaloo, callaloo, callaloo man!” I wonder if this is still as common to hear on any given Sunday morning across Jamaica as it was when I was growing up?!
Can I tell you—earlier this year I saw the callaloo man I used to buy from twenty years ago! He was riding his bicycle far from my old neighbourhood, but he still had a heavy load of the “greens” strapped behind him, and he did not look five years older!
Callaloo is known to be a valuable source of manganese, magnesium, calcium, iron, potassium, zinc, vitamins K, A, and B6, and even some protein.
According to the Rileys, writers of “In My Backyard: Powerful Herbs and Foods of the Caribbean,” you can infuse the flowers to alleviate stomach problems like indigestion, ulcers, and stomach ache. They say that when juiced, callaloo helps to reduce blood sugar for diabetics and lowers high cholesterol and triglycerides. Leaves placed in a poultice can be strapped to boils, abscesses, and externally inflamed areas, including cases of scorpion stings!
With all these impressive benefits of the humble callaloo, wouldn’t you like to always have some on hand? It’s easier to grow from cuttings than seeds. Let’s learn how:
METHOD
- Cut a sturdy piece of your callaloo stalk, about four inches in length. It should have three nodes on it. Both ends of the stem should be slashed at a 45-degree angle.
- Score/scrape below the last node in two places; that last node shouldn’t be more than half an inch from the bottom of the stem—this is where the roots will start to spring from in a very short time.
- Into a cup of soil or your garden bed, insert the cutting. Ensure the bottom node is covered with soil.
- Water profusely, press the soil firmly against the stalk to set it in place and to remove air pockets.
- Remove excess leaves from the plant so it can focus on developing roots.
Within a week, you will start to see leaves springing, and by a month, you will have a strong plant growing.
If you had started from seeds, it would take you eight to ten weeks to achieve what you will see in four using the cutting method!
Alternatively, you can place the cuttings in water in a container and set it near a sunny window. In three to four days, you’ll start to see the roots coming up. After about a week, you can transplant them outdoors.
