Black Pepper Seeds

A vigorous tropical vine with glossy green leaves grown for commercial production of pepper. Can be grown on trellises outside or used as a houseplant for most regions of US.
Black pepper plants make an attractive addition to your house or garden. Once grown, they develop dainty white flowers before producing fruit. The fruits will appear as clusters of round berries in a chain formation.
Conditions for growing black pepper plants require high temps, heavy and frequent rainfall, and well-draining soil, all of which are met in the countries of India, Indonesia, and Brazil where most of the commercial peppercorns are grown. Most growers in the USA grow these in containers inside the home or greenhouse. These warm loving plants will stop growing when temps drop below 65 degrees F. (18 C.) and do not tolerate frost; as such, they make great container plants. Situate in full sun with 50 percent or greater humidity, or inside the house or greenhouse if your region does not fit these criteria.
In its native habit of southern India, Black Pepper is an understory plant that climbs up trees and grows in dappled light. When grown as a houseplant, it needs moderate light in an east or west window and it should be placed directly on the windowsill or close to your light source if grown in a light garden. It does benefit from some direct sunlight but not hot noonday sun. Like other tropical plants, Black Pepper can be grown outside during the summer months and brought inside for the winter.
The flowers start growing at the leaf nodes of new growth. The small white flowers form pendulous spikes and then small, round, green peppercorns form in chains, which in time ripen to red. Growth slows down in the winter, yet it will fruit and flower year-round. The pepper plant can produce an abundance of peppercorns in a pot as small as 8-inches.
To fertilize, use a soluble or liquid fertilizer applied every two weeks when you water. Don’t over fertilize your black pepper plant, as a rule of thumb, the less light, the less often you fertilize, so outside in summer means more, inside in winter less.