4 Chaya Tree Spinach Cuttings - Maple Leaf Variety, Perennial
$9.00 USD
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Chaya – Spinach Tree Cuttings: Maple Leaf Variety
You will receive 4 unrooted cuttings, each approximately 5” long, from our Maple Leaf Variety of Chaya, Tree Spinach growing in sunny Florida. Home grown naturally using regenerative methods with lots of love and zero chemicals, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. You will receive unrooted cuttings just like those in the first 3 pictures with the leaves stripped. I will make the cuttings fresh per your order on the same day that I ship them to you. Chaya is a wonderful subtropical perennial spinach that is easy to grow and although it does require cooking of the leaves before eating them, it has a very nice mild spinach taste that is a highly nutritious source of vitamins, fiber, proteins and enzymes… a super green! It is important to know that Chaya leaves should not be eaten raw, as it contains cyanogenic glycosides that produce hydrogen cyanide (the stuff in Apple seeds) that is toxic when consumed. So you must cook the leaves before eating them! When cooked the hydrogen cyanide is easily neutralized making the leaves safe for eating... this can be done by boiling or blanching the leaves for 15-20mins.
IMPORTANT: I cannot ship this item to AZ, CA, HI, & PR. If your shipping address is to any of these states your order will be cancelled. Thank you for your understanding.
Growing Info & Tips
Chaya is super easy to grow from cuttings. It can be a little slow to get growing at first but you can anticipate a harvest from these cuttings within a year. It grows as a perennial shrub in Zones 9-11 and with frost protection in a greenhouse etc. you could try growing it in other zones. It grows most vigorously in hot, humid and sunny conditions but also grows well in a shaded understory… it will just grow at a slightly slower pace in the shade. It's not too picky on soil types and when established is drought tolerant. The maple leaf shaped leaves are of good size providing abundant harvests. The stems expel a white sap when cut, which can irritate some people’s skin so you might want to wear gloves when pruning Chaya. It can grow quite tall to 12-15 feet but can be easily pruned to your desired height.
Chaya is cold sensitive and should be started at the beginning of or during the warm season. I have marked the cuttings with an arrow pointing downwards to show that that’s the end that goes into the soil. Put the cuttings in pots with a nice with pre- moistened potting mix, burying the stem of each cutting about 3” into the soil so that you have 1-2 nodes under the soil. If you like, you can use a rooting hormone to help them along, although I have never found this necessary. I like to start the cuttings in 1 gallon pots outside under my trees for some partial shade. Keep the soil moist but not soggy! Chaya prefers a dryer to moist soil when getting established. Overwatering will cause the cuttings to rot. You should see new growth and roots within 1-2 months. Once established, you can move them into to ground or continue to grow them in containers.
Note: Do not try to propagate the cuttings in water, they will rot.
Taste and Preparation
Chaya has a yummy mild spinach taste. It is a great source of protein, vitamins, calcium, and iron and also a rich source of antioxidants. Chaya actually has more nutritional benefits than Spinach and some consider it a super green. What’s most important is the preparation of Chaya. Chaya leaves should not be eaten raw, as they contains cyanogenic glycosides that produce hydrogen cyanide (the stuff in Apple seeds) that is toxic when consumed. So you must cook the leaves before eating them. When cooked the hydrogen cyanide is easily neutralized making the leaves safe for eating... this can be done by boiling or blanching the leaves for 15-20 minutes. It’s recommended that you do not cook Chaya in aluminum containers as it can cause a toxic reaction. I like to harvest and cook Chaya in large batches and then use it smoothies, curries, soups, and stews and freeze any leftovers for later use. Yum!
Please Note: All of my cuttings are fresh and viable. Growing is fun! The majority of the time it is a success but sometimes it’s not. This just is the way it is with nature and gardening. I hope you experience success with all the cuttings, however I cannot be responsible for rooting failure due to improper care or climate conditions etc.
other names for this plant are Chaya Cuttings, Tree Spinach Cuttings, Unrooted Cuttings, Mayan Tree Spinach Cuttings, Mexican Tree Spinach Cuttings, Chaya Mansa Cuttings, Cnidoscolus chayamansa Cuttings,
Any questions, please don’t hesitate to send me a message. All photos are taken from our garden.
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$9.00 USD