WATER SPINACH Vegetable Seeds
Botanical Name: Ipomoea aquatica
- Also known as kangkong, water convolvulus, or bamboo leaf spinach.
- Crunchy stems and tender leaves with a mild flavour – delicious raw or lightly cooked in stir-fries and soups.
- Popular leafy green in South East Asian cuisine, especially Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino dishes.
- Ground-hugging tropical plant that thrives in warm, wet conditions.
- Can be grown near ponds, in wet soil, or in containers with consistent moisture.
- Excellent for hydroponic systems and microgreens. Fast-growing and cut-and-come-again.
- Perennial in tropical climates; grown as an annual in cooler areas.
Plant Details:
- Plant Type: Fast-growing tropical leafy vegetable
- Climate: Best suited to tropical and subtropical zones; can grow in temperate areas during summer
- Position: Full sun to part shade
- Soil: Moist, fertile, well-drained or boggy soil
- Spacing: 20–30 cm apart
- Time to Harvest: 30–40 days after sowing
Sowing Information:
- Sowing Time: Sow from late spring to early autumn once temperatures remain consistently above 20 °C.
- Seed Preparation: Soak seeds in water for 12–24 hours before sowing to speed germination.
- Sowing Depth: 1 cm deep
- Germination Temperature: 22–30 °C
- Germination Time: 7–14 days
- Transplanting: Transplant when seedlings have 2–3 sets of true leaves, or sow directly in final growing position.
When to Sow Water Spinach in Your Climate
| Climate Zone | Sowing Window |
|---|---|
| Tropical (e.g. Darwin, Cairns, Cocos Islands) | All year round |
| Subtropical (e.g. Brisbane, Perth, Northern NSW) | September – March |
| Temperate (e.g. Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide) | October – February |
| Cool & Cold (e.g. Hobart, Canberra, Inland NZ) | November – January (sow in pots or greenhouse) |
Growing Tips:
- Keep soil consistently moist – water spinach thrives in wet conditions and won’t tolerate drought.
- Harvest young shoots and leaves regularly to encourage branching and more leafy growth.
- For microgreens, sow densely in trays and harvest within 10–14 days.
- In tropical climates, cut back mature plants and they will regrow multiple times.
