How to Plant, Grow and Care for Longevity Spinach

Longevity spinach (Gynura procumbens) is a popular vegetable grown in the tropics. While regular spinach is best grown in colder climates and tends to bolt in the heat, longevity spinach is perennial in warmer climates. It is a common cooking and medicinal ingredient throughout Southeastern Asia.

As its name implies, this vegetable is celebrated for its health benefits. Eastern medicine practitioners use longevity spinach to assist in treating kidney problems, rheumatism, constipation, hypertension, diabetes, and more. It can be ingested or topically applied. 

In Malay, this spinach is called Sambung Nyawa, which means “prolongation of life” and in Chinese, it is known as Bai Bing Cao, which translates to “the grass that heals 100 diseases.” There is ongoing scientific research on the pharmaceutical potential of longevity spinach. Although there is no such thing as a miracle species, this one could easily be incorporated as part of a healthy diet. 

This spinach would be an excellent addition to gardens in North America and a perennial in USDA zones 9-11. It can also be planted as an annual in cooler growing zones. Different parts are edible raw in salads and smoothies or cooked in stir-fries and soups. When heated, it has a viscous consistency and may leave a sticky residue akin to okra or Malabar spinach. 

Those with food allergies should first try a few leaves before making a big batch. It’s easy to propagate, so you can take as many cuttings as you like to share with curious family and friends!

What is Longevity Spinach?

Longevity spinach, Gynura procumbens, is a low-growing perennial in the Gynura genus belong to the aster family (Asteraceae).  It has a climbing growth habit which gave this spinach one of its common names – the scrambling gynura. This spinach can be grown directly in the ground and let sprawl as an attractive ground cover or grown in containers to manage the vines and move indoors. 

Native Area

Longevity spinach is native to Southeast Asia, China, and Africa. In the wild, it can be found in forests by streams or climbing on trees.

Like its sunflower cousins, longevity spinach also produces beautiful yellow flowers that then produce seeds. However, if you plan to cook with it instead of using it as an ornamental, you should remove the flowers to promote lush leaf growth. 

Characteristics

The fleshy leaves are round to ovate in shape with a smooth green upper surface, making them semi-succulent. The leaves are configured in an opposite pattern and can reach up to six inches long. The stems are also edible but will root wherever they touch the soil. 

The underside of leaves, stems, and buds may have purple hues. Leaves can be harvested as soon as one month after planting, but make sure not to over-harvest during the early stage of planting. Regularly harvesting the leaves can help it look bushier. 

Planting

If you order online from garden suppliers, you will most commonly receive cuttings instead of seeds. Seeds are very difficult to germinate, even at the hand of experienced gardeners. Cuttings can be planted directly in nutrient-rich soil after the last frost. Take care not to set them out any sooner, as the young cuttings will need time to adjust to your garden and are not very cold-tolerant. 

Longevity spinach should be planted in partial shade and well-draining soil. While they can tolerate full sun, too much sun exposure will cause the leaves to develop a bitter taste. Leave plenty of space between each, as they will easily sprawl. Because they are not native to North America, they may become mildly invasive if not pruned.   

If you’re planting longevity spinach in containers, the containers should be at least three gallons to accommodate vigorous growth. Fertilize container spinach more frequently than those grown in the ground since nutrients in the containers tend to deplete faster.  

How to Grow

It is easy to grow longevity spinach indoors or outside. This spinach is not susceptible to many diseases or pests and can thrive under favorable conditions. 

Light

Longevity spinach grows best in partial sun soil and is especially shaded from the harsh afternoon rays. In North America, it can be grown as a perennial in zones 9-11 and as an annual in all other zones that experience frost. 

Water

As with many others, longevity spinach also benefits from drip irrigation instead of overhead watering. Its ample root system allows it to tolerate some drought conditions but will grow better with more consistent watering. Because longevity spinach has a vining growth habit, the long tendrils of its leaves can also act as a living mulch to help retain soil moisture. 

If you see it wilt or become sickly, it might be due to too much water absorption or poor drainage. Water new transplants every day. However, once they’ve become larger, weekly watering will suffice. Unlike other high-humidity varieties from the tropics, this one does not require misting to maintain ambient moisture.  

Soil

Grow longevity spinach in loose, well-draining soil and not soggy zones. If you’re growing longevity spinach directly in outdoor environments, you can help enrich the soil by adding organic materials such as compost. Because they can be used as a natural ground cover, they do not need the application of additional mulch.

Temperature

Because longevity spinach is a tropical variety, it is sensitive to colder climates. If it suffered light frost damage, prune the damaged leaves and stems back to encourage healthy new growth. Mature spinach can tolerate a few nights of light frost but won’t recover after prolonged cold spells.

Fertilizing

The use and frequency of fertilizer applications depends on the soil quality. Longevity spinach can benefit from nitrogen-rich fertilizers such as coffee grounds, blood meal, worm castings, or a kelp or fish liquid organic fertilizer. Fertilizers are especially important if you are growing longevity spinach in indoor planters and with two or three in the same pot. Too many will often compete for resources so it’s important to feed them with nutrient-rich liquids. 

Maintenance

Longevity spinach enjoys vigorous growth but tends to take over an area if left unpruned. The best method of pruning is to simply harvest the leaves and cut back the vines. Mature spinach can grow up to a foot tall with scrambling vines. In the wild, it tends to climb trees, so it can be trained to grow upwards using supports like bamboo stakes. 

Propagation

It is easy to propagate longevity in spinach from existing ones.  Take a cutting with at least two to three leaves and put cuttings into some soil. Keep the soil well watered for the following days, and the cutting should root and start to produce new leaves. Propagation is a great way for cool-weather gardeners to have more longevity spinach for the following season without ordering new spinach. 

Growing longevity spinach indoors is easy; save cuttings near a warm and sunny window and let the soil dry out between waterings to keep roots healthy. They can also benefit from being placed under a grow light. It will develop more slowly during the winter but will be ready to be transplanted outside after the last frost. 

Harvesting

Longevity spinach can be a great replacement for true spinach in hot climates. It thrives in the heat and can yield an abundant and continuous harvest of leafy greens throughout the summer.

This vigorous spinach can be harvested as early as a month after planting. As it matures, it requires frequent harvesting to control the vines. Frequent harvesting is a great way to contain it before it takes over the whole garden. Longevity spinach is also a healthy option to feed chickens.

Storage

Prepare and store longevity spinach as you would any other leafy green, although freezing will be the best method to preserve its nutritional value. Wash and pat dry the leaves before freezing them in sealed containers or bags. 

Longevity spinach can help pack in extra health benefits into smoothies. The leaves can also be dehydrated at a low temperature. In fact, there are currently powdered capsules and dried tea leaves being sold as herbal supplements. 

Common Problems

Growing longevity spinach is generally not difficult as it’s naturally vigorous and doesn’t face too many pests or diseases. However, if you encounter some issues when you try to grow longevity spinach, here are some common ways to troubleshoot. 

Growing Problems

Longevity spinach will typically arrive as young cuttings. One of the most common growing problems is exposing them to freezing temperatures before they are robust enough to be outside. Make sure only to transplant the cutting after any chances of frost so as not to damage young longevity spinach leaves. 

The temperature should not be a huge issue for gardeners in warm climates. While they can thrive indoors, they can also be more vulnerable to nitrogen deficiency or become root bound. Inspect your spinach daily. 

Pests

Your longevity spinach may attract beetles, whiteflies, and other tiny green insects such as aphids. Healthy plants are more resistant to pests, whereas those that have already suffered some damage will attract them. Beetles will typically directly eat parts of leaves, whereas the piercing and sucking insects will feed tissue using their specialized mouthparts. Neem oil can serve as a natural pest control when applied to leaves.

A leafminer larvae infestation is visible when leaves have small white squiggles on them. This is evidence the larvae have tunneled into the area between the leaf surface and its tissue to feed before pupating. The best course of action here is to remove the leaves that contain leafminers and dispose of them.   

Diseases

Researchers from South Korea, where this edible variety is a favorite, have found that aphids are a vector for the Broad bean wilt virus 2 (BBWV-2). Longevity spinach that has this virus will develop chlorotic local lesions on leaves. The diseased leaves will become mottled, and the virus will eventually cause stunted growth. It’s important to control aphids to decrease the chance that a pest infestation will spread diseases. 

Additionally, because longevity spinach can grow as a dense patch, the lack of airflow can cause some fungal issues. Harvest regularly or cut the vines back to promote airflow. This also gives you the opportunity to examine it more closely for other signs of pests and diseases so you can treat them accordingly. 

Frequently Asked Questions