Thinking of growing your own produce in your yard or garden? Wondering how to grow a tree collard?
Tree collards are a great option as they’re super nutritious and can be made into many different dishes. However, you should have the right information to keep it healthy and thriving for a long time.
Here is a short guide on how to grow a tree collard in your home.
What is a Tree Collard?
Tree collard is a perennial vegetable that belongs to the cabbage family. It has an upward-growing habit that’s similar to a tree (hence the name) and can attain a maximum height of 12 feet.
This vegetable plant is a favorite since it’s very nutritious and is fairly easy to care for. Its only weakness is the cold but you can circumvent that by planting it in containers or by treating it as an annual (and taking cuttings before the first frost strikes).
How to Plant a Tree Collard
The first step in growing a tree collard is obtaining a tree collard plant for your yard or garden. Then, the next is locating a site and preparing the medium to give it a good head start.
Tree collards grow well in full sun to partial shade and are considered warm season plants. Your soil should be rich with organic matter and kept moist throughout. It’s worth noting that the species takes up a lot of calcium in the soil which means you may need to fertilize regularly and throughout the growing season.
Wait until the last risk of frost has passed and when the ground has started warming up. Remove weeds, rocks and similar debris before you plant the tree collard in the garden. Observe a 15 to 18 inch space in-between and prepare staking material to support the plant’s growth. Alternatively, you can cut it back to around 12 inches to manage and keep it from falling over.
Once planted, water in well and wait for the first signs of growth in a few days. Tree collards can tolerate heat and drought well but it thrives when there’s regular watering. Harvesting can be done anytime during the year and when the leaves are full and exhibit both purple and green hues.
How to Care for a Tree Collard
Once you have the growing requirements of the tree collard down you just have to water them regularly to ensure the soil doesn’t completely dry out.
You can install stakes to keep the plant upright or prune it down to a foot or so, which encourages a thicker central stem.
Pests and the cold are the two most important things you should be aware of when growing a tree collard in your garden. The plant is hardy only to 20 degrees F or else will die back subsequently. In colder regions it’s recommended to put them in containers so they can be brought indoors.
Pests such as voles, cabbage worms and slugs can take off a significant chunk, so it’s best to prepare for them. You can employ anti-slug and anti-worm tactics such as BT or products specially designed to deter them. Alternatively, it’s best to keep the area clear of debris such as weeds, branches and sticks and remove slugs and worms whenever you see them.
How to Propagate a Collard Tree
Tree collards have a lifespan or around 8 years or so, but you can reset that with a simple propagation method.
The vegetable plant can be propagated by stem cuttings. Find and cut off a non-woody and healthy branch that exhibits numerous nodes. It’s possible to have 4 to 6 cuttings from a branch as long as each cutting has around six nodes or so.
It’s recommended to have the cuttings around 6 to 8 inches long and with 6 to 8 nodes. You should plant each right side up and with at least 3 nodes in the soil. Place the cuttings in partial shade and keep the medium regularly moist.
Rooting can take anywhere between two to four months and depending on the season. When you see the cutting starting to grow small leaves you can pull it out- it should have forking roots about three to four inches long. Transplant outside or in containers in early spring.
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